Shadyside, Please! (Pittsburgh, Carnegie, Liberty: affordable apartment, for rent, condo)

[NinePointSix]

Hi,

I'm moving to Shadyside in a few months, and I wanted to get as much info as possible...

Where is the best place to live?

Should I buy or rent?
(Buying Budget =< $200k, Renting Budget =< $1200)

Where is the best place to eat or get coffee?

What are the people like?

Is the area safe???

Thanks in advance!

[CaptainObvious]

Originally Posted by NinePointSix

Hi,

I'm moving to Shadyside in a few months, and I wanted to get as much info as possible...

Where is the best place to live?

Should I buy or rent?
(Buying Budget =< $200k, Renting Budget =< $1200)

Where is the best place to eat or get coffee?

What are the people like?

Is the area safe???

Thanks in advance!

You won't find much, if anything to buy for under $200,000 in that neighborhood. Shadyside is predominantly upscale and parts are downright posh (The new Steelers coach Mike Tomlin just took his multi-million dollar contract and bought a house there). So, it looks like you'll have to rent. There are apartments to be had for $1,200 in Shadyside, especially toward Carnegie Mellon Universiity where there are relatively affordable apartment buildings.

The area is fairly safe. It is a city neighborhood and should be treated as such. The official political boundry of Shadyside is quite large- it is one of the larger neighborhoods in Pittsburgh, so to that extent has quite a bit of different aspects throughout. It is bordered on the east by East Liberty and Larimer-two areas that are typically not considered very safe. The north is bordered by Bloomfield, which is much more urban and a little rough, but not horribly unsafe. To the west you've got Oakland, which is where the University of Pittsburgh is and is therefore your typical "college town"- a whole mixed bag there, and to the south there is Squire ll Hill which is generally regarded as a pretty safe area as well. If it's me, I look south and west in the neighborhood (or right in the middle) and shy away from getting too far east. Just my opinion.

The people? Its hard to answer that question. It is a very nice neighborhood in general, but I don't know if that means the people are nice or not. I could infer that since it seems like that's where a lot of money is, that they are typically educated with professional white collar jobs. I've certainly seen a lot of families there and older folks who are retired and have made their fortune already. Again the fringes of the neighborhood starts to blend more, so to the west you get quite a bit more of the college kids and to the east you get a little bit more average joe type of people.

Girasole and Soba are the kind-of trendy places to eat in Shadyside right now. I don't eat at trendy places much, so can't give you a first-hand account. There's a Starbucks just like everywhere else, but I think Caribou Coffee has better wares- they are over in Oakland. There are tons of great places close by- Bloomfield, Friendship, Squirrell Hill, and even East Liberty have some wonderful places...too many to review here for you, so I won't even try. If you have more specific questions you can PM me or post another message.

Also, try searching some other threads. I am sure this topic has been talked about hundreds of times before on this forum.

Cap

[hnsq]

I live in friendship, just 2 blocks away from the shadyside boundary. There is plenty to do, tons of places to eat. Check out popcitymedia for some good info on stores, food, bars, etc. The neighborhood is a little upscale, it seems like there is a good crowd who live there that almost turn their nose up on anyone who doesn't love spending money for the absolute latest fashions. I don't know if that is your thing or not, but it is at least something to consider. As far as the city goes, Shadyside is extremely safe. I (21 year old guy) have never felt uncomfortable walking in Shadyside, Oakland or Friendship by myself at night. East Liberty is fine during the day as well, I wouldn't hang out there at night, but as long as the sun is up there is no reason to avoid it. I always use craigslist for apartments in the city, it usually has some more unique ones listed (in converted houses rather than apartment buildings, for example).

If you are comfortable living around more of a mixed crowd, you won't have a problem looking for a place closer to the East or North of Shadyside. If you are looking for the 'upper-middle class suburb' in the city kind of thing, stick to an apartment close to Walnut St.

I think the best way to answer these questions is to spend a day walking around the neighborhood, just to see if it fits.

[Gerbil]

I recommend Crazy Mocha on Ellsworth Avenue for coffee. Well, I don't drink coffee so I guess really I am recommending it for the desserts. The atmosphere is nice too, and it's a local chain unlike Starbucks.

The neighborhood is a mix of upscale, young families, students and just regular people. I think you'll have a lot of options for renting in your price range.

[chielgirl]

Shadyside has one of the highest rates of car theft in the city. So be careful about that. There are lots of cool neighborhoods in the East End if you're open. Better prices on rent/purchase.

I agree with Craig's List. I rented my house in Swisshelm Park to a great couple and a house in Highland Park through them as well.

[NinePointSix]

Sounds like most people rent...

I thought I saw some places in the $200k range though, am I wrong about that?

Also, is it okay to live right on 5th (near the West end of Walnut)?

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by NinePointSix

Sounds like most people rent...

There are also many homeowners in Shadyside.

Originally Posted by NinePointSix

I thought I saw some places in the $200k range though, am I wrong about that?

I think you would be hard pressed to find a house for 200k in Shadyside. You might be able to find a condo near that price.

Originally Posted by NinePointSix

Also, is it okay to live right on 5th (near the West end of Walnut)?

It's okay as long as you don't mind living on street with lots of traffic. Safety-wise, it's fine.

[NinePointSix]

Whoops! I should have said that:

For $200k, I realize that it would be a condo (~1000 sq/ft).

So 5th is safe?

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by NinePointSix

For $200k, I realize that it would be a condo (~1000 sq/ft).

You can get way more square footage in the suburbs for that money.

Originally Posted by NinePointSix

So 5th is safe?

Definitely.

[NinePointSix]

Thanks, Hopes!

This might be getting too specific, but which is a better neighborhood: W of S Aiken or E of S Negley?

Also, am I right about being able to get a decent condo in this price-range?