Opinions on most overrated Pittsburgh neighborhoods? (Washington, California: assessors, mortgage, refinancing)

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by Joe Magarac

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P.S. The really nice houses in HP are on the hill, and the really nice ones are north of $400K. But there are decent houses on the hill for $250K-$350K, and there are a few post-1950s infill houses up there for less than $200K. And as ELDI gentrifies the northern part of East Liberty, the flat part of HP is getting nicer all the time.

What do you mean by "up on the hill"? Personally, I find this block much more beautiful than this one.

Originally Posted by that412

So are we considering a grocery store (meaning fresh produce) as an integral component of a neighborhood's "walkability?" If so, that does bring the hammer down on places like Lawrenceville and Regent Square, which by any other measure are absolutely walkable places.

Upper Lawrenceville has long had the Shop n Save. The Wild Purveyors is pricey, but it can act as a full-service neighborhood market as well. And the 52nd Street Market will soon be open, which is supposed to be a bit better for everyday staples. I don't know why Upper Lawrenceville will have three grocery options, while the rest of the neighborhood has none, but whatever.

Originally Posted by Aqua Teen Carl

I think Brookline is perfectly walkable. While Las Palmas, Pitaland, and the African store aren't "full service" grocery stores you could easily live off of what they offer (Las Palmas has dish soap, paper towels, etc).

I think you're being pretty charitable to Brookline. Parts of Brookline are walkable, but it's a huge neighborhood. The areas down Whited Street and up Pioneer Avenue are very far removed from the business district.

Squirrel Hill is actually pretty similar, come to think of it. It's walkable, but large portions of the neighborhood (particularly to the South) are very far from the main business district.

Originally Posted by Aqua Teen Carl

In fact, I would say that all of the hilltop neighborhoods aside from Brookline are not walkable. If you want to "have a life" or even in some cases have food you have to go somewhere else. Not a popular opinion here but in many cases accurate.

This is mostly a function of how blighted much of the Hilltop is. Brownsville could be an amazing commercial corridor, if the region came back.

Originally Posted by AaronPGH

Another vote for Lawrenceville here. Bad transit options, bad cycling infrastructure and road quality, not centrally located, yet rents and purchase prices are astronomical. They're asking Squirrel Hill / Shadyside prices for a neighborhood that has about 1/3 the amenities. It's a bandwagon.

I bought in Lawrenceville in 2007 BECAUSE I bike. I had lived in Bloomfield/Friendship for three years, and I was getting sick of the uphill bike commute back home. I like that I live in a neighborhood at the same elevation as downtown. It makes getting back and forth a breeze nine months out of the year.

Originally Posted by chloride1

What evidence do you have the the houses east of Ruth dropped their values during the last reassessment?

Here.

[jay5835]

Originally Posted by eschaton

I bought in Lawrenceville in 2007 BECAUSE I bike. I had lived in Bloomfield/Friendship for three years, and I was getting sick of the uphill bike commute back home. I like that I live in a neighborhood at the same elevation as downtown. It makes getting back and forth a breeze nine months out of the year.

Hilarious. The thing I hated second-most (after the actual house I lived in) in L'ville was living ON a hill.

Originally Posted by JimboPGH

I'm with Hopes on Regent Sq's walkability, if you take into account everything in Wilkinsburg that's within about 10 blocks of most of Regent Sq/Park Place.

The only business district I'm familiar with there is the area on S. Braddock where Square Cafe is. Where are the walkable Giant Eagle, post office, drug store, etc? Do you walk to these places from your home on a regular basis? (I suspect my idea of "walkable" may be different from yours.)

[JimboPGH]

Originally Posted by jay5835

Hilarious. The thing I hated second-most (after the actual house I lived in) in L'ville was living ON a hill.

I think we used to be neighbors... and we have about the same opinion of Larryville.

Originally Posted by jay5835

The only business district I'm familiar with there is the area on S. Braddock where Square Cafe is. Where are the walkable Giant Eagle, post office, drug store, etc? Do you walk to these places from your home on a regular basis? (I suspect my idea of "walkable" may be different from yours.)

The Walgreens on Penn and Braddock, the East End Co-Op, and the Wilkinsburg post office are all within about 10 blocks of where I live... which, granted, is closer to Forbes and Braddock than what most people think of as Regent Sq.

Now I don't consider it as walkable as Friendship was. Hell, when I lived there I had my barber, car garage, and favorite coffee shop, pizza joint, bar, thrift store, corner store, and music venue within walking distance... and I mean crawling-out-of-bed-with-a-blistering-hangover-on-Saturday-morning walking distance.

But yes, living roughly where Wilkinsburg, Regent Sq, and Park Place meet, I feel like I have the bare essentials, as well as a couple luxuries, within reasonable walking distance.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by jay5835

Hilarious. The thing I hated second-most (after the actual house I lived in) in L'ville was living ON a hill.

I live north of Butler in Central Lawrenceville. It's not quite flat as a pancake here, since there's a bit of a rise on that last block up to Butler, but it's close.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by I_Like_Spam

if you consider 28th Street as L'ville's southern border.

That's woefully inaccurate. That's still the bedrock Strip District. Lawrenceville doesn't start until you hit 33rd Street.

[PreservationPioneer]

I'll miss living in a walkable neighborhood. McKees Rocks had everything I needed within walking distance. But the truth is I still preferred to get in my car and go places, anyway.

[Sideblinded]

Squirrel Hill south. Safe in most places, but the "neighborhood school" Mineado is tanking.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by PreservationPioneer

I'll miss living in a walkable neighborhood. McKees Rocks had everything I needed within walking distance. But the truth is I still preferred to get in my car and go places, anyway.

I pay a premium to live in a neighborhood that is a long and hilly walk from everything. Now that the weather is starting to get colder I probably won't be prancing around the Strip District or sauntering into Oakland from my abode anytime soon---at least until March.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by Sideblinded

Squirrel Hill south. Safe in most places, but the "neighborhood school" Mineado is tanking.

Is it because their graduates can't spell its name of "Minadeo"?

[AaronPGH]

Originally Posted by eschaton

I bought in Lawrenceville in 2007 BECAUSE I bike. I had lived in Bloomfield/Friendship for three years, and I was getting sick of the uphill bike commute back home. I like that I live in a neighborhood at the same elevation as downtown. It makes getting back and forth a breeze nine months out of the year.

True, it's good if you're working downtown or in the Strip. It is very difficult to access the core of the East End though. And most of the roads running through Lville are in horrendous condition for bikes.