Any Info on Pittsburgh-area Neigborhoods? (York, Mount Lebanon: for sale, to rent, amusement park)

[Dan Corcoran]

Thanks for the suggestions. We visited Squirrel Hill and Shadyside and found both really attractive and convenient. As you say, they are near town and therefore have smaller lots than farther out...also more expensive, but hey, you get what you pay for!

And VALT, sorry about calling Mexican War Streets the North Hills...I was only in Pittsburgh for 8 days...

[Tenoch Aguatriste]

I live in New York City now, but lived in the Mexican War Streets of Pittsburgh for 8 years. I bought a row house on Jacksonia Street which I sold when I moved to New York.

I loved Pittsburgh. I loved the War Streets and shed many a tear upon leaving. They are a diverse mix of transplanted New Yorkers, straight, gay, black, white, bohemian and intellectual. Far far less dicey now than when I lived there in the early days of gentrification.

[Dan Corcoran]

Thanks for the confirmation of what we guessed from our short visit. We were only in the Mexican War Streets twice, for a total of perhaps two hours. We were visiting the Mattress Factory (art gallery), which is probably how a lot of people end up there the first time. It seemed as though it has the potential to become a truly unique urban environment...

It was also good to hear your positive comments. Many folks (surprisingly many of whom have never visited Pittsburgh) seem to have a negative impression of the city...not one we share after having visited.

[summergal]

Here's an interesting piece from today's paper...

A smart place to live? Right here
Robyn Russo, Times Staff
05/11/2006
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from: Beaver County Times / Allegheny Times

The Times File / Lucy Schaly

Maybe it isn't the most glamorous place. Maybe it's not the most hip locale. Maybe it's known more for mullets than haute couture.

But Pittsburgh, says one financial magazine, sure is a smart place to call home.

The city landed in the top 10 on Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine's "Smart Cities" list. The city was ranked ninth among 50 smart cities nationwide, with Kiplinger's editors basing the ranking on housing prices, economic vitality, and access to health care, the arts, education and recreational opportunities.

Robert Frick, the magazine's senior editor, said research began on the list last year by surveying readers about what factors they would use in picking "an ideal place to live." Since the readership tends to be fairly wealthy and well educated, but interested in making smart financial decisions, Frick said it wasn't surprising the top two factors readers listed were cost of living and cost of housing.

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Frick, who grew up near State College, Pa., said he was a little surprised Pittsburgh ranked high during its initial research, but when he sent a staffer to spend a few days in the city, he came back "raving" about the trip. Pittsburgh real estate also helped its ranking, with low median home prices.

Even in the city's upscale neighborhoods such as Shadyside, median house prices are under $200,000, according to the Kiplinger article, a steal compared to the million dollars or more needed to buy a house in the swankier sections of New York or Washington, D.C.

"For a city its size, Pittsburgh is an amazing bargain," Frick said.

Matthew Marlin, an economics professor at Duquesne University, said he was quite surprised when he first saw the list. The region's high property tax rates and "fat public sector," Marlin said, could turn people off, although the high concentration of universities probably makes up for such faults for those in medical or scientific fields.

And Marlin, who is from the South and has lived all over the country, said Pittsburgh's current residents certainly seem pleased, noting that people from here never seem to leave.

Kiplinger's list isn't the only place where Pittsburgh has received accolades recently A 2004 Esquire magazine list listed Pittsburgh as the top "city that rocks," or city with the best music scene - although obvious music havens New York City, Los Angeles and Austin, Texas, were excluded in that ranking. Plus, after three years on the bottom of Forbes magazine's list of cities for singles, Pittsburgh climbed to No. 29 on last year's ranking.

But that doesn't mean Pittsburgh's escaped any negative image, especially when it comes to young people looking for a sexy, trendy place to settle. The Forbes list, for instance, included only 40 cities, meaning Pittsburgh is still in the bottom half.

Frick said of the five demographic groups - singles, young couples, families, empty-nesters and retirees - Pittsburgh was most attractive to two of the older categories, families and retirees.

But Frick said job growth, predicted at 10 percent by 2010, soon could make the city "... a Mecca for people just starting their careers."

Frick said if the economy continues to rebound at its current rate, Pittsburgh could even end up like Philadelphia, where the economic renaissance has gone so far that its cost of living "priced it out" of the magazine's top 10.

And where was Cleveland on the smart cities list? It didn't even get a ranking, Frick said.

Robyn Russo can be reached online at rrusso@timesonline.com.





