moving to Pittsburgh with little boys where to live? - Pennsylvania (PA) - Page 2 - City-Data Forum

Sideblinded · 05-30-2011, 04:33 PM

I wish the OP the best of luck and I will not speculate on a person's income.

I also will not engage in this thread anymore, I certainly don't want to scare off a newcomer!

I am sorta new to Pittsburgh, and I think the OP will like it here and will enjoy how friendly people actually are!

gg · 05-30-2011, 04:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sideblinded

I wish the OP the best of luck and I will not speculate on a person's income.

I also will not engage in this thread anymore, I certainly don't want to scare off a newcomer!

I am sorta new to Pittsburgh, and I think the OP will like it here and will enjoy how friendly people actually are!

Good idea. Just look at test scores and visit the schools. That way they can make a comfortable decision.

new to Pitt · 06-02-2011, 08:15 PM

Thanks for the great suggestions. We are on such short notice since we'll be moving in just a few weeks. We also appreciate the drive times for non-rush hour too. We both originally wanted public school, but I did go to a tiny farm town lutheran school growing up. We could consider any school, and we did look at WT and Shadyside too like posters here have recommended. I had no idea it could cost more than a quarter of a million to educate two kids before they even get to college! The only other thing is that we are a mixed couple so we were hoping our kids might be around other Chinese kids a little....we did see that WT had Mandarin which would be nice

gg · 06-02-2011, 08:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by new to Pitt

Thanks for the great suggestions. We are on such short notice since we'll be moving in just a few weeks. We also appreciate the drive times for non-rush hour too. We both originally wanted public school, but I did go to a tiny farm town lutheran school growing up. We could consider any school, and we did look at WT and Shadyside too like posters here have recommended. I had no idea it could cost more than a quarter of a million to educate two kids before they even get to college! The only other thing is that we are a mixed couple so we were hoping our kids might be around other Chinese kids a little....we did see that WT had Mandarin which would be nice

I just want to point out there are lots of international students in Fox Chapel. My son being one of them and several of his friends.

robrobrob · 06-03-2011, 07:44 AM

There are lots of Asian kids that go to the Fox Chapel Schools. I would not worry about being the only Asian kids in the schools. African American is another thing.

I live in O'Hara which surrounds Fox Chapel and would recommend that you live as close to the Highland Park Bridge as possible. Basically you want to live close to the Fox Chapel Presbyterian Church. Aspinwall is great but if you have a Fox Chapel (500,000 and up) budget then it isn't for you. There are only a couple of homes that are priced that high in Aspinwall. By looking at homes close to the bridge you would be minimizing your commute. Also, be advised that you want to buy a house that feeds to either O'Hara or Fairview Elementary Schools. Hartwood is also nice but you really have to live pretty far out to go there. Stay away from Kerr Elementary if at all possible. Most people that are familiar with the Fox Chapel School District would avoid buying a house that feeds to Kerr.

If your budget is in the 400,000s then I would look at homes in O'Hara on Woodshire which has the best commute around because it is so close to Route 28. Downside is that one side of the street backs up to the VA Hospital.

As far as the debate between Catholic and Private. Most people would choose Shadyside, Winchester, etc. over Central and Oakland unless you want/need a Catholic school.

Bong477 · 06-03-2011, 07:53 AM

Most of the more affluent areas of Pittsburgh have a reasonable amount of Asian people living in them.

Sideblinded · 06-04-2011, 01:54 AM

Falk, Carlow & Kentucky are all excellent 1/2(ish) price private school choices. My son attends one of the above and he goes to school with kids who have very wealthy prestigious parents that decided WT and SS did not fit their kid, however will probably send them in high school. * Due to the fact the school only goes to grade 8. We are not in their league financially but it doesn't matter. It is not a contest. They like my kid with the little house due to his quick wit and simply because he is a nice guy. We like them too! Not keeping up with the Joneses.

We have sushi day once a month. The Mom who does this moved here from Japan and she has converted many kids fears of sushi. It is very popular, my son even likes it now!

I just want parents to know there are other options regarding private. Regardless of income bracket it adds up.

steindle · 06-04-2011, 07:19 PM

FWIW, I attended Pittsburgh Public Schools K-12 and ended up at exactly the same tier of schools as my privately-educated peers. If you're thoughtful and motivated about your child's education, Pittsburgh Public Schools can take them wherever they want to go. Winchester Thurston and Shadyside are great schools, obviously, but I honestly do not understand why people spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on them.

Sideblinded · 06-05-2011, 05:37 PM

Sadly that has changed dramatically and will change even more since funding was slashed this year.

We left PPS this year with a heavy heart.

lust4life2 · 05-24-2013, 08:37 PM

My husband and I were in your shoes a couple months ago...and ended up buying a house in Squirrel hill. It really is a GREAT place to raise kids. You can walk everywhere, so quiet, so safe, much diversity(we're asians), close to work... to name a few. Yes, we will have to send the kiddos(4 and 2) to a private school one day. But we are considering FALK and Carlow before WT or SS.