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It seems to me that Frankstown Road is a better divider than Buelah and Sandy Creek Roads. North of Frankstown is generally nicer than south of Frankstown.
Umm... I was talking about Frankston ave the street in Homewood, one of the main business streets. I walked threw there with family members to a concert @ Mansions aka the Homewood Coliseum.
You must be a bit wimpy. I feel all of Penn Hills is pretty laid back. Not a street in Penn Hills is all that bad. If you feel they are so bad, let me know the streets in a PM and I will walk you through the area. Just take me to that Mexican joint at the top of Rodi that used to be a BK and I will be happy.
I would not feel comfortable living in the Stotler Townhomes, especially in the back part of that complex. Mind you I wouldn't rank it up there with some of the alleys of Wilkinsburg or Garfield I used to cut down near Kelly Street or Aiken Avenue back in the day, but by Penn Hills standards, that place is run down. You'd think it somehow got misplaced there. Used to be a really nice low priced option for single & low income parents. When pizza shops refuse to deliver there, particularly at night, because their drivers keep getting robbed you know it's not a place to raise kids in.
Made me think of Crescent Gardens. Another set of apartments known for being a more unsavory place in Penn Hills.
Ray Azteca's is the name of the Mexican restaurant. I've mentioned it a couple times recently. Excellent Mexican food and a great price.
Since this thread is revived, I'll chime in with my first-hand experience.
I lived on Shannon Road in Penn Hills (closer to Verona) for 3 years. Personally, while I never felt unsafe or feared for my life where I lived, some parts of Penn Hills are pretty run-down and plagued with crime. The last year or so of living in PH, I saw many unsavory and shady characters walking up and down Shannon Road -- of different races. Just riff-raff that are up to no good.
Yes, it's a huge municipality, so you'll get all sorts of crime in such a sprawling area. But leading the county in burglaries and murders is not something to be proud of -- for a town of any size.
And buying a home there? Forget it. Home values are plummeting and it would be a terrible investment. Sure, there are some nicer neighborhoods with steady values. But overall, home values are going down at a pretty good clip. So unless you're planning on staying there until you die, buying a home in Penn Hills is a terrible investment.
There are things I miss about the area. Oakmont is a lovely little town. Verona is pretty nice too. But Penn Hills proper is just in such economic despair that it's depressing. So yeah, I'm happy in the South Hills now.
And buying a home there? Forget it. Home values are plummeting and it would be a terrible investment. Sure, there are some nicer neighborhoods with steady values. But overall, home values are going down at a pretty good clip. So unless you're planning on staying there until you die, buying a home in Penn Hills is a terrible investment.
The house I'm in the process of buying with cash in Penn Hills... it costs the same as if I added up my rent at my current location times a little less than four years. Except at the end of those four years, I'd still own the land, four walls, and a roof rather than absolutely nothing. Especially when the house is in incredible shape, very well-maintained, has a large fenced yard and a finished basement, with a quiet, lovely neighbourhood to boot. Of course, everyone's mileage varies. If I was that worried about crime and property values, I'd give my husband an ultimatum about running, not walking, back to eastern Ontario (Canada). Not even the nicest neighbourhood around here is going to compare.
The house I'm in the process of buying with cash in Penn Hills... it costs the same as if I added up my rent at my current location times a little less than four years. Except at the end of those four years, I'd still own the land, four walls, and a roof rather than absolutely nothing. Especially when the house is in incredible shape, very well-maintained, has a large fenced yard and a finished basement, with a quiet, lovely neighbourhood to boot. Of course, everyone's mileage varies. If I was that worried about crime and property values, I'd give my husband an ultimatum about running, not walking, back to eastern Ontario (Canada). Not even the nicest neighbourhood around here is going to compare.
Depending on your rent and the houses location you likely are getting a great deal even with the current condition of Penn Hills. The water bill may be something to adjust to but you're talking about owning your home so I think it will all balance out. The home I owned in Penn Hills I picked up for 40K, it was a 4 bedroom, 1 1/2 bath with a full basement on 1/4 acre. When the house sold it was for a profit. That's even with the decline in Penn Hills. I could have easily picked up another in the area for around that price again, but I wanted out of the area.
If you can buy cheap you'll likely be in a good position even if the market continues to decline. If you have kids the should be okay in the school district until junior/senior high. If they don't do well in the school district after that yank them out and put them in PA Cyber.
