People familiar with Sewickley area (Pittsburgh, York: chapel, house, buy)

[yellowdog]

I'm originally from Westmoreland County but my wife and I are currently living in New York City. We want to move to western PA because it's cheaper to raise a family. She loves beautiful Main Street types of small towns and because she works in the banking industry, she needs to live near Pittsburgh.

The town we wanted to live in, and checked out last weekend, was Sewickley. The problem is, our limit for a house is 300k, which in Sewickley won't get you much.

Anyway, here is the question. Are there any good places very close to Sewickley so that we can still enjoy the town, that is not too urban, and where we can get a good house for 300k or less? A friend in the area recommended Kennedy Township and Moon. Do those fit the criteria and are there any more? Thanks.

[tmee1409]

I lived in Moon for 2 years while I was attending PTI. I rented so I can't really help about the house stuff. It is a nice area though... I never had problems with noise or anything.

I also use to go to the Moon Park (I think thats what it is called). There is a lot of things to do there...plus it is right across the river from Sewickley.

[Kate88]

Is your heart set on living in Sewickley? If not, you could get a great house in another charming town like Mount Lebanon or Oakmont, which are also both close to Pittsburgh, rather than a house outside of, but near, Sewickley.

[corralmj]

Yellowdog, I was wondering if you could give me some info. on Westmoreland County I saw a house in that area and I'm wondering if its a good place to live and the average price for homes. thanks

[Pitt Chick]

Originally Posted by corralmj

Yellowdog, I was wondering if you could give me some info. on Westmoreland County I saw a house in that area and I'm wondering if its a good place to live and the average price for homes. thanks

Westmoreland County is large... no way we can know if the one house you saw "in that area" is a good place to live!

Details?

[yellowdog]

corralmj, Westmoreland County is cheaper than Allegheny County and most of it is nice. But a good bit of it is still close to Pittsburgh if you ever have to go there. There are a lot of excellent options there, in general.

As for Mt. Lebanon, I checked that out, too, and I didn't like it. I know it is a highly coveted place, but it's not what I personally was looking for. The main road was very congested with cars and businesses. Coming from Manhattan, I was looking for someplace with a slower pace.

I heard good things about Oakmont, too, and I should have looked into there as well.

[onwardandupward]

If what you want is a Main Street type small town with a slower paced atmosphere, Oakmont should definitely be high on your list. You could get a decent house for $300k; the town is about one square mile right on the Allegheny River, very walkable town with restaurants, boutiques, coffee shops, a great bakery, an indie-style movie theatre, great park, and original Carnegie Library. Check it out - I think you'll love it. The commute to town is 30-40 minutes depending on the time of day.

[greenegal]

I am very familiar with Sewickley. I worked there for many years and lived close by in Beaver County. You will not find many areas with small towns that still have streets thriving with shops. Sewickley has lots of charm and culture. There should be many places nearby that are in your price range. Osborne, Bell Acres, Emsworth are all nearby Sewickley. If you want to go a little north try Franklin Park, Marshall, Pine, Hampton, McCandless, Shaler, Ross Twp and Richland. You might not find the small town streets of a town like Sewickley but they are close, convenient to everything and safe.

Fox Chapel and O'Hara are also very nice places.

[yellowdog]

Thanks, greenegal. What we are thinking is that we can always live close to Sewickley and enjoy the town without having to pay the high price to live there. So the town we actually live in doesn't have to have the great Main Street area as long as it's close to Sewickley. Thanks for the great info.

[robrobrob]

Thanks, greenegal. What we are thinking is that we can always live close to Sewickley and enjoy the town without having to pay the high price to live there. So the town we actually live in doesn't have to have the great Main Street area as long as it's close to Sewickley. Thanks for the great info.

If you want to enjoy Sewickley, I would stay within the Quaker Valley School District because the Village of Sewickley is clearly the focal point of the district. And you can buy a house in the village for less than $300,000. It is just going to be be a little smaller.