Is Pitt good for me? (Pittsburgh, Lebanon: fit in, rental, student loans)

[Quijanoth]

Hello everyone!
First post, long time lurker.
My family is considering Pittsburgh for relocation. We're from Northwest Indiana, and I'm in my last year of law school at Valparaiso University (small regional law school, fourth tier nationally, but very well regarded in the midwest), and my wife has been in restaurant management for 10 years. We have two kids, 10 and 4, both ready for middle school school and kindergarden respectively.
We don't live extravagantly (we're not car people or brand name obsessed), and will be saving for the first few years to get together a nice down payment on a house. Our only substantial debts will be my student loans (and calling law student loans "substantial" is probably being kind). Can anyone here comment with personal knowledge about the legal community/retail food management job opportunities, nice rental areas (particularly with good schools), and the other little details we ought to know about the Pittsburgh area? We've heard great things about Sewickley (sp?), but don't know if that's outside of our means. Thanks in advance for your input!

[nuwaver88]

Originally Posted by Quijanoth

Hello everyone!
First post, long time lurker.
My family is considering Pittsburgh for relocation. We're from Northwest Indiana, and I'm in my last year of law school at Valparaiso University (small regional law school, fourth tier nationally, but very well regarded in the midwest), and my wife has been in restaurant management for 10 years. We have two kids, 10 and 4, both ready for middle school school and kindergarden respectively.
We don't live extravagantly (we're not car people or brand name obsessed), and will be saving for the first few years to get together a nice down payment on a house. Our only substantial debts will be my student loans (and calling law student loans "substantial" is probably being kind). Can anyone here comment with personal knowledge about the legal community/retail food management job opportunities, nice rental areas (particularly with good schools), and the other little details we ought to know about the Pittsburgh area? We've heard great things about Sewickley (sp?), but don't know if that's outside of our means. Thanks in advance for your input!

When you say "Not car people" I take that to meaning that you would not mind using public transportation. If that is the case, live in the city, where the public transportation is best. The eastern neighborhoods are a good bet. Not having a car will save you a ton of money for that down payment on a house. Bloomfield is a nice, reasonably priced city neighborhood with charm that is easily acccesible to public transportation that leads to Oakland and Downtown, where there are several law firms. There are surely food service management oppurtunities abounding in Pittsburgh. I do not know what type of restaurant/management type she would be interested in. Shadyside, Squirrel Hill, Regent Square, South Side, parts of North Side are all good bets too. I personally would prefer to live in the East End. You gave us some basics, be we need more info to fine tune your search. The Pittsburgh area is large so we need a bit more criteria.

[southsidefan]

Originally Posted by nuwaver88

When you say "Not car people" I take that to meaning that you would not mind using public transportation. If that is the case, live in the city, where the public transportation is best. The eastern neighborhoods are a good bet. Not having a car will save you a ton of money for that down payment on a house. Bloomfield is a nice, reasonably priced city neighborhood with charm that is easily acccesible to public transportation that leads to Oakland and Downtown, where there are several law firms. There are surely food service management oppurtunities abounding in Pittsburgh. I do not know what type of restaurant/management type she would be interested in. Shadyside, Squirrel Hill, Regent Square, South Side, parts of North Side are all good bets too. I personally would prefer to live in the East End. You gave us some basics, be we need more info to fine tune your search. The Pittsburgh area is large so we need a bit more criteria.

I agree with the above poster regarding the need for more criteria. Bloomfield would be good. It'sdefinitely not a suburban area, but if you are not getting a car, Bloomfield will provide you with easy access to the bus system. There are lots of restaurants throughout Pittsburgh, so there should be some opportunities out there. I recommend looking into Regent Square and Squirrel Hill. Shadyside might be a little pricey but is also less urban and more suburban feeling. I recommend visiting Pittsburgh if you get a chance, because each neighborhood has its own distinct feel and flavor that you will only understand if you visit. Also, just so you know, when you say "Pitt" people think you are referring to the University of Pittsburgh, which is widely known as Pitt. Nobody abbreviates Pittsburgh by saying "Pitt". That causes too much confusion since Pitt is synonymous with saying University of Pittsburgh.

[slamont61]

You sound like the type of family that will fit in well in Mt Lebanon. Young, educated and with childeren that will greatly benefit from a superior School District. Mt Lebanon is advanced in many ways achedemically. The community is located on the Light Rail system making it an easy run into the City. There are places too where the wife can work. Mt Lebanon is located south of the city.