Churchill Valley Section of Penn Hills (Wilkinsburg, Monroe: best neighborhoods, for sale, apartment)

[PGHLADY]

Hello all, I've read some of the posts listed regarding penn hills. I was born and raised in the hill district and have rented an apartment in monroeville since I left home. Now, I am looking to buy a home for 100k or less so some areas are out of the question (oakmont, plum, etc...). I was considering a home in the penn hills area as they are reasonably priced. I realize that there are some bad areas of penn hills. The property that I am considering is located on Clemantis which is located off of Long Road in Churchill Valley. I was hoping that someone can shed some light regarding if this home is in a safe area of penn hills. Remember, I was born and raised in the hill district which has one of the highest crime rates in the city and penn hills is no comparison to that so I am definitely not afraid ,but I don't need crime right on my doorstep either. Any help you can give me is greatly appreciated. Thanks

[PennHillsNative80]

You will love living on Clemantis Drive. That street is in the neighborhood of Frankstown Estates, and all of the streets & homes have been excellently maintained. That is in a very good section of Penn Hills - probably one of the best. I believe they have a neighborhood civic club in which all of the residents see to it that the neighborhood is taken care of, and code violation is not tolerated. I also believe that they hold neighborhood functions that you could get involved with if you should choose to do so. That neighborhood is very safe. What is also nice is that Frankstown Estates is very close to the Penn Hills shopping center. Frankstown Estates and Crescent Hills are the probably the two best neighborhoods to live in Penn Hills.

[PGHLADY]

Thanks so much for your insight. I feel a lot more confident with my decision.

[PennHillsNative80]

You're moving to one of the best areas of Penn Hills. You will love it. If I were to return to Penn Hills, Frankstown Estates or Crescent Hills would be the neighborhoods I would seek to move to. The only thing you need to be aware of are the school taxes. They are high. However, it's a tradeoff. You get a very nice home at a very reasonable price, but have higher taxes. If you were in Monroeville or Murrysville, you'd get a nice home at a higher price, but would have lower taxes. I personally would rather have a lower mortgage. You can go to Moderator cut: linking to competitors sites is not allowed and type in the address of your potential house and find out what the estimated taxes are. You could also maybe call the tax offices in Penn Hills to get a guestimate as to what the school taxes are on your potential home.

Congratulations on your first home!

[Bobita]

I apologize I come here with a question, rather then an answer, but I would like to get an opinion on how is Long Road neighborhood more towars Beulah Road. I started a thread "Penn Hills, again" and I received good answers, but I would like PennHillsNative80's insight on this. The propery I am interested into is on Long Road across from Churchill Valley Golf Club.

Thanks a lot!

[PennHillsNative80]

Originally Posted by Bobita

I apologize I come here with a question, rather then an answer, but I would like to get an opinion on how is Long Road neighborhood more towars Beulah Road. I started a thread "Penn Hills, again" and I received good answers, but I would like PennHillsNative80's insight on this. The propery I am interested into is on Long Road across from Churchill Valley Golf Club.

Thanks a lot!

That area of Penn Hills is fine too. You're right next to Churchill which is a very good area, and you are right near Blackridge, which is a very good area too. Long Road is a convenient area to live as you can easily access the Parkway, and Route 22. I do have two concerns though.

My first concern is that Long Road can be a very busy road. It's one of the main arteries that leads up to Penn Hills, and traffic can be heavy at times. I think that would effect the resale value of the house as there are so many homes for sale in Penn Hills on quiet, residential streets that would list at the same, or less than what your home might list for. It might not be a good location to live in if you have children. I would worry about them playing near the street.

The other thing that I would worry about is that although the property is right next to Blackridge and Churchill (good areas), Blackridge and Churchill border Wilkinsburg. Wilkinsburg is very bad and it doesn't appear to be getting better as time goes by, although they are trying. If the crime from Wilkinsburg starts to spread east (which it was doing when I lived in Penn Hills) it will affect Churchill and Blackridge, which in return will affect the area of Penn Hills where your house is. I really don't see that happening in the near future, but it is something to keep in the back of your mind.

Blackridge is a unique development that is split in thirds. One third of it is in Wilkinsburg, the other third in Churchill, and the last third in Penn Hills. The Wilkinsburg section of Blackridge is very nice, but if you go one block out of the neighborhood towards Wilkinsburg Proper, you can immediately see the decline. Blackridge is encompassed by Graham Blvd, Beulah Road, William Penn Hghwy (Route 22), and Laketon Road. I think I got that all right. I might be off by a block or two.

If you do have a family with small children, I would recommend other areas of Penn Hills to live in. That area of Long Road where your house is really doesn't belong to a neighborhood. It is kind of isolated and your children might not like living around no one. However if you don't have children, it just might be what you are looking for. I currently live in a neighborhood development, and although I like living around people and have friends that live close by, I do have some neighbors that drive me bonkers at times.

As you've probably gathered from my other response, Frankstown Estates, and Crescent Hills are probably the best areas in Penn Hills to live in. I would highly recommend looking at homes in those neighborhoods. Those areas will retain their value.

I hope this helps! If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to contact me.

[Bobita]

PennHillsNative80, great complete answer! Thank you so much. There are so many houses out there, it is very, very difficult to pick the right one in the right area. Especially, when I do it using almost exclusively the internet. I appreciate you offering to help with answers to any other questions about Penn Hills and the neighborhoods around it.

[wakefield]

I have lived in the Frankstown Estates area of Penn Hills for 10 years now (Datura Dr) and can tell you I have been very happy here. I could not ask for better neighbors and I have never feared for my safety. I do have a few neighbors that really push the limits on code violations (junk cars, some messy yards) but in the big picture it's minor. The important things (peace and quiet, safety) are there.