Pittsburgh Bound?? Need Info on Housing, The T, Traffic, Weather, etc.!! (Bethel Park: best cities, crime rate)

[Tory]

We will be relocating in about a year when my husband retires from the govt. Currently we are in the "exploratory phase" trying to decide where to go!! We live in the D.C. suburbs and want to escape the high cost of living! Some of the cities we are considering are Pittsburgh, Ann Arbor, Cincinnati, Nashville, and Raleigh!( quite an eclectic list! ) We have a child who will be transferring to the community college and later a four-year school in whatever area we choose. We've been reading "Best Cities" type books, magazines, etc. to come up with ideas. Of the above cities, Pittsburgh and Raleigh are the only two that some or all of us have visited in the past. Here are some of my questions! 1) Housing - I've looked up homes in Upper St. Clair, Mt. Lebanon and Bethel Park. How is the traffic, shopping, restaurants, crime, etc.? How long is a driving commute into downtown? 2) The T - How long does it take to get downtown from the above named suburbs on the T? Is there parking at the T stations? Is there crime on the T? 3) Weather - About how much snow do you get each winter? Are the roads cleared quite quickly? (here in the Washington area the city goes into "panic-mode" when it snows!) Is it really as cloudy and rainy as some books say? Is it bitterly cold in the winter? Humid in the summer? 4) Colleges - I've read about Allegheny Community College having a South campus which looks close to the above suburbs. Would it be much of a drive? Also, Penn State has a campus in McKeesport - how would that commute be? Or the U. of Pittsburgh downtown? We would greatly appreciate any info!! Pittsburgh gets rave reviews in many "Best Cities" books and magazines! Would like to hear from people in this forum!! Thanks so much!!

[PghREA]

[ 1) Housing - I've looked up homes in Upper St. Clair, Mt. Lebanon and Bethel Park. How is the traffic, shopping, restaurants, crime, etc.? How long is a driving commute into downtown?

Traffic - Normal suburban traffic. Shopping and restaurants - great.
Commute to downtown about 20 min - up to 45 during rush hour. You have 2 choices to get into the city from the South Hills - Liberty Tunnel or the Fort Pitt Tunnel.

2) The T - How long does it take to get downtown from the above named suburbs on the T? About 20 min.

Is there parking at the T stations? Yes

Is there crime on the T? Not that I heard about.

3) Weather - About how much snow do you get each winter? Depends, usually not very much.

Are the roads cleared quite quickly? Yes

(here in the Washington area the city goes into "panic-mode" when it snows!)

Is it really as cloudy and rainy as some books say? We are the 3rd gloomiest city in the US

Is it bitterly cold in the winter? Not usually

Humid in the summer? Yes but, not as humid as the southern states.

4) Colleges - I've read about Allegheny Community College having a South campus which looks close to the above suburbs. Would it be much of a drive?
No

Also, Penn State has a campus in McKeesport - how would that commute be?
20 to 30 min.

Or the U. of Pittsburgh downtown? 20 to 30 min

We would greatly appreciate any info!! Pittsburgh gets rave reviews in many "Best Cities" books and magazines! Would like to hear from people in this forum!! Thanks so much!![/quote]

I've lived in Pittsburgh for 40 years, 6 in the downtown area and 34 in the North Hills. The North suburbs has the easiest access to almost anywhere you want to go. It is cloudy a lot here and winters are usually pretty mild.
We have many really good restaurants, good theaters, a lot of parks, festivals, and a lot of other things to do. There is always going to be crime no matter where you go. Pittsburgh's crime rate is pretty low compared to other cities of similar size.

[Dan Corcoran]

You said you live in the North Hills. What areas does that include (i.e., how far north)? Are you talking about Mexican War Streets, Sewickley, etc.? I've visited Pittsburgh and liked it but am not sure what you're referring to.

Thanks....

[Tory]

To PghREA - Thank you SO MUCH for your reply!!! I just had a few more questions! You said the North Hills suburbs have the easiest access to most things - what are the North Hills suburbs??! The reason I was concentrating on Mt. Lebanon, etc. was because of their proximity to the T. (living in the D.C. area with the Metro subway system has spoiled us!) Also, you said Pittsburgh was the third gloomiest U.S. city! Is it cloudy most days? Every other day? Does it rain/drizzle most days? Thanks again for all of the info - we really appreciate it!!

[PghREA]

Originally Posted by Dan Corcoran

You said you live in the North Hills. What areas does that include (i.e., how far north)? Are you talking about Mexican War Streets, Sewickley, etc.? I've visited Pittsburgh and liked it but am not sure what you're referring to.

Thanks....

Mexican War Streets is part of the city. Sewickley is west on the north side of the Ohio River. I'm in Hampton Township - 17 miles north of the Point.

North Hills is Shaler, Hampton, Ross, McCandless, Pine, Richland, Franklin Park, Marshall, Bradford Woods and Ohio Townships.

[PghREA]

Originally Posted by Tory

To PghREA - Thank you SO MUCH for your reply!!! I just had a few more questions! You said the North Hills suburbs have the easiest access to most things - what are the North Hills suburbs??! The reason I was concentrating on Mt. Lebanon, etc. was because of their proximity to the T. (living in the D.C. area with the Metro subway system has spoiled us!) Also, you said Pittsburgh was the third gloomiest U.S. city! Is it cloudy most days? Every other day? Does it rain/drizzle most days? Thanks again for all of the info - we really appreciate it!!

It is cloudy and overcast a lot. No it does not rain or drizzle most days.

The North Hills is anything north of the Allegheny River. We do not have rapid
transit in the North. Most people drive everywhere they go in the Pittsburgh
area.

[Tory]

To PghREA - Thanks again for your help!

[VALT]

How near north can you go and still be safe for the family- near allegheny general hospital - bad area? or getting nice?

JV

[PghREA]

Originally Posted by VALT

How near north can you go and still be safe for the family- near allegheny general hospital - bad area? or getting nice?

JV

Allegheny General is located in the North Side - part of the city.
It is not an area that I would choose to live in.

[jorleigh48]

what is your opinion of the mckeesport area?