A couple of upcoming Pitt grads looking for a neighborhood to call their own! (Pittsburgh: fit in, apartments)

[grt3]

Greetings!

My girlfriend and I are both graduating from the University of Pittsburgh this April. I've been living in Oakland for the last few years and we both grew up in Greensburg. She's actually living in Jeannette right now - she commutes to the Pitt campus in Greensburg.

We're looking into getting a place together somewhere around Pittsburgh. I work in the Robinson area and she'll be attending graduate school in Monroeville. First, we're looking for a place that's approximately in the middle of the two so we can make the commute as short as possible for both of us.

I'm not sure exactly what I'm looking for - probably either an apartment or a nice townhouse. We're both in our early 20s so I'd like to be in a lively town with things to do, but at the same time not as crazy (and sometimes dangerous) as it is here in Oakland. It would be nice to be able to be in walking distance of shops and whatnot. Money is a concern, but not a big one. I'd like to think we can afford a pretty nice place.

I really don't know much about the many neighborhoods of Pittsburgh, so I'm hoping you guys can help me out!

Here's a map of where I work and where she'll be going to school:



Thanks so much! I've been reading threads here all morning - this is a great forum!

[gameguy56]

Just by eyeballing it, you might want to look at Squirrel Hill

[velcro21]

You could look at somewhere on the Southside...you each have a tunnel to go through but you are against the flow of traffic in the morning so it won't be too bad. Squirrel Hill, Greenfield...you could also look at some places right around the Ft. Pitt tunnel like Beechview or Greentree.
Southside would have lots to do and most things are in walking distance...

[BrianTH]

From a commuting perspective, I think you would want to look at places along the Parkway between the Fort Pitt and Squirrel Hill tunnels. That is because on either side of one of the tunnels, someone might have to fight traffic during commuting times.

Others have already mentioned two notable possibilities if you want to be within walking distance of shops and restaurants: the South Side and Squirrel Hill. Oakland would actually be a third possibility, but you have already expressed a preference for something different.

Along those lines, it might be helpful if you clarified what you meant when you called Oakland "crazy". Just to give an example, if you meant something like a lot of college-aged people hitting the bars on weekend nights for some serious partying, then I might suggest Squirrel Hill could be a bit more what you are looking for than the South Side.

[pldrake]

Regent Square is another neighborhood to consider that's just outside the city, with an interesting main streets, a good movie theater, and easy access to the Parkway East.

[grt3]

First off, I'd like to thank each of you for kindly replying!

Originally Posted by gameguy56

Just by eyeballing it, you might want to look at Squirrel Hill

Geographically, that's about right in the middle I think. As far as commute times go, however, Squirrel Hill seems to be about twice as close to Monroeville. I figured out that the Mt. Washington area is about dead center, at about 20-25 minutes each. That's not to say that I'm ruling out Squirrel Hill, though. My main concern is that it seems like the demographic is older than what I'd like. I don't plan on having kids for quite some time, so I'm not taking that into consideration.

Originally Posted by velcro21

You could look at somewhere on the Southside...you each have a tunnel to go through but you are against the flow of traffic in the morning so it won't be too bad. Squirrel Hill, Greenfield...you could also look at some places right around the Ft. Pitt tunnel like Beechview or Greentree.
Southside would have lots to do and most things are in walking distance...

Do you think Greentree or Beechview would be something that would fit what I'm looking for? I know a little about Greentree, but next to nothing about Beechview.

Originally Posted by BrianTH

From a commuting perspective, I think you would want to look at places along the Parkway between the Fort Pitt and Squirrel Hill tunnels. That is because on either side of one of the tunnels, someone might have to fight traffic during commuting times.

Others have already mentioned two notable possibilities if you want to be within walking distance of shops and restaurants: the South Side and Squirrel Hill. Oakland would actually be a third possibility, but you have already expressed a preference for something different.

Along those lines, it might be helpful if you clarified what you meant when you called Oakland "crazy". Just to give an example, if you meant something like a lot of college-aged people hitting the bars on weekend nights for some serious partying, then I might suggest Squirrel Hill could be a bit more what you are looking for than the South Side.

You're definitely right about the tunnels. Ideally, we would live between the tunnels as to avoid one of us having to go through major traffic. The South Side is something I haven't really considered. Is it a safe area? I know there is plenty going on there, but will the E. Carson St. traffic be enough to drive me insane?

