What is Point Breeze North like? (Pittsburgh, Wilkinsburg: crime, coop, houses)

[lucidlemur]

I'm looking for a new place, and wondering if anybody has any input on Point Breeze North. I've lived in Regent Square for like 9 months now, but haven't gotten out a lot and don't really have a good sense of other areas of Pittsburgh. From the demographic and crime data I've looked at, PBN seems okay, and when I walked through it seemed nice enough. But when I mentioned it to a Pittsburgh native, she seemed horrified that I would move to the other side of Penn. Any thoughts? Is the proximity to Homewood a dealbreaker?

EDIT: for some reason, my original forum search turned up nothing, and then after I posted suddenly I saw there were like three other threads on this question. But if anybody has any more information (especially anything recent), I'd love to hear it!

[guy2073]

That is one of the worst places to live in the state. I do work in that area at times, it is only one block from drugs, death, and despare. Funny thing that is were the richest people in the world lived, so some of the houses are nice.

[steindle]

Originally Posted by guy2073

That is one of the worst places to live in the state.

This is an absurd exaggeration. The Pittsburgh native you talked to sounds like an alarmist who probably doesn't really know the area. I've known many people who have lived in North Point Breeze with no problem. And my understanding is that, with Google employees moving in periodically, it's only getting better.

[eschaton]

My own two cents are, if you're looking to buy a home, Point Breeze North is one of the best deals in the city. Prices drop incredibly once you cross Penn Avenue, and there are some amazing older structures. There's very little crime spillover these days from Homewood, although Westinghouse Park can get sketch at night. The area isn't really that walkable, except that you can walk to the East End Coop and a few other things (Construction Junction, etc) over that way. And if you're thinking of becoming a parent, the vast majority of the residential portion of the neighborhood has a good school feeder pattern.

There are only two reasons it's undesirable. One is a lot of the grander houses have been subdivided and fallen into disrepair, but really the number isn't too different from Friendship or Highland Park. There are a few seriously blighted/dilapidated homes, but it's nothing like across the tracks. The other is that a large number of black people live there, and so the area is judged unfairly. That is really just about it.

[I_Like_Spam]

PBN is fine, despite its proximity to Wilkinsburg, Homewood Brushton and East Liberty.


The food coop is there, and its close to other grocery shopping in East Liberty- dining in East Liberty as well as Wilkinsburg. The houses are quality, built for upper crust and middle class Pittsburghers back in the day.

Its a pretty abrupt change driving on Homewood Ave. under the main line of the Pennsylvania Railroad, from a stable middle class community of PBN to Homewood.

[guy2073]

I have been approched by hookers and drug dealers. Had people go in the back of my truck, walk on my job sit begging for money, but i am over exaggerating. I dont spend alot of time in point breeze north, but i would stay in regent square if i was making that choice.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by guy2073

I have been approached by hookers and drug dealers. Had people go in the back of my truck, walk on my job sit begging for money, but i am over exaggerating. I don't spend a lot of time in point breeze north, but i would stay in regent square if i was making that choice.

What streets are you talking about, and how long ago was this?

I was (I think) propositioned by a hooker in the parking lot of the East End Coop like seven years back. She was wearing leopardprint and kept saying hi to me over and over again. I saw her get into another black car shortly afterward. Presumably she thought I was the "john" she was looking for. But that hasn't happened in their parking lot for many years now.

[lucidlemur]

Thanks for the information!

Originally Posted by eschaton

And if you're thinking of becoming a parent, the vast majority of the residential portion of the neighborhood has a good school feeder pattern.

I have a four-year-old, so the school thing is a big concern! If we move to the place I want he'd go to Colfax, which everyone seems to think highly of. I think the other possibility is that we'd try for Greenfield . . . the Greenfield ES seems to be rated well, but I haven't heard much about it.

Originally Posted by eschaton

The other is that a large number of black people live there, and so the area is judged unfairly.

Ugh, I thought the exact same thing when I was looking at the neighborhood: that the demographics might be why people have a bad impression of it. Based on the actual crime data (I could only find numbers from 2010 though), it really doesn't look that bad. I feel like we're in a fairly similar situation where we are now, which is right between Regent Square and Wilkinsburg: if you take off in the wrong direction, sure, you end up in a bad neighborhood pretty quickly, but otherwise you'd never know.

Originally Posted by steindle

I've known many people who have lived in North Point Breeze with no problem. And my understanding is that, with Google employees moving in periodically, it's only getting better.

Is the general impression that it's improving, do you think? What about Homewood? I've never actually set foot in Homewood, but if it's as bad as everyone says, it seems like PBN couldn't improve much unless Homewood did too.

[guy2073]

I think i got the hooker offer maybe 3 years ago, i think i was working on dallas.

Homewood is bad, i have done alot of work there, i think homewood is moving more to penn hills than over the tracks to point breeze, but it still showes up.

Homewood is worse than you think, the people i have worked for there have been some of the nicest people (30 some jobs) but the area is just to depressed. I was working on monticello drive in a nice house for nice people, but at the school there was a riot where the swat team showed up and about 40 police were there, and i think that was a middle school.

There have been countless times police have been shot at, they had to cinder block the windows and doors on the row houses on fermosa way.

Just google homewood and shootings. I would not want that as my neighbor

[Dakota Gal]

My best friend lives in PBN. She finds the area reasonable. Her street has a good community feel and there is a nice group of kids in the area. Her street, one block off Penn, is pretty family friendly. Every now and then there are issues but I guess the mailman is a superstar and will not take crap if he sees teenager up to no good. Basically people seem to watch out for each other.