***Help to find ***North Allegheny and Mt. Lebanon school and apartment (Pittsburgh: real estate, apartment complex)

[moto_droid]

Hello everyone. I'm going to relocate to Pittsburgh in July.
I have a son who will be attending an elementary school.
I did some research and found a lot of good schools. The criteria was: proximity to down-town and overall school rating. I picked North Allegheny and Mt. Lebanon school districts. (I don't think I can afford living in Fox Chapel)

Can someone recommend me an apartment?

Requirements:
Rent budget: 1000$
Apartment: clean, responsive maintenance.
The neighborhood should be SAFE even for late night walks.

I'm really looking for some input from "experienced" apartment renters from these districts, and if possible indicate the elementary school for that address(I know I can find it, but if someone knows...).

How much is the average utility bill in the winter?

Which school would you recommend?

Thank you.

[hornet67]

I am not familiar with the apartment situation in North Allegheny, but I know that there are quite a few apartment buildings in, or near Mt. Lebanon. Most that are located in Mt.Lebo are within easy walking distance of the main business district, Washington Road, and also the "T' Station". It's a VERY safe area, anytime of the day or night.
I cannot speak to the rent structure, but I would guess that you could definitely find a nice place in your price range.
There are a number of nice restaurants , coffee shops, etc. on Washington Road; the only thing missing is any type of grocery store.
However, you are a 10 minutes or so drive to the Giant Eagle Market District in Bethel Park, even less to a very nice Shop n' Save on Castle Shannon Blvd.

[moto_droid]

hornet67, thanks for your input.

We don't consider Mt. Lebanon as an option anymore.

I'm still looking forward to see any ideas about NA.

Thanks.

[robrobrob]

Originally Posted by moto_droid

hornet67, thanks for your input.

We don't consider Mt. Lebanon as an option anymore.

I'm still looking forward to see any ideas about NA.

Thanks.

FYI - Aspinwall has a nice rental market which you can afford. Aspinwall is part of the Fox Chapel Area School District.

[greg42]

Originally Posted by robrobrob

FYI - Aspinwall has a nice rental market which you can afford. Aspinwall is part of the Fox Chapel Area School District.

Yes, and good proximity to downtown. Have you considered this before?

The problem with North Allegheny is that there isn't a particularly good walkable neighborhood in there anywhere. It's safe, but walking around at night isn't necessarily much good if there's nowhere to walk to or no sidewalks to walk on. Parts of it also start getting pretty far from downtown, at least compared to somewhere like Aspinwall.

Is there a particular program in these schools you're targeting, or just good schools in general?

[Retiredcoach]

I realize that I may appear biased in my assessment of living in the the North Allegheny area, but if you want my best try honestly.....

I have lived in McCandless Township for over 30 years, and I cannot imagine many better areas in our region. My kids have all graduated from the nationally recognized North Allegheny School District, and I cannot say enough positives about the education each received. I live less than 5 miles from the major shopping malls of McKnight Road, a large hospital, an outstanding and progressive library, two college campuses (CCAC North & LaRoche), Devlin Community Park (available for rental at minimal cost to community residents). The thousand plus acre North Park is within walking distance of my home, with the many amenities that few realize and is readily accessible. Safety and walk-ability in the many neighborhoods (at most any time of the day or night) are fully utilized. Crime is virtually non-existent. Wexford Flats (a major commercial area in McCandless) is nearly complete with sidewalks extending a few miles along route 19. These are just a few of the reasons why McCandless Township is ranked number 46 of Money magazines top towns in the nation.

North Park

Best Places to Live 2011 - Top 100: Town details: McCandless Township, PA - from MONEY Magazine

The rental market in the North Allegheny School District tends to become sparse during the summer months, especially if you are looking to rent outside of the complexes. Probably one of the newest developments- Lincoln Club is probably among the nicest, but is also very pricy. Most privately held 3BR townhouses tend to start at $900 per month, and tend to move very quickly when available. I personally own four such private units, and when I advertise availability, I will generally receive 25 calls (if advertised during the summer), and rent to a qualified tenant within the week.

