Where to Live Around Pittsburgh if You're Jewish (Penn Hills, York: middle-class, low crime)

[Custom Draper]

My husband and I may relocate to the Pittsburgh area, and likely near Mars. We are a mixed Christian/Jewish household but I'm raising my kids Jewish and I don't want to be the only one in town!

Can anyone suggest some diverse areas?

[ontheroad]

In Pittsburgh, itself, there are many Jewish families in Squirrel Hill. However, I recently learned that although the community is large it is basically Conservative. No presence of a Reformed or Reconstructionist Temple.

Originally Posted by Custom Draper

My husband and I may relocate to the Pittsburgh area, and likely near Mars. We are a mixed Christian/Jewish household but I'm raising my kids Jewish and I don't want to be the only one in town!

Can anyone suggest some diverse areas?

[PghREA]

Anywhere is fine. My SIL is Jewish, her DH is Catholic and they live in Penn Hills. Squirrel Hill has the most Synagogues but there are Synagogues is almost every surburban area. I live in the North Hills area and we have 3.

For the Mars area - Sewickley, Ambridge, Butler and Allison Park are close.

http://yp.yahoo.com/py/ypResults.py?...hVZrcd3vEjN7W5

[Lookingforasafehome]

There are mixed religions everywhere and races, if your nice to people they will then in return be nice back (common notion here) PGH is very diverse and friendly, and kind to all people of all faiths!

[ontheroad]

There are many options for people of the Jewish faith. Squirrel Hill is identified with a large Jewish population, but it is not the single place to live.

Also Jewish people come in all flavours and as I stated above, only conservative Jewish temples are available in Squirrel Hill. There is no house of worship for those that identiify as Reformed or seek services on high holy days.

Originally Posted by kat

Squirrel Hill is the place if you are Jewish!

[Hopes]

Squirrel Hill isn't the only neighborhood that has a high concentration of jewish families. Fox Chapel, Upper St. Clair and Sewickley also have a significant number of jewish families. I know there are plenty of Jewish families in the Cranberry area too so I'm sure the upscale developments in Mars also have similar religious demographics.

Basically, any township with a higher percentage of wealth will have a higher percentage of jewish families. That's just a fact. But there are also Jewish families in other townships too.

If you only go to religious services a couple times a year, like most of my Jewish friends, then it really doesn't matter where you live. You should try to pick a place that is a reasonable drive to Hebrew school though.

Don't even consider living in Squirrel Hill unless you can afford to send ALL of your children to private school. The cost of the likes of Shadyside Academy and Winchester-Thurston is over 10k for KINDERGARTEN and it increases throughout grade school to high school being near or over 20k these days. Plus, Squirrel Hill is so predominantly Jewish that you might not be as comfortable since you're a mixed religion family even though you're raising your children Jewish.

[Evergrey]

Taylor Allderdice, the Pittsburgh Public High School that Squirrel Hill feeds to, is ranked in the Top 1/3rd of Public High Schools in Pennsylvania. Perhaps it doesn't compare to the schools located in the soulless suburban dystopia of the North Hills, but it's still a very good school... and certainly provides a child with a more diverse environment than the schools in Pine, Wexford or Allison Park.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by Evergrey

Taylor Allderdice, the Pittsburgh Public High School that Squirrel Hill feeds to, is ranked in the Top 1/3rd of Public High Schools in Pennsylvania. Perhaps it doesn't compare to the schools located in the soulless suburban dystopia of the North Hills, but it's still a very good school... and certainly provides a child with a more diverse environment than the schools in Pine, Wexford or Allison Park.

Allderdice ranks at 318 out of 693 high schools in Pennsylvania. That's not in the top 1/3.

Mount Lebanon ranks 6th (which, by the way, has a large Jewish population)

Hampton ranks 40th

Bethel Park ranks 52nd

North Hills ranks 55th

Fox Chapel ranks 75th

Pine Richland ranks 80th

North Allegheny ranks 100th

And Mars area, where the OP is interested in moving, ranks 189th

Diversity isn't always good if it comes with a higher violent crime rate. Let's face it, Squirrel Hill is a stone's throw away from Homewood where drive by shootings are common. Allderdice is just 10 blocks away from Homewood. Plus, Allderdice is just the high school. They'll still have to worry about where to send their children from K-12. The Allderdice students who are from relatively affluent families generally attend Winchester or Shadyside from K-8 prior to their transfer to Allderdice for 9-12.




(2001 data) http://www.psk12.com/rating/USthreeR...0_start_1.html

[subdivisions]

Originally Posted by Hopes

Let's face it, Squirrel Hill is a stone's throw away from Homewood where drive by shootings are common. Allderdice is just 10 blocks away from Homewood.

Please stop implying that Squirrel Hill is a bastion of rampant crime. Probably too much personal info for the internets, but I can see Taylor Allderdice from my living room window. We've never, ever, EVER had anything close to a drive-by shooting here, or any other major crime. My neighbors are primarily middle-class Jewish families, and their children safely play outside in the yard every afternoon. My other neighbors are graduate students attending CMU and Pitt. The only annoying thing that drives by my house is the city bus. The only crime I've ever experienced while living here is a dent in my front fender from one of my neighbors backing into my car on a snowy day.

The crime rate in this neighborhood is one of the lowest in metro Pittsburgh. Further, the neighborhood between here and Homewood, Point Breeze, also has an extremely low crime rate, implying that wherever Homewood gang members go, it isn't in this direction. If you don't believe me, check the stats I've posted several times already. Wherever gang members from Homewood hang out, it is not within a 6 block radius of Taylor Allderdice high school. My guess: they hang out in Homewood. Those 10 blocks between here and Homewood equate to almost 2 miles in real terms, and a massive gulf in socio-economic terms. Please, please stop implying that Squirrel Hill is filled with cruising vicious gang members. It's simply not true. Squirrel Hill is a very nice neighborhood.

[ontheroad]

So much of this debate, if it is that, is our individual knowledge base and surmise.

I find Squirrel Hill mild in comparison to many communities in the US but perhaps it is because I grew up in New York City. And, in New York, like Pittsburgh neighbourhoods merge, but it is rare that they share the some territory.

But the perception of non-urban dwellers in this forum is that the only place to live is in the suburbs.

I don't think we'll agree, but I would appreciate it if the ra-ra suburb folks would recognize the differing points of view and respect them!