where to move? (Pittsburgh, Lebanon, Uniontown: environment, trip , work)

[Hopes]

Thanks, janiesgirl and tommygoat. Unfortunately, that's the norm for Pittsburgh. Too many neighborhood grocery stores closed because the big dollars are in centralized stores. That won't help the OP live without a car though. The reality is that the neighborhood stores closed because most Pittsburghers drive their cars to the larger grocery chains to save money. That's what put the neighborhood grocery stores out of business.

[tommygoat]

Yeah - what a drag. Walmart & Home Depot are sweeping the nation.

[Katiana]

Originally Posted by tommygoat

Yeah - what a drag. Walmart & Home Depot are sweeping the nation.

And many of us are shopping there. I had an "epiphany" about Wal-Mart a while back. A friend and I were talking about WM supposedly destroying small towns, and I said that by the time they came to our neighboring small town, there was no downtown left to destroy. Suddenly, it occurred to me, that, despite all the hype, that is probably true of a lot of small towns. First it was Sears/Roebuck that supposedly destroyed small towns, then the malls, then WalMart. And you can't keep my husband out of Home Depot!

[tommygoat]

Sorry to go off topic ... but ... If we just had those flying Jetson Cars that we were promised in 1960's everything would be so much cooler!

[lostinpgh]

Originally Posted by Hopes

Thanks, janiesgirl and tommygoat. Unfortunately, that's the norm for Pittsburgh. Too many neighborhood grocery stores closed because the big dollars are in centralized stores. That won't help the OP live without a car though. The reality is that the neighborhood stores closed because most Pittsburghers drive their cars to the larger grocery chains to save money. That's what put the neighborhood grocery stores out of business.

I'll have a car. I just won't have two. And the groceries within walking distance of my house now are Safeway, Albertsons, Fry's and Trader Joes (I forgot that last one during my count.) So, major chains.

It's a whopping two miles to Target from here.

I suspect the reason Pittsburgh has this problem is that you've lost so much population; what I'm describing is pretty much the norm (although not six- acre lots, a sixth-acre lot) in a lot of Western cities...

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by tommygoat

Sorry to go off topic ... but ... If we just had those flying Jetson Cars that we were promised in 1960's everything would be so much cooler!

That would be so cool. The downside is an accident would mean certain death!

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by lostinpgh

I'll have a car. I just won't have two. And the groceries within walking distance of my house now are Safeway, Albertsons, Fry's and Trader Joes (I forgot that last one during my count.) So, major chains.

I don't understand the importance of being able to walk to the grocery store. I couldn't carry my groceries home if my life depended on it because my care is filled with bags when I go shopping. It's just one trip per week to a grocery that's often just five minutes away. With a little planning, there's no need to go grocery shopping the rest of the week.

You'll broaden your options if you drop the requirement of having a grocery store within walking distance. You really risk missing out on a great neighborhood because of your wanting to latch onto that one thing. It's very easy to adapt to planned shopping trips. If all you need is a nearby place to grab milk during the week, many neighorhoods have convenience stores for that sort of thing.

Originally Posted by lostinpgh

I suspect the reason Pittsburgh has this problem is that you've lost so much population; what I'm describing is pretty much the norm (although not six- acre lots, a sixth-acre lot) in a lot of Western cities...

Most eastern cities have the same problem as Pittsburgh in regards to neighborhood grocery stores. Thanks for restating the lot size. You can easily have a sixth acre lot in the greater Pittsburgh area. It just won't be in what you consider a walkable neighborhood though.

[lostinpgh]

Originally Posted by Hopes

I don't understand the importance of being able to walk to the grocery store.

It's a proxy.

We know for certain that California has only one of the amenities we're interested in having access to, and that's a college campus. The grocery store is... well, equivalent to the one you would find in an extrordinarily impoverished area here. There's like two restaurants, and one of them is a DQ. Eh.

Maybe I'll just change careers. Thanks for the help, though.

[Shenandoah]

Sorry LostinPgh, I was thinking used book stores, not new. And in Pleasant Hills, I was thinking of the neighborhood behind the Foodland, which would be most accessbile for a walker.

I wouldn't live in Charleroi. There are some nice neighborhoods, but on the norm, I wouldn't walk there. No new (or used) book shoppes in Monongahela (except for my used book shoppe which I closed a few years ago), but there are sidewalks all over town, and there is a Community Park with a gazebo and farmers market, as well as a place in our nations history during the migration west along the river, and the Whiskey Rebellion. Fireworks on the 4th of July from the riverbank aquatorium, and a good sense of community. Nice, well kept older homes, antique shoppes galore, coffee shoppe, bakery, banks, mom & pop stores. It is just generally a nice older town, with sidewalks on all the streets - a bit hilly, but sidewalk access all over town. 88 Bus Lines run thru town, into Pittsburgh, where you can transfer to where you need to go.

blessings, Shen

[janiesgirl]

I would live in Squirrel Hill or Shadyside. You'll have proximity to shopping and work. Your other half will just have to make the working commute as pleasant an experience as possible (listen to NPR!).

As for transportation to your work, when I worked at CMU several years ago, there were a number of carpools from all different areas. Pitt is so much larger - I'm certain the carpool availability increases proportionally.