When I say crazy, I'm just referring to the fact that it's a college town with people wondering the streets at all hours of the night making noise and being obnoxious. Also, my car was broken into and my friend was just mugged the other day. I'd like to avoid as much of that sort of thing as possible.

Now, Squirrel Hill seems to be a popular suggestion. With that said, what does everyone think of Shadyside? I love the atmosphere and the fact that there always seems to be something going on. I know Friendship is near there, but is it worth a look?

Originally Posted by pldrake

Regent Square is another neighborhood to consider that's just outside the city, with an interesting main streets, a good movie theater, and easy access to the Parkway East.

And finally, I see a lot of threads about Regent Square. I would love to live right near a park, so that would be great. However, correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't I have to travel through both tunnels to get to Robinson? Looking at the map, I don't see anyway to avoid that.



Again, thanks to all of you for your input. It's worth so much to me.

[mister brewski]

South Side would probably be similar to Oakland when it comes to craziness.

Dormont is what immediately popped into my head as good place to look at.

[subdivisions]

Originally Posted by grt3

That's not to say that I'm ruling out Squirrel Hill, though. My main concern is that it seems like the demographic is older than what I'd like. I don't plan on having kids for quite some time, so I'm not taking that into consideration.

Do you think Greentree or Beechview would be something that would fit what I'm looking for? I know a little about Greentree, but next to nothing about Beechview.

And finally, I see a lot of threads about Regent Square. I would love to live right near a park, so that would be great. However, correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't I have to travel through both tunnels to get to Robinson? Looking at the map, I don't see anyway to avoid that.

Re: Squirrel Hill - I wouldn't worry about encountering a tremendous amount of old people in Squirrel Hill. For one thing, there are many grad students and their spouses/friends/etc. living in Squirrel Hill. This demographic is in their mid to late twenties, so you would fit in just fine as a new graduate. There are also off-campus undergrads living in Squirrel Hill, and many young families. It's not a stodgy neighborhood at all. I now live in Point Breeze, but lived in Squirrel Hill when I first moved here (as a late twenty-something) and LOVED it!

Re: Beechview - we looked here when we bought a house, because the prices are cheap. Ironically, we decided to buy in the East End instead precisely because I came to realize that in fact Beechview is a slightly stodgy neighborhood full of old people and their old houses that haven't been updated since 1978. Trust me, if you want to find a hip young neighborhood without a ton of old people, you're much better off in Squirrel Hill than pretty much any of the South Hills neighborhoods (Beechview, Brookline, Mt. Lebanon, Dormont, etc.) Also, you have to commute through TWO tunnels to get to Monroeville from a South Hills neighborhood!

Re: Regent Square - very cool place to live with young students and young families. We would have moved there, but houses are hard to find and a bit out of our price range. To get to Robinson from Regent Square, you either have to go through the Squirrel Hill tunnels or through the middle of Squirrel Hill itself. It wouldn't be my first choice if I were commuting to Robinson, although getting to Monroeville would be a breeze.

In your situation, I think I would try one of the more upscale East End neighborhoods, especially those that have better access to the parkway (Squirrel Hill, North Oakland), or perhaps the South Side Slopes.

Good luck! It's great that you guys are staying around.

[guylocke]

Truthfully? I would live downtown. Would you guys want to rent for a bit? I would definitely look into some of the nice apartments at The Encore, Heinz Lofts, Flats at the Southside Works, E.Carson Commons, and The Cork Factory. There are so many great apartments now and being built in the city limits and southside, etc.

[fleetiebelle]

Re: Beechview - we looked here when we bought a house, because the prices are cheap. Ironically, we decided to buy in the East End instead precisely because I came to realize that in fact Beechview is a slightly stodgy neighborhood full of old people and their old houses that haven't been updated since 1978. Trust me, if you want to find a hip young neighborhood without a ton of old people, you're much better off in Squirrel Hill than pretty much any of the South Hills neighborhoods (Beechview, Brookline, Mt. Lebanon, Dormont, etc.) Also, you have to commute through TWO tunnels to get to Monroeville from a South Hills neighborhood!

I live in Beechview, and while it does have an older population, there are also a lot of younger people and professionals moving in. There's a lot of potential in the neighborhood, and I really think it's going to take off, but it won't unless people move in and help it grow. It's also where many Hispanic immigrants to the city moved. Any questions, let me know.