Is Observatory Hill Safe?

[Hotsaus]

Well I came across this thread via a Google search. I grew up in the city (Lincoln Place), and was looking for a house in the North Hills. To my amazement, I came across a house in view of Observatory Hill. The homes address is 3912 Vinceton Bellevue, PA 15214.

Could someone give me some insight into the area? Is it bad where this house is located? The price seems like a steal, and if nothing is actually wrong with the house. My next thought is I have to dodge bullets in my sleep.

[JayDiFiore]

First off... that house looks very nice (though I agree the low price might be cause for concern, pending a proper inspection).

Second... full disclosure, there was a pretty brutal shooting that started in the park at the end of Vinceton and ended at the intersection of Vinceton, Bascom, and Perrysville Avenue in 2007.

Man 'calmly' shot to death by masked gunman - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

I live in the neighborhood and have been awakened by two drive-by shootings (no one was injured in either).

All that said... I can't say that I live in fear. These acts of violence are by no means random, and the three or four that stick out in my mind have occurred over a period of seven years that I've lived here. A lot of the residents are doing a great job of making Observatory Hill a nice place to live, and I think there's an awful lot more to like about the neighborhood and its perks that outweighs the isolated, targeted, "plane-crash" type incidents that can paint a disproportionately ugly picture.

Good luck with your search.

[ljbryan121]

I live with my husband and 2 children in observatory hill. We bought a large home close to the high school 3yr years ago. I am a mechanical engineer and he is a chef. We have never had any problems with the neighborhood - no break ins, no violence, loud disturbances, and the neighbors are very friendly. The only downsides are that the taxes in Allegheny county are higher and the school district is not great. You do have the option of sending your kids to one of the magnet schools though so you are not stuck with any one school in particular.

[JayDiFiore]

Originally Posted by JayDiFiore

First off... that house looks very nice (though I agree the low price might be cause for concern, pending a proper inspection).

Second... full disclosure, there was a pretty brutal shooting that started in the park at the end of Vinceton and ended at the intersection of Vinceton, Bascom, and Perrysville Avenue in 2007.

Man 'calmly' shot to death by masked gunman - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

I live in the neighborhood and have been awakened by two drive-by shootings (no one was injured in either).

All that said... I can't say that I live in fear. These acts of violence are by no means random, and the three or four that stick out in my mind have occurred over a period of seven years that I've lived here. A lot of the residents are doing a great job of making Observatory Hill a nice place to live, and I think there's an awful lot more to like about the neighborhood and its perks that outweighs the isolated, targeted, "plane-crash" type incidents that can paint a disproportionately ugly picture.

Good luck with your search.

Odd to see this thread resurrected and that mine was the previous last post almost four years ago.

A lot has changed in four years. And while I can say that I never felt unsafe there, I can also say that two kids and several acts of vandalism and other nuisance (as well as far more serious crimes) later, I chose to leave.

I'm sad to say that I posted an article about a recent murder then, and I could easily link to a couple recent murders (early 2016) now. But I still don't believe those acts of violence were random. The only caveat is that in terms of vandalism and general tomfoolery, every OH resident is pretty much fair game...

[chris1219]

Originally Posted by JayDiFiore

Odd to see this thread resurrected and that mine was the previous last post almost four years ago.

A lot has changed in four years. And while I can say that I never felt unsafe there, I can also say that two kids and several acts of vandalism and other nuisance (as well as far more serious crimes) later, I chose to leave.

I'm sad to say that I posted an article about a recent murder then, and I could easily link to a couple recent murders (early 2016) now. But I still don't believe those acts of violence were random. The only caveat is that in terms of vandalism and general tomfoolery, every OH resident is pretty much fair game...

It is odd, what happens is this message board gets wonky sometimes and it will vault old threads on to the first page, and people will often reply to them without noticing the date stamps.


That said, thanks for the follow-up. It was interesting to see your opinion from then to now.

[ferraris]

Originally Posted by ljbryan121

and the school district is not great. You do have the option of sending your kids to one of the magnet schools though so you are not stuck with any one school in particular.

Perry is the only high school in the north side though, public or not. I couldn't see myself sending my non-existent kids as far as any of the other high school options besides maybe CAPA downtown.

[gg]

Originally Posted by ferraris

Perry is the only high school in the north side though, public or not. I couldn't see myself sending my non-existent kids as far as any of the other high school options besides maybe CAPA downtown.

CAPA is pretty close, but you have to hope a child can get in.