Where to consider moving (Pittsburgh and eastern suburbs)? (Greensburg, Huntingdon: house, school district)

[captainmidnight]

My sister bought a house in 2012 in Hempfield Township. They paid $260,000 for it. Their house is accessed at $60,000 (Westmoreland County assessments are based on 1972(?) values multiplied by some ratio to arrive at current day values. The other counties except for Allegheny base their values around this same time period I think) and they pay about $5800 (local, county, and school) in taxes a year.

IMO, since your wife has to deal with a daily commute to Greensburg you should live closer to there. How often would you be traveling to the Airport? I used to do a daily Greensburg to Robinson (close to the Airport) commute and it was awful. On bad days (which seemed to be at least once a week) my commute would be 90 minutes. The problem is the Airport and Greensburg are on two opposite sides of downtown with the most direct route being the worst roads in the region.

I second the option for the North Huntingdon/Irwin area. It is about about 20 minutes to Greensburg and there are back roads where you can avoid Route 30. You would be a little closer to Downtown and the Airport there..about a 30 minute no traffic commute to Downtown and 45 minutes to the Airport. If you are only traveling to Downtown 1-3 times a week, I think a 50-60 minute commute with traffic would be tolerable IMO.

[tigerphan]

Originally Posted by bmantz65

My sister bought a house in 2012 in Hempfield Township. They paid $260,000 for it. Their house is accessed at $60,000 (Westmoreland County assessments are based on 1972(?) values multiplied by some ratio to arrive at current day values. The other counties except for Allegheny base their values around this same time period I think) and they pay about $5800 (local, county, and school) in taxes a year.

IMO, since your wife has to deal with a daily commute to Greensburg you should live closer to there. How often would you be traveling to the Airport? I used to do a daily Greensburg to Robinson (close to the Airport) commute and it was awful. On bad days (which seemed to be at least once a week) my commute would be 90 minutes. The problem is the Airport and Greensburg are on two opposite sides of downtown with the most direct route being the worst roads in the region.

I second the option for the North Huntingdon/Irwin area. It is about about 20 minutes to Greensburg and there are back roads where you can avoid Route 30. You would be a little closer to Downtown and the Airport there..about a 30 minute no traffic commute to Downtown and 45 minutes to the Airport. If you are only traveling to Downtown 1-3 times a week, I think a 50-60 minute commute with traffic would be tolerable IMO.

Thanks! We'll definitely check those areas out.

[zip95]

Originally Posted by Retiredcoach

Probably the worst driving commute to downtown Pittsburgh would force you to travel I376 during rush hour. If commuting time is not an issue, my first suggestion would be the Murrysville area (Franklin Regional School District). The taxes are significantly lower than Allegheny County, schools are topnotch,shopping is readily available, and proximity to the turnpike (I76), route 22, and the parkway (I376) are what the OP may be seeking. The biggest negative is still the commute to downtown via the parkway.

If open to suggestions to other areas in the Pittsburgh region, the OP might want to explore the areas that are closest to the turnpike, I79, and possibly I279. This might include suburban areas like Mars, Hampton, Cranberry, Marshall,and McCandless. Commute would be a whole lot better, options of varying degrees of higher quality schools, lower tax options, and better community amenities. For those suggesting Oakmont, I have owned property there- the schools are eroding in quality and taxes are high for the area; Hulton Bridge is an ongoing headache- I would advise looking elsewhere.

This is nonsense.

Rt 30 moves at 55mph all the way to the Parkway East, where it finally becomes a parking lot. Because of this, most people who work downtown take Westmoreland Transit.

Let me explain Westmoreland Transit to you. These are suburban owned and operated buses that only have stops in Westmoreland county. That means that if you catch the bus in North Huntingdon there are ZERO stops until you get downtown. Westmoreland Transit buses take the busway, which is a bus-only highway straight to downtown. It's super easy... probably 35 minutes.

Moreover, you don't need to settle for an older house. All of Westmoreland county, and North Huntingdon in particular, has been having a new-build boom the past few years. If you read the link this is due to the combination of good schools, low taxes, new houses with lots of square footage, highway access, and plenty of retail.

[Retiredcoach]

Originally Posted by zip95

This is nonsense.

Rt 30 moves at 55mph all the way to the Parkway East, where it finally becomes a parking lot. Because of this, most people who work downtown take Westmoreland Transit.

Are you traveling the same route 30 as the rest of us? The speed limit is no higher than 40 mph on any portion of route 30 from Irwin/North Huntingdon to the parkway. You will pass the Forest Hills police station (35 mph) on your trek to the parkway east from Irwin, as well. I wouldn't want, nor expect, to travel at anywhere near 55 mph on this stop light filled journey to downtown.