Congrats on the home purchase! That must be exciting!
Depending on your rent and the houses location you likely are getting a great deal even with the current condition of Penn Hills. The water bill may be something to adjust to but you're talking about owning your home so I think it will all balance out. The home I owned in Penn Hills I picked up for 40K, it was a 4 bedroom, 1 1/2 bath with a full basement on 1/4 acre. When the house sold it was for a profit. That's even with the decline in Penn Hills.
If you can buy cheap you'll likely be in a good position even if the market continues to decline. If you have kids the should be okay in the school district until junior/senior high. If they don't do well in the scool district yank them out and put them in PA Cyber.
Congrats on the home purchase! That must be exciting!
Thank you for your congratulations . We don't have kids and don't really plan to have any, but if we did, then the Penn Hills school district would have given us extreme pause. I will say that much negative about the area. It's probably not the best for families, and certainly that doesn't help resale value (if that mattered to us much).
And yeah, the house price/type situation is pretty much the same for us. It's an incredible deal. When you start talking that low of a price for a good quality house, other issues become slightly less important (at least for us). At least according to the definition of many on this forum, it's very much on the 'good side' of Penn Hills.
I've heard bad things about the water bills, definitely, as well as the property taxes, but not having to pay rent every month and not having to worry about landlords rejecting my dog make it worth it!
Thank you for your congratulations . We don't have kids and don't really plan to have any, but if we did, then the Penn Hills school district would have given us extreme pause. I will say that much negative about the area. It's probably not the best for families, and certainly that doesn't help resale value (if that mattered to us much).
And yeah, the house price/type situation is pretty much the same for us. It's an incredible deal. When you start talking that low of a price for a good quality house, other issues become slightly less important (at least for us). At least according to the definition of many on this forum, it's very much on the 'good side' of Penn Hills.
I've heard bad things about the water bills, definitely, as well as the property taxes, but not having to pay rent every month and not having to worry about landlords rejecting my dog make it worth it!
I think you will like Penn Hills. A lot of the issues I found myself having revolved around the school district, and then eventually apartment living in Penn Hills. Yes, there is crime in Penn Hills and areas you may not want to hang out in, but if you avoid those areas you'll avoid most issues. There's no place I would have avoided shopping in, or eating out at. So unless you're looking for trouble you likely aren't going to find much looking for you. When I lived in a house there was a bit more separation and thus a lot less issues. The few times I did have an issue it usually involved a house with renters (and everyone had issue with these folks).
BTW I did respond to your thread about the water bills (I just recognized your name). There's a dog park over on Jefferson Road if you ever get that way to check it out. The new library is worth checking out too. While I wouldn't generally encourage someone to buy into Penn Hills, home ownership is a huge upgrade for someone who has been stuck renting, I appreciate that having been in the same position as you recently.
Also there was some discussion about putting up a Wal-Mart just past the Shop N Save in Penn Hills. Don't know if there's been anything happening about that since then. I know on the other side, East Hills, they're looking to develop the old shopping center where Petra Ministries is at, including adding a Wal-Mart as well.
EDIT TO ADD: Oh!!! I forgot to add some of my favorite places from there! Labriola's is a little Italian grocery store worth checking out. Stoecklein's bakery on Saltsburg Road is delicious as well. Cheap chinese food can be found at No 1 Chinese on Frankstown Road (people either love or hate them) and right across the street is Ray Aztecas for excellent Mexican food. Hope you will love them as much as I did!
A local friend of mine told me his name and said he's dead, but I haven't read anything that confirms it, yet. So I'm just waiting to see it gets confirmed. Rumors flying it was about a girl. Who knows what the actual details are, you know how rumor mills go.
R.I.P. & respect to the deceased if the rumor is true. This recent shooting only adds to the cons of the "Safety in Penn Hills," debate.
Hate to add this, but there's a high probability that there's gonna be a retaliation shooting in the next 48hrs (if the guy was killed). I know Penn Hills riff-raff isn't that bad compared to say Homewood vs. East Hills, or any where near close to being as bad as the Westside of Chicago. Yet IF the man/boy was a thug his friends are probobly gonna "ride" out "hunting" in revenge...
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When I lived in a house there was a bit more separation and thus a lot less issues. The few times I did have an issue it usually involved a house with renters (and everyone had issue with these folks).
