Relocating to Pittsburgh from San Francisco (Advice Needed) (Lebanon, Upper St. Clair: house hunting, hotel)

[likepgh]

Originally Posted by Drover

They don't, but there are ZIP codes that happen to feed entirely into a particular high school even if that's not a criterion the district uses. I used this PPS web page (broken link) to compile my info. (CAUTION: link is a pdf)

Didn't know about the directory organized by zip code. Thanks.

[juliegt]

Originally Posted by scottfleisher

Hi Julie,

We are about 90% there in our decision to make the move. We've narrowed it down to two very different areas:

1. Mt. Lebanon
2. Shadyside / Squirrel Hill

We like Mt. Lebanon because the schools are supposed to be wonderful, the houses look great, and it's very affordable.

We like Shadyside / Squirrel Hill because it's in the city proper and closer to shops and businesses. I'm not sure if the schools here are considered to be as good, unless you go private.

What neighborhoods have you looked at?

Best,
Scott

PS: Where do you live in the Bay Area?

Scott,

I saw houses in Squirrel Hill, Shadyside, Regent Square, Edgewood, Friendship, and Highland Park. It wasn't till I returned home that I discovered that only the first two areas fed into decent schools. I'd have to consider private schools in the other areas which would eat into the cost of living savings considerably.

Still, as a native San Franciscan now living on the Peninsula, I love the idea of being back in an urban area. Not that I don't like where I'm living now, it's just that I couldn't afford to buy my own home at today's prices due to the crazy market here. And a victorian in SF that compares to some of the nice ones I saw in Pittsburgh would cost millions. I've lived in many older homes any really miss their character. Although heating an old victorian in Pittsburgh winters must be expensive.

My biggest reason for not moving is that so many people have told me that uprooting teenagers is very traumatic. And, I would miss my family and friends here. But, I'd be able to afford a huge house with room for guests. Since I don't have to move, I'm thinking of waiting until my kids are grown. but I'm on the fence. that's why I'm eager to hear your experience should you make the move.

I also think that it's important to follow your heart. Gather all the info, do your research, visit, but then you have to do what feels right. I really felt at home there. I realize that if I move and it doesn't work, I can always move again. I do think it would be a good idea for me to visit in the winter. I've always lived in California and I'm a wimp when it comes to extreme weather.

Good luck! Keep us posted.

Julie

[sgh9999]

So I would suggest for buying a house, Point Breeze. It is a vey peaceful family oriented neighborhood, It is near Frick Park,good restaurants,Frick Museum. Also if you can handle it St. Bede is is catholic elementary school,and is within 2/3 blocks of most of the houses in this small interesting neighborhood that has artists, professors, Carnegie Mellon professions etc. Some of the public schools are okay but not in Shadyside, maybe Liberty for Elementary but Peabody for high school and that is unacceptable. Allderdice is bad and getting worse that school is in Squirrell Hill . If you get into the IB program, but the school is old and has a bad atmoshpere. Lots of riff-raft, Schenley is better. For a downtown feel, I have friends that have moved into the Cork Building in the strip District which is near downtown, not sure about what school district that is . Hope that is helpful-goodluck.

[right-here-i-say]

Originally Posted by TRO Z

To Downtown....

If you leave mt. lebo at 7am..30 min...

7:30 to 8:45 expect 1 hour..

I leave my house at 9:15 or 9:30 and it takes me 20 minutes...



Add another 15 minutes to shadyside from Town...

It all depends. I do this 5 days a week and time it almost everytime. If you leave "Old Virginia Manor" in Mt. Lebanon at 7:00AM it takes 7-10 minutes to get to town. If you leave Beverly Heights at 6:55AM it takes 15 minutes.

If you leave at 7:45 to 8:30 you are looking at 30-45 minutes. Lots depends on how aggressive you are.

[right-here-i-say]

Just so you know, for the money, you will buy much less of a house in Mt Lebanon compared to any of those other places with the exception of Sewickly Heights. Many of the houses in Lebo listed at $300K have 1.5 baths (realtor.com will state 2.5 baths, but 1 is usually in the basement)

Also when looking in Mt Lebanon, watch out for through streets and location. Mt Lebanon is very large and some locations are better than others. A newcomer wouldn't be able to recognize this. There is a reason a house is a much lower price than another house than a smaller one in another location in Mt Lebanon. Also, some streets have up to 10000 cars driving through a day,

[karmel]

Just another idea to throw in the mix - Sewickley. I love the town itself. It's just a thought. I live in the North Hills - Mc Candless, so it's not urban at all. I am a teacher and the education system here is excellent.

