Neighbourhood Advice? (Pittsburgh, Lebanon, Washington: low crime, Home Depot, employment)

[RogersParkTransplant]

You might be interested in the Northside, and specifically the Parkview apartments at Allegheny Center. We stayed there when we first came to Pittsburgh, and it was nice being so close to downtown. This area is gentrifying rapidly, and these apartments have recently been renovated. There are many cultural amenities within walking distance, like the Warhol Museum, some contemporary art spaces, and the extraordinary City of Asylum that is opening a new cafe and bookstore as well as performance space on North Avenue. Some pockets are still gritty but the area is safe and pleasant overall, with new people coming in and restoring historic homes every year. There are multiple coffee shops, a lovely used bookstore and restaurants within easy walking distance, and yet the area isn't too crowded. There's a sweet farmer's market right there in the summers.

About Downtown, it's a mix. I like Market Square and the cultural district a lot; in general there are nice shops and restaurants but it gets pretty quiet after 7pm. Not sure what the best comparison would be, because it's changing fast and there seems to be more going on every year.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by robrobrob

To me the South Side, minus the South Side Works, is really just a huge strip of bars. I will defer to you about Lawrenceville but it seems as if it is becoming a strip of bars.

I'm sure one of our local South Side experts will chime in, but there's still a lot besides bars. Click through the directory to explore.

Lawrenceville is right out as an option I think. Too few rental units (since it's rowhouse dominated) and the rental units available are outside of the OP's price range.

Originally Posted by robrobrob

I think someone older and doesn't care about nightlife who wants a walkable neighborhood would love Squirrel Hill or Shadyside. With Shadyside you can even include parts of Friendship if you don't mind a further walk. For me Friendship would be too far but for others that might be "walkable."

The problem I have with Friendship is most of the rental units are run-down ratty places in subdivided old Victorian houses. I'm guessing the OP is probably a decade past wanting to live in a place like that. It would be a great idea if the OP was looking to buy an old house and had $$$ to spend, but I don't think it would be exactly what they were looking for.

Originally Posted by robrobrob

In the burbs. Oakmont and Sewickley also have nice business districts. Downside to Oakmont is that it is on a hill.

I'm hesitant to suggest the burbs because we have no idea where the OP and their partner will find jobs. What if they move to Sewickley and get a job in Whitehall? or move to Oakmont and get a job by the airport? Living in the city ensures even if they do need to commute to the suburbs they won't have an especially long commute in any direction.

[gg]

Originally Posted by eschaton

Squirrel Hill is hardly hip these days, but it's probably has the most functional neighborhood business district in the city. It's the only place in the city where there's a movie theater and a grocery store two blocks apart for example. The only thing it's really lacking in is nightlife (which the OP said they don't care about) and dining options if you want something besides Asian food, pizza, or a kosher restaurant.

I guess Squirrel Hill just feels isolated to me and so far out if you are going to pay the extra wage tax and such, but the business district is pretty nice and large. Shadyside has the busway right there and feels so much closer due to that. I rarely get to Squirrel Hill anymore because the rest of the East End has grown in a better direction and hopefully that trend will continue. After thinking about it a bit more, Squirrel Hill is certainly a place to look into. I would forget the Southside though.

[eschaton]

Originally Posted by gg

I guess Squirrel Hill just feels isolated to me and so far out if you are going to pay the extra wage tax and such, but the business district is pretty nice and large. Shadyside has the busway right there and feels so much closer due to that. I rarely get to Squirrel Hill anymore because the rest of the East End has grown in a better direction and hopefully that trend will continue. After thinking about it a bit more, Squirrel Hill is certainly a place to look into. I would forget the Southside though.

I totally know what you mean. Most of the other East End business districts blend in with one another to some degree, but between Schenley Park and the big area dominated by rich people's houses between Fifth and Forbes Squirrel Hill is geographically isolated. I was just there the other week with my wife because we were seeing a movie at the Manor Theatre, but it was my first time there in ages.

I often say that Squirrel Hill is Pittsburgh's largest neighborhood business district. There are other business districts which are equally impressive (Carson Street, Butler, and Shadyside's three taken together) but these thrive on a mixture of local residents and destination shopping/nightlife. As the rest of the city has improved, Squirrel Hill has lost any cache as a destination for people outside the neighborhood. That said, it's just so big and dense that there's still plenty of people who use the local businesses.

