Where to go halfway between Pittsburgh and Smithfield/Uniontown? (Lebanon: relocate, for sale)

[beemajabee]

I've been reading many threads about certain locations that other people have asked about and I don't think they've answered my question: We want to relocate to SE PA from Washington, DC. Hubby's mother lives in Smithfield, so we'd like to move somewhere in the middle between Pittsburgh and Smithfield (close enough to visit, far enough so we don't have to every weekend... ;-)...)

I've read on another thread that Allegheny county is expensive. I also seem to remember someone saying to stay away from McKeesport. We have two small children and I'd obviously love a great school for them, a local Starbucks for me, maybe? Hubby wants to be rural, not enclosed by houses. If I move to the outskirts of Jeannette and Greensburg, am I moving to a dump? Are there schools worth moving to? Or do I need to rethink the direction around Pittsburgh? A map and realtor.com can only tell me so much. I wish someone could give me the magic answer and say "THIS is where you should go and all will be well!"

PS: Forgot to mention, of all things my husband wants a computer related job (more tech support than programming) and the other thread has scared the bejeezus out of me in that regard. And I am NOT a nurse, so there goes that fallbackplan...

[Hopes]

Although not halfway, Peter's Township would be the best school district outside of Allegheny County that is south of the county border.

[beemajabee]

Thank you, Hopes, I would have never known to look there! Since I asked about outside of Allegheny and the search brought only a few affordable
($150,000) houses in Peter's Township I wonder if I need to move further South after all to afford it?

What does it mean when the taxes are higher in Allegheny? Can someone explain that in more concrete figures? It almost seems to big of a county to avoid just because of taxes? (I'm feeling very naive here, taxes are ## and I suck at ##!!!).

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by beemajabee

Thank you, Hopes, I would have never known to look there! Since I asked about outside of Allegheny and the search brought only a few affordable
($150,000) houses in Peter's Township I wonder if I need to move further South after all to afford it?

Possibly. Or just wait until something goes up for sale where you want to live.

The best ranking high school in Fayette County is the Uniontown Area School District.

The best ranking high school in Green County is the Central Green School District.

The best ranking high school in Westmoreland County is Franklin Regional. You'll find Franklin is just north of Uniontown. That might be the best place to start looking for a house.

Here's the site for school district rankings: Ranking of High Schools in Westmoreland County

Here's a map of Pennsylvania Counties: http://county-map.digital-topo-maps....county-map.gif

Here's where Franklin is located: Smithfield, PA, United States of America - Google Maps

Originally Posted by beemajabee

What does it mean when the taxes are higher in Allegheny? Can someone explain that in more concrete figures? It almost seems to big of a county to avoid just because of taxes? (I'm feeling very naive here, taxes are ## and I suck at ##!!!).

Here's a link where I provided examples of northern Allegheny County townships. It gives you a fairly accurate idea.

So, how much are property taxes?

[beemajabee]

Hopes, I am SO grateful you're on this board! I knew you're a treasure trove of information from earlier threads, but you've kept me busy all afternoon looking into the new info you gave me (schools, house listings,...)

I just brought up to my husband what the taxes look like in Allegheny county (the mill information was very helpful, and looks atrocious!) and he said that that should mean the schools are better. Looks like he wouldn't necessarily avoid Agh and I'll browse through earlier threads to see about best schools in Agh yet rural and close enough to the in-laws...

[Hopes]

That's not necessarily true.

Franklin Regional School District in Westmoreland County ranks higher state-wide than most school districts in Allegheny County.

Franklin ranks 24th out of 693 high schools in Pennsylvania.

Here's the state rankings: Ranking of High Schools in Pennsylvania

The only other school districts in the area that rank near Franklin are Mt. Lebanon, Peters & Upper St. Clair.

Mt. Lebanon, Upper St. Clair and Peters are more affluent areas where housing prices are higher.

Plus, only Mt. Lebanon ranks higher than Franklin. Considering it's a state ranking, Franklin is definitely a serious contender at 24th out of 693!

Franklin has almost everything you need: more affordable homes, lower taxes, and good schools.

It's not necessarily closer to your mother-in-law than the other good school districts, but it's a good school in a more affordable area.

Also look into other school districts near Latrobe, PA. That's a very nice area with good schools. It's more rural so the housing is more affordable too.

For instance, Windber Area School District in Somerset County ranks 45th out of 693. The commute into downtown might be a little challenging but your husband might find a job more in the Somerset area if he focuses his search in that direction. You never know.

[barneyg]

Originally Posted by beemajabee

I just brought up to my husband what the taxes look like in Allegheny county (the mill information was very helpful, and looks atrocious!) and he said that that should mean the schools are better. Looks like he wouldn't necessarily avoid Agh and I'll browse through earlier threads to see about best schools in Agh yet rural and close enough to the in-laws...

I would guess that a big contributing factor to higher taxes in Allegheny County is that for many cities and boroughs, the tax base has been steadily declining for a few decades now, whether because population is shrinking or property values are shrinking (in inflation-adjusted numbers). On the other hand, because Allegheny County generally has older infrastructure because its urban and suburban development happened before, say, development in Cranberry, Peters Twp or Murrysville, it also needs to support more expenses to maintain schools, bridges, roads, and social programs. (Of course there are still many places in Beaver, Butler, Westmoreland and Washington counties that saw development much before many suburbs in Allegheny county.)

Given the political culture around here, I'd be very surprised if someone ever said "hey, let's raise taxes and make our schools better!"