Shaler vs. Coraopolis for Relocation (York, Shaler Township: home, safe area, good schools)

[janiesgirl]

Coraopolis is a built up town, working class - middle class, dependent on industry that declined. There is little room for growth in Cory. Moon, Robinson and Findlay had more open space that is now being developed - housing stock and commercial development is increasing and with that brings property tax income $$. School districts can define the difference between a decent and less-than-decent area. Moon and Coraopolis are in different SD's (Moon Area SD and Cornell SD). Robinson and Findlay are each in different School Districts (Montour SD and West Allegheny). Since our districts are funded by local (community) property taxes, the more stable or growing areas offer better schooling.

I don't mean to sound flippant, but where isn't race an issue?

Hopes, I've got to disagree with you about Hispanics. I have several hispanic neighbors. Hispanics - small, but growing population. My neighbor and friend is the head of a Pittsburgh hispanic society and is encouraged by the recent growth. He is working with local business groups to make Pittsburgh friendly and more attractive to hispanic professionals.

Hope this helps.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by janiesgirl

Hopes, I've got to disagree with you about Hispanics. I have several hispanic neighbors. Hispanics - small, but growing population. My neighbor and friend is the head of a Pittsburgh hispanic society and is encouraged by the recent growth. He is working with local business groups to make Pittsburgh friendly and more attractive to hispanic professionals.

That's great! It doesn't change the fact that I rarely see hispanics.

Keep in mind that SlipperySlope lives in Long Island where there's a large concentration of hispanics. You don't want to mislead SlipperySlope by implying that he/she is likely to see hispanics here in Pittsburgh on a daily basis. That's simply not the case---unless they buy on a street with a hispanic family/families like you have. The reality is that the hispanic population in Pittsburgh is very small (as you've said). It might be growing, but that won't be noticable to anyone who is moving here from an area with a high concentration of hispanics.

Pittsburgh just doesn't have a very diverse population compared to other cities. That doesn't mean that Pittsburgh is a better or worse place. It's just a fact that is mostly because we don't have labor driven jobs (like construction) that attract immigrants.

[CaptainObvious]

Originally Posted by Hopes

Get off the zip code comparison. Robinson is okay, but it's a huge commercial area. I'm not sure about Findlay. Someone else will have to answer your questions about Robinson and Findlay because I don't know that area well enough.

Robinson has a very very large commercial (read: big box store mecca) district, and is most known for that, but does have a large amount of residential areas too. Robinson Twp is quite large- it stretches clear from Rt 60 to Rt 51(near Coraopolis) in one area. To further muddy your ZIP code waters, there is actually a section of Robinson with the ZIP 15108, just like Moon and Coraopolis. I would liken the residential areas of Robinson that that of Moon- middle class to upper class, lots of homes in the $225,000 range, and several that are quite a bit more expensive too. Findlay skirts the west side of Robinson and the south side of the Airport and is very similar to both Moon and Robinson in terms of housing, but more rural with larger lots. It does not, however, have any real kind of "downtown" area or shopping district as the other places do. As I said in my previous post and others have validated...you'd be better off in Shaler than Coraopolis, but if you open the areas you're looking into to Moon, Robinson, and Findlay, then it would be hard to find a "bad" place in any of those townships.

PS- you might have seen one poster refer to Coraopolis as "Cory". If you aren't at all familiar with the area you might be surprised to know Coraopolis is pronounced "Cor-ee-op-o-lis" by locals.

Cap

[CaptainObvious]

Originally Posted by Hopes

That's great! It doesn't change the fact that I rarely see hispanics.

Keep in mind that SlipperySlope lives in Long Island where there's a large concentration of hispanics. You don't want to mislead SlipperySlope by implying that he/she is likely to see hispanics here in Pittsburgh on a daily basis. That's simply not the case---unless they buy on a street with a hispanic family/families like you have. The reality is that the hispanic population in Pittsburgh is very small (as you've said). It might be growing, but that won't be noticable to anyone who is moving here from an area with a high concentration of hispanics.

Pittsburgh just doesn't have a very diverse population compared to other cities. That doesn't mean that Pittsburgh is a better or worse place. It's just a fact that is mostly because we don't have labor driven jobs (like construction) that attract immigrants.

I moved to the area from Lancaster County, that has a very large immigrant labor force (farming is Lancaster's #1 industry), and let me tell you...Pittsburgh has very very very few Hispanics. This is one of the very first things I noticed about the area moving from an area where many Hispanics lived. No jobs = No Hispanics.

Cap

[janiesgirl]

I travel to the Bay Area yearly and Texas frequently, so am familiar with hispanic neighborhoods, and you're correct that (aside from Beechview), Pittsburgh doesn't have a strong concentration of hispanics. My understanding is that many of the hispanics moving in are college-educated and/or professionals and are settling diffusely in middle class to upper middle class neighborhoods. So, there's a distinctly different level of visibility, as opposed to the visibility of a migrant/day labor/ blue collar community.

