Relocating to Pittsburgh from San Francisco (Advice Needed)

[angeliki]

Originally Posted by scottfleisher

Sorry for the delay: we've been exploring options, crunching numbers, and contemplating what it will feel like to say goodbye to San Francisco. At this point, it looks like we're going to take the plunge, and the winner is...

Mt. Lebanon!

We'll be making another trip in November to make our final decision (and if all goes well) buy a house.

I could now use as much info on Mt. Lebo as possible:

1. Best neighborhoods (and what neighborhood is where - it's tough to find that sort of thing on a map)

2. What neighborhoods feed to what elementary schools (and does it matter? it does around here...)

3. Best locations to start a business (i.e. where do people go?), etc.

4. Good restaurants, shops, and a hotel (last time we stayed at the Omni) for our next trip.

Thanks Everybody!

PS: Oh yeah, and if anybody thinks Lebo is a bad idea…why?

Scott,
I just discovered this thread today and wanted to tell you that you have made a great choice. My husband and I relocated to Pittsburgh last year and just purchased a home in Mt. Lebanon last spring. Yes, there are parts of the city that are more urban and diverse, but Mt. Lebanon is literally only 5 miles from downtown Pittsburgh. For the combination of schools, housing, community, and other amenities, I don't think you can beat Mt. Lebanon. As far as neighborhoods go, I haven't driven through a bad one in Mt. Lebanon. Lincoln Elementary is supposed to be the best elementary school. It's off of Beverly Rd close to the shops there, which I just love. Il Pizzialo on Washington is the best Italian restaurant in Pittsburgh - very authentic. The thing I really like about the population in Mt. Lebanon is the socioeconomic diversity. The town has a reputation for being upper class, but as you can probably tell from looking at real estate, families from a variety of backgrounds live here - everyone is involved and values education. I do wish we had more cultural diversity. Fortunately neighboring Greentree has a burgeoning Indian community and the city is so close. I also would like it if Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, and Target were closer, but I look at those trips on the weekends as pleasant excursions. Please feel free to e-mail me with any questions.

[gretchen25]

If you are planning on having children, stay out of the city unless you want to pay for private schools. USC and Mt Lebo are very nice, but also consider Peters Twp in Washington County. This is directly below Upper St. Clair, has great schools, and the taxes are about 30% less than Allegheny Co. You'll pay more for a home, but save in the long run with the taxes. Private schools (Sewickley Academy, Winchester Thurston, etc.) are less than $20k per year but the schools in USC, Mt Lebo, and Peters are very highly regarded and consistently rank nationally among the best schools. My husband and I live in the Peters area and it can't be beat--We've both lived here our entire lives and there is nowhere else in Western PA we'd rather live.