Having a "REAL" hard time finding an area to live (Pittsburgh: hotel, new house)

[apexin]

Iv'e been reading the Pittsburgh forum for 4 months after I learned I was going to be transferred to the area. Iv'e read all the posts about McMansion's, City areas with Character and so on, but first let me give a little background on where we are coming from.

My wife and I are mid 40's and have two young girls, ages 7 and 11. We currently live in Phoenix AZ, but I'm from St. Louis and my wife is from Indianapolis. We both come from working class families so we were not raised in the wealthy parts of town. Both college grads and I work for a motorcycle manufacturer and together we have moved several times. Atlanta, Greensboro NC, St. Louis and then to Phoenix. Before that I went to college in Alabama (roll tide) and after lived in St. Paul MN and also a Chicago suburb. I tell you all this to say I have lived in several different parts of the country. My wife and I are very open minded and always look for the positives in the new areas we move into. We have always adapted and found a place we liked and never had any regrets on the home we purchased. I work out of the home and my wife is a Physical Therapist that has always worked in skilled nursing facilities part time so it really doesn't matter where we live, she has always found a job within weeks of landing in a new town. Our only requirement is a good school system as we want the best for our kids.

Iv'e been working out of a hotel in the area since early Feb. and have looked the town over as much as possible since then. Our budget is $300-$400,000. North, South, East and West and I just cant find an area that feels even close to something we would like. City is out. Some see character, I see no parking spaces. Some see charm, I see dirt and grime and then the schools and city income tax is a deal breaker. Iv'e looked at Mt. Lebanon, Upper Saint Clair and Peters Township. In our price range, no thanks. Tiny yards, ugly houses and Rt.19, the main shopping corridor is not very appealing. I thought that area (south hills) was somewhat upscale but I see Kmart's and Aldi/Shop n Save food stores all over??? Then I went up to Cranberry and felt like I finally might have found something we could make work, but looked in our price range and all we will get is a vinyl sided box. Normally I would just say we need to spend a little more, but as you go up in price, your monthly payment makes huge jumps because the taxes are so high.

Has anyone moved from the Southwest or West coast and found an area that felt like home? Is $140k a year combined income below the poverty line in Pittsburgh? We have always settled into a nice area in the cities we have lived, but this one is throwing me for a loop.

Please help.

[RogersParkTransplant]

Name a neighborhood in a city that you like; that will help people make recommendations. I love Rogers Park in Chicago, and I feel the Northside has some similarities, so I am happy here.

Given your post I would recommend trying again in Aspinwall, in the parts that share a school district with Fox Chapel. (Check this about school districts: seeing as we decided on Pittsburgh public schools from day 1 for specific reasons, we didn't look there closely, so look for others on this board to chime in.)

A friend of mine lives in Edgewood, and you might want to look back there. The school district (Wilkinsburg?) is a deal-breaker for many, but for her family it meant they could afford both a truly lovely house in a nice neighborhood, and also to send kids to a good private school.

About the grime of the city: I think your eyes will adjust, especially when you see how quickly the city is getting cleaned up. I have spent most of my life in the relatively student-friendly affordable parts of Chicago, Boston, NYC, DC, and San Diego, and at first glance I thought Pittsburgh was incredibly gritty. Then I started finding more and more nice pockets, and meeting more and more people who are buying old houses and fixing them up, and starting their own small businesses. The Northside seems gritty until you have dinner at Benjamin's or the Monterey pub and start meeting local people. (Perhaps more to the point: roughly half of the people on these boards will defend the city school district just as vigorously as the other half will criticize it.)

[guy2073]

Maybe look a little more south of upper st Clair, north starbane is a nice area, decent schools, close to all the stores and development of the meadowlands and Washington pa, cheaper taxes. There is a very large range of housing choices.

[JimboPGH]

So basically you're looking for upscale, post-war suburban with a little bit of housing character? You really out to be able to find that in most of the North Hills. Check out Hampton and McCandless, for starters. Your budget should be more than sufficient.

On $140K combined, you should live very well here.