[sarasota863]

My family used the same chiropractor for over 20 years. Gene Walters had a office in the Banksville Road shopping center (Rt 19 near Mt Lebanon ) he passed away a few years ago, but his office hours looked like a warehouse sale. Standing room only. We still talk about him with fond memories. Pittsburgh has a older and loyal population. I still fly back to have my dental work done in Mt Lebanon. Research office locations, rents, parking etc. as well as your neighborhood options. We still refer to "Mt Lebanon Grass" when we see a great looking lawn. If my wife could have found a teaching position, we would not have moved away. Best of luck in your search!

[burgh]

I have lived in the east side of Pittsburgh - shadyside, squirrel hill, regent square, and penn hills. Bought a house in Mt. Lebanon 3 years ago - for the schools, the community is filled with old houses full of character, and close proximity to downtown. Liked shadyside, sq. hill, point breeze, bloomfield, etc. We chose Mt. Lebo because of Pittsburgh's high income tax or we would be living in sq. hill near frick park - beechwood blvd. Mt. lebo still gives you some sense of "city". Problem is that it is not eclectic, diverse, etc. But we just go to downtown, strip, southside, oakland, sq. hill, shady, etc. for that. 10 minutes or less to any of these places - no rush hour. We are trying to give our 3 kids the best of both worlds.

[TT8482]

Originally Posted by scottfleisher

Hello,

My wife and I currently live in San Francisco (Pacific Heights neighborhood, for those familiar with the area) and are strongly considering relocating to Pittsburgh. We have a number of reasons for considering the move:

1. My parents live in Pa (State College) and we would like to be close because we will be having children within the next few years.

2. My wife's parents live in Europe and living on the East Coast would cut about 8 hours off our transit time. (We visit frequently.)

3. We understand that Pittsburgh has a significant cultural and arts community (Ballet, Symphony, and Opera).

4. The trip from Pittsburgh to New York is cheap and quick.

5. We understand that taxes are higher in Pittsburgh, but the price of real estate in SF is outrageous. We currently live in a (small) one bedroom apartment (condo) at about 600k. It appears you can buy a small house in Pittsburgh for half that amount.

6. We understand that there are some good public schools in (near) Pittsburgh. Good schools in SF start at 30k.

7. We are accustomed to urban living and Pittsburgh appears to have a charming (if not so thriving) downtown.

I am a chiropractor and my wife works in finance (Silicon Valley). We are both independent businesspersons, so the (poor) job market would not affect us directly, but could certainly affect us indirectly (after all, we still need patients/clients).

Considering our circumstances, what neighborhoods would you recommend (for living and for practicing chiropractic)?

We were thinking of:

1. Shadyside/Squirrel Hill: This seems to be the closest to our current neighborhood (Pacific Heights), but we would still have the burden of private schools.

2. Downtown: My wife loves living downtown (we've lived in downtown San Francisco) and it seems that Pittsburgh is trying to revitalize this area.

3. Mt. Lebanon/Upper St. Clair: The houses seem very affordable (we'd like to cut our expenses and downgrade to a 300k place) and we understand this is where the good schools are.

Any advice re: these neighborhoods (or any others) or any other helpful information you can provide would be VERY much appreciated.

Thank you!

Best,
Scott

Scott, did you end up relocating from San Francisco? We are considering it as well, but have lived here in the Bay Area for ~8 yrs now and its hard to leave. Change in climate will be big, city offerings not as vast, but probably more of a sense of community in midwest/ midatlantic, and more affordable no question. What's your latest?

[SteelerGirl]

Scott,

If you haven't moved already, you may want to consider the western suburbs of Sewickley and Moon Township. Both have excellent schools (although Moon is probably more up on athletics than academics, and I don't care what anyone says, Quaker Valley is a lot better than Mt. Lebanon, USC, and Fox Chapel) and Sewickley has Sewickley Academy. Sewickley is far wealthier, but $300K will still get you something decent (and in Moon it'll get you a lot more).