Possibly moving to Pittsburgh; what should I know? (Bethel Park, West Mifflin: apartment complexes, rental)

[swmarc]

I received an offer from Bettis Laboratories in West Mifflin that I am considering taking, but I know nothing about the area or the east coast in general. Where would the best place to live (rent/buy) for commuting to work? I would like to keep it under a 30min drive and not have to worry about living in a shady neighborhood.

I have spent my whole life living in Washington State in smaller communities of 30K-150K. So Pittsburgh would be a big change for my wife and me.

[SammyKhalifa]

One thing to know is that even though it's a larger city than that, geography divides it up into smaller "towns" or neighborhoods, so it never feels as overwhelming as you might think.

[BrianTH]

You can definitely do the smaller town thing within 30 minutes of West Mifflin--for example, over in Westmoreland County. Or you could mix it up and live in the City, or a major suburb.

[Johnny C]

North Huntingdon Township in Westmoreland County would be an excellent choice if you like newer, safe suburban neighborhoods. Taxes are less here as well (because you are not in Allegheny county).

North Huntingdon Township
North Huntingdon Township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You could also live in various neighborhoods in the South Hills and still have a short commute.

Other neighborhoods closer to downtown Pittsburgh are still doable, but the commute to West Mifflin is not the easiest or most straightforward from many of those areas.

[Geeo]

Be sure to calculate the new cost of driving, namely $4 gasoline. The further you are from work could really eat into your budget. And it's not just work - if you have to drive five miles just to get to a grocery store or a restaurant or a movie, you'll have to add that cost to your lifestyle.

[South Range Family]

Go to Bing go to maps, and then type in "Homestead Duquesne Rd. 15122" Once the map loads, click on birdseye view. You can see all of the surrounding area of the Bettis plant. There are lots of rental properties there, but I wouldn't go on the other side of Homeville Rd.

My sister worked there 30 years ago. She made drawings of reactors for nuclear submarines.

[I_Like_Spam]

From Bettis you aren't that far from the South Hills suburban communities, more exurban and rural areas in Washington and Westmoreland counties, and a easy enough drive from city of Pittsburgh neighborhoods like Lincoln Place and Squirrel Hill.

All depends on what you want, and if you're looking for a good school district your choices are less, but you didn't mention any young uns.

[ex-burgher]

It's interesting because more than 50 years ago, my father was finishing grad school at UW-Seattle when he got a job offer at Bettis, where he worked until retirement. We lived in Bethel Park for 10 years - he had no problem with that commute. Later was Squirrel Hill in the city where he always bragged about his commute being easier than his co-workers in the suburbs. Anyway, this was a really long time ago. He grew to really love Pittsburgh.

[catchtwenty2]

Neighbor works there. I live in Shadyside. He hasn't talked moving... but honestly his commute has never come up in conversation. I can't imagine the reverse commute you'd do working there being at all terrible if you're looking for an urban neighborhood.

Probably go however you'd like down to the Hi-Level (excuse me, Grays Bridge ) into Homestead and either take 7th Ave to Mifflin Road or head up Main St through Munhall onto Interboro. Honestly, the more I think about it, it doesn't sound like that bad of a ride either which way.

Coming from WA, you'd probably feel fairly at home in the East End city neighborhoods, albeit way denser.

[swmarc]

If I take the job we would probably try and find a aprtment for the first year or so before settling down and finding a house. Are there apartment complexes located around these areas listed above, or would I have to look closer to the city?

Im not opposed to living in a city apartment but I dont think I could live there permanently.