[apexin]

Webster Groves MO. Brentwood MO. St. Louis. We lived in Woodstock in the Atlanta area. Its tough to compare cities as they are so different. Greensboro NC we lived in a brand new house and now live in North Phoenix. Maybe I just cant afford what I want in Pittsburgh and I didn't expect that. It just seems the neighborhoods are so thrown together with no real plan ahead of time. There is no flow or feel that you are in a good or bad area. Example would be the huge houses next to the Upper Saint Clair High School while across the street are cracker jack box houses that are nothing like the others around them. Then you will find some split level houses in not so good condition down the street a few hundred yards along with an auto repair shop with a muddy dirt lot and dumpster right out in the open. The roads are all very skinny and bumpy with no curbs or sidewalks in most of the areas with just a ditch and very little landscaping to keep things looking nice. I would think these things would be a little nicer with the high taxes. Im talking about Upper Saint Clair.

Maybe its just that I have not seen the area in Spring and only when everything is dead and dirty.

One thing I will say is I have no problem with the people of Pittsburgh. Everyone I have met and worked with have all been very nice and helpful. I really want to find a place that feels even close to right as I know we will make friends fast and I want to start enjoying sporting events with friends and weekend trips to check out all the historical sites in this part of the country.

[JimboPGH]

Originally Posted by RogersParkTransplant

A friend of mine lives in Edgewood, and you might want to look back there. The school district (Wilkinsburg?) is a deal-breaker for many, but for her family it meant they could afford both a truly lovely house in a nice neighborhood, and also to send kids to a good private school.

Edgewood is Woodland Hills, which isn't considered a very good school district.

Personally, I think high schools are all basically the same bull**** factories and the only thing that separates the "good" ones from that "bad" ones is whether or not the students are relatively free from physical and emotional abuse from their classmates, and whether or not the faculty has a civil relationship with the administration. Beyond avoiding an obvious dumpster fire (like Wilkinsburg) it seems really silly to base where one lives largely on school district. But I guess parents all think their kids are ****ing special, or something.

(Sorry OP, I've been storing that up for a while, don't mean to hijack your thread.)

[JimboPGH]

Originally Posted by apexin

Example would be the huge houses next to the Upper Saint Clair High School while across the street are cracker jack box houses that are nothing like the others around them. Then you will find some split level houses in not so good condition down the street a few hundred yards along with an auto repair shop with a muddy dirt lot and dumpster right out in the open. The roads are all very skinny and bumpy with no curbs or sidewalks in most of the areas with just a ditch and very little landscaping to keep things looking nice. I would think these things would be a little nicer with the high taxes. Im talking about Upper Saint Clair.

This city is an acquired taste if you're used to the organized cleanliness of the sun belt. You'll either grow to love it or decide to get the hell out.

If you don't find what you want in the North Hills, I'd recommend giving up on the big lot and off-street parking and embracing our old urban and streetcar suburban neighborhoods. Get yourself a nice old place in Squirrel Hill and reap the benefits of city living, while still having lots of green space and a good school for your kids (the Colfax/Allderdice feeder is the most desirable in the city).

[Jorge Campbell]

Originally Posted by JimboPGH

This city is an acquired taste if you're used to the organized cleanliness of the sun belt. You'll either grow to love it or decide to get the hell out.

If you don't find what you want in the North Hills, I'd recommend giving up on the big lot and off-street parking and embracing our old urban and streetcar suburban neighborhoods. Get yourself a nice old place in Squirrel Hill and reap the benefits of city living, while still having lots of green space and a good school for your kids (the Colfax/Allderdice feeder is the most desirable in the city).

The guy has already said

City is out. Some see character, I see no parking spaces. Some see charm, I see dirt and grime and then the schools and city income tax is a deal breaker.

He also thumbs his nose at

Mt. Lebanon, Upper Saint Clair and Peters Township. In our price range, no thanks. Tiny yards, ugly houses and Rt.19, the main shopping corridor is not very appealing. I thought that area (south hills) was somewhat upscale but I see Kmart's and Aldi/Shop n Save food stores all over???

He also doesn't want a "vinyl-sided box" in Cranberry for $300,000 to $400,000.

I think he should continue to live in his hotel, and watch those house finder shows on HGTV until he gets over himself and submits to reality.

[bluecarebear]

@ OP, do what the rest of us outsiders do...rent.

[gladhands]

Sounds like you want a sterile, soul-less, late 20th century subdivision. Pittsburgh doesn't really work like that.