Suburbs of Pittsburgh (Indiana, Fox Chapel, Sharpsburg: renting, violent crime, house)

[Copanut]

Originally Posted by SunshinePam

Suggestions? Housing searches would probably land us in between and around $200k to $300k.

Peters is not as outrageous price-wise as some would have you believe. Sure, most NEW construction starts at 400K plus, but there are currently 38 existing homes listed in the MLS between 100 and 200K. It's a nice place to live in you work in the South, but driving from there to Downtown is a PITA.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by COPANUT

It's a nice place to live in you work in the South, but driving from there to Downtown is a PITA.

I agree. I don't think Peters meets the OP's commute time requirements.

[slamont61]

The one real difference Mt Lebanon gives you is this; No School Busses to deal with. They thought us wealthy but we were just healthy. Superior Quality School System, no questions about it.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by slamont61

The one real difference Mt Lebanon gives you is this; No School Busses to deal with. They thought us wealthy but we were just healthy. Superior Quality School System, no questions about it.

What do you mean by this? There are no school busses? Do parents have to drive/walk children to school themselves? That's NOT a bonus.

[Kate88]

It's because Mt. Lebanon is a small, walkable community. It might be somewhat inconvenient for younger elementary school students who need to be walked or driven to school (but there are 6 elementary schools, so no point in Mt. Lebanon is very far from one), but for older students I think it's a great opportunity for them to feel independent and get good exercise.

[SunshinePam]

Wow everyone, thanks so much for all your input!! I will certainly follow-up every piece of information proffered up. In preliminary home searches I did look into Mt. Lebanon a few times but found that the houses were more dated in age. For me, that means more updates and we're just not that handy. I did like Fox Chapel and a handful of other places preliminarily. Thanks so much everyone and I'll keep watching for everyone's conversations to continue.

[Hopes]

Seriously take Hampton into consideration. I think you'll like it the best. The school district is smaller. It's an excellent school district. It provides bus transportation too! (As a mother, that's a huge bonus to me. Not having bus transportation would be an extra expense to a family that has two income parents. You'd have to hire someone to take your children to school in the morning. I was a SAHM but the economy forced me back to work. That could end up happening to any family during these economic times. I'd hate to be saddled with coordinating transportation. It's really nice to have a bus pick kids up on the corner down the street.) Also, Fox Chapel has a low income river town called Sharpsburg which has crime, kids who do drugs, etc., who attend Fox Chapel School District. Hampton doesn't have that element.

Hampton has more of a relaxed suburban feel compared to Mt. Leb and USC. Traffic is less congested everywhere in the north compared to the south. There are plenty of newer homes in Hampton too---moreso than Fox Chapel. Another bonus to living north of the city is the shopping is superior at Ross Park Mall compared to malls anywhere else. Many upscale national stores opened in Ross Park only--they are nowhere else in Western Pennsylvania. The commute into Shadyside, Oakland, Squirrel Hill is also very convenient (since the north isn't as congested) for shopping at boutiques.

[Tinare]

Originally Posted by Hopes

Also, Fox Chapel has a low income river town called Sharpsburg which has crime, kids who do drugs, etc., who attend Fox Chapel School District.

Yes, cause no kids who actually live in Fox Chapel do drugs. I say this as someone who graduated from a highly-rated high school, in an upper-middle class area where drugs were rampant. Rich kids have the means, afterall. The drugs they do are more expensive. And they may hide it well. Our valedictorian was HUGE pothead. It was the 80s so coke was abundant.

Sorry, for going off topic, just the generalization made me laugh. Drugs are, unfortunately, everywhere and being done by those you might not expect.

[Hopes]

Yes, drugs are everywhere, but there is a greater drug problem in the low income river towns. I'm sorry, but it's absolutely true. I'm not taking about kids who experiment with weed or coke. I'm talking about junkies. These low income areas are where junkies live. You'll be hard pressed to find a junky mother with scabs all over her face in Hampton schools, but there are plenty of parents like that living in Sharpsburg with children attending Fox Chapel schools.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by Tinare

....and being done by those you might not expect.

Just because I warn someone of an area does not mean that I'm clueless.

I'm probably more aware than you when it comes to this issue.

Many people coming here for advice would want to avoid the lower class drug users.

I feel obligated to warn them if an area has a concentration of people fitting that description.

I'm no idiot.