U of pittsburgh (Liberty, Highland Park, Oakland: apartment, rent, violent crime)

[katerinaver]

Iam from CA thinking about attending a grad. program there.
Is the area near the campus pretty safe?
Does one need a car to get around.
Please list any pros/cons about area.
Thanks

[Love2Golf09]

Originally Posted by katerinaver

Iam from CA thinking about attending a grad. program there.
Is the area near the campus pretty safe?
Does one need a car to get around.
Please list any pros/cons about area.
Thanks

You do not need a car to get around oakland. In fact, I would highly suggest you not bring your car. If you live in Oakland, then you would have to park your car outside your house and walk to class anyway, since there is no place right on campus to park. Oakland is a highly urbanized area. Also, Oakland is a dump. Yes, it is full of students, which is cool, but it is still a disgusting dump. I would not park my car anywhere in oakland...ever. For the most part, the houses in north and south oakland are dumps. Crime is high...not really violent crime, but tons of drunken idiots acting up, grafitti, vandalism, theft, assaults, arson, etc. The students have a bad habit of setting couches, trash cans, and anything else on fire. Also, don't be surprised to see homeless people sleeping right on campus on Forbes ave. Oakland certainly isn't the prettiest part of town, so watch your back and carry some mace.

Having said that, I've never had a problem there. It is a very young, very diverse area that is pretty run down and people treat it like a dump. There is always a party to go to and tons of good restaurants and places to hang out. It is also a short trip downtown, to the southside, to shady side, squirrel hill, the waterfront, or the strip district. If I were you, I would look outside of oakland, in shady side or squirrel hill. But, since you're a grad student, you could also live on the south side and find plenty of young people there to hang out with and carson st. is more fun than oakland and not as run down...but you still have massive amounts of drunken idiots urinating everywhere. 95% of the landlords in oakland are slumlords that charge you an insane amount to live in a place that should be condemned. Shadyside, sadly, is headed that way, but not nearly as bad. Shadyside still has some nicer places and it is mixed with families, so it isn't as rough or wild as oakland. Seriously, Oakland is like the Wild West on the weekends. That place is a freak show. Don't be surprised to see extremely loud people screaming at nothing, people vomiting everywhere, random bums fighting each other, and any other type of insanity you can think of. Oh yeah, the bums will chase you too. Serious. Pittsburgh has some very angry bums and a lot of them will just target you and sprint across the street and demad you give them money for food. If you don't, watch out. Mace them and run like hell. I've never had one physically attack me, but I've been chased before and had one pounding on the security door of my building and several have been VERY aggressive. They even will get ya at Wendys or burger king. I enjoyed visiting, but I don't know if I could live there. I'd imagine that nearly every place in that hellhole in infested with rats or roaches. I've been to several "eviction parties" in oakland where the guys knew they were losing their security dept and getting booted out, so they invited like 200 over to completely destroy the place. The place is nuts, just like Morgantown. Oh yeah, be sure not to go into Schenley Park after dark unless you are with a male that you trust, otherwise you're just begging to get raped.

So, check out Shadyside or the south side. If you have decent money, or have a roommate, check out squirrel hill. That is a nicer area than shadyside and is more quiet too. It really depends on what type of atmosphere you are looking for.

Pitt is a pretty decent school. I knew more people that went to CMU though, which is right next to Pitt. I didn't go to Pitt, though. I went to a state school in a small college town and liked it a lot. If you're into going to school in a real urban area, then Pitt would be for you. I assume you would have good opportunities with jobs and internships too. Plus, transportation is very good. I know a few years ago you just had to show your Pitt ID and could ride Port Authority anywhere in Allegheny County.

[chloride1]

Originally Posted by katerinaver

Iam from CA thinking about attending a grad. program there.
Is the area near the campus pretty safe?
Does one need a car to get around.
Please list any pros/cons about area.
Thanks

University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is an urban cambus. It's buildings are spread around the area of Pittsburgh called "Oakland". In any urban setting, you should be wary about walking by yourself at night, for example. But I work at Pitt and never worry about safety during the day. The streets are always full of pedestrians.

