Deutschtown/MWS vs Southside vs Mt Washington

[Geeo]

I lived in Deutschtown (Avery St.) from 1986 to 1999 and loved it. The house was a three-story row house that had foot-thick walls that couldn't be replicated today. It had been rehabbed before we bought it. The North Side was originally a separate city called Allegheny until 1907 and was a prosperous area of business owners and industrialists and had grander housing than the more working class areas like South Side or Lawrenceville.

The neighborhood back then was not as far along as it is now, but we had the old timers on the street who knew everything that went on, and young people who had moved to the area from other cities, so it was a nice mix. There is a vibrant neighborhood association that has been instrumental in the improvements and maintaining the historical character of the neighborhood.

Since I moved, they have built a lot of infill housing in the vacant lots and the neighborhood has come a long way. On-street parking was not a problem - we all knew where we should be parking. The only parking problems we had were on Steeler game days when suburbanites would get off the 279 exit ramp and park in the neighborhood to avoid paying for parking at the stadium.

For walking, it can't be beat. You can walk to downtown in 15 minutes. Decent business district, the park is right there, and highway access is nearby. Since you're in the center of town, it's easy to get to other parts of town.

[svband76]

Nice thing about Pittsburgh is you can walk or bike to/from all of the above neighborhoods if you are relatively healthy. McCardle Rd is fun. Just watch for landslides

[Goodjules]

Originally Posted by gladhands

Of the neighborhoods listed, I would only live in Deutschtown and MWS. Beautiful housing stock, great location, cultural institutions and rapidly gentrifying. If you plan on buying, Northside property values are soaring. Mt Washington has pretty shabby housing, once you get away from the million dollar homes on Grandview. Southside has all the cons of living in a nightlife destination, without actually offering interesting nightlife. Appears to be trending down.

Agreed.

[Goodjules]

Originally Posted by hans19

Thank you all so much for your input and insight. It is exactly the type of information I was looking. The houses in each neighborhood are roughly of equal price and quality, some bigger than others. We were leaning more towards Deutschtown and reading comments here is affirming. It is indeed west of the highway. We live in Oakland, CA so we are now somewhat jaded towards crime and dodgy areas but remain vigilant. When visiting, we plan to park our car at the potential house and map out the business district/shops and walk. Thanks again!

I moved to Pittsburgh from San Francisco in Dec 2012. I think you'll like it. I'm happy with my decision to put down roots here.