Help for Young Family?

[Becca's on the lookout]

We live in Irwin/North Huntingdon right now and I have nothing but high recommendations.

My husband and I did a TON of research before we moved. Our choice was ultimately based on school districts and county. Irwin is essentially the midpoint between Monroeville and Greensburg.

We're serviced by Norwin school district and live in Westmoreland county. The taxes are DRAMATICALLY lower in Westmoreland and the other counties surrounding Allegheny.

I also stay at home and from what you've listed as your requirements, I think NH would be both affordable and definitely worth a look concerning school districts and safety.

From our personal experience, Norwin is a fabulous school district. The families and faculty are very involved with the students and there's almost an overabundance of extracurricular activities and community events for the kiddos, many of them free. (The public park system hosted free outdoor movie nights in the local parks and playgrounds all summer long.) We came from a pretty depressed area where the school district wasn't exactly "up to par" and we've been both shocked (pleasantly, I might add...) and delighted with Norwin.

There also seems to be much more of a "small town" feel when compared to Monroeville or the other communities closer to the city. Some of NH could even be considered rural...more so the further away from Pittsburgh you go. Greensburg was also high on our list, but we liked the closer proximity to downtown - and the same applied to us...museums, the zoo, the theaters.

I had a list ranking all the school districts in PA. If I can find that list, I'll post it as well.
Good luck in your search!

[Becca's on the lookout]

This is only a partial revised list of both Allegheny and Westmoreland counties. I wish I could have found the entire list with the other areas you asked about.

I posted this on another thread ages ago. It may be a year or so outdated but I would assume there aren't any drastic changes. Hope this helps!

They are ranked as best-performing out of the 498 total school districts in PA.

1 Upper St. Clair Township School District (Allegheny)
3 Mount Lebanon School District (Allegheny)
4 Hampton Township School District (Allegheny)
9 North Allegheny School District (Allegheny)
15 South Fayette Township School District (Allegheny)
17 Franklin Regional School District (Westmoreland)
18 Fox Chapel Area School District (Allegheny)
26 Quaker Valley School District (Allegheny)
27 Pine-Richland School District (Allegheny)
35 Bethel Park School District (Allegheny)
42 West Jefferson Hills School District (Allegheny)
44 Greater Latrobe School District (Westmoreland)
46 Greensburg Salem School District (Westmoreland)
48 North Hills School District (Allegheny)
50 Penn-Trafford School District (Westmoreland)
55 Kiski Area School District (Armstrong, Westmoreland)
58 West Allegheny School District (Allegheny)
60 Moon Area School District (Allegheny)
63 Norwin School District (Westmoreland)
72 Freeport Area School District (Armstrong, Westmoreland)
77 Hempfield Area School District (Westmoreland)
83 Avonworth School District (Allegheny)
97 Brentwood Borough School District (Allegheny)
101 Baldwin-Whitehall School District (Allegheny)
102 Montour School District (Allegheny)
108 South Park School District (Allegheny)
118 Plum Borough School District (Allegheny)
128 Mount Pleasant Area School District (Westmoreland)
136 Burrell School District (Westmoreland)
139 Deer Lakes School District (Allegheny)
140 Allegheny Valley School District (Allegheny)
143 Riverview School District (Allegheny)
145 Chartiers Valley School District (Allegheny)
153 Derry Area School District (Westmoreland)
166 Northgate School District (Allegheny)
173 Gateway School District (Allegheny)
177 Leechburg Area School District (Armstrong, Westmoreland)
187 Ligonier Valley School District (Westmoreland)
200 Shaler Area School District (Allegheny)
205 Belle Vernon Area School District (Fayette, Westmoreland)
208 Carlynton School District (Allegheny)
211 Highlands School District (Allegheny)
221 Elizabeth Forward School District (Allegheny)
222 Jeannette City School District (Westmoreland)
243 Yough School District (Westmoreland)
251 Keystone Oaks School District (Allegheny)
291 Southmoreland School District (Fayette, Westmoreland)
359 New Kensington-Arnold School District (Westmoreland)
405 Monessen City School District (Westmoreland)
417 West Mifflin Area School District (Allegheny)
418 East Allegheny School District (Allegheny)
432 Cornell School District (Allegheny)
440 South Allegheny School District (Allegheny)
441 Steel Valley School District (Allegheny)
464 Penn Hills School District (Allegheny)
470 Pittsburgh Public School District (Allegheny)
474 Woodland Hills School District (Allegheny)
481 McKeesport Area School District (Allegheny)
492 Sto-Rox School District (Allegheny)
493 Duquesne City School District (Allegheny)
495 Clairton City School District (Allegheny)
496 Wilkinsburg Borough School District (Allegheny)

