Moving to North Huntington or Murrysville (Pittsburgh, Penn Hills: real estate, for sale, apartment complex)

[tiger4life]

Hi All,

Me and my wife are building a home in North Huntington or buying in Murrysville. I am originally from the Pittsburgh area, but I am not sure how diverse the Norwin or Franklin Regional school district are.

Does anyone have any insight on how well received an African-American family will be in those two areas? I know that these two area are not as diverse as Gateway or even Plum. Thanks!

[vtPGH]

The african-american population of both communities is very small (<%1), so in either place your family would stand out. Having grown up in Murrysville, I doubt you or your family would meet any outward hostility or prejudice there. However, you would not be surrounded by many other black families, which may lead some to feel a tad isolated. Murrysville does have a visible Asian population, encompassing families of both South and East Asian origin. With Monroeville and Plum having larger black populations, the parts of Murrysville closest to Allegheny County would be more ideal than out towards Export or Delmont. There's a lot of new and existing neighborhoods in Murrysville right next to Rt. 286 and the Holiday Park section of Plum, which does have a visibly growing African-American community. Hope that's helpful as far as Murrysville goes.

[guylocke]

The african-american population of both communities is very small (<%1)

Totally. However, I personally think both areas are extremely nice, I would live in either, especially Murrysville.

BTW, just so you don't get any confusion in your real estate zip codes or other such things, it's North HuntingDon not North HuntingTon.

[ScottyG]

tiger4life,

North Huntingdon is a great place to raise a family, the cost of living is rather low, and it's centrally located to Pittsburgh and the "country-side" (Latrobe, Ligonier, etc..), but it isn't that welcoming to minorities.

The North Huntingdon area is not very diverse and I don't think you'd feel comfortable there. The minority community consists of a handful of Asians, Hispanics and African-Americans. The majority of the African-Americans are located in either North Irwin (nearby) or the Villages of Easton Apartment Complex. By the way, the school district isn't the best either, being a product, I'm still playing catch-up.

Growing up, there were several African-Americans "chased' out of the neighborhood, a literal cross burning, rocks thrown through windows, racist graffiti, etc...That was 20+ years ago, I don't think you'd have to worry about that blatant type of racism now, but it's much more subtle.

Personally, I'd look around the Murrysville area, my aunt lived there and loved it, she's not a minority, but I think overall it's much more welcoming. The school district scores are better, it's more convenient to Pittsburgh, and your house will probably appreciate faster.


Good Luck

[zip95]

Hi Tiger4life...here's the real deal.

Right off the bat, cross North Huntington off of the list. It's a country town in western PA!!!

That said, Murrysville, Plum, and Gateway are slowly becoming more diverse as middle to upper class blacks flee the declining Woodland Hills and Penn Hills School districts. There is also a slow migration to the North Hills and Cranberry areas...So I would expect demographic changes in all of these districts (including Murrysville) over then next few years.

Regarding Murrysville specifics: There is a semi-large contingent of youngish new money moving to Murrysville. So if you're wallet is comparable, you shouldn't have much of a problem. I'm sure you know, as money and education increase...racist attitudes decrease quickly.

PS

I should also mention that Gateway, bordering Murrysville and the most diverse of these districts, is where one can find substantial numbers of the black upper-middle class.

[IHeartPA]

Originally Posted by tiger4life

Hi All,

Me and my wife are building a home in North Huntington or buying in Murrysville. I am originally from the Pittsburgh area, but I am not sure how diverse the Norwin or Franklin Regional school district are.

Does anyone have any insight on how well received an African-American family will be in those two areas? I know that these two area are not as diverse as Gateway or even Plum. Thanks!

I'd choose Murrysville, but I'm prejudiced...I live in Murrysville. My son (middle-school age) has a close friend who's African American, who also attends Franklin Regional Middle School. This is the only personal experience I've had and obviously we're not racists, but I'd definitely pick Murrysville. Good luck with your decision!

[guylocke]

North Huntington off of the list. It's a country town in western PA!!!

North HuntingDon is a beautiful town that's had a growing population for years and years and years. It's no more country than Murrsyville or Plum in terms of people per capita really. It just doesn't have a big highway cutting through it. The neighborhoods are absolutely gorgeous, lots of new money in some areas.

[zip95]

Originally Posted by guylocke

North HuntingDon is a beautiful town that's had a growing population for years and years and years. It's no more country than Murrsyville or Plum in terms of people per capita really. It just doesn't have a big highway cutting through it. The neighborhoods are absolutely gorgeous, lots of new money in some areas.

I just consulted google maps and you may be right. I thought North Huntingdon was furthur out.

[tiger4life]

I have had a chance to visit North Huntington and Hempfield area over the last few months and haven't seen too much diversity, but I do know that McKeesport and Monroeville are a stone'st throw away.

I don't have children yet, but I was hoping that when I do have kids in that district in 7 or so years, they will be received well.

I was thinking about Murrysville, and I had the prejudice that the people there were not as accepting. My best friends played sports there and were stars in their sports. They had a tough time adjusting to the social aspects of Franklin Regional when it came to socializing with the other students away from the basketball court.

Also when we played them in football, there were racial slurs said to our team during the game. I felt like that was more so, trying to get under our skin, invoke personal fouls than complete racial slur taunting.

I have always like that area though. I agree that with more education and more income, you most likely will be surrounded by those who are not bigots or envious of what you may have. Me and my wife will be in that upper middle socioeconomic class, therefore, I had hopes that either one of those communities would be more open to other races/cultures. We are also having a tough time finding new constuction or homes for sale built 1-4 years.

I was under the impression that Norwin was a very good district. Does it now stack up to Franklin Regional? Thank you all for your insight and help!

[guylocke]

I was under the impression that Norwin was a very good district. Does it now stack up to Franklin Regional? Thank you all for your insight and help!

It is a good school district, but it's 99% white, and no, it's definitely not as strong as Franklin Regional.