brentwood pa -- diversity/population? (Pittsburgh, Bethel Park: for rent, house, safe neighborhood)

[retej2261]

My husband and I are considering a move from Beaver County into Allegheny County and have found a nice house for rent/rent to own in Brentwood. (The main reason for the move is for closer proximity to the city, yet we are looking for an affordable, safe neighborhood!)

Being an interracial couple with one 2 year old son, diversity of the neighborhood is very important to us. I was on the Brentwood school district website, and from what I can tell based on the school's individual "report cards" there aren't too many, if ANY African American or other minority students in either of the elementary schools.

Can anyone provide any additional information?

Thanks in advance!

[MissShona]

Hmmm....first of all, I should tell you that I don't live there. But among African-Americans in the south suburbs of Pittsburgh we "know" about Brentwood. There have been instances of racism there in the past. I personally know of two people (one of them a college professor from University of Kentucky) who were pulled over in Brentwood for no apparent reason other than they were Black people driving around the residential areas of Brentwood. This was in the late 90s and the year 2001 respectively.

Then there is that ugly blemish on Brentwood's reputation regarding racism in that Jonny Gammage incident back in 1995. That was when a cousin of one of the Ray Seals, one of the Pittsburgh Steelers, was killed by police officers. To be fair, both Whitehall and Brentwood police officers were involved yet only the Whitehall officers had physical contact. You can read about the details Johnny Gammage - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I checked out wikipedia; Brentwood is not very diverse. It is only 0.54% Black and 0.69% Hispanic (which is surprising...that a Pittsburgh neighborhood would have Hispanics outnumbering Blacks). Overall, it is 97.95% White.

Although my post does not sound too encouraging, I would suggest you go for it; for now anyway. Renting to own seems like a good set-up and Brentwood is pretty convenient to the city. Even though it's not diverse now, the only way it will get that way is if more minorities move in. I've lived in some pretty non-diverse areas (although they were on the other side of the state) and had great experiences. The only thing I wouldn't compromise on if I were your position is my child's experiences at school. Good luck !

[la_torquemada]

I think you will be very uncomfortable and your child with be harassed and/or ostracized. Sorry, but most black people I know will not even set foot in Brentwood. By all means if you want to be a pioneer, go for it, but if you just want a nice, quiet life, I doubt this is your best bet.

[zip95]

Brentwood is a white ghetto. Century III (Brentwood's mall) is a hole in the ground. Brentwood, more than anywhere else, epitomizes the decline of the South Hills.

[Pitman]

Come on, Brentwood is not a ghetto! It may have more of an urban layout than say, Bethel Park but so does Mt Lebanon! Century III is not Brentwood's mall either. You have to go through Whitehall, Baldwin, Pleasant Hills, and West Mifflin before you get there (I guess there all ghettos too). Brentwood's about equal distance from Century III and South Hills Village give or take a mile. It is a very white, working class borough but there is nothing wrong with that.

[retej2261]

Thank you all for your replies.....very informative. I am so glad I found this forum. Your input and honesty are very appreciated!

[Pittsburgher4Life]

As a graduate of Brentwood High School, I can say that while Brentwood does not have a large minority presence, it is not as racist as everyone makes it out to be. I've lived here for 19 years, and when I went to high school, there were African American kids in my grade, all of whom were widely accepted and some of the most popular kids in the class. It's really not racist. It's actually starting to have a larger minority representation though. Trust me, I graduated from the HS, and there was absolutely no diversity when I went in as a freshman, and much more by the time I graduated. As for being middle class, that's true, as it's 99.9% middle class, but some of the homes on Brownsville Road and Edge Road are really nice. However, I would not recommend living there if diversity is what you are looking for. You should try nearby Baldwin or Whitehall. My cousins go to high school there and there's a lot of diversity.

[Pittsburgher4Life]

Oh, and as for schools, I would say that Brentwood is just average, where most programs are decent and the science department STINKS. Baldwin would have more diversity and probably better schools too. Also, I believe taxes are lower there too.

[Pitman]

You should try nearby Baldwin or Whitehall. My cousins go to high school there and there's a lot of diversity.

No there's not! Baldwin Borough is 2.4% black, Whitehall is 1.4 and Baldwin Township is 0.3% How is that diverse?

[MissShona]

Originally Posted by Pitman

No there's not! Baldwin Borough is 2.4% black, Whitehall is 1.4 and Baldwin Township is 0.3% How is that diverse?

Agreed!