And because they're professional, there are a greater number of "multi-ethnic" families (for lack of a better term), where one spouse is hispanic and the other is something else (met in college or at the office or...), so the family identifies with 2 different heritages. This country is just beginning to understand the impact these multi-ethnic families (whether a combination of hispanic, black, asian, caucasian) present - they're a demographic and cultural force.

[Hopes]

I'm glad we straightened that out, Janiesgirl.

We wouldn't want to mislead SlipperySlope into thinking he/she will see many hispanics here. That's simply not the case.

Thanks.

[SlipperySlope]

Lol, Hopes you are too funny! I do however agree with Janiesgirl. We are definately a mixed bag and that's a good thing. Many people of mixed race seems to be absolutely gorgeous, both male and female. And genetically the mixture cancels out the diseases and ailments that one particular race may be prone to. My children are mixed and they are too beautiful to describe, absolutely adorable I tell you!

No, I'm not just saying that b/c they are mine. I've always wondered if people think you're vain for saying that you have good looking children? Hmmm, oh well... As I was saying, I have grown up as a member of one particular race, but have been mistaken for so many things it's actually kinda funny. Sometimes I really have to look in the mirror just to make sure I am looking at the same thing that other people see. As long as it's a compliment I'll take it LOL. Thanks again everyone for the info. This site is very helpful.

[PApisces]

Crime/Demographic/Occupation statistics info:
http://www.city-data.com/city/Coraop...nsylvania.html

http://www.city-data.com/city/Shaler...nsylvania.html

[RachelleP]

Originally Posted by CaptainObvious

I moved to the area from Lancaster County, that has a very large immigrant labor force (farming is Lancaster's #1 industry), and let me tell you...Pittsburgh has very very very few Hispanics. This is one of the very first things I noticed about the area moving from an area where many Hispanics lived. No jobs = No Hispanics.

Cap

Your response seems to imply that Hispanics=non english speaking labors.Many of us "Hispanics" actually speak English,have been here for generations,and have the same types of jobs as everyone else.

[PAMamma]

SlipperySlope,

As a current resident of Shaler who looked extensively in the Moon & Coraopolis areas (in fact all over Pittsburgh,) I can now say:

Shaler -we love it!

I went on and on about it on another forum when we first moved here.
Sure wish I could find that now.
(It may still be somewhere on my laptop and if so, I’ll post it here later.)
Just don’t have enough time to tell you all the reasons why right now.
And I’m in that Southern part of Shaler that someone said, “… can get dicey..” but high up on a hill - so no flooding. And Etna is NOT depressed and Millvale really isn’t either.

It was the House; 1929 built, double-brick, American Four Square with 2 original Ernest Batchelder Fireplaces, quarter-sawn oak floors, all original woodwork, hardware, pocket doors, stained glass up the whazoo, and a truly rare & beautiful original bathroom - Standard in Orchid de’ Vincennes!

Nope, it was the Land - nearly 2, very private, acres - mostly tabletop, ( unheard of in Southwestern PA, ) and just 6.5 mi. from downtown, even closer to Oakland.

So nah, it was the Location, Location, Location ! ( No, I am not a realtor.)
We can get to anywhere with such speed and ease -NO tunnels!
The Zoo, North Park, Hartwood Acres, Waterworks, Waterfront, Mcknightmare Rd (not my personal favorite) Lawrenceville, The Strip, The North Side, Oakland, Downtown, Point Breeze, Regent’s Square, Sq. Hill. etc.
(This is the wife of a former Long Islander talking here, too. I have sat on the L.I.E. for what seemed like days. If you moved to my part of Shaler you would literally be astonished!)

Or was it the affordability ?

Either way, Moon & Coraopolis seemed WAY too built up and congested for us. Every time we go out that way, we get stuck in traffic, no matter what day or time or direction. I swear there’s a strange reverse traffic vortex going on around that section of 279.

And Hopes, we do ride that awesome bike trail -what fun! And I’ve met a man who lives here who bikes to work downtown in the Cultural District via that trail everyday.

And just to reiterate, No we don’t mean depressed in a race way - we mean all the industry dried up and those who could leave did and those who couldn’t suffered, most were white from what I see.

Pittsburgh does have a MUCH smaller Hispanic population than NY but I’d pick Shaler because of that too - Shaler residents seem more tolerant, open minded, laid back and relaxed than the many, many other areas we investigated, (especially in the South Hills.) And while I agree with Hopes that Pittsburgh does not have a very diverse population (however, ethnically diverse in European terms,) I still have to agree with Janiesgirl about the visibility factor - I do meet many Multi-Racial families (I suppose “professionals” if a label helps,) in the more affluent neighborhoods of Pittsburgh proper. Just go to the Blue Slide Park of Frick Park in Sq. Hill.

Sometimes, I think that the Pittsburghers who have never lived elsewhere just don’t realize how good they have it here.

Welcome to Pittsburgh and Good Luck wherever you may go!