Soon-to-be Pittsburgh newbie with some questions (State College, Carnegie: apartment, how much, house)

[highlanderfil]

I'm about to move to Pittsburgh for about a year and a half (work-related). I have been to the city a couple of times, so I know the basic lay of the land, but am completely oblivious to everyday life. I will be initially staying in the CMU area with my cousin and his wife but will eventually look for an apartment of my own. Here's where it gets tricky, because of the following factors:

- I will be traveling to Michigan every other weekend or so and would need easy highway access without having to fight city traffic
- My office is located in Green Tree and I would be going there at least a few times a month
- The rest of the time I will be visiting clients as far away as State College

The colleague who is currently in the position I will be taking over has told me about North Hills as a potential place of residence, but, again, this is where my lack of familiarity with neighborhoods kicks in. Ideally I would like to find something in the same price range I pay in Detroit Metro right now ($850 a month). A studio or a 1-bedroom would do just fine, as long as they take cats. It would be nice to have at least some basic amenities within walking distance (a gym - I'm a member of L.A. Fitness but can switch in a pinch, grocery stores, etc), but that's not a major requirement. Would be nice to find a relatively new building, as well, as my current house was built in 1924 and has all kinds of fun creatures crawling around it.

Any other tips on living in Pittsburgh would also be helpful - and of course I'm going to read the other threads here.

[eschaton]

In terms of location, I'd say somewhere in the West End would work the best. Green Tree will be a quick ride on surface roads from anywhere in this area, and you'll have quick access to both 376 and 79.

In terms of semi-walkable areas in that general zone, I'd suggest Carnegie. It's not trendy by any means, but it has a walkable business district with a few essentials.

[javajive711]

What about Robinson, Crafton, Carnegie, Bridgeville, or Moon? Close to Greentree, right off of I-79 and the Parkway West (I-376), close to LA Fitness. Crafton, Carnegie, and Bridgeville are walkable neighborhoods.

"Relatively new" is going to be challenging to find here. I will say, old construction does not necessarily mean substandard living. My house was built in 1931 and while we get a spider here and there there's otherwise no unwelcome intruders. I cannot say the same about the apartment I lived in in DC that was built in the 1970s.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by javajive711

"Relatively new" is going to be challenging to find here. I will say, old construction does not necessarily mean substandard living. My house was built in 1931 and while we get a spider here and there there's otherwise no unwelcome intruders. I cannot say the same about the apartment I lived in in DC that was built in the 1970s.

I'll second this. When I lived in Northern Virginia in a 1970s-era apartment I had a bi-monthly encounter with a massive "fishing spider" or two. One of them jumped out of a shower curtain at me, causing me to fall and nearly hit my head on my vanity. My next complex just a mile-and-a-half away or so was also 1970s-era and was infested with mice. I now live in a late-1800s rowhouse (ok, "tenement"), and we very rarely encounter anything besides stink bugs, which are a problem everywhere. Just because a place is "newer" doesn't mean it won't still be loaded with creepy-crawlies.

[highlanderfil]

Originally Posted by javajive711

"Relatively new" is going to be challenging to find here. I will say, old construction does not necessarily mean substandard living. My house was built in 1931 and while we get a spider here and there there's otherwise no unwelcome intruders. I cannot say the same about the apartment I lived in in DC that was built in the 1970s.

That's good to hear. I get spiders, ear wigs and, worst of all, centipedes. Yeah, I know they eat the ear wigs, but they are effin' disgusting.

[highlanderfil]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

I'll second this. When I lived in Northern Virginia in a 1970s-era apartment I had a bi-monthly encounter with a massive "fishing spider" or two. One of them jumped out of a shower curtain at me, causing me to fall and nearly hit my head on my vanity.

Holy crap. That would be enough for me to move out. Yes, I'm a dude (sexist stereotypes, hello!) and no, I don't care about how much of a b*** this makes me sound like. Those things creep me out. Stink bugs I can deal with (I can't even smell them) - having lived in Charlottesville, we had them all over the place. Spiders and centipedes - not so much.

[highlanderfil]

Originally Posted by javajive711

What about Robinson, Crafton, Carnegie, Bridgeville, or Moon? Close to Greentree, right off of I-79 and the Parkway West (I-376), close to LA Fitness. Crafton, Carnegie, and Bridgeville are walkable neighborhoods.

Thanks for the suggestions! I'll have some time to look around since I'll probably be crashing with the semi-in-laws until September or so, but I'll definitely use the time to check out these neighborhoods.

[javajive711]

Ewww---a centipede free life is a must! :-) We have stink bugs here like anywhere else, but my cats enjoy hunting them.

I never heard of "fishing spiders" until I lived in DC...and I never realized cockroches could be the size of a computer mouse!

[tabinekotaro]

In terms of commuting, which would you prioritize: the ease of getting out of town on your drives to Michigan, or the ease of getting to Green Tree a few times a month? I ask because the easiest route out of Pittsburgh toward Michigan might be via 279, not 376. (That's how I go, anyway, when I drive to Detroit a few times a year.)

[Hopes]

Cranberry. It's right where the major highways converge to everywhere you want to go.

Since you're only going into Greentree a few days per month, your housing shouldn't be selected according to Greentree.