In late 20's, looking for trendy areas in PGH? (Pittsburgh: relocating, apartments)

[littlec]

I have been searching this forum for a thread like this! I am in my late-20's and may be relocating to the Pittsburgh area. I am orginally from Denver, and currently live in Chicago. I live in a trendy area that I LOVE and am trying to find something similar in Pittsburgh. For all of the naysayers, I really don't need to hear how crazy I am for moving away from Chicago or how I shouldn't expect to find anything "trendy" in Pitssburgh. In fact, I have spent enough time searching through the Pittsburgh threads reading the negative comments that if you don't have anything positive to say about trendy, younger neighborhoods in Pittsburgh, please don't respond.

For all of you that are enjoying yourself and feel that you could offer some helpful advice, I would love to hear it. What neighborhoods should I be looking at? THANK YOU!

[vtPGH]

The South Side, along East Carson Street, as well as Shadyside along Ellsworth St. and Walnut Ave. are two of Pittsburgh's more trendy neighborhoods. While Shadyside has a more sophisticated, upscale feel than the South Side, walk down East Carson Street at any time of day or night and the majority of the people you'll encounter are likely to be young and in their 20's or 30's.

[guylocke]

I agree with vtPGH, as well. If you didn't catch it from "sophisticated and upscale," Shadyside is also a world more expensive than the South Side. Oakland is also a hot spot for young people, however, most of it is actually Pitt students and you might feel a bit out of place since you don't actually attend school there.

There are many new condo's and apartments being built downtown, their pre-sale rates have been quite impressive (downtown living is something Pittsburgh has lacked for a long time but is quickly changing as we enter another renaissance). You might want to look into some of these places, they will be up-and-coming hot spots. Also, the Strip District is another place where buildings are being converted into living space (like the Cork Factory). I know several young people heading that way, too. The Strip District has all the straight bars and clubs if you want to be close to that sort of thing.

[boardmanite]

Well, I don't live in Pittsburgh, but I visit quite often, so I'll add my two cents. In my opinion, Shadyside is the "trendiest" neighborhood in Pittsburgh. Definitely more up-scale than most other places in the city. The South Side (E Carson Street) is "hip" and "eclectic". It's definitely grittier than Shadyside, but to many, that makes it all the more appealing. The South Side Slopes, which is a hill adjacent to the E Carson Street/South Side area was actually called "A Neighborhood on the Brink... of Trendy" by the NY Times. Probably not "trendy" yet, but it's an option if you want to be close (within walking distance) to Carson Street, but not right in the middle of all the partying. And many places on the slopes have amazing views of Downtown and/or Oakland.

I have a friend who just graduated from Pitt that lives in Squirrel Hill and she really likes her neighborhood. She lives right near the "main street" in Squirrel Hill and is in walking distance of a grocery store, theatre, restaurants, coffee shops, etc... Not as trendy as Shadyside, but definitely a nice city neighborhood.

One of my favorite neighborhoods architecturally in the city that has seen a lot of gentrification is the Mexican War Streets on the North Side. Absolutely beautiful houses, many of them restored quite nicely. However, I don't think there's much to do in that area. I've never seen much in the way of coffee shops, little stores, etc... But it seems like there's an interesting mix of people living there.

Lawrenceville seems like it MAY POSSIBLY one day be somewhat trendy. There are some art galleries that have opened up. But I'd say it's in the very early stages of gentrification.

Oakland has a very "urban" feel to it. And it is a college town.

The Strip is a "gritty" neighborhood with some residential options and a hoppin' nightlife. "Gritty" is not necessarily a bad thing, but it depends on what you're looking for.

The best advice I can give you is take a weekend and come check out the city. It's a very cool town, one of my all-time favorites. Just make sure you have a decent map And I've found a topographical one makes more sense than a street map!!!

[guylocke]

Mt. Washington has a few young and trendy areas as well! Maybe you can afford a place on Grandview. :P

[Drover]

Originally Posted by littlec

I have been searching this forum for a thread like this! I am in my late-20's and may be relocating to the Pittsburgh area. I am orginally from Denver, and currently live in Chicago. I live in a trendy area that I LOVE and am trying to find something similar in Pittsburgh. For all of the naysayers, I really don't need to hear how crazy I am for moving away from Chicago or how I shouldn't expect to find anything "trendy" in Pitssburgh. In fact, I have spent enough time searching through the Pittsburgh threads reading the negative comments that if you don't have anything positive to say about trendy, younger neighborhoods in Pittsburgh, please don't respond.

For all of you that are enjoying yourself and feel that you could offer some helpful advice, I would love to hear it. What neighborhoods should I be looking at? THANK YOU!

I'd be interested to know where you live so I can give you as accurate a basis of comparison as I can... and while you may not want to hear the "there's nothing trendy in Pittsburgh" line, I can generally state as a former Pittsburgh resident and current Chicago resident that you're not going to find anything in Pittsburgh on the same plane as Lincoln Park, Lakeview, the Rush/Division Street area, West Loop, and the like. Particularly compared to Chicago, Pittsburgh is a decidedly not a status-conscious city. If Chicago were a BMW, Pittsburgh would be a Buick -- nice enough in its own right, but not quite on the same level and not intending to be.

