Where to live if one works in Bridgeville and the other in Highland Park? (Pittsburgh: house, safe neighborhood)

[tbb82]

Hello everyone! My boyfriend and I will be moving to Pittsburgh this summer and could use some advice as to what neighborhood/area to settle in. I have visited Pittsburgh once, as well as read a lot of the advice on this forum. Initially, my boyfriend and I were attracted to the vibe of Squirrel Hill (we are late-20's professionals, no kids). However, I will be working in Bridgeville (on Washington Pike, to be exact), and he will be working in Highland Park. After looking at Google maps (and the projected traffic patterns during rush hours), it seems like I would face a pretty congested, traffic-dense commute to work (from Squirrel Hill to Bridgeville). I HATE traffic. I know that the traffic in Pgh is probably not as bad as in other places (I lived in the Bay Area for a year - traffic was a nightmare!), but I am the type of person who REALLY hates to spend more than 20 minutes in the car.

So...my question for you all is: would my commute to Bridgeville be as bad traffic-wise as Google maps is making it look if I lived in Squirrel Hill? If so, is there a neighborhood(s) that you could suggest that would be halfway in between Bridgeville and Highland Park, so that neither my boyfriend nor myself would face a bad commute? We aren't married to the idea of living in Squirrel Hill, but would like to live in a safe neighborhood, preferably one that is somewhat walkable and that has at least a little "life" to it (restaurants, shops, etc.).

Any advice would be fantastic!

[ExPit]

Green Tree. It's the second exit off the Parkway West, just about dead center between Highland Park and Bridgeville.

[JoeLeaphorn]

That is a tough one. My rule of thumb is to try to avoid a tunnel, if possible, but your situation makes that all but impossible. My other rule of thumb is to avoid Route 28 which is scheduled for repairs well into the future and which is horrible, as it is, right now. Not an option for you, either.

Having said that, going against the flow of traffic through a tunnel (OUT of the city in the AM and into the city in the evening), is better than going with the rush hour flow.

Green Tree puts you about in the middle, geographically, but the one of you lucky enough to work in Bridgeville will be able to sleep in and get home earlier than the other working in Highland Park.

I'd take a different strategy and say live on the city side of the tunnel and make the longer commute the drive to Bridgeville (unless you don't want city life). Bloomfield, Friendship, Highland Park and Shadyside are nice places to live and if you get the right location, you won't need a car to do everything. Squirrel Hill is a little further from Highland Park, but is also a self-contained community with bookstores, shops, restaurants and movie theatres within walking distance, plus you can hop on the Parkway to get to Bridgeville.

The South Side is also an option, but more of a drive to Highland Park.

Of course, if you'd prefer not to live in the city, I'd also consider the North Boroughs (Belleview, Avalon, Emsworth). You can take 65 to the West End Circle and avoid the tunnel and also to 28 North but, in this case, I'd get off at 16th Street, cross over to Liberty Avenue and take Liberty (or Penn) to Highland Park and avoid 28.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by JoeLeaphorn

That is a tough one. My rule of thumb is to try to avoid a tunnel, if possible, but your situation makes that all but impossible. My other rule of thumb is to avoid Route 28 which is scheduled for repairs well into the future and which is horrible, as it is, right now. Not an option for you, either.

I disagree. West Mifflin and surrounding areas would avoid both tunnels and route 28. The Highland Ppark commute would be over one of the Homestead bridges. The Bridgeville commute would go through Bethel Park.

If staying in the city, Edgewood and Squirrel Hill can take the same commute through Homestead to Bridgeville. I also think Southside is a good option. You can take Carson street down towards Homestead to go around the "Mountain."

The one commuting to Bridgeville will always be going against rush hour traffic, assuming she works normal business hours, so the house could be farther away from Bridgeville than Highlannd park so both drive the amount of time.

I think a commute from Squirrel Hill to Bridgeville is very doable when you take the back way. It's against rush hour taffic. It's a 30 minute drive. Southside would be even closer.

[fleetiebelle]

Living in Mt. Washington would put you on top of the tunnel, and commutes for both of you wouldn't be too bad. Mt. W has it's own little business district, but you'd be close enough to the South Side and Downtown to take advantage of that as well.

[ditchdigger]

Read the opening post, people.

She hates traffic. She will be working in Bridgeville.

If he wants to be happy at home, they will live within sight of Bridgeville...

[Hopes]

But where are they moving from? Bad traffic here might be like good traffic there.

[tbb82]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone, these are really helpful! Keep 'em coming....

Originally Posted by Hopes

I also think Southside is a good option. You can take Carson street down towards Homestead to go around the "Mountain."

I think a commute from Squirrel Hill to Bridgeville is very doable when you take the back way. It's against rush hour taffic. It's a 30 minute drive. Southside would be even closer.

Southside looked like a neat neighborhood when we were visiting. However, is the whole neighborhood loud, or just the parts around Carson Street? We enjoy nightlife, but are too old to be kept awake til 2am hearing frat boys woohoooo as they walk down the street

Also, so if we lived in Squirrel Hill, you would recommend taking the "back roads" to get to Bridgeville then (rather than I-376, as Google Maps indicates)?

Originally Posted by fleetiebelle

Living in Mt. Washington would put you on top of the tunnel, and commutes for both of you wouldn't be too bad. Mt. W has it's own little business district, but you'd be close enough to the South Side and Downtown to take advantage of that as well.

We saw Mt. Washington when we visited as well...beautiful views! It also seemed like a neat neighborhood, but I'm wondering....is it a nightmare to get up/down the hill during the winter? I seem to remember driving up a very wind-y and narrow road to get there when were visiting, so it doesn't seem like it'd be easy to navigate when it's snowy/icy? Or do they do a good job of clearing and de-icing the roads up there?

Originally Posted by ditchdigger

Read the opening post, people.

She hates traffic. She will be working in Bridgeville.

If he wants to be happy at home, they will live within sight of Bridgeville...

lol....that is why he said, "honey, I'll let you be in charge of finding housing for us"

Originally Posted by Hopes

But where are they moving from? Bad traffic here might be like good traffic there.

We've been living in Toledo, Ohio for the last 4 years (very light traffic), but have spent a significant amt of time in San Fran and DC (both of which contributed to the development of my strong dislike for traffic). Like I said, I start going crazy after about 20 minutes of crawling at 5-10 mph....

[JoeLeaphorn]

Originally Posted by Hopes

I disagree. West Mifflin and surrounding areas would avoid both tunnels and route 28. The Highland Ppark commute would be over one of the Homestead bridges. The Bridgeville commute would go through Bethel Park.

With what point are you disagreeing? Seems to me, you are avoiding the tunnel and Route 28 which is what I suggested.

[JoeLeaphorn]

The South Side can be loud, especially on weekends, after major sports events, during most of the summer. If you are anywhere close to Carson Street, you won't like it. Move up to the slopes and it is much quieter.

Mt. Washington is nice and it is not as inaccessible as you might think, but traffic can be bad especially during the evenings on Friday and Saturday. Ice is not that much of a problem (since it went from being a lower-middle class neighborhood to a well-heeled neighborhood).