Best neighborhoods for a mixed ethnicity family in Pittsburgh, PA? (Carnegie: 2013, houses)

[DrSnob]

I may have a job opportunity at Carnegie Mellon and am curious what are the best neighborhoods for a liberal, mixed ethnicity (Latina and Asian) family. We are open to public or private schools for our child (elementary school age) and care about a safe neighborhood that will be welcoming to us as people who aren't natives to the area (ideally with a bit of a yard but keep in mind that a tiny yard in PA is probably huge compared to what we are used to). Budget isn't really an issue and we aren't afraid of a commute if necessary. The last time my husband or I were in the area was 20+ years ago. It seems like Pittsburgh has changed a lot in the last decade or so and we love our experience of Pittsburgh as a place that values education without being elitist. We are California natives but have lived all over the country. I can look up stats online but I would like to know the general vibe in various parts of Pittsburgh. Thanks for any help!

[RogersParkTransplant]

Hi, I'm on the humanities faculty at Pitt and from California originally, though we have mostly lived in New England and Chicago before coming here in 2013.

The city as a whole is pretty liberal, honestly, and while there are some racial tensions it's overall pretty diverse. I wouldn't worry about safety or anything like that. Traditionally the Pitt/CMU types have mostly lived in Oakland, Squirrel Hill, Shadyside and Point Breeze. More recently these areas have gotten expensive enough that a lot of people have moved to Friendship, Morningside, and Highland Park. Greenfield is also great; the homes are a little more modest but it's a wonderful community. In the past few years areas like the Mexican War Streets, Manchester, Allegheny West, and Deutschtown have also become extremely popular on the North side, which was a dicey area a few decades ago but is now increasingly full of young families.

Also -- if you want to have good access to Latinx food -- I think Beechview might be an area to check out? But others will comment on the whole South side; it's a neat area but I don't know it all that well myself. One thing we like about the North side is that it's easy to reach the Strip district from here; they have great ethnic grocery stores including Asian and Mexican foods, and cool restaurants etc.

All of these areas are pretty walkable and kid-friendly, and the bus lines are good enough that commuting by public transportation is easy (you can check the routes on Google maps). The Pittsburgh Public Schools have a mixed reputation but there are a lot of loyal PPS parents who work at Pitt. There are also several good private options, and Pittsburgh has some pretty strong Catholic schools too if that would work for you.

[Salmonburgher]

I can second the above post.

My Chinese wife and I (white guy) lived on the North Side for a few years and my wife enjoyed our time there. Our boy is living in our old house now while attending Pitt and he has had no problems.

[eschaton]

If cost is no issue, and you're looking to work at CMU, there's no reason to not live in Squirrel Hill or Shadyside. It's a diverse area (for Pittsburgh), safe, has a great public K-8 neighborhood school, and is a quick bus ride (or even walk) from the campus. Plenty of houses with yards if you're willing to spend the money as well.

There's really not much of a Latino community in Pittsburgh, but much of what is there is associated with the universities (there's also a more working-class Mexican community in the south of the city, but it's small by West Coast standards). The Asian community is much larger, and focused in the areas that I mentioned around Squirrel Hill and Shadyside.

[szug-bot]

I really think you should consider Friendship/eastern Bloomfield (where the homes are not cramped, like on Evaline Street).

Another newcomer! Welcome!

[RogersParkTransplant]

Originally Posted by szug-bot

I really think you should consider Friendship/eastern Bloomfield (where the homes are not cramped, like on Evaline Street).

Another newcomer! Welcome!

Yes -- we really like the Northside, but before we found our house we looked really closely at Friendship and Morningside, and that's where most of my coworkers with kids live. Squirrel Hill and Shadyside are also popular, but harder to pull off on a Pitt salary these days, and we really wanted a big brick house with lots of space.

[slamont61]

Can't get past the OP's username.


Squirrel Hill or Shadyside would be a good start. Since they've been here before they should have an idea of what they like.

[RogersParkTransplant]

Originally Posted by slamont61

Can't get past the OP's username.

Yeah...I keep wanting to make wisecracks about Pitt vs CMU, because CMU has all the money...

[robrobrob]

Originally Posted by RogersParkTransplant

Hi, I'm on the humanities faculty at Pitt and from California originally, though we have mostly lived in New England and Chicago before coming here in 2013.

The city as a whole is pretty liberal, honestly, and while there are some racial tensions it's overall pretty diverse. I wouldn't worry about safety or anything like that. Traditionally the Pitt/CMU types have mostly lived in Oakland, Squirrel Hill, Shadyside and Point Breeze. More recently these areas have gotten expensive enough that a lot of people have moved to Friendship, Morningside, and Highland Park. Greenfield is also great; the homes are a little more modest but it's a wonderful community. In the past few years areas like the Mexican War Streets, Manchester, Allegheny West, and Deutschtown have also become extremely popular on the North side, which was a dicey area a few decades ago but is now increasingly full of young families.

Also -- if you want to have good access to Latinx food -- I think Beechview might be an area to check out? But others will comment on the whole South side; it's a neat area but I don't know it all that well myself. One thing we like about the North side is that it's easy to reach the Strip district from here; they have great ethnic grocery stores including Asian and Mexican foods, and cool restaurants etc.

All of these areas are pretty walkable and kid-friendly, and the bus lines are good enough that commuting by public transportation is easy (you can check the routes on Google maps). The Pittsburgh Public Schools have a mixed reputation but there are a lot of loyal PPS parents who work at Pitt. There are also several good private options, and Pittsburgh has some pretty strong Catholic schools too if that would work for you.

Some academics even live in the burbs. Our little housing plan has quite a few academics. On my street alone, we have two Pitt professors (different families), two CMU professors (different families), a CMU scientist, a Pitt Med School Professor and two IUP professors (a couple). And we only have about 20 houses on my street.

[Paul2421]

Originally Posted by robrobrob

Some academics even live in the burbs. Our little housing plan has quite a few academics. On my street alone, we have two Pitt professors (different families), two CMU professors (different families), a CMU scientist, a Pitt Med School Professor and two IUP professors (a couple). And we only have about 20 houses on my street.

i imagine most professors can't afford 500k houses.