What do people think of St. Clair Heights (Birdland)? (Lebanon: houses, neighborhood)

[sublimesting]

Just wondering since we are thinking of moving there. It seems nice and very neighborly. All of the homes are well kept but some are getting quite old and we could see them falling into disrepair if not kept up and maintained thus attracting a worse crowd. Anyone have any thoughts on this area?

Thanks,

[janiesgirl]

I believe there is a bad part of town called St. Clair Heights, which might explain why no one answered.

Birdland, which is directly adjacent to the area of Mt. Lebanon where I live, is indeed a well kept area. People are friendly. It's in the Chartiers Valley School District, which is OK. The district received a warning from the state this year for not meeting Adequate Yearly Progress benchmarks (I don't know the details), so if you have kids, you'd want to understand the whys, whats and wheres.

The houses are on the smaller side and may not have the "stuff" people look for these days, so if you're thinking investment, you may not get much of a return.

I think Birdland is cute. It's a decent commute to town. The complaint I have with Birdland is the LONG, winding streets with no sidewalks that invite and encourage speeding. SIGH. If you like to walk, wear a head lamp and reflectors at dusk.

[supersoulty]

I think you might be refering to Upper St. Clair, which is a whole nother area entirely. As was previously mentioned, it is located near Mt. Lebanon, south of the city. It is a very nice neighborhood... probably the second ritziest behind Fox Chaple. People who are form there have a reputation for being rather stuck-up. ha

[06mike]

Sorry if I am reaaaal late in answering this post but I just noticed it today. If you haven't moved as of yet maybe this may influence the decision. I lived in Birdland from 1957' to 1977' when I entered the Air Force. My mother stayed there until 82. St Clair Heights (Birdland) was one of the first planned communities which incorporated shopping, professional buildings, parks and was adjacent to a major hospital all within a very short walking or driving commute. There were some innovative things tried within Birdland such as the rear yard electrical on the upper part of Blue Jay, the section of concrete pavement on the lower part of Blue Jay and Raven, the baseball field formerly at the end of Cardinal, rear yard storm drainage between Blue Jay and Cardinal, the neighborhood parklet on Meadowlark and a few other things which have since escaped me. The homes were mostly Ryan products which were well built (before Ryan went cheap) although small by today's standards and probably not well insulated. So, well maintained, they should last many years. The neighborhood at the time was the ritzy area of Scott Township and unfortunately the furthest from Chartiers Valley Schools which maintained schools in the older areas of the consolidated district. Chartiers Valley was no Mt Lebanon or Upper St Clair when it came to schools, but neither were the taxes. So you got what you paid for. When I lived there, it was very friendly with lots of kids who had ample areas to play.
Hope this helps. It is old info but sometimes historical info can help maintain the present.

[NativeBirdlander]

I moved into Birdland (St. Clair Heights) when it was brand new back in the 1950's. It was extremely interesting back then because much of it was still farm land and not all of it was completed. There were many apple trees and we saw occassional farm animals wander by in the late 1950's. It's hard to imagine but the area was in the "country" back then. Many successful people have made their starts from the neighborhood and many remained. Eventually the woods and fields were developed and it took on a more manicured look. The homes were built by Ryan Homes when they were still building quality homes. The homes are sturdily built from brick and have hand plastered walls and marble window sills. Many people have added on additions to their home. The trick is not to over-improve the home. The area is a good one and is safe and close to shopping and hospitals etc. I think it's a good neighborhood. I still have relatives that live there and I have many happy memories of the neighborhood.