©Beaver County Times Allegheny Times 2006

[curious_26]

I currently live in Pgh and wanted to make sure you didn't get confused. Mexian War streets are a very unique area with great architecture. But they are located on the North Side, not to be confused with the North Hills. The North Side is generally a rough area. It's diverse, but not safe. I wouldn't recommend retiring there.
I would recommend Squirrel Hill. It's just east of the city. The houses are very nice but can be quite expensive. But, if you are moving from another city, that shouldn't be a problem. There is a "downtown" section with many of the city's best restaraunts and stores. You can walk to everything and there are no chains. Is also has usable public transportation and is right on the highway so it's easy to get to everything. Without traffic, you're only 10 minutes from downtown. Squirrel Hill is a really great area. You'll love it!

[Dan Corcoran]

Thanks. My guess is that in 15-20 years, maybe less, Mexican War streets will be one of those places where we say, "If only I had bought there 20 years ago!" Rough now, perhaps, but the potential appears to be there.

[Smoker]

Check out Oakmont. It's 12 miles east of the city along the Allegheny River. You can get to town or the stadiums in about 20 minutes. Oakmont is a well maintained old-fashioned town of about 6,000 mostly older people. Nothing ever happens there, very quiet, very safe. You can go for walks at night and have no fear. Lots of brick streets and the main street is lined with gas lanterns. It has a post office, restaurants, banks, a theatre, a large park along the river, a large woods with walking trails. People with kids move there because of the school system. The school taxes are high, around $3,500 a year on a $150,000 house.

There is a community called Longwood at Oakmont that is for older or retired citizens only. You buy your condo for $80,000 and up then pay $10,000 a year until ? They have 24/7 doctors and nurses on site. A section of new homes has been being developed. They start at $480,000. Oakmont is across the river from Fox Chapel (kind of). It's one of the more desirable places to live in the Pgh. area. In 2007 the U.S. Open golf championship will be played at Oakmont Country Club. That happens about every ten years. You can rent your house to a pro for $5,000 for the week.

Murrysville is a good choice except there isn't adequate snow removal equipment unless they got that problem fixed. I can't think of any nearby hospital either.

Aspinwall has always been a desirable community. In Squirrel Hill you don't get much house for the money and I don't know if there's many single family homes left in Shadyside. It's a nice place to live, but adjacent to an undesirable area.

Stay away from the North Side.

The largest realtor around is Howard Hanna. They have listings all over on their web site.

[Dan Corcoran]

Thanks for the suggestions...really appreciate you taking the time to reply. We're now waiting for our house to sell so we can move east and rent, while we look at specific areas. We saw a great house in Murrysville, but when we asked folks about a downtown or shopping area, no one seemed to know about anything except new strip shopping centers. Is there an older downtown area in Murrysville anything like you described for Oakmont (which like sounded great downtown area)?

[Smoker]

There isn't a downtown area to Murrysville. It's kind of spread out. They have a food market and various stores here and there which change every couple of years/strip marts as you might call them. For shopping, I guess the major convenience is that you are close to Monroeville. That's the shopping mecca of the east side of Pgh. and about 10/15 minutes away.

If you live in Murrysville you have to drive anywhere you want to go, or else ride your horse. No kidding.

You get a lot of house and property for your money. The taxes are low. It is in Westmoreland County so you don't get all the services/adversities offered by living in Allegheny County/Pgh. You also don't have to care about crooked politicians or crime there. It could take you 45 minutes to an hour to get downtown or to the stadiums. The trade-off for the quality of life is well worth it.

http://www.murrysville.com/

In Pittsburgh there is Fox Chapel, Mt. Lebanon, and Oakmont.

The most charishable thing about living around here is the people. We also love our Steelers. While the game is going on, you have the streets to yourself. Nothing moves.

Next time you are here go up to Mount Washington when it's dark. The view is awe inspiring. Inspired by the father of our country and a pretty great place to live!

[DonnaPGH]

I live in Mt Lebanon. We moved here 14 years ago ( org. from Long Island ) because of the great schools ( Blue ribbon ). The city has much to offer and a lot to do. It's true that the "locals" don't venture out of their area - don't understand why but it's true. THey do have a very annoying accent, makes them sound very uneducated. THey also have a real bad fashion sense. I know all these things are trivial but they do get on your nerves after a while. The weather is lousy. Long winters, short summers and a lot of clouds. The houses here in Mt Lebanon are close together but keep in mind it's minutes from the city and in a great school district if that is what you need. There are plenty of great restaurants and breweries (our hobbies ). The locals get a little too sports crazy for my likes but that's what they do here.