Any Info on Pittsburgh-area Neigborhoods? (Lebanon, Upper St. Clair: real estate, travel, housing)

[Dan Corcoran]

As mentioned in my previous thread, we are moving to Pittsburgh and know nothing about the neighborhoods. Surely someone in Pittsburgh must have some knowledge and opinions about the neighborhoods. (By Pittsburgh, I mean the city and surrounding counties. We'd like to be able to get into town for a baseball game or museums in 30 minutes or less.)

Please help us and anyone else moving to Pittsburgh by telling us if you like or dislike any particular neighborhood and why.

Thanks!

[outaPA]

Hi Dan,

Why on Earth would you think to retire to Pittsburgh? Have you spent any time in this pithole? Have you met the locals?

I would discourage anyone thinking of moving here. This is one of the weirdest, most backward, parochial-minded, unfriendly, over-taxed, cloudiest places I've ever been. The only thing nice I can think to say about it are all the pretty trees in the area. That's it. The locals are very strange, just a shade north culturally from the hills of West Virginia.

Sorry to be adamant about this, but I strongly suggest you come tour around first. Also, check out the taxes to these moderately priced homes.

Anyone I've ever met who has moved here from out of state, leaves as quick as possible. I am on my way out, as you can see by my moniker.

Good luck to you.

[Dan Corcoran]

Your negative thoughts on Pittsburgh come through loud and clear. We'll be there next week to form our own impressions. Just curious, though, where you've lived previously that makes Pittsburgh seem so unpleasant by comparison? Also, are any particular areas better or worse than others? Thanks for your response...

[outaPA]

Don't know what you're looking for, but the northern suburbs are growing and safe. Sewickley is also a nice, quaint, moneyed river town, suburb. This is not a town that is easy to get around in. People from one part of town usually don't ever travel out of their own little area. For example, people in the South Hills (Mt. Lebanon, Crafton, Upper St. Clair) rarely go to the North Hills (Wexford, Warrendale, Ross Twp. Allison Park) and vice versa. Probably because of congested, antiquated roads. One has to travel through one of the tunnels to get to the other side and traffic is always a snarly mess. Also, the road signs are non-existant or poorly thought out and nobody can figure out how to get from one place to another in this city. If you stop and ask for directions, the locals usually don't know the names of most of the roads anyway.

Shadyside and Oakland are in the city itself and trendy. But there are bad areas of town nearby.

(I have lived in Florida and Overseas.)

[Dan Corcoran]

We returned last night after 7 days there. We both really enjoyed it. The Pirates season opener was sold out Monday night, which disappointed my wife, but other than that, we have nothing but good memories.

The housing market was as inexpensive as we had anticipated. We couldn't believe the 100-year old craftsmanship that's still available in so many of the homes.

The one surprise for both of us was the way houses were built on top of one another, apparently all through the 1800s and 1900s. It seemed very congested in that sense, but after some looking we were able to find neighborhoods that had what we considered "normal" yard sizes. We put 700 miles on the car in 7 days, so we saw a lot of neighborhoods (deliberately). We looked as far north as Connoquenessing, as far south as Washington, east to Murrysville, and west to Oakdale, plus the closer-in areas of Sewickley, Fox Chapel, Squirrel Hill, Shadyside, Oakland, and Crafton. Because we are both retired, we don't have the concerns many might have about commuting...we are more flexible in where we choose to live and when we travel, as long as we can get to city center in 30 minutes or so.

If you want to live close in, with virtually no yard, and want a truly historic home, we would suggest the Mexican War Streets area. There is a lot of re-gentrification in that area, which could look like Georgetown someday, but for the time being is still very mixed. The area has incredible potential and a lot of young folks seem to be moving there and renovating.

After hearing about Pittsburgh's rainy, cloudy weather, we had 7 beautiful days, mostly sunny and warm. Although there were a few showers, we understand that the state is under a drought watch.

We really enjoyed Pittsburgh. The best part? The people...almost without exception, very warm and friendly and willing to talk about their love of the city.

[VALT]

Hi Dan,

Where are the Mexican War Streets- we will be visiting and possibly moving to Pittsburgh from Burlington VT and need a neighboorhood where we can get a good house for 250K, be close to a park (we have a 2 year old) as well as sort of downtown, because my wife doesn't drive. The area sounds interesting.

John Valt

[summergal]

thanks for the update

glad you had a nice time in the "burgh". i'm anxious to made the trip as well and see how things are after all these years.

if you don't mind a ~40 min ride, there are some very nice areas in Beaver county. The town of Beaver is quaint and has nice homes with yards (not rowhouses). When I was going up there, Christmas was especially nice with lots of decorations and carolers going door to door... I hope it's still that way.

[Dan Corcoran]

They are on the near north side (referred to as the North Hills), literally just a few blocks from Heinz Field and PNC Park, across the river from the Golden Triangle. I'm not sure about how suitable they'd be for your family, though. They are very much a neighborhood in transition...you need to visit and decide for yourself.

Two areas we were impressed with were several higher-end (but around the $250s) streets in Crafton and most of Fox Chapel (a little further out). Pittsburgh has a lot of public transport (busses to these two areas), so there are more options that you'd think for your wife. There is a light rail line (the "T") that goes south through Mt. Lebanon to Library which opens up that area (the South Hills) as well.

Let us know what you find after you've visited. We really can't get serious about a particular home until we sell here...

[Dan Corcoran]

Yeah, I noticed Beaver County as a possibly attractive rural area, but we only got as far as Sewickley in our limited time. Next trip, we will definitely check out Beaver County. I'm concerned that it may be further out than my wife would like, though, since the remoteness is what bothers her about our current location. We'll see, though, since whatever we do will need to be a compromise...

[southsider]

If you like the idea of having a yard, and want to be close to the city center, Shadyside and Squirrel Hill are both pretty good options. I live in the South Side Slopes... not as many yards, although I have one. My neighborhood has great views and there's a lot of activity close by.

You might also check out Aspinwall. It's a really nice little community on the Allegheny River. And give Regent Square a try.

VALT, the Mexican War Streets might be great for you if you like city living. There is a park nearby. It's on the North Side (not the North Hills--that's further north), near the stadiums and just across the Allegheny River from downtown.
If you really do have 250K to spend, you really have your pick of neighborhoods. I think you'll be astounded when you visit at how cheap real estate is here.

Finally, don't be put off by people talking down about Pittsburgh. There are so many great things about living here--but one of the worst is that many Pittsburghers don't realize how great it is.