Moving; Safe Areas? (Pittsburgh, McKeesport, West Mifflin: to rent, crime, big house)

[AllFantasy]

I am moving for a job in West Mifflin. I intend to buy a home of no more than $100,000. I will be moving by myself, single, and do not necessarily need a big house. I do want a place where resale will be relatively easy, since I do intend to "upgrade" and move out once I decide to settle down with someone I love.

I do not want to live inside a city (as I am coming from NYC; I am quite sick of city life), but more rather a quiet suburban place.

I have done some preliminary research, some right here on this forum itself, and I've found out to avoid these areas (in alphabetical order):
-Braddock
-Duquesne
-Homestead
-McKeesport
-North Versailles

What are some good/safe neighborhoods around West Mifflin? Is West Mifflin itself safe? How is Clairton? Brentwood? Can anyone recommend me more places that I can look?

Thank you.

P.S. I was also looking to go "out" of the nearest areas, and look at places like Forest Hills, White Oak, Greensburg, etc., but I am unsure of traffic. I would like to have a maximum of 30 minute commute one way (currently, in NYC, I experience bumper-to-bumper traffic of 1-1.5 hour to travel just 20 miles).

[eschaton]

Some areas of West Mifflin are safe, others are not. Generally speaking, it is in decline. Basically as the surrounding mill towns died, demand to live in that area began to drop. More and more people tried to "escape" from the craziness of Duquense or Homestead by moving to West Mifflin. Some of those people brought along kids who started trouble themselves, and as a result, the decline continued. Still, most of West Mifflin is fine regarding safety - it's just that it's very much not the sort of place you'd want to buy if you are looking for appreciation on a house.

Brentwood would be fine, if you're white. It's pretty notorious locally for hostility to blacks, but it now has a pretty sizable (for the Pittsburgh area) immigrant community (Bhutanese), so it may be changing. Clairton is a pit. In that general area I'd suggest Baldwin, which is a stable, working-class white suburb. Nearby Lincoln Place is part of the City of Pittsburgh, but slightly more desirable than West Mifflin due to the access to city schools (seriously) meaning appreciation is more likely. It's also basically a suburb.

[Pitt Chick]

Jefferson Hills is nice, but I don't think you can get in under $100k.

[I_Like_Spam]

Lincoln Place is probably the best choice, city schools in an advantageous feeder pattern. Really close to the Bettis, if that's where you'll be working.

The Mon Valley area has a lot of quiet areas, but the region has been really down on its luck the past 35 years with the decline of steel and all that. Recommending places to live is one thing, resale is the tough part to really recommend anything on. Lincoln Place is the best as far as that is concerned, the area has a lot of demand from city of Pittsburgh police and fire fighters that are required to live within the city limits.

[AllFantasy]

Thank you all for your recommendations.

Out of curiosity, how are Greensburg, Forest Hills, White Oak, Baldwin, Chalfant, and Turtle Creek areas?

I know:
White Oak- Certain parts near McKeesport is not great
Forest Hills- Certain parts near Braddock is not great


P.S. I_Like_Spam: Yes, I will be working in Bettis. How'd you guess that?

[I_Like_Spam]

Originally Posted by AllFantasy

Thank you all for your recommendations.

Out of curiosity, how are Greensburg, Forest Hills, White Oak, Baldwin, Chalfant, and Turtle Creek areas?

I know:
White Oak- Certain parts near McKeesport is not great
Forest Hills- Certain parts near Braddock is not great

Greensburg is a bit far for a daily commute to West Miff.


Forest Hills, Chalfant, Turtle Creek and White Oak are ok areas to live in, but are crappy school systems and might prove difficult to resell.

Baldwin is a huge spread out borough, consisting of many neighborhoods stretching from the South Side out to South Park. A lot of decent areas to live in Baldwin.

[AllFantasy]

Originally Posted by I_Like_Spam

Greensburg is a bit far for a daily commute to West Miff.

You're right; it's a 50 minute commute one way. Thanks for the heads up!

[guy2073]

Look at liberty boro, it is by McKeesport. I have said before it is a hidden gem

[ferraris]

Any particular reason you want to buy instead of renting? Since you are looking at an area that's not increasing in value and planning to upgrade to another house in a few years it may not make sense to bend over backwards looking for the diamond in the rough borough/neighborhood. It might make more sense to just rent a place near work.

If you really want to buy I'd be looking at Port Vue, Liberty, and Lincoln Place. Don't be dissuaded from Lincoln Place just because it's in city limits. It's pretty darn suburban, especially since you're coming from NYC.

[Augie6]

While a vague post... City is Western PA Vs. NYC is not comparable.. Family from NYC always thinks the busiest parts of the city are "sleepy sections" however they are dramatic.. lol

2nd while i would also avoid areas you listed, crime in the area is pretty tame compared to other major cities.. and more often than not happen in very select areas of neighborhoods...talking 2 blocks crime ridden 1 buffer block 4 blocks high end..

Might be better to rent and play around some before you committee , Pittsburgh has TONS of smaller neighborhoods that make up the city and surrounding areas ...

One huge let down will be our public transportation especially compared to NYC.. ( is improving)