We lost a place in Friendship . . . (Pittsburgh, Lebanon: apartment, renter, crime)

[Copanut]

Friendship vs Mt. Lebanon???

Not even close, take it.

[Drover]

The most significant difference between Mt. Lebanon and nearby Pittsburgh proper neighborhoods is where the border is drawn. Mt. Lebanon is nearly as densely populated as Pittsburgh proper; and if you were just driving along, I doubt you'd be able to tell where Pittsburgh stops and Mt. Lebanon starts.

[Copanut]

Well, driving down Rte 19, you wouldn't hit the city until Brookline Blvd, you might notice a difference with the poor road maintenance. Going down Banksville, not so much, just watch out for the Welcome to Pgh speed traps after Beto's Pizza. Going out via Greentree Road, can't really tell, that area is still top notch.

[newhope321]

Originally Posted by robrobrob

There are a handful of top neighborhoods for families in Pittsburgh and Mt. Lebanon is one of them. As long as it is not on very busy road I would sign the lease. Frankly, I don't think it is possible to not like it there.

It's on Kewanna Street. Any thoughts?

[newhope321]

Originally Posted by Copanut

Friendship vs Mt. Lebanon???

Not even close, take it.

Well, it'll cost us more, but we're having the lease agreement expressed to us. Our other, more affordable option, is in Greenfield. I've seen a number of negative posts about Homewood, and this seems rather close. (Again, if I am showing ignorance, it is because I am personally very ignorant about Pittsburgh and its neighborhoods -- I'm going exclusively by what I have read on the board.) The place is just south of Schenley Park and I'm not at all appalled by the schools. That house is on Lilac Street if anyone has input.

The other house is at 808 Kewanna in Mt. Lebanon. I've seen a street view, and multiple pictures on Tulia.com. Cute as a button, even if it is a bit small.

Either way, we have to give our final word tomorrow because time is short (and we are getting older by the minute!)

[Drover]

Homewood may be close geographically speaking, but by urban standards it's a universe away. If you live in Greenfield you won't even notice Homewood unless you actually go into Homewood. I used to live about 6 blocks from Homewood and was totally unconcerned about it, at least as pertains to how it impacted my day-to-day life. In Greenfield your bigger concern is living too close to Hazelwood/Glenhazel, which thankfully isn't as bad as Homewood but it still might be worth making sure there's a few blocks between you and it. Mount Lebanon is just as close to some pretty iffy areas as Greenfield is to Homewood -- which is to say, not particularly.

[newhope321]

Thanks, Drover! Good info, and I always want to save money!

[Drover]

Plus, Greenfield sits on top of a big-ass hill so you might get a decent scenic view or two.

[greg42]

Originally Posted by newhope321

It's on Kewanna Street. Any thoughts?

I think over there you'll find more old suburb feel, not quite as close together as city/urban. You won't be too close to the walkable area I find interesting, which is the "uptown" section closer to Dormont, along Washington Rd. (Look on maps for large Mt Lebanon Cemetary then Washington Rd next to that and a few blocks south.) That said, you may be close enough to walk to some places near the intersection of Mt Lebanon Blvd and Castle Shannon Blvd, but the configuration of the streets may make this longer than it might otherwise need to be. There are some hills in there (naturally, as there are everywhere in this area!) and I suspect that dictates some of the routings of the streets. Or, perhaps you'll be close enough to walk to some things on Library Rd (aka Rt 88). Not sure just what is out there. If it doesn't seem walkable (particularly in winter, I wouldn't think so), at least the drives to useful things will be quite short. If someone is commuting into the city, it's great as long as public transit is okay. The T light rail is very near, walkable on nice days I would think. It runs along the same roads, Library Rd and Castle Shannon Blvd.

[subdivisions]

[quote=newhope321;12123843] Our other, more affordable option, is in Greenfield. I've seen a number of negative posts about Homewood, and this seems rather close. [quote]

Nah. You don't need to worry about Homewood unless you're planning on living in a neighborhood that's right up next to it, like North Point Breeze. And even then it might not be an issue for you (e.g., I live in N. Point Breeze and haven't experienced any problems of note in 2.5 years).

Neighborhood boundaries are sturdier than fences in Pittsburgh.

And that being said, Greenfield is 3 miles and an entire universe away from Homewood. As another poster mentioned already, Hazelwood will be your main concern living in Greenfield. I can't really comment on that because I don't really have any first-hand knowledge of how bad Hazelwood really is or how much that badness affects Greenfield. I can tell you that I have a few friends living in Greenfield and they don't say much about crime.