Shaler vs. Coraopolis for Relocation (Pittsburgh, Penn Hills: gated, travel, wages)

[SlipperySlope]

Hi everyone,

My wife and I live on Long Island but we are going to be looking at several homes in the Shaler and Coraopolis areas. It has become increasingly expensive to live on Long Island or in most parts on NY for that matter. We believe that we can offer our children a good education and a safe place to grow up in either area. My wife has done much research on Pittsburgh from weather, to crime down to the employment issue.

I have been told that employment in Pittsburgh can be a little rough. I am aware that it doesn't offer the same job market or rate of pay that can be found in NY. I am aware also that the cost of living is not as high in Pittsburgh as it is in NY so on that level the wages and the cost of living even each other out.

Coraopolis looks like a good area according to what we have read. The schools aren't ranked as high as Moon but they aren't low either. The Shaler schools look to be good schools as well. Is there much crime, many jobs, good education, high taxes, recreational activities, local shopping etc.

The homes are more affordable in Coraopolis than in Shaler for some reason and I am wondering why. In many cases you get what you pay for and I am looking for some advise on the two areas and possibly some opinions on which area you would choose and why. Any help is appreciated. Thanks in advance...

[CaptainObvious]

Originally Posted by SlipperySlope

Hi everyone,

My wife and I live on Long Island but we are going to be looking at several homes in the Shaler and Coraopolis areas. It has become increasingly expensive to live on Long Island or in most parts on NY for that matter. We believe that we can offer our children a good education and a safe place to grow up in either area. My wife has done much research on Pittsburgh from weather, to crime down to the employment issue.

I have been told that employment in Pittsburgh can be a little rough. I am aware that it doesn't offer the same job market or rate of pay that can be found in NY. I am aware also that the cost of living is not as high in Pittsburgh as it is in NY so on that level the wages and the cost of living even each other out.

Coraopolis looks like a good area according to what we have read. The schools aren't ranked as high as Moon but they aren't low either. The Shaler schools look to be good schools as well. Is there much crime, many jobs, good education, high taxes, recreational activities, local shopping etc.

The homes are more affordable in Coraopolis than in Shaler for some reason and I am wondering why. In many cases you get what you pay for and I am looking for some advise on the two areas and possibly some opinions on which area you would choose and why. Any help is appreciated. Thanks in advance...

Corapolis is a much more depressed area than is Shaler. In fact, the Shaler area is on a bit of an up-swing in my opinion. Pittsburgh is but a conglomeration of dozens of individual neighborhoods, so to that extent, both Coraopolis and Shaler are close to things to do even if you can't find much to do within the city limits of each. Coraopolis is close to the big box madness that is Robinson Township, and Shaler offers easy access to both the city and the McKnight Road suburban utopia. Coraopolis is one of those strange Western PA neighborhoods where everything gets better going up hill...down on 4th and 5th you'll find nightwalkers, drug dealers, etc. (I wouldn't feel great about walking there at night, but don't know that I'd consider it truly dangerous- just a lot of seedy characters about). The top of the hill has some new development and several remodeled homes and property values are increasing slowly. Further up the hill (South) it gets quite nice. The Moon/Coraopolis line is somewhere near Hassam Rd/Coraopolis Heights Rd...you can find a good deal on the Coraopolis side because the school district is much worse but the homes are of the same quality/size. Shaler works a bit in the same way too... Down the hill toward Etna and Millvale it can get dicey. Up the hill toward Allison Park and Hampton or east toward Fox Chapel ($$$$$) it gets quite a bit nicer. I would definitely lean toward Shaler all things considered, but I have long held the belief that Shaler is one of the best values--bang for the buck--in Allegheny County.

All in all, both offer decent housing deals because they are both kind-of inbetween neighborhoods. Coraopolis is a middle point between McKees Rocks (worse) and Moon (better) while Shaler is a middle point between Etna (worse) and Allison Park/Ross Twp (better). These are highly subjective opinions and I am sure others will follow.

Enjoy!
Cap

[SteelersFan09]

I've been living in nearby Moon for about a month...Anytime I drive around town,it seems like your average town and pretty safe and normal. When I drive through Coraopolis a lot of the time,it seems very run down and kind of depressing. I don't mean to put the town down and I apologize if that offends anyone,but it kind of creeps me out at times. Moon's not far away,so i'd be more inclined to recommend that.

[Hopes]

I'll answer for Shaler.

Originally Posted by SlipperySlope

crime

It's a safe area. Even the river towns of Etna and Millvale are safe.

Originally Posted by SlipperySlope

many jobs

That's sort of irrelevant. Pittsburgh, Oakland and many industrial parks are only a short drive away.

Originally Posted by SlipperySlope

good education

You already checked that out. I have a girlfriend who is from Long Island. Shaler's education is comparable or better.

Originally Posted by SlipperySlope

high taxes

Yes, but anywhere in Allegheny County is high.

Originally Posted by SlipperySlope

recreational activities

Shaler Township and Etna both have community pools. There are tennis, basketball, volleyball, skateboarding, and street hocky courts throughout the district. Most neighborhoods have local playgrounds. Residents have access to the high school gym so there's no reason to join an expensive health club. The indoor school pool is available to residents off season. There's a bike trail that goes from Shaler along the river into the city. North Park and Hartwood acres are very close by, as well as the river if you're into boating. Between Etna and Shaler, there seems to many community sponsored activities---like movie nights, live bands, antique car shows, festivals, parades, etc.

Originally Posted by SlipperySlope

local shopping

There are four different grocery store chains within or near the township. McKnight Road, Waterworks and Pittsburgh Mills are 10 minutes away. There are small locally owned businesses like a hardware store, florists, salons, dry cleaners, restaurants, etc.