My office is at Forbes and S. Bouquet. If you go east a couple blocks, there is a wonderful green area with beautiful buildings. And, that is the entrance to a large city park. Go to google maps and enter " Forbes Ave & schenley dr, pittsburgh"; go to street view; and rotate the image to see the area. There are also museums, the carnegie library, heinz chapel, the cathedral of learning, etc. Also, it is easy to reach any kind of doctor from Pitt on the bus. I really do like working in Oakland.

All faculty, staff and students at Pitt and CMU ride public transport for free. You just show the driver your Pitt ID. There are several neighborhoods near Pitt where you can live and walk/bus to work, grocery, etc. I have friends who work at Pitt and CMU who do not drive and have no problem with that.

Also, from Oakland, you can reach many interesting neighborhoods and entertainment areas that are easily reached by bus from Pitt.

[chloride1]

Originally Posted by Love2Golf09

You do not need a car to get around oakland. In fact, I would highly suggest you not bring your car. If you live in Oakland, then you would have to park your car outside your house and walk to class anyway, since there is no place right on campus to park. Oakland is a highly urbanized area. Also, Oakland is a dump. Yes, it is full of students, which is cool, but it is still a disgusting dump. I would not park my car anywhere in oakland...ever. For the most part, the houses in north and south oakland are dumps. Crime is high...not really violent crime, but tons of drunken idiots acting up, grafitti, vandalism, theft, assaults, arson, etc. The students have a bad habit of setting couches, trash cans, and anything else on fire. Also, don't be surprised to see homeless people sleeping right on campus on Forbes ave. Oakland certainly isn't the prettiest part of town, so watch your back and carry some mace.

Having said that, I've never had a problem there. It is a very young, very diverse area that is pretty run down and people treat it like a dump. There is always a party to go to and tons of good restaurants and places to hang out. It is also a short trip downtown, to the southside, to shady side, squirrel hill, the waterfront, or the strip district. If I were you, I would look outside of oakland, in shady side or squirrel hill. But, since you're a grad student, you could also live on the south side and find plenty of young people there to hang out with and carson st. is more fun than oakland and not as run down...but you still have massive amounts of drunken idiots urinating everywhere. 95% of the landlords in oakland are slumlords that charge you an insane amount to live in a place that should be condemned. Shadyside, sadly, is headed that way, but not nearly as bad. Shadyside still has some nicer places and it is mixed with families, so it isn't as rough or wild as oakland. Seriously, Oakland is like the Wild West on the weekends. That place is a freak show. Don't be surprised to see extremely loud people screaming at nothing, people vomiting everywhere, random bums fighting each other, and any other type of insanity you can think of. Oh yeah, the bums will chase you too. Serious. Pittsburgh has some very angry bums and a lot of them will just target you and sprint across the street and demad you give them money for food. If you don't, watch out. Mace them and run like hell. I've never had one physically attack me, but I've been chased before and had one pounding on the security door of my building and several have been VERY aggressive. They even will get ya at Wendys or burger king. I enjoyed visiting, but I don't know if I could live there. I'd imagine that nearly every place in that hellhole in infested with rats or roaches. I've been to several "eviction parties" in oakland where the guys knew they were losing their security dept and getting booted out, so they invited like 200 over to completely destroy the place. The place is nuts, just like Morgantown.

So, check out Shadyside or the south side. If you have decent money, or have a roommate, check out squirrel hill. That is a nicer area than shadyside and is more quiet too. It really depends on what type of atmosphere you are looking for.

Pitt is a pretty decent school. I knew more people that went to CMU though, which is right next to Pitt. I didn't go to Pitt, though. I went to a state school in a small college town and liked it a lot. If you're into going to school in a real urban area, then Pitt would be for you. I assume you would have good opportunities with jobs and internships too. Plus, transportation is very good. I know a few years ago you just had to show your Pitt ID and could ride Port Authority anywhere in Allegheny County.

Hmmm.....I suppose this poster is thinking about south oakland. The main streets with the Pitt buildings on them are not all as he describes. I am typically not in Oakland at night on the weekends, so do not know what it is like.

