Good neighborhoods to be car-less? (Pittsburgh, Mount Lebanon: school, living, restaurants)

[Moby Hick]

The link below is the best way to catch a bus and a very good way to visualize where the buses are. Note that it is real time, so if you want to see what service looks like in an area at night, just to that area at that time and watch.

It also makes it much more pleasant to ride the more crowded routes at rush hour. If you see a packed bus at your stop, you can see if there's another behind it by two blocks that might be easier to ride.

Pittsburgh Buses Live Map

(I think maybe some buses are still not displayed, so you don't want to abandon the time tables completely.)

[tclifton]

Originally Posted by zeebus

Thanks for the suggestions, guys! This is great stuff. Just one thing, though - I've already looked into the East Liberty area and it seems to have a lot of crime? Is this true?

I'm looking to rent, btw. Single female. So safety is important to me as someone who will be walking and taking the bus everywhere.

If you're concerned with crime, steer clear of East Liberty.

Oakmont is nice....very low crime, extremely walk-able, and lots of bus stops.

[Merge]

Originally Posted by bluecarebear

You will be limited with a 1br at $1000 though it is doable. Don't expect a lot. Biking is getting more popular but realize that it can only be done at the most, 6 months out of the year. Also, Pittsburgh is as overcast as Portland. So expect rain.

I'm not a biker, but this doesn't seem right to me. Why would you only be able to bike 6 months out of the year? I'm certain that many do it for much longer here. I would think that mid-late December through most of March would be tough... but unless you are some delicate flower, you should be able bike the rest of the year.

[gladhands]

For all the complaints about Pittsburgh's mass transit (it leaves a lot to be desired) I don't think there a comparably-sized city in the country with a better system.

As others have said, your best choices are in the East End. I live effectively carless (I put roughly 1000 miles/year on my car) in Shadyside.

[Moby Hick]

Originally Posted by tclifton

Oakmont is nice....very low crime, extremely walk-able, and lots of bus stops.

Lots of stops don't do you much good if there aren't lots of buses. Oakmont has very poor or non-existent service in the evening or the middle of the day. The 78 and the P78 don't even run on the weekends. If you live in Oakmont without a car, you're only leaving Oakmont during working hours.

[zeebus]

Originally Posted by Moby Hick

Lots of stops don't do you much good if there aren't lots of buses. Oakmont has very poor or non-existent service in the evening or the middle of the day. The 78 and the P78 don't even run on the weekends. If you live in Oakmont without a car, you're only leaving Oakmont during working hours.

This is exactly the kind of information I was hoping to find on neighborhoods, so thank you! Crossing Oakmont off the list.

[Moby Hick]

Originally Posted by guy2073

https://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/apa/5095178024.html this is one reason that I recommend along the t, rents are more stable, crime is low, schools are good, and you can get to everything.

To be clear to the OP, along the T would be referring to the light rail system. Towns and neighborhoods such as Mt. Lebanon, Dormont, Beechview, etc.

http://www.portauthority.org/paac/apps/maps/TLines.pdf

[bluecarebear]

Originally Posted by Merge

I'm not a biker, but this doesn't seem right to me. Why would you only be able to bike 6 months out of the year? I'm certain that many do it for much longer here. I would think that mid-late December through most of March would be tough... but unless you are some delicate flower, you should be able bike the rest of the year.

Winter, rain, and temps. Unless she doesn't mind.

[Geeo]

You might be interested in a building called Walnut on Highland. It's a 13-story building recently rehabbed into apartments and seems to be very popular. It's on S. Highland Ave. in East Liberty, right across the street from East Liberty Presbyterian Church, which is the major landmark in the neighborhood. It's one block from the East Liberty busway station, two blocks from Whole Foods, a block and a half from Target, and convenient to at least a dozen restaurants within walking distance. The local bus lines run along Center Ave., Penn Ave., Highland Ave., and there's a lot of service seven days a week.

East Liberty used to be a neighborhood that was in decline, but it's really turned around in the last 15 years. It's seeing a lot of development (there is a mixed-use apartment/retail development going in with another 365 apartments across Centre from the Highland building) and crime has declined by 50%.

[gladhands]

Originally Posted by Merge

I'm not a biker, but this doesn't seem right to me. Why would you only be able to bike 6 months out of the year? I'm certain that many do it for much longer here. I would think that mid-late December through most of March would be tough... but unless you are some delicate flower, you should be able bike the rest of the year.

Those are the hardest months, bar none, but early Summer is no walk in the park either, unless you don't mind biking in the rain.