counties taxes and commutes (Pittsburgh, Washington: how much, house prices, to buy)

[Ken_B.]

Broad question here, as some of you know I am relocating soon and will be looking for a home to buy in the first 12 months. Also I will be working downtown.

Everyone talks about Washington County (Peters Township) and Butler County (Cranberry, etc).

Can I get the short story on the following counties (their flavor) and if taxes are better or worse than Allegheny? also if any are out of the possible for commuting to downtown? Say the commute maximum was a 1 hour drive to downtown.

Beaver -

Armstrong -

Westmoreland -

Fayette -

Thanks.

[Hopes]

Westmoreland County has some great school districts. Franklin Regional ranks among the best in the state, not just the region. It's right near the Allegheny County border. The commute from that area is less than an hour too. There are other terrific school districts within Westmoreland too. It's a beautiful area. If you want more detailed information, I'll provide more.

There's an area in Armstrong County that is fairly convenient to downtown via route 28. The commute would be less than an hour. It's Freeport School District. Freeport itself is a cute little town. The surrounding area is very rural in a quaint sort of way. It's not far from shopping at the Pittsburgh Mills Mall and other areas too.

[Tallysmom]

Originally Posted by Ken_B.

Broad question here, as some of you know I am relocating soon and will be looking for a home to buy in the first 12 months. Also I will be working downtown.

Everyone talks about Washington County (Peters Township) and Butler County (Cranberry, etc).

Can I get the short story on the following counties (their flavor) and if taxes are better or worse than Allegheny? also if any are out of the possible for commuting to downtown? Say the commute maximum was a 1 hour drive to downtown.

Beaver -

Armstrong -

Westmoreland -

Fayette -

Thanks.

Ah, Beaver. Taxes are lower in Beaver. Butler County Township Map

and

Beaver County Pennsylvania

You can easily go into Cranberry for easy downtown access via 79/279 from both New Sewickly and Economy Townships. You want to be closer to Cranberry and Zelie than say -- Economy or Ambridge.

These areas have that suburban rural feel I like. Real land in between the houses, not just a "lot". The housing stock is older and not in developments, although that is popping up. Now -- I want an older house... new construction --ick. Not for me. I want something that has stood the test of time.

However -- Beaver (city) is where hubby is from. I liked Beaver -- I loved River Road, but even coming from California with our house prices I can't afford a River Road house. But as for stuff to do there... not much. Lots of our dates involved going to the Stop and Sock for putt-putt golf, Buzzi's for pizza, or Hanks for Burritos, riding around and watching bad movies on TV while necking. We'd go to an occasional drive in, but Brent's cheap -- we'd watch the movie.

[Katiana]

I agree with Tallysmom's assessment of Beaver. And much of the rest of Beaver County is very depressed. Beaver Falls, my home town, looks like a ghost town with people. It is sad. Some of the suburban areas do seem to be thriving: Chippewa Twp, Patterson Hts and Twp, etc. All kind of far for commuting downtown. You might be able to find a more modest house in Beaver, which is closer.

[RockLobster]

I purchased 30 acres in Southwestern Beaver County - Hanover Township. Very rural and quite pretty landscape. In fact the acreage I purchased has a 6 acre pond and a 15 foot waterfall and heavily forested. Mainly the area is made up of farms and homes with acreage. Some newer homes in the 350,00 to 600,000 $ range are being built. I'm 18 min from the airport and 30 min to downtown Pittsburgh via route 22 and the parkway West minus rush hour. 45-50 min with rush hour to the golden triangle. Taxes are low and much lower then Alleg County. Public schools are decent and major shopping is 20 min away. I'm just sitting on the property as I have a city residence that I enjoy. But I can see this part of Beaver County is pretty special. Keep in mind the recently announced power line development going to be in Washington, Beaver and Greene Counties. That will change some of the landscape. And the fed gov't is pushing it, so going to be tough to fight.

[Geeo]

Keep in mind that the lower taxes you will be paying in suburban counties will be cancelled out by what you will pay in gasoline/wear and tear on your vehicle/and two hours in time lost on inbound and outbound commutes. Might make sense to live in Allegheny County.

[cthealls]

I am in the middle of everything -airport,downtown,major shopping !
Live in South Fayette area,allegheny county. the taxes are high(anywhere in allegheny) ,but the farther you go out ,the more gas and wear and tear on your vehicle.How much are you willing to spend on realstate? I know people.

[jfer]

What's wrong with Allegheny county? I wouldn't just dismiss it based on taxes alone.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by jfer

What's wrong with Allegheny county? I wouldn't just dismiss it based on taxes alone.

Indeed, and the point above about higher total commuting costs was a good one. Generally, of course it makes sense to consider taxes, but they should be just one variable in the overall equation, and it could well be that a place with higher taxes is nonetheless a better deal overall.