Not sure how much this helped, but if you are fortunate enough to find the home that you are seeking to rent in McCandless, I suspect you will feel very positively about your decision. Good Luck!

As

[moto_droid]

@robrobrob
thanks I'll check it out.
@greg42
My first pick was Fox Chapel, but I wasn't able to find an affordable place to live.
I will check Aspinwall.
I'm not looking for any particular school program. As long as the teachers are professional and friendly, I'm OK. I can always change the school if I don't like it later on.
Right now I need to find place to stay and get my kid enrolled.

@Retiredcoach
Thanks for your input.
+1 for the NA.

@everyone else
Still looking for more info about NA, and maybe Aspinwall apartments.

Thank you.

[robrobrob]

Around Aspinwall, try calling Fox Chapel Real Estate they have some rentals. Also, look at the River Oaks apartment complex. Also, try the Docks. Not sure of the prices but you should be able to find a 2 br for under a 1000 in Aspinwall. Also, Blawnox would feed to the Fox Chapel Schools and it is cheaper. You can also look for rentals in O'Hara township.

Maybe call Howard Hanna (their Fox Chapel office) about rentals.

Also, the only way to change schools is to move or to pay for a private school.

[bradjl2009]

Originally Posted by moto_droid

Hello everyone. I'm going to relocate to Pittsburgh in July.
I have a son who will be attending an elementary school.
I did some research and found a lot of good schools. The criteria was: proximity to down-town and overall school rating. I picked North Allegheny and Mt. Lebanon school districts. (I don't think I can afford living in Fox Chapel)

Can someone recommend me an apartment?

Requirements:
Rent budget: 1000$
Apartment: clean, responsive maintenance.
The neighborhood should be SAFE even for late night walks.

I'm really looking for some input from "experienced" apartment renters from these districts, and if possible indicate the elementary school for that address(I know I can find it, but if someone knows...).

How much is the average utility bill in the winter?

Which school would you recommend?

Thank you.

Sharpsburg, Aspinwall, and Blawnox are all affordable neighborhoods in Fox Chapel anyone can afford.

[Copanut]

Originally Posted by Retiredcoach

I realize that I may appear biased in my assessment of living in the the North Allegheny area, but if you want my best try honestly.....

I have lived in McCandless Township for over 30 years, and I cannot imagine many better areas in our region. My kids have all graduated from the nationally recognized North Allegheny School District, and I cannot say enough positives about the education each received. I live less than 5 miles from the major shopping malls of McKnight Road, a large hospital, an outstanding and progressive library, two college campuses (CCAC North & LaRoche), Devlin Community Park (available for rental at minimal cost to community residents). The thousand plus acre North Park is within walking distance of my home, with the many amenities that few realize and is readily accessible. Safety and walk-ability in the many neighborhoods (at most any time of the day or night) are fully utilized. Crime is virtually non-existent. Wexford Flats (a major commercial area in McCandless) is nearly complete with sidewalks extending a few miles along route 19. These are just a few of the reasons why McCandless Township is ranked number 46 of Money magazines top towns in the nation.

North Park

Best Places to Live 2011 - Top 100: Town details: McCandless Township, PA - from MONEY Magazine

The rental market in the North Allegheny School District tends to become sparse during the summer months, especially if you are looking to rent outside of the complexes. Probably one of the newest developments- Lincoln Club is probably among the nicest, but is also very pricy. Most privately held 3BR townhouses tend to start at $900 per month, and tend to move very quickly when available. I personally own four such private units, and when I advertise availability, I will generally receive 25 calls (if advertised during the summer), and rent to a qualified tenant within the week.

Not sure how much this helped, but if you are fortunate enough to find the home that you are seeking to rent in McCandless, I suspect you will feel very positively about your decision. Good Luck!

As

Coach,

Could not agree more with your post, just wondering, since I live in walking distance of North Park, are you near Old Babcock?