Irwin/Hundington Area (Pittsburgh, McKeesport, Greensburg: real estate, crime, houses)

[magyar4321869]

Would like any information about the areas. Thinking of moving there.

[Johnny C]

North Huntingdon is the huge township surrouning the Irwin / White Oak / North Versaillles areas, around 30 miles east of Pittsburgh.

Irwin is the dominant town in the township, and it has some shops / restaurants. The town of Irwin has actually been slowly improving over the years as the growing (and more expensive) North Huntingdon Township has been "lifting" it up.

The township mostly has a suburban feel with many newer homes. The home prices range from the 80's for older houses in the town of Irwin to the 300-500's for new single family places in housing plans. Property taxes are less than in Pittsburgh because the township lies in Westmoreland County. The school district is Norwin, which is generally regarded as a decent school district (no stats here). The population is mostly white middle class (again no stats here).

The area is convienient to the PA turnpike, so getaways to Seven Springs Resort and Ohiopyle are only ~45 min away. Also close by are the Monroeville shopping areas, Greensburg, and even the Waterfront (~15-20 min, depending on what part of the township you live in). There are some strip mall type shopping areas right in North Huntingdon Township, and some decent food.

Downtown Pittsburgh can be reached in ~35 min if there is no traffic or construction.
A commute time downtown during more busy times of the day are anywhere from 45 min to an hour.

Hope this helps!

[hempfield mania]

I live in West Hempfield right on the NHT border and grew up in NHT and went to Norwin. I echo Johnny C's statements. Not many "4 star" places to eat out this way but there are some great "family" type places. Westmoreland mall isn't too bad when comparing it to Monroeville mall. Pittsburgh Mills is only a 20-25 min ride. Waterfront is close as stated. Heck, the Grove City outlets are only a little over an hr away and the same goes for the new Tangier (sp?) outlets near the Meadows.

Some of the better restaurants out this way are Vallozzis (sp), Denunzios, The Nest, Mountain View, Cozumel, and some others thrown in there. Lots of smaller, family style places too. Lots of activities for families in NHT, Hempfield and Penn Trafford areas. I am a rural guy at heart and eventually will own a nice 4 bedroom colonial on 30-50 acres of land out this way!

[magyar4321869]

Thank you ever so much. That was very informative. I have heard stay out of White Oak and Versailes because of problems....maybe drugs or crime but nothing about Irwin or N Huntingdon in general. I too like a bit of country.

[Johnny C]

I would not jump to such broad conclusions that all of North Versailles or White Oak are “bad” or have “problems”. It really depends on where you are in each area.

I would agree that North Huntingdon is a bit less city influenced than North Versailles or White Oak – North Huntingdon has some more rural roots because it borders Hempfield Township.

The lower property taxes that WestmorelandCounty offers is the biggest selling point of the nice houses in North Huntingdon, in my opinion

[magyar4321869]

Again thanks.

[magyar4321869]

How do I go about finding some reasonable prices for 3-5 acres of land where there are no HOAs. I am a Pgh native but family originated in Duquesne Annex and McKeesport. Seems like NH fits my needs but I am currently out west and have much to do to prepare for a home coming. Also how healthy is the Hungarian community in the general area?

[PeterRabbit]

Hungarian community has been discussed recently in another post. Something about three families moving to Pittsburgh. If you look back a few pages you will find it or do a search. I think it ended up that there aren't any Hungarian communities because they assimilate so well. Next they look for Hungarian restaurants which I guess we have a few of. I doubt there would be any where you are planning to move but I could be wrong. I'm sure any around would be mentioned in the thread.

As far as finding reasonably priced 3 - 5 acres in NH I doubt it because it's too desirable of an area. You'd have to go farther east, follow Rt. 30 as that's the main highway. Maybe in Scottdale. I'm not that familiar with the area. You could always email a realtor and inquire and they'd likely know the market for what you want which would give you a better sense of direction and location.

[Johnny C]

^agreed - 3-5 acres of land in NH would not be cheap. Surrounding areas like Hermanie, Hempfield township, Arona may be easier to find land.

[guylocke]

I think North Huntingdon is an absolutely beautiful area of Pittsburgh.

Make sure you realize it's HuntingDon and not HuntingTon. Some people claim they can never find a like about "North Huntington" such as on real estate websites etc but that's because they are spelling it wrong.