Regent Square - East End Avenue (Wilkinsburg, Swissvale: coupons, renting, how much)

[groar]

i would feel safe walking either way but if you're nervous, just take the busier road (braddock).

for the record i've lived in pittsburgh 11 years, and in this general area (point breeze and wilkinsburg) about half that time, and was in this area at night multiple times weekly the entire time. yet the only place where my husband and i were the victim of any kind of crime was greenfield, which i would still consider a very safe neighborhood. our house was broken into there, by the next door neighbor no less.

are you 100% guaranteed not to be mugged or broken into in park place? of course not. but the odds are really not that great that it's going to happen. and you are not perfectly safe from crime anywhere.

it's really up to your personal comfort level (try calling the local police precinct and ask them for crime stats for the specific block you will be living on and maybe your potential routes to the bus stop too, and be sure to compare them to neighborhoods you consider very safe or other areas where you might want to move), but keep in mind that people on this board get kind of hysterical about crime. it's a city. crime happens in it. it probably won't happen to you no matter where you live.

[erbfarm]

Thanks for the info everyone. I will check w/ the police department about crime stats. I was over in the neighborhood today and met some of the people living there which made me feel a little better. But I've never lived in a city before and the thought of not being able to walk out my door and down 5 or 6 blocks to the bus is really bothering me. I live in Mt Lebanon now and there have been a few times when I've taken the T back to Lebo at 10 or 11 at night and never for an instant felt unsafe walking the 3 or 4 blocks to my apartment. But it's Mt Lebo for one, and the police station is right down the street, and there are lots of lights on nearly all the time and usually lots of people out walking around at 10 or 11 at night. I might be better off trying to get a place in Oakland nearer to work (at Pitt). I do feel safe there with so many people around. Wonder if I can get out of the lease, I haven't moved in yet.

[raubre]

Originally Posted by erbfarm

I just signed a lease on a place on Tuscarora near EAst End. I liked the looks of the area on first glance, but now I'm a little concerned about getting to/from the busstop on Forbes at various times of the evening. East End seemed like a nice street to me, the homes look nice. There are 5 or 6 brand new houses around the corner on Peebles so it looks like the neighborhood is making a transition. I definitely wouldn't go near Penn in the evening. I'm just wondering about walking from Tuscarora down East End to Forbes by myself (I'm female) at say 9 or 10 at night. Thoughts? I do plan to carry mace.

I'm nearby as well. You'll be OK.

Just a side note too, I am part of the Park Place Neighborhood Group on Facebook. The neighbors that post on there are very helpful with each other and take pride in the community and neighborhood safety (meaning if there is something suspicious, the neighbors band together to help prevent anything.)

[BrianTH]

I think it is just as safe, and maybe safer, than Oakland.

[mountainlove]

Agreed. Used to live over there for a year or so. It is also just a block or two from the East End Food Coop and the Climbing Wall. Yum and double yum. Have fun!

[erbfarm]

yeah, i love the location. And I want to be close to Frick. I guess I should just drive over there tonight and see how well lit the street is at night. the block I'll be living on has an empty house for sale next to the one I'll be in so it will be dark there and the apartment building on the corner opposite my place is also vacant (and needs to be torn down) and I've heard from the neighbors that there are probably squatters in there. I know the Park Place neighborhood group is working hard to get Wilkinsburg to tear it down but until then... So if I can feel safe enough to walk from the Forbes/S Braddock bus stop on East End after dark and then turn the corner down Tuscarora and walk past the 4 houses to my place (I'm sure I will be running as fast as I can at this point though) without getting mugged/jumped or running into a gang, I'll consider things safe enough for me. The other thing that will help is there are all other women living on my block (2 in the apartment above me, 3 in the house next door, and another 1 or 2 in the house on Peebles around the corner) so I"m guessing they aren't all housebound after dark and know how to get around the area.

[SteelCityRising]

With housing prices continuing to escalate in the immediate Regent Square neighborhood I only foresee gentrification continuing in Park Place and adjacent parts of Wilkinsburg. For what it's worth I deliver food for a living and am in this area quite frequently at night. I've never felt threatened. I feel more unsafe in Garfield.

[BrianTH]

Things are definitely moving forward in that area north of Regent Square and east of Park Place/west of the Busway. Some corners are moving forward faster than others, but you can almost feel the people looking to cash in on the current rent situation.

[h_curtis]

Was wondering if they would build a high-rise section 8 housing plan where that gas station used to be on the main drag in downtown Regent Square. I would think that would be fair and more balanced to offset the influx of money moving in?

[BrianTH]

Are you talking about where the Sunoco used to be? That's becoming a Get Go (note environmental remediation issues would likely have made it very expensive to use that as a residential property):

Regent Square Sunoco Dismantled - Forest Hills-Regent Square, PA Patch