Mt Leb vs. Oakmont (Pittsburgh, Penn Hills: houses, neighborhood, school district)

[steinberg]

My wife and I are relocating from NC to Pittsburgh. We like NC, but my wife got a great job at Pitt. Anyway, we were just there over the weekend house hunting and we've narrowed it down to a choice between a house in Oakmont and a house in Mt Lebanon. We have a good friend who grew up in Mt. L., so we have a pretty good idea of what its like there, but we have very little info. @ Oakmont, except that we found a great house and we really like how the town looks (based on driving through it for about 10 minutes).
The real questions are: Who lives in Oakmont? Is the average commute @ 30 minutes to Oakland? What is there to do there? Is it primarily a "bedroom community"? Are there younger people with kids, or is it mostly a retired population? It feels like a small town I grew up in in the midwest - is that possible?
Also, I've read previously that if you live in any of these suburbs, you end up never going to the city, never accessing city parks, restaurants, culture, sports, etc. Is that true from your experience? We really like both these houses, but are afraid of being isolated from what's going on in the city. It seems as though the commutes on the weekends are not a problem, and neither of us is concerned about a 30 minute commute. (the house in Mt. L. is on the edge of Dormont, closer to the city).
Any feedback would be welcome. Thanks!

p.s. also, we've read a lot of negative things about Pittsburgh on the internet and based on our visit we are very excited about the move, we're looking forward to it!

[Tallysmom]

I'm originally from Cranberry, and I now live in Oakland, ca -- and I don't go into San Francisco if I can help it. I also don't go to Berkeley if I can help it.

So, honestly, if you want to never go into Pittsburgh, you don't have to. But Oakmont isn't isolated.

[claremarie]

Are you going to be working, and where?
Do you have or plan to have children?
I grew up in Pittsburgh (the North Hills), and have lived in the DC area for 20 years, but still have family in Pittsburgh. Also lived in Durham, NC for grad school. My experience is that there are plenty of suburban residents in Pgh who regularly go into the city -- for work, restaurants, ball games, museums. When I was growing up in the 1970s, we regularly went "downtown" to shop in the wonderful department stores, but they are, alas, not what they used to be. Actually, they have all either disappeared completely or been bought out by Macy's.
Anyhow, compared to many cities, Pittsburgh is very easy to get around, and it's not a big deal to drive in from the suburbs to do stuff, especially on weekends. Basically, those who like to do those things will do them, and those who would rather putter around the yard or take the kids to the local playground or go to the mall will venture downtown far less frequently.
There is a GREAT golf course in Oakmont, if you have money to burn....
Seriously, though, I would suggest another trip to Pittsburgh before making your decision. Ten minutes driving through a community is not going to give you enough information to make an intelligent choice.

[CaptainObvious]

Oakmont vs. Mt Lebo...really, hard to go wrong with either. I echo all the questions posed by claremarie...depends on where you'll be doing most of your stuff! The location within Oakmont would be a big deciding factor for me...you mentioned "the Dormont side" of Mt. Lebo, but where in Oakmont? Right in town or more over toward Verona and Penn Hills? I absolutely love most of the homes on the numbered streets in Oakmont.

CaptainO

[steinberg]

The Mt. Lebanon house is near Beverly. The Oakmont house is about a half block from the cobblestone street area near the downtown. Both locations have shops, restaurants, etc. within walking distance. We have two kids, 11 mo old twins. I'll be working part-time in Oakland, at least for the time being.
Wondering if there would be more services/activities for kids in MtL, also more Pitt faculty in MtL - although maybe only b/c the population is greater...
We do like the calmer atmosphere of Oakmont, and the houses/yards there are gorgeous.

[stevo6]

It may be splitting hairs. Oakmont : larger homes, access to the river and points north, further from Oakland but no tunnels. Mt. Lebo: more people, more shops and entertainment, closer to downtown (but there is the tunnel which gets backed up), no. 3 school district in the state based on standardized testing.

[badylan]

Know both, close call.......if schools are a factor Mt Lebo is the best and closer to town,,,,,,,,,Oakmont has the beautiful Allegheny river with all it fun.......hard call

[Hopes]

Oakmont and Mt. Lebanon are similar regarding the population. Both areas have substantial wealth and middle class families too. I personally would go with Oakmont because the traffic congestion in and around Mt. Lebanon is nuts---even just for grocery shopping. Furthermore, everyone is saying that Mt. Lebanon is closer to town, but the truth is that the commute time is the same because there's more traffic congestion going into town during rush hour when driving from the South Hills compared to rush hour from Oakmont. Honestly, if you like the Oakmont house better, you can't go wrong. I'd much rather raise my family in the Oakmont setting. And there are plenty of activities for children anywhere if a parent is willing to invest the time and money into the activities.

[TRO Z]

If you have children and your looking for them to get a top notch education, Mt. Lebo would be your better choice of the 2...

Mt. Lebo school dist vs Riverview school dist....

[MLN2603]

Originally Posted by TRO Z

If you have children and your looking for them to get a top notch education, Mt. Lebo would be your better choice of the 2...

Mt. Lebo school dist vs Riverview school dist....

I totally agree!!! Riverview (Oakmont) is not too great of school district. Mt. Lebo is a much better school. So, if your kids are going to public... go to Mt. Lebo. If they will go to private, then either neighborhood is fine... both are on the upper class side and very nice!