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Old 10-08-2012, 06:36 AM
 
2 posts, read 2,485 times
Reputation: 11

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Hello,


My husband has been offered at position in Pittsburgh, PA...we are a young family of 4 with both children elementary school age. We are looking for suggestions of suburbs of PA, no more than a 40 minute commute (including traffic) to the city and we would like to keep our housing budget around 300k.

Thanks!
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Old 10-08-2012, 06:43 AM
 
130 posts, read 252,010 times
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Not living in Pittsburgh at the moment but based on your criteria i think you have endless options from Mt Lebanon to the Northern suburbs. This is what i like about pittsburgh because philly and nyc arent affordable good luck finding a nice suburb that close for 300k!
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Old 10-08-2012, 06:52 AM
 
7,380 posts, read 15,680,717 times
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yeah, $300k is a big budget in the pittsburgh area, and a 40 minute commute into town includes a lot of places where your budget could get you a lot (or at least get you in). it's sort of a question of what you want in a town/neighborhood. do you prefer a big yard, walkable neighborhood, are there certain things you'd like to be close to? do you prefer new construction or an older house? what part of town will you be working in?
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Old 10-08-2012, 07:27 AM
 
5,047 posts, read 5,808,494 times
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We moved from Long Island to Bridgeville this summer. We just love it. The boys (12 & 13) are thriving in their school and are so glad that we moved. We were able to buy a house for way under your budget.

We are in the South Fayette school district. Look at Greatschools.org and put in what school district you may think of. Our boys went to parochial on Long Island and we lived in the Longwood school district. We are about 13 miles from Pittsburgh but everything is within a 10-20 min drive.

If you want any other questions answered, please feel free to ask.
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Old 10-08-2012, 07:49 AM
 
2 posts, read 2,485 times
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We live and are from Upstate NY, so we'd like a decent size backyard and a walkable neighborhood. Right now we live in a "walking" school district, no buses and love it His company is in West Muffin, if his commute could be shorter, that would be fantastic! I have been a SHM for the last 7 years, but was an elementary school teacher prior to having my sons and am currently a early childhood education teacher at a local preschool. How is the job market for educators in PA?

Thank you for the tips!
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Old 10-08-2012, 09:07 AM
 
Location: O'Hara Twp.
4,359 posts, read 7,535,271 times
Reputation: 1611
Quote:
Originally Posted by jdna View Post
We live and are from Upstate NY, so we'd like a decent size backyard and a walkable neighborhood. Right now we live in a "walking" school district, no buses and love it His company is in West Muffin, if his commute could be shorter, that would be fantastic! I have been a SHM for the last 7 years, but was an elementary school teacher prior to having my sons and am currently a early childhood education teacher at a local preschool. How is the job market for educators in PA?

Thank you for the tips!
The job market for educators is awful. The local colleges crank out tons of education majors every year. So, you are competing with them and with people who have just been laid off due to the stimulus expiring.

Every time people say Pittsburgh is cheap I laugh. It is all what you expect and really depends on where you want to live and in what kind of house you want to live in. For example, if you want a new 3000 square foot home with a bunch of upgrades and in a great school district you are probably out of luck. For some reason our new construction costs here are insane. Personally, we would have trouble finding a house in some of the nicer suburbs or in the city for that budget. I bet we would need about 450-650,000. I have friend who is looking to trade up in the city and he feels his budget would have to be 800,000 to trade up from his city starter home.

If your husband is working in West Mifflin, then try the Thomas Jefferson School District. From whay I gather from West Mifflin grads, it is their rival because it is next door and it is generally nicer and more affluent. However, it is not a walking district. For walking, your only option near West Mifflin is Mt. Lebanon which is one of the areas top school districts. Mt. Lebanon is pricey. So, it depends on your tastes and needs as to whether or not you can find a house for 300,000 there.
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Old 10-08-2012, 10:14 AM
 
Location: Franklin Park
34 posts, read 42,375 times
Reputation: 20
You do have many options for housing in the general area though I would advise staying on the southern side of living if West Mifflin is the work location. Most people would consider Mt Lebanon and Upper St Clair to be at the top of the list. Here's a link to gather additional information. School Guide - Pittsburgh Business Times

Walking type locations are a bit slim in the suburbs but Mt Lebanon is the one that satisfies both schools and walking neighborhoods. Can't really go wrong there. You will find homes that are more expensive than other areas and most are older "character" type homes. Some new but...

If you are more interested in newer style homes then Bethel Park might be an alternative location. You will find more new construction there as well.

These all keep you within 30 minutes of downtown Pittsburgh in addition to being convenient to W Mifflin.
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Old 10-08-2012, 09:01 PM
 
Location: Washington County, PA
4,240 posts, read 4,922,453 times
Reputation: 2859
Quote:
Originally Posted by jdna View Post
We live and are from Upstate NY, so we'd like a decent size backyard and a walkable neighborhood. Right now we live in a "walking" school district, no buses and love it His company is in West Muffin, if his commute could be shorter, that would be fantastic! I have been a SHM for the last 7 years, but was an elementary school teacher prior to having my sons and am currently a early childhood education teacher at a local preschool. How is the job market for educators in PA?

Thank you for the tips!
Thomas Jefferson forsure. Its very close, great school district, safe, 10 minutes from West Mifflin, friendly, you can have a new/newer/old home, big backyard, everything. Except not a walking school district, but it fits everything else. Good luck!
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Old 10-08-2012, 09:08 PM
 
43,011 posts, read 108,092,139 times
Reputation: 30723
Quote:
Originally Posted by jdna View Post
We live and are from Upstate NY, so we'd like a decent size backyard and a walkable neighborhood. Right now we live in a "walking" school district, no buses and love it His company is in West Muffin, if his commute could be shorter, that would be fantastic! I have been a SHM for the last 7 years, but was an elementary school teacher prior to having my sons and am currently a early childhood education teacher at a local preschool. How is the job market for educators in PA?

Thank you for the tips!
The only walking suburb with no school buses is Mt. Lebanon. It would be a 30 minute commute.
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Old 10-09-2012, 05:42 PM
 
2 posts, read 2,493 times
Reputation: 10
Quote:
Originally Posted by jdna View Post
We live and are from Upstate NY, so we'd like a decent size backyard and a walkable neighborhood. Right now we live in a "walking" school district, no buses and love it His company is in West Muffin, if his commute could be shorter, that would be fantastic! I have been a SHM for the last 7 years, but was an elementary school teacher prior to having my sons and am currently a early childhood education teacher at a local preschool. How is the job market for educators in PA?

Thank you for the tips!
Just curious where in upstate you are from ?
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