Retiring to Pittsburgh

[Geeo]

Pittsburgh does not have rent-stabilization laws. It is not a real problem here, as the real estate market is much different than New York's. Rents do increase on an annual basis, for the most part, but the increases are nowhere near what you would find in New York. You can get a very nice apartment in Squirrel Hill for less than what you pay now.

I would say that it depends on your lifestyle as to whether you can live without a car here. If you live in Squirrel Hill, everything you would need is within walking distance: supermarket, delis, news stands, movies, coffee shops, book stores, clothing stores, retaurants. There is public transportation, but it does not run between 1 and 5 am generally. There are cabs, but you can't hail them on the street - you call and they come and pick you up. There is also a car-sharing service called Flex Car where you can sign up and rent cars for short periods of time to run errands or go shopping. The cars are parked in the neighborhoods and you access the keys in the glove compartment by swiping a key card across a transponder in the car.

There is a large shopping complex right across the river from Squirrel Hill called the Waterfront that has hundreds of chain stores like Macy's, Best Buy, Lowes, a mega-cinema complex, Filene's Basement, Target, restaurants and small shops. There is a bus directly to the Waterfront from Squirrel Hill and it's only a 15 - 20 minute ride.

[suzeeq521]

I live in the city without a car and manage just fine. I am in a different neighborhood than Squirrel Hill, but based on my knowledge of that neighborhood, you'd do fine. (Probably better than me)

Though, I would recommend staying more in central Squirrel Hill rather than the edges or Greenfield.

(I did live in Greenfield, which some landlords will try to pass off as actually Squirrel Hill. It is close & does share a telephone exchange, but if you are depending on walking/bussing, it might not be close enough. At one point, living there, I suffered an injury that left me unable to drive - not as easy to get around Greenfield on foot as I thought)

[Geeo]

And I have four close friends who live in Shadyside and do not have cars. All are professionals in their 40s. As in Squirrel Hill, Shadyside has everything within walking distance, public transportation is excellent, and when they want a car for the weekend or whatever, they simply rent one.

[Katiana]

Living in Sq. Hill w/o a car would be easy for a retired couple. I have some relatives who did that. It seems a number of us know people who have, not just speaking from a theoretical position.

[chloride1]

Originally Posted by Carolgre

I am in the process of researching areas to retire to. We currently live in New York City and the rents are getting out of sight. We currently live on Social Security and are looking for a less expensive place to settle. Unfortunately, we don't drive so are looking for a city that is walkable to such places as libraries, supermarkets, drugstores, hospitals, etc. I see that rents in Pittsburgh (we are renters, not buyers) are pretty reasonable and I think we would be looking primarily at downtown. Does anyone have any advice about retiring to Pittsburgh?

It would be greatly appreciated.

As other people on this thread have suggested, Squirrel Hill would be an excellent neighborhood. It has a branch of the Carnegie Library, as well as the other things mentioned. It is also next to beautiful parks. The public transportation between it and Oakland is excellent and quick. Oakland has the main branch of the Carnegie Library, museums, universities, etc. From Oakland, you can easily get downtown as well as to East Liberty. Edgewood, Friendship, and Bloomfield (as mentioned by another person in this thread) are also nice, interesting amenities, that may provide better rent values. It's worth it to check them out too. Friendship and Bloomfield are also accessible to Oakland easily by bus.

Yes, you can live here without a car. Just make sure you choose someplace in easy walking distance from a grocery store.

I work in Oakland and find any doctor I might want to visit is easily reached by bus. It would be best if you can visit and check out the various areas.