Pitt student/family with job outside of city? Advice please :) (Pittsburgh: rentals, chapel)

[holasoyjenn]

I'm relocating to the Pittsburgh area in July to start a grad program at Pitt and I am going to preface this by saying I'm from a tiny town about 60 miles northeast of the city and I am basically terrified. I've spent awhile reading back over the previous posts and I am going to avoid the 'where should I stay away from' question because it seems like it's been answered many a time, but that's a big part of what I'm afraid of. It's not that I think Pittsburgh is so horrible and dangerous, but again, I'm from small town USA and I'm starting to wonder why I ever thought this would be a good idea!
If anyone has any recommendations about where I should head, that would be incredibly helpful. I guess I have a couple different questions so I'll try to be semi concise.

1) I have a job in Natrona Heights. My first impression of Natrona Heights was that it was a nice little town and I actually planned to live there and commute into Oakland for classes. Then I saw more of it and realized that it's not really what I thought it was, and that I think I'd prefer to live closer to school and commute to work. So I guess I'm wondering, are there areas that are convenient to Pitt but not a ridiculous drive to Natrona Heights? My job there is part time (20 hrs a week) so I won't necessarily be driving there every day either.

2) I have a son who is turning 5 and will be starting kindergarten in the fall, so I'm also concerned with living in an area that's suitable for families/children, with decent schools.

3) I have a car, and I am ok for driving in town and residential areas, but I have a great deal of anxiety driving on highways. I try to avoid the parkway as much as possible, and as many posts as I've seen on here complaining about Western PA drivers, I think the majority of you would thank me for that I've looked into the PAT's website a little bit as I used and loved the Park and Ride route from the Monroeville Mall when I had two weeks of training in downtown Pittsburgh for my current job, but I've had a hard time navigating all the little details. Are there any bus routes/park and ride options that serve the Natrona Heights/Tarentum area, or is that a little too far out?

Thanks a lot for any help you may be able to give me!!
I have always had mixed feelings about living in Pittsburgh, but I'm trying very hard to conquer some of my anxieties and make the most of it because I think it really has the potential to be great. If you have any other general advice about relocating (I realize this is a hugely popular topic and will continue reading other posts as well) I would be grateful for any of it!

[Hopes]

Because of your fear of highways, I recommend Oakmont.

It's inbetween Oakland and Natrona Heights.

You don't have to drive on the highway to get to either one.

Other convenient areas would be Aspinwall, Fox Chapel and Harmar.

You can get to Natrona Heights via Freeport Road instead of Route 28.

But Oakmont is very close to being in the center of both Natrona Heights and Oakland.

[onwardandupward]

I also think Oakmont is a good choice. It's a small, family-oriented town, not a suburb, and may be closer to what you're used to. People are friendly, and the schools are good. You won't need to take the Parkway to get to Pitt, and there are buses from Oakmont to Oakland if you want to commute to school. Commuting to Pitt with a car is quite problematic, as parking in Oakland is expensive and not readily available. I don't know much about commuting from Oakmont to Natrona Heights, but frankly that part would probably be easier is you drove yourself, as what buses there may be will likely not be all that frequent, and parking is probably not an issue there.

[robrobrob]

I would pick Aspinwall instead of Oakmont. Very nice little town and there are always rentals. Also, the schools are better and there are after school programs at the elementary school so you may not need daycare. Easy access to Oakland by way of bus or car. If you live in Oakmont you would have to deal with the Hulton Bridge and Allegheny River Boulevard both of which aren't the greatest.

[Hopes]

The New Kensington 1A goes right down Freeport Road in Aspinwall to Natrona Heights too.

I don't think there is public transportation from Oakmont to Natrona Heights.

I think she's planning to drive though.