[zip95]

Originally Posted by Retiredcoach

Are you traveling the same route 30 as the rest of us? The speed limit is no higher than 40 mph on any portion of route 30 from Irwin/North Huntingdon to the parkway. You will pass the Forest Hills police station (35 mph) on your trek to the parkway east from Irwin, as well. I wouldn't want, nor expect, to travel at anywhere near 55 mph on this stop light filled journey to downtown.

Coach, every road in the metro moves 15mph over the speed limit... this is a city and it's no longer 1956. I can't speak to your Sunday afternoon drives, but that straight stretch past the police station easily averages above 60mph during rush hour. 30 is an absolute racetrack... possibly one of the worst roads in the state. Probably faster than Lincoln Drive in Philly.

[guy2073]

I hate having to travel to Greensburg on 30, but only having to travel it 3 days a week i could easily do that so my spouse has a short commute.

[RogersParkTransplant]

Originally Posted by tigerphan

Perhaps there are areas in Pittsburgh that are convenient to Greensburg? I was told that Wilkinsburg was kind of dodgy. Is there safe, affordable housing in places like Edgewood or Blackridge?

This is a tough question, because (as you're seeing) Greensburg and the airport are in two different directions, and traffic is a problem here -- though not nearly as bad as DC or Atlanta, thankfully. Since you asked about living in Pittsburgh proper, here's my two cents:

We've only lived in the area for a year, so those with more experience might disagree, but I would consider Greenfield (a neighborhood in Pittsburgh, directly south of Squirrel Hill) as a possibility. We looked there, and found it to be very safe -- not a wealthy neighborhood, but a friendly one, and I think it's poised to get nicer as young families are gradually priced out of Squirrel Hill (which is very, very nice, but just too busy/crowded for our taste.) The Pittsburgh Public school district is fine, with interesting options for charter schools that some people absolutely love -- I know a lot of people on here will swear by the more posh suburban districts, such as Fox Chapel and Mt Lebanon, but either of those would make for a miserable commute, and the Pittsburgh schools really are OK.

The houses in Greenfield are more modest than Squirrel Hill, but still cute (esp if you like older homes and craftsman style), and also priced very reasonably -- in Squirrel Hill you'd probably end up paying more than $300k for the house you want; in Greenfield you could find something cute for under $200k, and use the extra cash to renovate to your taste. Here's an example of the sort of houses we saw, though this particular one wasn't on the market when we were looking:

3987 Beechwood Blvd, Pittsburgh, PA 15217 is For Sale - Zillow

As far as commuting, your spouse would still have to deal with I-376, but I think the "reverse" commute would spare them the worst of the traffic -- ie, heading east in the AM and west in the PM is much better than the reverse. Getting downtown would be a snap, and getting to the airport would be OK if you can avoid rush hour.

It's still not perfect, but given that your two commutes take you in opposite directions, it's worth a look. We really liked the area, and might well have ended up there if we hadn't found a house we love on the North side -- which I would never recommend for your spouse's commute, and which is a bit edgier than you're probably seeking, but that's another story.

[trotter_rej]

Originally Posted by Retiredcoach

On the other hand, the parkway to Pittsburgh is an antiquated divided highway, generally 4-6 lanes wide, that bottlenecks at the Squirrel Hill tunnel. Traffic jams will often extend 10 miles, or more, most regularly backing to Wilkinsburg inbound. There is no HOV lane available on the parkway to somewhat speed travel time along, and riding a bus from the east suburbs offers little advantage in travel time (there are no designated lanes for buses). Most would concur that when needed repairs are being done, an accident occurs, or when the snow flies, the parkway is the least desirable place to drive in the region.

I agree that the parkway is regularly backed up and often undesirable to drive on. However, I have never seen the Parkway East between the turnpike and the tunnel backed up 10 miles. In fact, the entire length of that stretch is less than 10 miles. The typical backup you mention (to the Wilkinsburg exit) is 2.8 miles.

[safak]

Originally Posted by guy2073

Check out latrobe airport, they offer flights from there, depends where you are going.

and free parking ^^

[robrobrob]

Originally Posted by zip95

This is nonsense.

He was talking about coming in from Monroeville so you wouldn't be coming in on 30.

The one thing that wasn't discussed is that traffic on the Parkway East is brutal leaving town during rush hour.

A friend comes in from North Huntingdon but he leaves before rush hour gets too bad. I don't think he would live there if he had to do it over. He sort of had to live there when he bought his house but that reason is gone but he is established and doesn't want to move the kids.

Unfortunately, there isn't a great answer for both spouses. If you want to get closer to town you could look at either Forest Hills or Churchill. Of the two I like Churchill better. However, both are in the Woodland Hills School District so schools are less than average.