Single mom thinking of Pittsburgh (Philadelphia, Mount Lebanon: middle-class, real estate, renting)

[IslandLover3]

Hello all! I'm a single mom looking to make a new start. I'm prior military and am looking to put down roots for my family. I have family in the Philadelphia area and began a search there, but have lately been reading a lot about Pittsburgh and wondering if it might be a better fit financially. I work from home so excellent public schools (middle and high) are the main priority. It would also be great to live in a walkable area if at all possible. I've looked at the Mount Lebanon area strictly based on school districts, what other areas would you suggest? Although I've spent some time in Philly and its burbs I've never been to Pittsburgh. I'm planning a visit in June to check out both areas. Is there anyone that can give some input on the different vibes of these two cities? Would Pittsburgh be a good fit for us?

[Goodjules]

I came to check it out in June 2006 and loved it. It took awhile, but I eventually bought a place in Crafton, not far from Mt. Lebanon. I closed on the house in Dec 2012. I wish I had moved here sooner so my kids could have had a nicer house than we could afford in CA. They're 18 and 21 now. Check it out, I think you'll like it.

[Sealtite]

If you've got family roots in Philadelphia, my suggestion would be to take a closer look at living somewhere close to there as opposed to living in Pittsburgh. Many people refer to Pittsburgh as being "family oriented", and I've always personally seen that to be a rather loaded, blanket definition. "Clannish" would be a little more accurate. With the exception of some of the recently gentrified hipster-esq neighborhoods, most of the greater Pittsburgh area consists of a patchwork of neighborhoods with populaces who, by and large, have familial ties to their respective zip codes spanning several generations. Everyone knows everyone, their parents, cousins, grandparents, etc. Pittsburghers are relatively friendly once the ice is broken with them, however they often seem somewhat on-guard with people from outside of their comfort zone, in some cases to the point of being intimidated by them.

One thing that I got so tired of hearing when I was in Pittsburgh, were the non-stop earthquake and "gay" remarks when it was discovered that I was from southern California originally. Being that I'm neither gay, nor have I ever felt more than a few tremors in all my time in California, these remarks started getting pretty old. At times, I actually found myself embarrassed for some of these people, who by all accounts seemed to be otherwise well-educated and well-rounded. It just seemed like there was this deep-seated inane fear there of anything beyond a 100 mile radius, or anyone who hailed from anywhere beyond there.

[MissShona]

Hmmmm....do you have work lined up out this way? The only reason why I say this is because it may be easier to find a good place to settle down once you find out where you will be working. Commuting around the Pittsburgh region is not a walk in the park. Ironically, it has little to do with traffic, and everything to do with topography and the ways the roads are built.

For example, one of my old bosses lived in Fox Chapel and our offices were relocated to Canonsburg. She opted to work 2-3 days from home because the commute was so brutal (an hour trek; undoubtedly because of the major construction that will be going on for years on Route. 28).

I live in McKeesport, and the "commute issue" factors a lot into my job hunt. For example, unless I'm going to get a major pay raise, I won't even consider positions out west in Robinson or Coroapolis. It takes 45 minutes in good weather....probably and hour and a half in bad. In fact, when the weather is bad, it takes me 20 minutes just to get out of McKeesport; however McKeesport seems to be unique in that they only salt/clear their main roads....and seem to completely ignore the residential streets....which is torturous for little ol' me who lives up on the hill....

Now I work in Monroeville; one of my co-workers lives in Washington, PA. It took him 3.5 hours to get home when the snow hit. I would have died!

I would suggest renting first. Find out where your Pittsburgh life will develop. My suggestion for "good" Pittsburgh living is a nice city neighborhood....like Squirrel Hill or Shadyside and a job in downtown. But since the real estate in both of those areas is very pricey for the region, that may or may not work out. Lots of people do opt to live out of the county (lower taxes) and commute in to Pittsburgh proper for work. But I wouldn't want to be them. Too much time in the car. Too much inflexibility (my BF's aunt lives in Zelienople; the rest of the family is in East Pittsburgh/Braddock/Forest Hills. She hardly ever comes down here due to the drive). And in the office, we have way too many "How do I get from 'Point A' to 'Point B'?" conversations. Like my co-worker who lives in Plum, and needed to go meet friends in Belle Vernon. Yeah...good luck with that!

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by MissShona

Hmmmm....do you have work lined up out this way? The only reason why I say this is because it may be easier to find a good place to settle down once you find out where you will be working. Commuting around the Pittsburgh region is not a walk in the park. Ironically, it has little to do with traffic, and everything to do with topography and the ways the roads are built.

The OP won't be commuting. She said she will be working from home.

[MissShona]

Originally Posted by Hopes

The OP won't be commuting. She said she will be working from home.

