Is Observatory Hill Safe? (Pittsburgh, Ross Township: real estate, to rent, crime)

[lavybiral]

Hi, I'm moving with my family to Pittsburgh from Georgia in May and I have been looking for a place to rent until we find a house to buy and get to know the area. I found a great house in Observatory Hill but my Uncles who live in Pitt. say that it is a bad neighborhood. They say there's alot of crime there. There is a highschool up the hill from the house and they say that the students walk down the road (there is alot of foot traffic) where the house is. The landlord lives on the same road, I trust him and he says that he's lived there all of his life and never had any trouble. The house is located on the northeastern part of the park. Any input on the crime and safety in Observatory Hill would be appreciated.

[claremarie]

I wouldn't live there with a family. Especially if you have school-age kids. If you want to be in that general area, just go a few miles north to Ross Township. It's outside the City of Pittsburgh, in the North Hills School District.

[PghREA]

I agree with Claremarie - but it all depends on your tolerance for outside disturbances.

[subdivisions]

I'm not sure. I've heard some bad things about it, but I also have some anecdotal evidence that suggests that the demographics there might be changing. I know two sets of young couples, one set with a baby, and one set who is trying for a baby, who recently bought cheap starter homes in Observatory Hill. (You know, 4 of the young people who should be moving away from Pittsburgh to somewhere better like Omaha, if only they knew what was good for them, but oddly, they bought houses here instead. Can you imagine!?).

Anyway, sarcasm aside, all of these people are quite well-educated (a Ph.D. in one case), and certainly not the kind of people who would live in a terrible neighborhood. So who knows? Maybe Observatory Hill is on it's way up.

[guylocke]

The land lord could very well be telling the truth depending on his exact location.

I just called my boyfriend who was born and raised in North Hills and says it's an old area that might look a bit more sketchy than it really is.

He recommended a few places nearby maybe more family friendly. Ross Township, Belleview, Shaler, or even North Hills.

[kettlepot]

Looking from a distance, (2000 miles) I have noticed over the past 3-5 years that Observatory Hill has put several great looking older homes on the market. And I've also heard from posters warning about crime/sketchiness issues in the neighborhood. It's difficult to balance all the competing information. However, sometimes I have to really discount complaints about an area's issues, particularly when it is accompanied by a recommendation that you check out some exurban hell of new development and three-car garages because it's close to all the big name shopping centers... BLECH! Where's the green - puking emoticon? Though no one in this thread has actually recommended Cranberry township.

May I suggest you have a discussion with some of the locals here and find out if their tastes/values are similar to yours, or if they are dissimilar, that these people are intellectually dextruous enough to see things from your perspective. If they are still uncomfortable with Observatory Hill then maybe you should be concerned.

[trlstreet]

I think Observatory Hill is on a gradient w/ the nicer portion of the area on the side farthest from downtown. I've always found the area around Riverview Park to be very nice.

I would take a look @ Brighton Heights. It is nearby and seems to me to be in a bit better shape.

[julia123]

I have lived here for some time with no real issues to report. I have children and in some cases that makes you look at things much harder. The best way to gather information about any area is through the local police. The Pittsburgh Police at Zone 1 would be who you would contact. Hopefully then you will feel like you are dealing with real info.

[Mr. Mon]

Are most of the posters on this site real estate agents? Because almost every other post is "You should move to (insert the name of the five or six boroughs every single time)"

That a side, you should check what area your landlord is defining as "Observatory Hill." If it's what the city of Pittsburgh officially calls Perry South, then yes, you could have some issues with property crime on some streets. If it's in "Perry North" or the the northern 2/3 of Brighton Heights, then I wouldn't worry one bit about moving your family there. Honestly, it's Pittsburgh, and after living here a few years I can name the number of neighborhoods where I would truly feel unsafe living in on one hand.

[chelez613]

I have worked in Observatory Hill for the past 5 years and I have never had any issues with the neighborhood. I just recently bought a house right on Perrysville Avenue between the high school and Riverview Park. It is an older home that my husband and I are going to renovate. We don't have any children yet but we plan on having a family and raising our children in the area.

My recommendation would be that it is definitely safe but it is a city neighborhood so it really depends on what your expectations are. Definitely check with zone 1 police and have them give you the statistics for Observatory Hill and the surrounding areas and you will be able to see how it compares to other nearby city neighborhoods such as Brighton Heights, Troy Hill, or Perry Hilltop for example. Just a note Observatory Hill is part of Perry North but if you ask for Officer Hodges he can tell you the specific statistics for Observatory Hill separately. If the place that you are looking at is close to the high school and the park then it is definitely in Observatory Hill.

Also, Observatory Hill Inc, which is a local community group, has a meeting every 3rd Wednesday of the month at 7pm at the Byzantine Seminary on Perrysville Avenue. There is usually a police officer (usually Officer Hodges) there that gives us the most recent statistics for our neighborhood. You could check it out there if you are in town and also meet people from the community face to face and see what you think.

Hope this helps. My honest opinion is that the neighborhood is on the rise. Like I said I have worked there for the past 5 years but I also lived there a few years ago and actually graduated from Perry High School in 1999. I can't wait to move back once our house is completed. The park there is wonderful and the sense of community there is wonderful. Good luck with everything.