What suburban areas would be the best locations to relocate a young family? (Washington: move to, distance)

[Retiredcoach]

Originally Posted by otter119

We are looking to relocate by the beginning of next school year.

Hopefully, we have not made your decisions more arduous than need to be, as you continue your search for a home in the Pittsburgh region. Regardless as to what your final community decision is, you can probably be comfortable in the fact that wherever you decide to purchase your home, the risk of making a bad decision is probably very low. The Pittsburgh real estate market is/has been steady with no real evidence of a housing bubble ever existing. In other words, the chances of a real nosedive in your future home's value is remote . Plus, a significant amount of pride and healthy competition exists in many of the excellent school districts on your list. Your best key is to visit and spend some time in the schools (especially when they are in session) and the communities being on "your short list" to see if your expectations can/will be met. Within the next few months, through Labor Day, the Pittsburgh real estate market becomes very active, especially in the most desired communities listed throughout this thread. If you have done due diligence, beyond this forum to know the best communities for your family, you will have the advantage of "finding that perfect home for you".

[trackstar13]

In terms of the boating situation, if you want a fully recreational lake there are not many in Western PA. Here are my thoughts on some of the lakes:

Lake Arthur- This is a pretty large lake that is relatively shallow and it has a 20 HP motor limit so it is obviously not really designed for tubing skiing or anything other than fishing/cruising around.

Pymatuning- This is an absolutely massive lake that also has a 20HP motor limit and is pretty shallow. It is basically a big fishing lake and feeding the carp can be fun sometimes, but this is not really a recreational boating lake.

Conneaut Lake- This is your best bet for a decent size fully recreational lake with no horsepower limit that is decently close to Pittsburgh. There is a free public launch and it can be pretty crowded at times.

Presque Isle Bay and Lake Erie- Overall this is the biggest and in my opinion best area for unlimited horsepower boating in western PA. Presque Isle bay is similar in size to Lake Arthur without the horsepower restrictions and Lake Erie is obviously the largest lake available to PA boaters. The bay can get crowded at times, but the lake itself is usually wide open and you will see everything from tubers, skiers, fishermen, large freight ships, jet boats, yachts, to sailboats. The biggest issue I have had boating in Lake Erie is that it can be very dangerous at times and weather conditions change quickly.

Private Lakes (Lake Latonka [Mercer area] and Indian Lake [near Johnstown]- These lakes are pretty nice and relatively small, but also fully recreational. Access is tricky and unless you know someone who owns a house on the lake or you buy one it may be hard to access.

I hope this helps and you can also use the rivers in Pittsburgh for boating if you need something close to home. I think the northern suburbs may fit your boating needs the best because you will be closer to Conneaut and Erie if you are looking for a place to boat.

[trackstar13]

To add to my last post, I also forgot to mention Lake Wilhelm, but this is also mainly a fishing lake about half the size of Lake Arthur and has a 20 HP limit. I think Conneaut or Erie would fit most boaters needs a little better.

[otter119]

Well, it is finally been made official. My employer and I have completed our negotiations and me and my family are relocating to the Greater Pittsburgh Area. We are super excited to be entering into the next chapter of our lives. We are currently working on the real estate side of thing in WI, but will soon be making decisions on our future landing spot. Through the discussions and opinions on this thread, we have narrowed our search down to Hampton and NA school districts. The biggest hurdle we now face is the existing home sale, new home/ temporary housing purchase and school enrollment. With so many things happening all at once, we may be leaning towards temporary housing (renting a home, townhouse, condo, etc.) to begin our PA adventure. This would allow for us to learn the area as we live there, but not lock us into a home purchase. It would also allow for us to decide to purchase or build based on a real understanding of the chosen area. With all that being said is there an existing market for rental properties in Hampton or NA?

As always, thanks for the input!

[Truluv]

Late to the discussion since I just started checking out the site (planning on selling my house within the year, and hoping to retire and stay in the Pittsburgh area). I actually live in Hampton, Otter119. It's an excellent choice. NA is a very good but huge school district, with a high school so large that it rivals many colleges. NA also has a less homogenous student body, and includes students from a few communities.