Whoops - missed that little blurb. Thanks for pointing out! (Boy, I wish I could work from home! )

[Goodjules]

Originally Posted by Sealtite

"Clannish" would be a little more accurate... With the exception of some of the recently gentrified hipster-esq neighborhoods...Pittsburghers are relatively friendly once the ice is broken with them, however they often seem somewhat on-guard with people from outside of their comfort zone, in some cases to the point of being intimidated by them.

I haven't been here too long, but I haven't found it to be the case here in non-hipster Crafton. Maybe because I'm a fairly non-intimidating middle aged lady? Two different neighbors - 30ish moms - rang my doorbell the first week I was here to introduce themselves and invite me to the neighborhood Christmas caroling party. I had hired the owner of Big Daddy's Donuts down the street from me (he has a hauling business too) to take away some old carpeting and now he sends his guys to shovel the snow in front of my house when he thinks I won't be home to deal with it or just need some help. I can't help thinking that this would have been an ideal place for me to come back in 2007 when I got divorced and was a single mother of two teens. Legal and financial problems prevented me from moving at the time. I would not hesitate to recommend it here for other single mothers, or anyone else, who don't have family in the area.

[Evergrey]

Wow... the bomb-throwers found this thread!

[SteelCityRising]

Since environs that offer "good schools" and an aura of "walkability" aren't extremely common here be prepared to pay a premium to live in such an area. Since I consider many of the supposedly "mediocre" school districts here to still be above-average in terms of academic offerings my suggestions will include communities that will still afford your children an enriching educational experience without the hefty price tag.

-Dormont: a safe small town that is very densely-populated with a walkable business district and many independent businesses. It is part of the Keystone Oaks School District, which commands less prestige than neighboring Mt. Lebanon, and, consequently, offers some better real estate values. Pittsburgh's light rail system, the "T", serves Dormont to provide quick access to the city. You could even take it in the opposite direction to do some shopping at South Hills Village.

-Oakmont: a safe small town with more of an "old money" aura than Dormont, which feels more working-class overall. It is part of the Riverview School District, which I also feel is just fine despite rarely being recommended on this forum. While Dormont's homes are very tightly-condensed you will generally get a bit more "elbow room" between you and your neighbors in Oakmont. The town has two man drags separated by a median that has a railroad and some green space. You'd head into adjacent Verona for groceries, and you'd cross the Hulton Bridge to Harmar Township for Target and some other chains. The town itself offers an independent theater, mystery book store, bakery, Panera Bread, ACE Hardware, and various boutiques and small restaurants. There is a large new planned community under development in the southwest quadrant of town, which will boost its population and potentially bring more businesses into the town.

-Aspinwall: a safe small town home to a lot of middle- and upper-middle-class younger families with children who attend the highly-regarded Fox Chapel Area School District. The community's walkable business district is rather anemic in size, but the larger Waterworks Shopping Center is located just across the town's border and features a supermarket, movie theater, Barnes & Noble, Wal-Mart, and numerous banks, restaurants, and smaller stores. There are also other amenities nearby. The town is conveniently-located just across the Highland Park Bridge from the city's East End, where you'll find a lot of things to do. There usually isn't a large inventory of available homes here at any given time, and that alone can push up the price tag.

-Squirrel Hill and Shadyside: two very popular neighborhoods in the city's East End whose children arguably attend the best public schools in the city. Squirrel Hill seems to have more young families whereas Shadyside has more young professionals and a very large LGBT community. Squirrel Hill has a very walkable business district along Forbes Avenue and Murray Avenue (with a few spillover businesses on Forward Avenue and Shady Avenue) that features an independent theater, ceramics painting studio, grocery store, delis, ethnic restaurants, ice cream and yogurt parlors, two Starbuck's and other independent coffee shops, boutiques, banks, dry cleaners, and more. It is also wedged between Schenley Park and Frick Park, which are two great city parks. Shadyside is a bit more "dense" in terms of overall built environment and has three business districts. Walnut Street is the largest and features generally upscale retailers and restaurants, including Sephora, Banana Republic, Apple, Pandora, L'Occitane, and American Apparel, along with creperies, Starbuck's, gyms, smoothie places, and upscale bars frequented by professionals. It is here where you'll find demanding men carrying poodles in purses and bored middle-aged housewives wearing fur coats and sunglasses on warm cloudy days and saying "Daahhhllingggg" when they see someone they know from across the street. Ellsworth Avenue is a bit "rowdier" and features two busy gay bars and popular young people hangouts like Bites 'n Brews, Harris Grill, and Soba. South Highland Avenue offers Casbah, Mad Mex, Buffalo Blues, Pizza Perfectta (their buffalo chicken pizza is one of my local favorites), and close proximity to East Liberty (Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Target, Home Depot, ethnic restaurants, boutiques, etc.)

[eschaton]

You missed some all-important information - your price point. If you don't include that, I can't give you any reasonable suggestions, and most of what people are offering is basically a shot in the dark.