Exercise Science Pitt Grad student moving to Pittsburgh (Liberty, Highland Park: apartments, rent)

[mmls5376]

Hello!

I was recently accepted to an exercise science-based graduate program at Pitt. I have only visited Pittsburgh twice because I have been working in KY for the last two years (I am a PA native though.) I visited Shadyside and I found it didn't match my tastes. I really would love any and all advice about moving to Pittsburgh and the areas that I should consider.

Here is some info about me:

-I am 23 years old
-I did my undergrad at Penn State and really liked the availability of small shops, bars, restaurants, etc.
-I will be moving to Pittsburgh with my boyfriend and my cat
-Our budget is about 1100
-I enjoy going out and I want to be in an area that this is both accessible and gives me the option of meeting friends my own age and having fun
-I am very active and love to run outside and in parks

I really appreciate any and all information and tips that you guys can give me!

Thanks
-Megan

[JimboPGH]

Originally Posted by mmls5376

Hello!

I was recently accepted to an exercise science-based graduate program at Pitt. I have only visited Pittsburgh twice because I have been working in KY for the last two years (I am a PA native though.) I visited Shadyside and I found it didn't match my tastes. I really would love any and all advice about moving to Pittsburgh and the areas that I should consider.

Here is some info about me:

-I am 23 years old
-I did my undergrad at Penn State and really liked the availability of small shops, bars, restaurants, etc.
-I will be moving to Pittsburgh with my boyfriend and my cat
-Our budget is about 1100
-I enjoy going out and I want to be in an area that this is both accessible and gives me the option of meeting friends my own age and having fun
-I am very active and love to run outside and in parks

I really appreciate any and all information and tips that you guys can give me!

Thanks
-Megan

I recommend most of the East End neighborhoods that are NOT Shadyside: Bloomfield, Friendship, East Liberty, Highland Park, Morningside, and Lawrencville. All of those neighborhoods offer housing within your budget, have substantial numbers of grad students, and easy bus access to Oakland.

Out of that group, Bloomfield and Lawrenceville offer the best business districts and bars, although Bloomfield can be a bit dumpy, and Lawrenceville can be dumpy and overpriced. Friendship is a great neighborhood that's within easy walking distance to just about everything and has great public transit access. East Liberty is a quickly gentrifying neighborhood with a lot of amenities and still some reasonably priced apartments if one looks hard enough. Highland Park and Morningside are both a bit more out of the way, but offer higher quality apartments for a better price.

Some general advice:

- Stay away from the larger apartment management companies. They tend to overcharge for substandard apartments and aren't very responsive to maintenance issues.

- The best deals tend to be offered by landladies who only own a couple of properties and are usually rowhouses or subdivided detached home. Keep your eyes peeled on CraigsList and similar sites.

- Be prepared to make an extra deposit for the cat.

Good hunting, and welcome to Pittsburgh!

[mmls5376]

That sounds like great advice. Thank you!

Any opinions on South Side? I've visited once and it seemed fun, but I've only seen it during the day.

[UKyank]

Originally Posted by mmls5376

That sounds like great advice. Thank you!

Any opinions on South Side? I've visited once and it seemed fun, but I've only seen it during the day.

Southside is always relatively busy, but know that gets very crowded on Friday & Saturday nights, though limited to Carson St. Basically the nightlife capital of the city which comes with it's pluses & minuses as a result, so depends on your tastes. So long as you live off of Carson St itself it's not loud those nights.

[JimboPGH]

Originally Posted by mmls5376

That sounds like great advice. Thank you!

Any opinions on South Side? I've visited once and it seemed fun, but I've only seen it during the day.

It has the most extensive business district of any neighborhood in the city and the highest concentration of bars. While it has a semi-earned reputation for ****-faced revelry on Friday and Saturday nights, most of that is concentrated in relatively small part of the neighborhood and can be easily avoided. Some of the best bars down there are removed from the more chaotic sector, but still have a strong pulse and skew well under 30.

I haven't checked rent prices down there recently, but it might be a little harder to find a decent place in the Flats within your price range. If you're willing to look in the slopes, you should have your pick of the litter.

Public transit is excellent there, it's close to Oakland, and there are plenty of college students, although the East End neighborhoods tend to be more popular for grad students.

[DaBurgh]

Add Squirrel Hill to your list to check out

[jea6321]

south side would be a good option or mt washington would good if you prefer to be removed from s side weekend chaos but want to be a short drive to it.