Hampton is one of the few remaining school districts in the Pittsburgh area that only includes students from its own township. It is a Silver Medalist, among the top schools in the state. Having sent a few kids through the schools, I can attest to their excellence. I would warn anyone whose children are not college directed though, that their students might get lost. There is definitely a strong focus on supporting the students who are heading for college. There's a lot of talent in the school district even though it isn't huge. For example, my kids have had friends who played football for Notre Dame, who have been in the top 3 of a national singing competition, etc. I liked the amount of college counseling that was available for both parents and students. A counselor made personal phone calls to a particular school to help one of my kids. Hampton H.S. actually sends out the college applications for students (you pay the application fee, of course), and includes with the transcript a profile sheet about the school district describing its competitiveness and awards. It's very personal. One of my kids was in an honors college program, and discovered he had learned things as a sophomore in high school that many of his peers had never covered at all. Other pluses are the fact that the township is very well managed, and has had stable taxes. The community center is extraordinary with a fireplace, walking track, indoor sports courts, and lounges. Various classes are offered all year. The high school's indoor pool is available to community residents for swims in the winter, and the outdoor community pool is gorgeous. The fees for residents are very low per year. After nearly 25 years in the township, I'm obviously biased. NA has beautiful North Park with great biking and walking opportunities, ice-skating (there's also an indoor ice-skating rink up Rte 8 a few miles from Hampton), and a new zip line. Hampton has its community parks and Hartwood Acres, which offers Allegheny County free concerts in the park on Sundays during the summer. They usually have at least one bigger name each year (for example, one year they offered the Dixie Chicks). Gotta love Pittsburgh, since the crowds are never horrible.

NA definitely has more apartments than Hampton. Hampton has one very nice large apartment complex off Rte 8 at the intersection of Wildwood Road (hidden up the road behind a small strip of businesses). It has up to 2 bedrooms. Realtors might be able to point you to a few condos or houses that might be for rent too, but overall Hampton isn't a rental community. I had a friend who was building a house in neighboring Pine Richland, and her realtor found her a condo in Hampton to rent on a month-to-month basis so it is possible to find something.

Welcome to Pittsburgh!

[Truluv]

Just read back through the posts, and discovered you've already gotten a lot of this information from Hopes (a neighbor!). I do think you'll find a lot more houses in your prospective price range in NA. I agree with the prior posters that either NA or Hampton would be good choices. They have already pointed out that Pine Richland is struggling with some school issues right now, but it also has a good academic reputation. I don't think you would go wrong with any of them!

[Retiredcoach]

Originally Posted by otter119

Well, it is finally been made official. My employer and I have completed our negotiations and me and my family are relocating to the Greater Pittsburgh Area. We are super excited to be entering into the next chapter of our lives. We are currently working on the real estate side of thing in WI, but will soon be making decisions on our future landing spot. Through the discussions and opinions on this thread, we have narrowed our search down to Hampton and NA school districts. The biggest hurdle we now face is the existing home sale, new home/ temporary housing purchase and school enrollment. With so many things happening all at once, we may be leaning towards temporary housing (renting a home, townhouse, condo, etc.) to begin our PA adventure. This would allow for us to learn the area as we live there, but not lock us into a home purchase. It would also allow for us to decide to purchase or build based on a real understanding of the chosen area. With all that being said is there an existing market for rental properties in Hampton or NA?

As always, thanks for the input!

Otter,

My best suggestion would be to scour Craigslist continually and respond quickly. I believe that if you are in the market for a rental home, you might be quite surprised at how quickly these homes are rented. I say this from experience, as I own a few in the areas that you are seeking. And, no, none of mine are available, as most of my tenants tend to stay for years. Because of the demand for rentals, landlords tend to be very stringent about renting to smokers, larger families, and pet owners. I believe that your decision to rent is a wise one.

[otter119]

If anyone has any additional information on rental properties, please post your comments.

Thanks,

[smiles888]

Can I ask you what you disliked about Peters Township, North Strabane and Cecil (besides the distance to the airport)? I am looking to move to the South Hills and thought Washington County was a desirable area?

[DaisyDaisy]

I don't know much about those areas. But if you are considering Cecil, check how close you'd be to Marcellus Shale drilling operations. Washington County Cecil Twp Marcellus Shale Map

I know people in that vicinity who aren't too happy to be living close to the operations.