Peters Township vs. Upper St. Clair-Where would you buy a house?

[wmkeast52]

If I was to relocate back to Pittsburgh I'd pick Peters Twp. Look, these school districts rank very close to one another in terms of PSSA scores. I couldn't help but note that USC has higher PSSA Math Scores than Mt. Lebanon but it was Mt. Lebanon that won the regional math competition in Feb. I bring this up because PSSA scores aren't everything. I would choose Peters because you have more of a selection in terms of new housing. The schools are excellent just like they are in Mt. Lebanon and USC...the traditional leaders. The taxes are lower and there is "the bubble" just like in the other two. But, since you are looking at PT and USC, I'd say there's not much difference. For future value, I'd put my money on PT...it's up and coming. USC is about to be the suburb of yesterday. Peters will be, if not already, THE place to live.

[smiles888]

We still have not decided where to move. I was looking in the surrounding areas too. North Strabane seems nice. Cecil is very affordable but pretty far from the South Hills. All of the kids go to the same school though, even from Canonsburg City. South Park is cute but the taxes seem high for that neighborhood. Any thoughts on those neighborhoods? Any suggestions for other neighborhoods? Should I consider Mt. Lebanon? I like the area but the houses are older.

[speagles84]

Originally Posted by smiles888

We still have not decided where to move. I was looking in the surrounding areas too. North Strabane seems nice. Cecil is very affordable but pretty far from the South Hills. All of the kids go to the same school though, even from Canonsburg City. South Park is cute but the taxes seem high for that neighborhood. Any thoughts on those neighborhoods? Any suggestions for other neighborhoods? Should I consider Mt. Lebanon? I like the area but the houses are older.

I'll give you some of my opinions of the different areas.

North Strabane - NS has rural and suburban areas. The closer you are to Rt 19, the more suburban the area is. The schools are pretty good, and land values are lower than Peters and surrounding areas. I believe there is a lot of Marcellus Shale drilling in the township as well. Road access is pretty good for the type of area it is. 70, 79, 19, and 519 all run through the area.

Cecil - Similar to North Strabane. Same school district, but my opinion is that Cecil is even more rural than NS. The road access isn't nearly as good, 79 is pretty much your only option. Cecil has a variety of different areas ranging from rural homes to new suburban homes and even older suburban homes in the Lawrence and Cecil-Bishop areas.

South Park - I grew up and spent a significant portion of my life in South Park. Honestly, for a suburban school district, South Park's is NOT that good. Every surrounding SD is better with the possible exception of Ringgold, which is south. The housing in the township is quite varied. In the Library area you have old, rundown coal mining homes circa 1910. These neighborhoods have section 8 tenants, making them undesirable. Other areas off Stolz road are 1970 suburban homes. Broughton has similar homes. The center of the township has apartment complexes ranging from Public housing to ritzy condos with a scattering of businesses. The western portion of the township has plans of 1970's housing plans to a few new cookie cutter housing plans. Having the park in the center of the township is nice though, very convenient.

Mt. Lebanon - Mt. Lebanon is much more urban than the rest of the areas previously mentioned. It has some of the best schools in the region. Most of the homes are older and most are quite expensive.

Hope this helps!

[okaydorothy]

We bought in Bridgeville and the kids go to South Fayette. We love it here. While it is urban ; they pass farms on the way to school. Sports are HUGE here and the school is very good

[ElijahAstin]

Originally Posted by speagles84

I'll give you some of my opinions of the different areas.

North Strabane - NS has rural and suburban areas. The closer you are to Rt 19, the more suburban the area is. The schools are pretty good, and land values are lower than Peters and surrounding areas. I believe there is a lot of Marcellus Shale drilling in the township as well. Road access is pretty good for the type of area it is. 70, 79, 19, and 519 all run through the area.

Cecil - Similar to North Strabane. Same school district, but my opinion is that Cecil is even more rural than NS. The road access isn't nearly as good, 79 is pretty much your only option. Cecil has a variety of different areas ranging from rural homes to new suburban homes and even older suburban homes in the Lawrence and Cecil-Bishop areas.

South Park - I grew up and spent a significant portion of my life in South Park. Honestly, for a suburban school district, South Park's is NOT that good. Every surrounding SD is better with the possible exception of Ringgold, which is south. The housing in the township is quite varied. In the Library area you have old, rundown coal mining homes circa 1910. These neighborhoods have section 8 tenants, making them undesirable. Other areas off Stolz road are 1970 suburban homes. Broughton has similar homes. The center of the township has apartment complexes ranging from Public housing to ritzy condos with a scattering of businesses. The western portion of the township has plans of 1970's housing plans to a few new cookie cutter housing plans. Having the park in the center of the township is nice though, very convenient.

Mt. Lebanon - Mt. Lebanon is much more urban than the rest of the areas previously mentioned. It has some of the best schools in the region. Most of the homes are older and most are quite expensive.

Hope this helps!

IIRC, Mt. Lebo isn't quite as pricey as USC/Peters (a function of their wider array of newer homes (especially Peters) plus Peters' lower taxes. Depending on what you're looking for in a house, however, one may consider Mt. Lebo to be a worse value.

[speagles84]

Originally Posted by HeavenWood

IIRC, Mt. Lebo isn't quite as pricey as USC/Peters (a function of their wider array of newer homes (especially Peters) plus Peters' lower taxes. Depending on what you're looking for in a house, however, one may consider Mt. Lebo to be a worse value.

When I said its much more expensive than the areas otherwise mentioned I was referring to Cecil, North Strabane, and South Park haha.