Where is the Ghetto? (Pittsburgh, York: to rent, neighborhoods, buying)

[thomasburkejr]

Hello to All!

I am currently residing in a small urban community in the Boston area that is known to be "ghetto" and when I move to Pittsburgh I am not looking back.

This area is highly populated with hispanic/latino which isn't my worry. What I dislike is that it is a spanish-ghetto with thugs, gangs, drugs and litter. The community is like a low-income housing project and is not the greatest place that anyone would desire to raise a family. When I refer to ghetto, I am talking about the definition: a poor densely populated city district occupied by a minority ethnic group linked together by economic hardship and social restrictions.

I have considered a few different areas (Shadyside, Squirrel Hill, Mount Washington, Greentree and Mount Oliver) and was wondering if these areas have any ghetto/not-so-inviting areas that I should know about.

Personally, I prefer to live in a neighborhood that has primarily white residents. I want to stay away from urban black/hispanic areas that are encompassed with hip-hop/urban culture. I know there may even be some urban areas that are populated with white people and I would rather stay away from that too. The less ghetto the better!

I know someone may read this and say "that is racist!" and I agree it is. I have experienced a more pleasant, inviting experience in a white neighborhood than in a black/hispanic one.

If anyone can please help me with answering this question, that would be great! Thank you for your time.

THOMAS

[guylocke]

There are depressed areas of Pittsburgh that we can thwart you from, but to be perfectly honest, if you TRULY wanted to find a HARDCORE ghetto, like the one's you see in movies, you'd be sort of hard pressed to find them in Pittsburgh.

I'm sure they exist, and there are parts of town I wouldn't be super excited to be in after dark, but I think a lot of cities would laugh at Pittsburgh ghetto's.

[*Danielle*]

Great Question...I will be watching this thread as well..

[mister brewski]

You need not worry about a Hispanic ghetto, due to the fact Pittsburgh has virtually no Hispanic population (maybe Beechview...).

Out of the areas you named the only one I'd consider iffy (maybe not quite ghetto) is Mt. Oliver, which is actually more of a white ghetto.

[Agbor]

There are isolated pockets of "bad neighborhoods" or "ghetto" here..if you don't like
"urban" you probably be better off in North Hills or McCandless Township..or you
could move to a poor white area like maybe McKees Rocks or Stowe Township...

Like someone said..these are kiddie ghettos in this city..try North Philly, Chicago or
Detroit..or Los Angeles..or New York those are ghettoes in the true sense...

Shadyside,Edgewood,Sq. Hill are nice areas as is Forest Hills...

[vwscottie]

Originally Posted by Agbor

Shadyside,Edgewood,Sq. Hill are nice areas as is Forest Hills...

I agree, I have lived in or currently reside in all of these areas. Mt Oliver often makes the news for some kind of gun violence. Mt Washington has a great view of the city, but I know quite a few coworkers that live there and tell their tales of white trash.

[Retiredcoach]

I agree with other posters when talking about ghettos in Pittsburgh/Allegheny County. In the truest sense, I do not believe that gangs have the strong presence in this area that you might see in other larger cities around the country. We do have the potential, however, in certain regions that have significant poverty, rundown housing, higher crime, and an illicit drug presence. Braddock, Wilkinsburg, Clairton, Mount Oliver and sections of the North Side are the first to come to mind.

[Agbor]

I know someone who lives in Pgh. now who was raised in Los Angeles..when she hears
on the local news here about "gang violence" and "gangs"...she says what we call
"gangs" and gang violence is nothing compared to what is in Los Angeles...in LA the
gangs are conglomerates she says..what we call gangs here are a joke..she said..

[MaggieMay78]

I live in Shadyside and LOVE it here! I really enjoy living close to Walnut Street, which has lots of great restaurants, shopping, coffee shops, etc. And this is coming from someone who has lived all over the country...grew up in Buffalo, NY...lived in NYC for 4 years, Virginia for 6 months, Arizona for one year, and have been in Pittsburgh since August 2006. If you're going to rent, be prepared that Shadyside is a bit more expensive than most other areas, but I don't think it's all that pricey...then again, I was used to high rent in NYC. Best thing to do is check out Craigslist and some other sites to see what the rents are like. Or are you planning on buying a place? Anyway, if you want more info about Shadyside, just let me know!

[MissShona]

Originally Posted by thomasburkejr

Hello to All!

I am currently residing in a small urban community in the Boston area that is known to be "ghetto" and when I move to Pittsburgh I am not looking back.

This area is highly populated with hispanic/latino which isn't my worry. What I dislike is that it is a spanish-ghetto with thugs, gangs, drugs and litter. The community is like a low-income housing project and is not the greatest place that anyone would desire to raise a family. When I refer to ghetto, I am talking about the definition: a poor densely populated city district occupied by a minority ethnic group linked together by economic hardship and social restrictions.

I have considered a few different areas (Shadyside, Squirrel Hill, Mount Washington, Greentree and Mount Oliver) and was wondering if these areas have any ghetto/not-so-inviting areas that I should know about.

Personally, I prefer to live in a neighborhood that has primarily white residents. I want to stay away from urban black/hispanic areas that are encompassed with hip-hop/urban culture. I know there may even be some urban areas that are populated with white people and I would rather stay away from that too. The less ghetto the better!

I know someone may read this and say "that is racist!" and I agree it is. I have experienced a more pleasant, inviting experience in a white neighborhood than in a black/hispanic one.

If anyone can please help me with answering this question, that would be great! Thank you for your time.

THOMAS

Ay-yi-yi...just what Pittsburgh needs; more closed minded people.

If you've ever been to Western PA (which you may have, but I guess you didn't pay attention) there are more "White trash" (and I can't stand that term...but unfortunately, I have to use it) areas than ghetto ones. Will those parts of the city be ok for you?

There is a very, very small hispanic population in Pittsburgh. The um, "ghettos" as you describe them are small pockets compared to other large cities like Miami or Chicago (where the rough ghetto areas expand for miles and miles) and unless you're looking for drugs or trouble, you won't really run into those areas.

Whatever; good luck to you (hopefully you're considering other metro areas as well though). Although I'm secretly hoping you find your "white" neighborhood -- then get a Puerto Rican family on one side, and a Black one on the other .