[PeterRabbit]

Courthouse in downtown Greensburg

[roxxy]

Thank you so much. I really, really appreciate the information. Irwin/NH sounds like it may be a great fit. I liked to hear your personal experiences with it, Becca's on the lookout. It sounds like you had very similar prerequisites when you were looking around for a place. The school list is also very helpful, and I appreciate you taking the time to post it. It will certainly help in my research. I want to do my best to make sure the kiddos have the best possible chance for a great education and also lots of things to keep them busy! How do you like the Pittsburgh zoo and museums? Are there nice parks with playgrounds in or near NH? Is it a walkable town? Sorry, I have so many questions!
Nice picture, PeterRabbit. There are some pretty nice historic buildings in PA with cool architecture. At least from that picture the area looks well kept and not run down. That' a good sign!

[robrobrob]

The Pittsburgh area is pretty cheap. There are lots of areas where you can buy a house for 100,000. You might me shocked at where you can find a 100,000 house. However, as others have said taxes vary depending on the school district. If schools are important I would do a real estate search on Howard Hanna based on a specific school district. Even in the better school districts, you can find a house for around 100,000. It may not be your dream house and you may not have many options but gets you in the district. For example there are a few houses in Mt. Lebanon and Bethel Park that are listed for less than 100,000. Also, Sharpsburg in the Fox Chapel School district if very affordable but is very "urban".

[roxxy]

Thanks. That's good to know, and I will certainly do that. It's looking like Pittsburgh may work for us. My DH just needs to find a great job in that area now!

[Becca's on the lookout]

Originally Posted by roxxy

How do you like the Pittsburgh zoo and museums? Are there nice parks with playgrounds in or near NH? Is it a walkable town? Sorry, I have so many questions!

Technically, there were only 3 questions.

And I'll happily answer them all!

Is NH walkable? It depends. North Huntingdon is technically the township. Irwin is the town and has a little "downtown" area with a typical "Main Street." Like someone said before, Rt 30 is the major roadway that runs through the area and connects Irwin/NH to everywhere else. All the major shopping areas are on 30 but the downtown is adorable. The community is really trying to revitalize Irwin. It has a TON of small little mom-n-pop specialty stores. Craft stores, boutiques, it has a local art league that offers children's classes. They also have the main streets lined with speakers and play music throughout the downtown shopping area. Precious, isn't it? Unless you live "in" Irwin, you'll have to drive almost everywhere, and even then, it doesn't include a grocery store.

Parks and playgrounds? Yes. In abundance. They also host community events at the parks and downtown throughout the summer.

And Pittsburgh, itself? We LOVE the Burgh. We try to get into the city as often as possible. The zoo is terrific. It was built on a hill so it's kind of a workout, but worth it. The new polar bear exhibit is also well worth the hype. We love the Children's Museum! The Carnegie museums are also a great day out. The Science Center is spectacular, the Natural History Museum is a blast with the new dinos, the Warhol is a favorite art museum of ours. There's also the Aviary (the only one of its kind...) and the Phipps (gorgeous any time of the year.) Mind you, these are only "major places to go" and don't even include all the events that go on throughout the year.

[roxxy]

Pittsburgh sounds great---exactly what we are looking for. I could really see us enjoying all of what you mentioned. You have been so helpful. Thank you so much!