I agree that living in Oakland is probably not the best bet. As I said in my post, there are several neighborhoods to live in that are easy to bus/walk to Pitt. Squirrel Hill is the obvious one - if you can find an apartment there you like, go for it. My friend loved living in Friendship. Another found a great place in East Liberty. Also, as the poster suggested, the South Side can be good.

When you look for an apartment, just be sure to walk around the area, to see if there is a bar or something that might be loud. I would visit the place on, e.g., Saturday at midnight.

But I want to reiterate - Oakland is a great place to work/go to school, Forbes and north of it.

[BrianTH]

By way of background, I was a Pitt grad student for many years.

Anyway, as we were just discussing in another thread, Central and North Oakland (the area immediately around Pitt) is mostly a typical "student ghetto", and one of the defining characteristics of a "student ghetto" is that landlords tend not to have much incentive to keep their places nice, so they don't. Accordingly, most of the grad students I knew eventually looked at least a little farther out from Oakland.

Fortunately, there are plenty of other options within easy public transit, biking, or even walking distance of Pitt. Shadyside and Squirrel Hill are justifiably popular choices for both convenience and local amenities. If you are looking to save a bit on rent, you can also look at Polish Hill, Bloomfied, Friendship, Highland Park, Park Place, and Regent Square, or indeed the South Side. Personally, unless cost is a serious concern, I'd suggest starting out in Shadyside or Squirrel Hill, then figuring out if you want to make a move down the road.

[Katiana]

When I was an undergrad at Pitt and lived in the dorms, I did not have a car. In fact, having a car was actively discouraged by the university (for dorm residents). When I graduated and got an apartment in Oakland and a job on the South Side, I had a car. One can live in Oakland/Sq. Hill, etc w/o a car, but it certainly is a convenience to have available. You won't only be going to school, store, etc, you'll also want to get around town and sometimes out of town. If you have a car, bring it with you.

[BrianTH]

On the subject of cars, one thing to consider is that Zipcar has a pretty good fleet in Pittsburgh, including cars in Shadyside, Squirrel Hill, Oakland, and the South Side. So if you don't have a car already and are not planning to need a car on a daily basis, you might think about trying out Zipcar for your occasional car needs.

[jap124]

The first poster way exaggerated the Oakland area. The University of Pittsburgh campus sits right in between Carlow University and CMU. Whenever you are within the confines of those three campuses you are in a relatively nice area--it is a college area that has everything that comes with college students but still a nice area. The Oakland area outside the campuses is not the best section in Pittsburgh. Its run-down, old, and dirty, but Oakland is part of the city of Pittsburgh, so just like any major U.S. city you will have crime and problems. Oakland is right next to an abundance of shopping in shady side (which still is a very nice part of Pittsburgh) and right across the river from the South Side which is one of the 'Burgh's main party spots.

As far as the school itself goes it is very good. The university consitantly ranks as one of the top in the United States and is extreemley well known for its prestigious medical program. A quick search on google will let you know just how good Pitt is.

The bottom line is that Oakland is a college town in a big city. It has all the positives and negatives of both of those things but if you like being around 35,000 students everyday then you will love it. Oakland is set in a very convient place and has busses run though it all day to take you anywhere in Allegheny county--which means you don't need a car.

-good luck on your decision


For all Pittsburgh sports information visit www.blackandblueandgold.com

[pers]

I went to Pitt and lived on Dawson St in Oakland. The houses in the area were older but I loved the neighborhood. We walked everywhere (even though we had a car) and rent was quite a bit cheaper than Shadyside or Squirrel Hill. My roommate and I (females) rarely bothered to lock the door at night, which isn't something I recommend, but I never felt unsafe there. There were plenty of students on my street but there were a number of older folks as well. There were some homeless but not many and most were people begging outside the beer/liquor stores not hanging out by people's houses.

I don't know that I'd suggest South Side if you are ready to leave the party life behind as that was where everyone went to party. Oakland was good for house parties but Carson St is where the bars are and students who wanted to party wanted to live on South Side. Squirrel Hill and Shadyside are definitely quiter if that's what you want but still a quick bus to classes.

I loved Pittsburgh and had a great time there! Things may have changed but in less than 10 years, I can't imagine they've changed enough that the first response reflects an accurate portrait of a typical weekend in Oakland.