Once again, another...moving question. (Dormont, Liberty: to live in, shop, housing)

[Rodeno]

Originally Posted by DaBurgh

I would say take the fiance through Bridgeville, Mt Lebanon, and then Dormont, and see what appeals to you both.

You might have to sacrifice one thing or another. A shorter drive to I-79 but less amenities vs. longer drive to I-79 but more amenities.

I have been to Dormont a few times and it doesn't seem so bad. Mt. Lebanon has some beautiful homes. I know it seems like I find something wrong with every place. Honestly I just don't want to live in a sterile suburb that you have to drive to the strip mall to do anything and eat at Friday's when you're done, haha. Dormont has kind of been the place I'm thinking the most about, but would prefer somewhere else, but at the same time wouldn't mind it there. I know my fiance likes, so that is a major plus.

[fleetiebelle]

Have you considered Mt. Washington at all?

Honestly, there's going to be something "wrong" with every neighborhood. No one place is all pros and no cons. You just have to prioritize.

[greg42]

Dormont is not that convenient, really. It's tough, now I'm sure you've asked this before. But if you can let go of the idea that you must have everything, you can certainly avoid living in a sterile suburb. I mean, let's make the distinction here: there are suburbs, like Dormont, Mt Lebanon, Sewickley or Aspinwall. Then there is sprawl, like Robinson or Cranberry.

Seems like your drives are biased towards the south, so to my way of thinking, for your sanity, being on the other side of the Ft Pitt Tunnel makes a whole lotta sense. Mt Washington could work too; at least you wouldn't need to use the tunnel either way. But if so many customers are south and west anyway, something like Bridgeville kinda makes sense. No, it's not a spot where you're going to get to walk to everything. Even Mt Washington would be better for that. But if you live by that at least you could walk to a couple things. It's kinda closer to its nearby sprawl than some other places though.

Beaver would be worth a look if you don't mind being far from the city. That's the main drawback. If you want to go from home in Beaver to the city you're looking at 45 min drive. Sewickley has a snooty rep and some snooty people (just some of 'em, not all of 'em!) and a few high zoot businesses but really don't knock it until you go check it out. It's still a good town IMO, as close to the city as Bridgeville and pretty convenient to places you need to go.

Dormont and Mt Lebo are great; they're just not in my definition of easy to get to the highway.

Choose your poison; none of them is perfect.

[BrianTH]

You want urban/walkable, but you don't want:

(1) "Snooty" people (aka typical upper-middle-class people);
(2) "Frat boys" (aka typical college students); or
(3) People who will make your non-urbanist fiance feel uncomfortable.

The problem as I see it is that you are basically looking for an urban/walkable neighborhood minus most of the people who typically live in such neighborhoods. Assuming that diagnosis is correct, you either have to give up on the urban/walkable thing, or accept the fact that you will have to share that experience with one or more of the above sort of people.

[Rodeno]

I enjoy dealing with different types of people, but don't want my neighborhood dominated by a bunch of douchbags trying to get their asses kicked and projectile puking every weekend. I also don't want a bunch of thugs. I can live amongst anyone, I have, just telling you what I prefer.

[Rodeno]

If Pittsburgh neighborhoods are all frat boys and thugs then it obviously isn't the city I thought it was. I know that's not the case though. I like middle class working man neighborhoods, that is where I'm comfortable because that's how I was brought up. Have anyone of you been been to Tremont in Cleveland? That is a perfect mix/match neighborhood.

[jay5835]

Bloomfield sounds perfect for you. I can't think of a more perfect "middle class working man neighborhood." The only problem is, it's not really in your desired "west or southwest of Pittsburgh" part of town. Well, the truth is, you're not going to find a Bloomfield, i.e., a really, truly walkable neighborhood, in the west or southwest parts of town.

Your problem isn't that anyone's previous recommendations sucked. It's that we can't move Bloomfield to the location currently occupied by Robinson Township. So, you're going to have to live somewhere more suburban than you really want or drive a little bit further than you anticipated. It really is that simple.

[BrianTH]

I'm not trying to be hostile, just trying to help you think through the issues.

Pittsburgh does have some "middle class working man neighborhoods", but even those are changing. Bloomfield, for example, has more than its fair share of little old ladies from its blue collar days, but increasingly it also is attracting hipsters, yuppies, and so on. The problem is that lots of different people want to live in urban/walkable neighborhoods these days.

That's not to say you shouldn't have your preferences when it comes to neighbors. Still, I do think you should be prepared to compromise on those preferences a bit, because you may not be able to get everything you want in terms of location and urban/walkability without being willing to share your neighborhood with one sort of person or the other that you aren't particularly fond of.

[greg42]

Originally Posted by Rodeno

I enjoy dealing with different types of people, but don't want my neighborhood dominated by a bunch of douchbags trying to get their asses kicked and projectile puking every weekend. I also don't want a bunch of thugs. I can live amongst anyone, I have, just telling you what I prefer.

Why do you assume the neighborhoods put forth are like that? Geez. They aren't. I can understand avoiding the partying South Side. But this post makes it sound like nothing else has been suggested.

[BrianTH]

By the way, back in the day urban neighborhoods were intentionally divided by class (e.g., the big industrialists would encourage their line workers to live in one neighborhood, middle-management in another, and the owners/directors would live in a third). All that is changing now, and I generally think that is a good thing, but the bottom line is that to the extent Pittsburgh still has neighborhoods like that, it is only because it is a bit behind the times, and it probably isn't going to be immune.