Pittsburgh's most trendy neighborhood is Shadyside. Shadyside is about on the same plane as Roscoe Village -- not over-trendy, but still very tidy, walkable, decent boutiques, decent bars, decent restaurants, and generally free of riff-raff.

IMO the next-trendiest neighborhood would be the Carson Street district. Carson Street is fairly comparable to the Taylor Street corridor down by UIC but without the Italian emphasis. But it's kind of the same in its combination of urban grit, semi-upscale restaurants, college bars, coffee shops, mom-and-pop joints, and the like. The main difference is there is not as much new construction on Carson Street -- the aesthetic is strictly old-school Pittsburgh. (Click here and here for representative photos of Carson Street.) A word of caution though: Carson Street is one of the most raucous nightlife areas I've been in. Seriously -- it's noisy as hell. Living on Carson Street itself would be akin to living right at the Damen/North/Milwaukee intersection in Bucktown/Wicker Park -- only imagine that one corner stretching on for 10 straight blocks. So if you want to live in the Carson Street area, it's best to live a few blocks off the street if you intend to get to sleep at a decent hour on weeknights.

Next up is Squirrel Hill. Hyde Park about the closest Chicago parallel I can come up with, but only in a broad cultural sense. Squirrel Hill is smaller, much less densely populated, and has virtually no black people. But the cultural vibe is similar: serious college students (not the party variety) mixed with middle-class professionals topped with a generous sprinkling of stately homes typically occupied by upper-crust academic and similar professionals, and a bar/restaurant/shopping district (in Squirrel Hill's case, Murray Avenue) built around that eclectic client base.

An emerging trendy area in Pittsburgh would be where Friendship, Bloomfield and Garfield all converge along the Penn Avenue corridor. I don't know how long you've been in Chicago, but the Penn Avenue corridor is today what Bucktown/Wicker Park was 10 years ago: a gathering spot for artists and the artistically inclined, tucked amongst serious urban grit, including a not-inconsequential criminal element. Compare, perhaps, to West Town and Ukranian Village.

In short, trendy means different things to different people. What is considered "trendy" in Pittsburgh is a bit "also-ran" by Chicago standards. What is considered "trendy" in Chicago would be considered snooty and ostentatious in the considerably more laid-back Pittsburgh.

[Hopes]

You did a wonderful job of comparing neighborhoods so the OP will know what is closest to what he/she wants, Drover!

[littlec]

Drover,

Thank you so much for the detailed descriptions and comparisons! I currently live in Roscoe Village so the direct comparison to Shadyside is exactly what I was looking for. What I like about Roscoe is that I can walk to coffee shops, the grocery store, nice restaruants, etc. There are a lot of young families. While it is still in the city, the streets in Roscoe are quiet, which is appealing. It's also not as expensive as Lincoln Park or Bucktown. As my search progreses, I may reach out to you again. You've offered invaluable insight!

[Elder18]

From my understanding, the area Drover mentioned along Penn Ave. in Bloomfield, Friendship, and Garfield, is the main center of trendiness, at least among the hipster crowd.

Another area similar to this that I'm surprised hasn't been mentioned yet is Butler St. in Lawrenceville.

Both are home to at least a handful of art galleries, boutiques, and such. They're ground-zero for the newer art scene (which is quite good) that's developing in Pittsburgh.

That being said, both areas are still home to (at least by Pittsburgh standards) some street crime. Parts of Butler St. are worse than the area on Penn Ave, which from my understanding is actually pretty tame.

As for Shadyside, I would argue it's not trendy at all as it has been colonized by the same upscale chain stores that you can find in any over-priced white yuppie neighborhood.

If that' what you like that's fine, but if you want true trendiness, and the grit that inevitably comes with it, that I'd look at the areas I mentioned and even E. Carson St. as well, although that's been getting more and more chainy as time goes on.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by littlec

Drover,

Thank you so much for the detailed descriptions and comparisons! I currently live in Roscoe Village so the direct comparison to Shadyside is exactly what I was looking for. What I like about Roscoe is that I can walk to coffee shops, the grocery store, nice restaruants, etc. There are a lot of young families. While it is still in the city, the streets in Roscoe are quiet, which is appealing. It's also not as expensive as Lincoln Park or Bucktown. As my search progreses, I may reach out to you again. You've offered invaluable insight!

I appreciate that and I'll help out however I can, but I'm probably most useful for making Chicago/Pittsburgh comparisons and giving general information about Pittsburgh. It's been almost 10 years since I actually lived there, and it's been over a year since I've been back to re-orient myself with the city and familiarize myself with its changes. Others here who might be better for giving you detailed Pittsburgh info are Hopes, boylocke, and (if she's still around) subdivisions.

One of Pittsburgh's advantages is its far cheaper cost of housing. If you are renting, I think you will find that you will only get a slight rental break in Shadyside versus Roscoe Village. On the other hand, if you're looking to buy, your dollar will go a lot further in Shadyside versus Roscoe Village.

Best of luck with your move -- Pittsburgh is a fine little town, and quite different from Chicago.