Having a "REAL" hard time finding an area to live (Pittsburgh: fit in, 2014)

[guy2073]

Originally Posted by tallydude02

I like the Moon/Robinson areas but settled in North Strabane primarily because of the lower Washington County taxes. Washington County has a mixture of suburban, rural, and gritty areas.

I lived in north Strabane for some time, I think it is one of the most overlooked areas of western pa.

[ferraris]

It really doesn't sound like you'll be happy here. You're tastes are far too upper crust for your both your budget and for Pittsburgh.

[charisb]

Originally Posted by ferraris

It really doesn't sound like you'll be happy here. You're tastes are far too upper crust for your both your budget and for Pittsburgh.

Not to sound snotty, OP, but it's true--you should probably stay where you are. If your criteria for high living is not being anywhere near an Aldi's or Shop n Save, this might not be the place for you. Not to mention that someone who really likes Phoenix (who knew such a person even existed?) is probably going to be happiest staying out west.

[safak]

I lived in phoenix after college...for 3 days. Pale Irish yinzer+middle of august+116 degree desert. what could go wrong?

[I_Like_Spam]

Originally Posted by szug-bot

You might have seen the busier areas of the city. There ARE neighborhoods where parking is not really an issue, but they aren't totally visible (compared to Lawrenceville, etc). What comes to mind is Westwood. That neighborhood is in the city, so to avoid taxes (one of your concerns), closeby Crafton Borough also might be an option.

Westwood I like very much. There are amenities within a short walk and/or drive. The housing stock is what I prefer - mid-century ranch style (not popular with some people, but OK). I've looked for a home there for a while, so I do know there are many very tidy, well-kept streets (if that is an indication of the neighbors).

I like Westwood as well, I grew up there and my mum still lives there.

Convenient to the Parkway, restaurants, groceries, drug stores,barbers all in the neighborhood- although some of them are technically in Green Tree, you can still walk to them.

There are a lot of older homes there as well, most built in the 20's and more concentrated on the east of Noblestown Road.

[szug-bot]

Originally Posted by charisb

Not to sound snotty, OP, but it's true--you should probably stay where you are. If your criteria for high living is not being anywhere near an Aldi's or Shop n Save, this might not be the place for you. Not to mention that someone who really likes Phoenix (who knew such a person even existed?) is probably going to be happiest staying out west.

I was going to say, but decided not to in my earlier post, that the OP claimed he and the missus were "open-minded". I think the definition has changed to just acceptance of any lifestyle that were not acceptable 30 years ago - as long as the tattooed, gay, inter-racial neighbors were driving a Mercedes and made the same salary, I guess.

[apexin]

Thanks to the folks that offered help and gave some good suggestions. That is what I was looking for and why I let you know exactly how I felt. I'm sorry I think most of this city is old and dirty. Its my opinion and I felt like I had just not seen the right areas, hence my request for help. Sorry if that offended some of you and made you make a snap decision on what kind of person I was, but hey, whatever makes you feel better. I checked out Squirrel hill the first day I came to town and I saw some real nice homes.........that are WAY out of my price range. I also saw a lot of small, plain brick homes that just don't appeal to me. Sorry if my tastes don't match yours, but I will be paying for the place and living there, not you. If your old enough and remember the TV show "All in the Family", think about the houses it showed when the show came on. That's the feeling I got from Squirrel Hill. Another thing to remember is if you search Zillow and tell me about all these houses that are available, then you must not have purchased a home lately. Most homes on Zillow, and especially the good ones, are long since sold when they hit that site. Realtor's also spend big money on the pictures and the photographers use lenses that make things look better than they really are. Go out and look at some of these great homes and you will see what I mean. Not so great when you are standing in front of them.

I agree with some of you about the not really needing the best school district, but here is the deal. Because my family and I are modern day Gypsies, or Nomads as my mother likes to call us, we will probably only be here 2-3 years. While looking for this home, I also am looking at how easy it will be to sell down the road because those years click by quickly and the last thing I need is a home that wont sell without having to give it away. The facts will tell you that right or wrong, people tend to want to buy in the best school district they can afford. Call it snobby, or elitist, or whatever, but its just the way it is.

Just to clarify, my office is in my home and I will travel all around western PA at different times to visit clients. Traffic or rush hour congestion will not be an issue so that is why I am flexible in location. I just need to be somewhere in western PA and we have never really lived in a small town, so that is why I was looking at the Pittsburgh area. I cant do my job from 2000+ miles away, so it doesn't matter if I like it or not, I'm going to live in this area regardless.

I'm not looking to argue the merits of living in the city and like most people in the modern world, we have a car, so driving to things is just part of life that we have accepted in the 21st century. If you like living there, then cool. I will waive as we circle your block looking for a parking spot when we make the trek into the area to show the kiddo's what the big city is all about.

[apexin]

Originally Posted by charisb

Not to sound snotty, OP, but it's true--you should probably stay where you are. If your criteria for high living is not being anywhere near an Aldi's or Shop n Save, this might not be the place for you. Not to mention that someone who really likes Phoenix (who knew such a person even existed?) is probably going to be happiest staying out west.

Your funny. You do know that you can't start a sentence with "not to sound snotty" without kinda sounding snotty don't you? .

[apexin]

Originally Posted by szug-bot

I was going to say, but decided not to in my earlier post, that the OP claimed he and the missus were "open-minded". I think the definition has changed to just acceptance of any lifestyle that were not acceptable 30 years ago - as long as the tattooed, gay, inter-racial neighbors were driving a Mercedes and made the same salary, I guess.

Actually, you guessed wrong.

[Goinback2011]

Why not just rent for 2-3 years?