Pittsburg Area Towns (Pittsburgh, Lebanon, Butler: middle-class, real estate, crime)

[touretteboy65]

Hello everyone. Looking for input regarding towns close to Pittsburg where we could relocate. I know NOTHING of Pennsylvania or Pittsburg. We're married with two young daughters, 5 & 7. We would like to find a town in close proximity to Pittsburg, but want to stay clear of any congestion and ill effects a large city may bring. We currently live just east of Orlando, Fl, and hope to leave late next year. Ideally, we're looking for a town that is family oriented, has great schools, safe, and offers a variety of entertainment. I searched many threads and thus far, many of you speak highly of Pittsburg, including those that have visited the city. My wife and I have been contemplating moves to either New Hampshire or Virginia, but brutal winters in NH (and being too far from relatives) and high taxes in VA have all about scratched them off the list. I've read some posts about surrounding cities, but I still can't get a feel for what's available there. We would like to purchase a a 3-4 bedroom, 2-3 bath home that sits on a large piece of property, anywhere between 3/4 to 3 acres. I believe a price range up to $275K is our limit. I'll be retiring from my job here (law enfocement), but will still have to work full time for additional income and benefits for the family. That being said, is the economy, all things considered, strong enough there to support continuing job growth? Are the winters extreme? Weatherwise, we're looking for an area of the country with 4 seasons, and obviously, PA has them, but overall, how is the weather in the Pittsburg area throughout the year? Thanks for any input you all can provide; it is much appreciated.

[touretteboy65]

I have to get in the habit of spelling Pittsburgh correctly. I constantly screw up and spell it Pittsburg. My apologies...

[South Range Family]

You might be interested in this, but the timing is off by a year.
Austintown police accepting applications - Local & Regional News - Vindy.com, The Vindicator

[creepsinc]

Originally Posted by touretteboy65

I have to get in the habit of spelling Pittsburgh correctly. I constantly screw up and spell it Pittsburg. My apologies...

It's the most misspelled city name in the country, but you're forgiven since you caught it on your own.

There are lots of small towns around Pittsburgh. Most of them are what pass for suburbs here, but unless you work from home, you'll probably have to commute into the city. It's really not that bad (unless you come from the south/southwest through the tunnel, or down 28 from the east), but just warning you. Also, some would call our winters brutal and our taxes high, but it's all relative. The winters are milder than New Hampshire, for sure. I'm no fan of taxes and I hated winter before moving here and I survive, and even have learned to enjoy winter.

Check out Mt. Lebanon, Dormont, Oakmont, Aspinwall (possibly out of your price range), Sewickley (also pretty expensive by local standards), or possibly West View.

[rothbear]

How close do you need to be to Pittsburgh proper? The reason that I ask is because you might want to look at the surrounding counties instead of Allegheny Co. You get a lot more house and land for a lot less money, especially land.

The least expensive would probably be Armstrong Co. Although there are parts of Butler Co. and Westmoreland Co. that are also not too bad pricewise. And you can be as close as 1/2-1 hour away from the point in Pgh very easily. Route 28 goes from Armstrong to Pgh, Route 8 from Butler Co. I think it's Route 30 (or maybe 22) from Westmoreland. Just a note on Route 28 (from above), it doesn't really start to get clogged until you reach RIDC Park. Then after the Highland Park bridge where route 8 hooks in, it gets nasty. They are doing construction to try to help.

Winters aren't anything like New England, and for the most part are still pretty navigable. We had a house in Armstrong Co. and although we owned a 4X4 truck, for the most part I drove a FWD minivan without any problems as long as you have good tires....and provided you KNOW how to drive in snow! Still can get nasty once in awhile, but not on a continuous basis. I can vouch that Armstrong Co. takes excellent care of their roads. Much better than some of the surrounding counties.

[greg42]

Hey, Pittsburg without the H is correct in Kansas and California.

Well, I'd say the Pittsburgh area as a whole is certainly family-oriented, safe and has a wide variety of entertainment. There are 4 seasons here, and while it's certainly not as brutal as NH in the winter, it is currently 16 degrees and a bit windy! We didn't get any of the snow that hit the midwest or New England, though, just a dusting and some rain. So there you go. Sometimes it works out that way, but sometimes we do get the snow. On the whole, winters have generally been fairly mild with not too many of these really cold days. Highs often get up into the 30s even during the coldest times of the year. At the other extreme, while it can get hot in the summer, the number of, say, 90+ degree days tends to be minimal, no more than a handful in most summers. Every once in a while we get exceptional seasons, but on the whole the absolute extremes are minimal. There's been a huge discussion about overcast days, and perhaps there is more cloud cover on average here than some places. I'd swear it's been fewer cloud cover days in more recent years than, say, 10 years ago though, can't imagine exactly why.

