from buffalo - moving to pittsburgh - neighborhood advice (Franklin: how much, home)

[bflotransplant]

Hello,

I am moving to Pittsburgh this summer from Buffalo for law school and am very excited but totally unfamilar with Pittsburgh. I hear Shadyside and Squirrel Hill are where most of the grad students live but would love to hear about average apt prices and any "hidden gems" in other neighbors.

Also I have a dog so I am looking for a neighborhood where I either have a yard or feel safe walking by dog around the block at night by myself. I have a car but hope I won't have to use it too much.

Advice?

Gracias!

[Renaldo5000]

What vibe and criteria are you looking for in a neighborhood?

[Burghgirl17]

Originally Posted by bflotransplant

Hello,

I am moving to Pittsburgh this summer from Buffalo for law school and am very excited but totally unfamilar with Pittsburgh. I hear Shadyside and Squirrel Hill are where most of the grad students live

If you're going to Pitt, most of your classmates will live in those 2 neighborhoods and your social life will largely involve those two places!

[BrianTH]

One alternative fitting your criteria is Regent Square, my neighborhood, which is on the other side of Frick Park from Squirrel Hill. It is popular with dog owners because the streets are nice and walkable, Frick Park is a great park for dogs, and there is even an informal off-leash dog area in the neighborhood (in Whitney Park, where people let their dogs run in a former baseball field that is fenced in). It also has a decent share of grad/prof students because it has good bus service to Oakland and a nice little commercial area, and it is also close to Squirrel Hill and Shadyside.

By the way, I first moved out here when I was a grad student at Pitt, and then recentlly was a Visiting Professor at Pitt Law.

[JRTurner]

Shadyside doesn't have too much in the way of large yards, but you should feel right at home and safe enough walking your dogs there (along with many others).

You also can park your car and rarely use it. If you have a Pitt student ID, you can ride the bus free.

Here's a link to a decent realty company to help you find a place: Welcome to Franklin West

[Bong477]

There's a lot of threads about where to live. Shadyside and Squirrel Hill are probably the two top picks and generally considered the nicest by the most people but also worth considering:

South Side
Regent Square
Friendship
Point Breeze
Bloomfield
Lawrenceville

They are all a little different in character and pros/cons factor, but reasonably safe/nice. There are plenty of nice suburbs as well, but probably better off staying in the city while in school unless you really don't want to for some reason.

Shadyside and Squirrel Hill will run (ballparks) $800-1000 for 1 bedroom, $1000-1200 for a 2 bedroom. Can spend more or less depending on the features you need or don't need.

[PeterRabbit]

How much can you afford to pay in rent? Where are you going to law school specifically? What kind of dog do you have? Why are you moving here to go to law school?

>>> Advice? <<<

<<< Gracias! >>>

[bflotransplant]

Originally Posted by iwonderwhy2124

What vibe and criteria are you looking for in a neighborhood?

Vibe- easy going, young, not 24 hour party but fun, walkable, close to bus line that will take me to Pitt Law.

Criteria - affordable for a law school, safe and convenient.

looking to have a roommate or two and pay about 500-600 or less a piece. yard wanted, small is a-ok as my dog though good sized is very lazy.

[robrobrob]

I would go for Shadyside. Most of your classmates are going to live there. If you are typical law student, single and a relatively recent college graduate and likes to go out to bars, then that is where you would want to live. If you are more of a homebody then I would try Squirrel Hill.

[JRTurner]

I just wouldn't wear a Sabres sweater or Bills jersey around...LOL!

You could probably get away with a Ryan Miller USA Olympic sweater though.

Seriously though.....from everything you've indicated above, you should love Shadyside. It is compact with narrow streets and buildings tightly packed, but it has that character and lots of people are out walking their dogs.