[stremba]

Originally Posted by eschaton

I'm sure our local Polish Hill resident will chime in, but my two cents are the neighborhood has a lot of character, but might not be what you're looking for. It's old and urban, but only has a few walkable amenities (a dell/mini mart, a coffeeshop which serves brunch on Sundays, record store, comic shop, and three bars - some of which have local music. The "scene" up there tends to be youngish with a lot of punks. It's not really a rowdy place overall though.



Aspinwall and Bellvue aren't that close together. My mom lives in Aspinwall, it's basically and old-style streetcar suburb which has a fairly decent business district (or rather, two small ones which are pretty close together). Bellevue is also walkable, but it's a much more downscale area - I'm not sure I understand the recommendation. I'd consider it if I were a homeowner banking on the area eventually appreciating in value, but not to rent for a year.



Downtown Pittsburgh is fairly unique for an American city of its size because very little of it was demolished to make way for surface parking. It's still mostly a "working" downtown, but there are a lot of theaters downtown, an increasing number of hotels, and a pretty thriving bar and restaurant scene. Not really high-end shopping though - you need to go elsewhere for that.



Student slum is mostly in Oakland. South Oakland is mainly University of Pitsburgh (Pitt) undergrads, and I wouldn't suggest anyone over 30 live there. North Oakland is more graduate student heavy and has lots of mid-century apartment buildings - but also a strangely high proportion of elderly people in condos. There's a large student contingent in parts of Shadyside, Friendship, and Squirrel Hill, but this tends to be more graduate students and/or those who attend Carnegie Mellon University. A lot of these students are international, which has really changed the character of some of the neighborhoods (e.g., Squirrel Hill has tons of Asian food because a large proportion of the renters are now Asian students). They really aren't rowdy areas at all, but given students have much lower expectations on apartments, you can find some landlords who cater to the student slum demographic.

I am thinking the OP meant Avalon rather than Aspinwall in this context, especially given that he mentioned west of town. Both of those are worth looking into for OP. They are both inner ring, urban suburbs with a fair degree of walkability. OP might also want to consider other places in the west, such as Carnegie, Crafton or Ingram. All are fairly walkable and might suit him well.

[Mtl-Cns]

Originally Posted by eschaton

. As the rest of the city has improved, Squirrel Hill has lost any cache as a destination for people outside the neighborhood. That said, it's just so big and dense that there's still plenty of people who use the local businesses.

I do know what you're saying but as a Lawrenceville resident I have to say the 64 is a pretty slick way to get to Squirrel Hill and I do head there for the Manor, Mineo's, Jerry's records, Everyday Noodles and Chengdu.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by eschaton

I'm sure our local Polish Hill resident will chime in...

Originally Posted by eschaton

...but my two cents are the neighborhood has a lot of character, but might not be what you're looking for. It's old and urban, but only has a few walkable amenities (a dell/mini mart, a coffeeshop which serves brunch on Sundays, record store, comic shop, and three bars - some of which have local music. The "scene" up there tends to be youngish with a lot of punks. It's not really a rowdy place overall though.

^ Very accurate.

I tend to oversell Polish Hill because I walk much more than most Americans. I walk to my office on the far side of Downtown, and it takes me 40-45 minutes. I walk to the Strip District, Lawrenceville, and Bloomfield in 20-25 minutes. To me if it's within a 3-mile radius, then it's "walkable". I realize most would consider "walkable" to be < 1/2-mile radius, though, in which case Polish Hill isn't walkable. There's also the issue that the neighborhood is set on a steep hillside, so you have to be part mountain goat to live here.

Our local businesses ARE nice, though. Lili Coffeeshop has some great beverages and foods. Alfred's Market & Deli has very tasty and reasonably-priced sandwiches and numerous daily essential items for sale (including pierogies!)

[crae09]

I vote for Regent Sq. Also maybe Im lost but im unsure how anyone considers Bridgeville walkable for groceries and coffee visits.

[lprmesia]

1. Squirrel Hill
2. Shadyside
3. East Liberty/Highland Park
4. Lawrenceville/Bloomfield/Friendship
5. Point Breeze/Regent Square

I also second avoiding South Side as it might be a bit too noisy/drunk despite having a very complete business district and good proximity to job centers (Downtown & Oakland).

Seems odd only recommending East End neighborhoods, but these seem to be the best fit for your criteria.

[robrobrob]

Originally Posted by eschaton

I'm sure one of our local South Side experts will chime in, but there's still a lot besides bars. Click through the directory to explore.

I guess I should have said bars/restaurants. Ignoring the South Side Works, there isn't a lot of retail.

We, a family of 4, have never had a need to go to the South Side with the exception of the South Side Works. We do frequently Shadyside on a much more regular basis.