Originally Posted by SlipperySlope

The homes are more affordable in Coraopolis than in Shaler for some reason and I am wondering why.

Shaler has a great location. It's just minutes away from downtown and so many other things. It's surrounded by some of Pittsburgh's more affluent townships (Fox Chapel, Hampton, McCandless). One of the main reasons is because people keep buying in Shaler which pushes up the property values. Shaler homes continue to appreciate in value.

Originally Posted by SlipperySlope

In many cases you get what you pay for and I am looking for some advise on the two areas and possibly some opinions on which area you would choose and why. Any help is appreciated. Thanks in advance...

I'd buy in Shaler. I prefer the North Hills. The commutes into downtown are easier. You don't have to deal with the traffic congestion at the tunnels either. It's more convenient to some of the city neighborhoods people like to visit: Shadyside, Squirrel Hill, Oakland, Bloomfield, etc. The Pittsburgh Zoo is literally right across the river. A trip to the Waterfront or Sandcastles water park is easier. And being from Long Island, the Pennsylvania Turnpike is just up the road from Shaler. That's easier access for traveling to Long Island to visit family and friends.

[SlipperySlope]

Wow that's really good info. The funny thing is that when people who live in a certain are describe their hometown it is alays so much different than the way an outsider would describe the same area. I looked in Penn Hills until someone from the area advised me about the tunnels and how you would only know about that if you lived there. Guess that whole grass is greener thing sorta comes into play. Some areas that you guys think are pretty seedy I may agree with but someone from Brooklyn, NY may now. Just an observation.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by SlipperySlope

Some areas that you guys think are pretty seedy I may agree with but someone from Brooklyn, NY may now. Just an observation.

If you want your property to have a good appreciation in value, you shouldn't buy in the seedier areas of Pittsburgh. Unlike NYC where people are forced to settle for less desirable areas (since that's what they can afford), Pittsburghers avoid those neighborhoods because the housing prices and cost of living make it super easy to afford a house in a nicer area.

I disagree with boylocke about Etna (a small town in Shaler Township). Etna might be an older river town, but it's not depressed. There's plenty of thriving businesses there. And Etna is a very safe neighborhood. The flip side is that Coraopolis is a depressed area. It's only going downhill fast. Coraopolis property most likely won't hold value like it would in other areas like Shaler and Etna.

[janiesgirl]

My inclination is also to steer you away from Coraopolis. I've had friends who grew up there and whose families still live there and the situation continues to deteriorate. Additionally, if you were to work in the city, the commute would be fairly long.

[SteelerGirl]

I've lived in both Moon and Glenshaw, and if I had to pick one or the other I'd say Shaler over Coraopolis. Coraopolis, while still not that bad of an area, just doesn't compare. The schools aren't as good, and it's a bit more of a depressed area as others have pointed out.

[SlipperySlope]

Question.. How can Moon and Coraopolis share the same zip code and be so different? There has to be some line blurring I would guess. Really good and bad areas on either side, unless there's a brick wall in between the two.

I see that Findlay Twp and Robinson also share that zip code, what of them? In general from what I have read in many posts on this forum when a more depressed area is pointed out it usually means that people of different races live there. Is that an issue in Pittsburgh, race?

In NY there is such a mixture that mostly anyplace you go it's pretty mixed. Are there many hispanics in Pittsburgh? Just curious of the make up of the area and how well everyone gets along w/o the sugar coated version. People on this forum seem to be pretty honest when posed with a question requiring that an opinion be given.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by SlipperySlope

Question.. How can Moon and Coraopolis share the same zip code and be so different?

Zip codes and townships aren't the same thing here. Zip codes really mean nothing except for being a way for the mailman to deliver mail.

Originally Posted by SlipperySlope

There has to be some line blurring I would guess. Really good and bad areas on either side, unless there's a brick wall in between the two.

You'll have to come to Pittsburgh to see. It's topographical. Moon is up on top of the hill. Coraopolis is a river town at the bottom of the hill. There's lots of woods inbetween.

Originally Posted by SlipperySlope

I see that Findlay Twp and Robinson also share that zip code, what of them?

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.

Originally Posted by SlipperySlope

In general from what I have read in many posts on this forum when a more depressed area is pointed out it usually means that people of different races live there. Is that an issue in Pittsburgh, race?

That's not true at all. River towns are often very white. Depressed simply exists because the steel mills closed down. The little towns were older homes to begin with and the only reason to live there was because of the steel mills. With the collapse of the steel industry, these little river towns deteriorated.

Originally Posted by SlipperySlope

Are there many hispanics in Pittsburgh?

No, there aren't very many hispanics in Pittsburgh. It's actually extremely rare to see a hispanic person here.

Originally Posted by SlipperySlope

Just curious of the make up of the area and how well everyone gets along w/o the sugar coated version.

Most neighborhoods are fairly segregated but almost everyone gets along. Pittsburgh is a tollerant city. In areas where people come together, like the mall or in the city, everything is absolutely fine. It's just taking time for people to blend together in neighborhoods. Black people are welcome in the more white areas. I can't say the same thing about the welcomeness of whites in the black areas though. The main problem is economics. There isn't a large middle class black population in Pittsburgh. Many blacks are impoverished here.

Originally Posted by SlipperySlope

People on this forum seem to be pretty honest when posed with a question requiring that an opinion be given.

There's a fairly recent thread about segretation and racism you might like to read: Pittsburgh segregated and racist?

For the record, all of the areas you've been asking about are mostly comprised of a white population (80% or higher). The black neighborhoods are mostly located within the city limits of Pittsburgh. You're asking about river towns and suburban townships outside of the city limits. So race has absolutely nothing to do with why we are steering you away from the depressed rivertown of Coraopolis.

.