So finally, let's back up to the real estate and schools bit. Here's the thing: at $275k, I'd say you're probably going to be making a bit of a compromise on one side or the other. The most fantastic school districts will not likely have lots that large in your price range, if at all. On the other hand, it's likely possible to get a house and lot in those sizes in your price range if you are far enough away from the city (and in Pittsburgh, it isn't really that far, something like 30 miles is likely far enough in almost any direction), but the rural school districts won't be as good in some ways. It may still be possible to find something in the Seneca Valley district, which is growing with the growth of Cranberry, although this is a huge high school which turns some people off. There are still areas surrounding Cranberry which are fairly rural but within that school district. These will be very car-centric places and about 30 or so miles from downtown Pittsburgh. Because they're in Butler County, the property taxes are notably lower than in Allegheny County (where Pittsburgh is located). But property taxes in general in PA are pretty high, although some of that is offset by the lower cost of housing to begin with, and other taxes are low or at least average.

[Honest Bob]

The further away from the city you live, the longer your commute is going to be in the morning and evening to and from work.

The further away from downtown - to the suburbs - for what you are looking for, the more it is going to cost.

Places that comes to mind are Ambridge and Sewickley, maybe even Baden or Big Beaver.

[Hopes]

He wants to be near downtown, in the least congested area, with large property---1/2 acre at the very least to a few acres .

That will be best found in the northern suburbs---the direction with the least congestion closest to the city with homes more spread out and some areas can be downright rural even relatively close to the city.

The size of the house for that price range will put you in a middle-class township, but you might luck out and find it in a more expensive township.

I'll list all townships since you shouldn't rule anything out. Pittsburgh's townships can have houses of all prices.

There are lower priced houses within more expensive townships, and higher priced houses withing more affordable townships---so check them all.

Franklin Park, Bradford Woods, McCandless --- selection will be limited due to higher housing prices. All are within North Allegheny School District.

Hampton -- selection will be limited due to higher housing prices. School district is the same as the township name.

O'Hara Township, Indiana Township --- some areas of O'Hara are downright expensive but there's still housing there. Indiana Township is more rural. They share the same school district---Fox Chapel.

Shaler --- housing is more condensed (large suburban yards are the norm), but you can find houses with significant property in secluded areas. This area is the most affordable of the ones already mentioned.

West Deer ---- farthest away but the biggest bang for your buck as far as land goes. That applies to Indiana Township also because West Deer and Indiana townships border one another, but I lumped Indiana in with O'Hara since they are both within Fox Chapel. West Deer has it's own school district.

Pine and Richland townships --- as far away as West Deer -- lots of open area and houses with significant property --- there is super expensive housing in this area along with more affordable older houses

Ross township -- avoid --- too congested

Keep in mind that you don't want a "town" since you want to be near the city. You won't find the size property you want in a "town."

Pittsburgh is rather condensed. All of the townships I mentioned are suburbs that are within the same county as Pittsburgh. Some are just across the river. All are within 10 to 30 minutes away from downtown.

[BrianTH]

Just a casual suggestion, but the original poster might want to be a little more specific on what he means by "close proximity" to Pittsburgh, and why he wants such proximity. That may help people focus their recommendations a bit more.

[Mugatu]

Welcome, from one former Orlando to resident to another.

I made the move from Orlando to Pittsburgh in 2006 after spending my first 35 years in Florida. Let me tell you, Pittsburgh is about as extreme opposite of Orlando as you can get, most of that in a good way. Pittsburgh is about as family oriented as you can get, I think you would love that aspect of it. If you stick to the suburbs, which it looks like you prefer, you will see none of the crime and violence that plagues the entire Orlando area. Pittsburgh, even in the city limits, is a safe area for it's size. Sure there's bad areas you would not want to go into, but most of the crime STAYS in those areas, unlike Orlando where the crime spreads out to the entire metro area and you can get a gun pulled on you for cutting someone off on I-4.

As for the weather, I actually love it! But I'm one of those few people that must be genetically predisposed to live in a colder climate, there's no other explanation as to why someone raised in Florida would love the cold. lol But in all honestly, I think Pittsburgh is a mild, balanced climate. The winters are cold and gloomy, no question about it. But it doesn't get brutally cold like the Midwest or get tons of snow like the snow belt areas or upper New England. Spring and fall can be a mixed bag, some mild sunny days, some cold rainy days. But the fall colors are great! Summers are absolutely wonderful here! We only get a handful of days that exceed 90 degrees, most days around 80-85, and then we get stretches of beautiful sunny days in the 70s. Native Pittsburghers will say summers are "hot and humid", but coming from Orlando you KNOW what real heat and humidity is.

I agree with someone's suggestion above to look in suburbs north of the city. I lived in the South Hills and hated commuting anywhere from there. There is no expressway and the roads are filled with bottlenecks in the South Hills. But you don't need to live very far from the city to get a nice, country-like setting either. Pittsburgh doesn't have sprawl like Orlando. You can be just a few miles outside the city limits and see rural rolling hills and farmland. But of course, if you don't know where you'll be working, it's hard to make a suggestion on where to live.