Moving to PGH (Sorry, another one of those threads!) (Pittsburgh: apartments, rentals)

[LongTrail23]

Ok, so I have literally spent hours on this forum trying to decipher through everyones posts and information. If the people of PGH are truly as helpful as they seem, PGH seems like it would be a great place to live!

Anyway, the situation I am in...mid 20's, married, good job. Moving from out West to PGH for a job (if I can get it; finger crossed!). The job would require heavy travel, so easy access to the airport would be nice. Both the wife and I would enjoy more urban setting, but with me being gone so much I worry about safety. It would be great to find a place with a neighborhood feel, close to downtown, loft-type living, walkable...but also SAFE! Is this possible?! Most of the time the "cool" places are not the safest places. We would also like to avoid student living, at the very least undergrad students. I would like to keep the rent around $1,200/month

It seems that the same two places are always getting thrown out: Squirrel Hill and Shadyside. Are there other places or actual building/housing complexes that we should take a look at? Do those two places even have a nice, "family" type feel to them? If it was just me, I would have no problem trying to "revitalize" a neighborhood. It'd be fun and such, but with my wife in the picture I could care less about sparking an urban renewal. I want to live somewhere that does not need the influx of wide-eyed, idealogical urbanites.

I guess I should note, we are born/raised/proud Ohioans and love smaller, tough, midwest cities. We also hope that we do not get shot for wearing Browns gear!

If I can end of getting this job, I'll be sure to buy you an Iron City when I finally make it out there! THANK YOU!!

[Geeo]

Check out the Cork Factory Lofts in the Strip District. I'm sure they've been mentioned elsewhere on this forum. It's a huge old cork factory converted to very nice apartments, and it's safe and secure with parking. It's walkable to the Strip District market area and close to downtown. Good access to the bridge and tunnel to the airport. Lots of couples and empty-nesters there. There are also other loft developments in the area, but I'm not sure which are condos and which are rentals.

While the Strip is an up and coming area, you won't be the classic urban pioneer here because not that many people lived there until recently, so it's not like it was ever a dangerous residential area to begin with.

[LongTrail23]

Thanks Geeo. I had looked at the Cork Factory, but isn't that the place that has trains running right next to it every night?

[bradjl2009]

While Squirrel Hill and Shadyside are really nice, they won't offer the best, fastest, and most direct way to get to the airport. I think you may also want to look at Mt. Lebanon, Dormont, and maybe even Sewickley if you're willing to be a little further out of the city and pay for living there, but have a nice semi-urban setting and it would have the shortest commute to the airport I would think.

[LongTrail23]

Any thoughts on Mt. Washington? Some of those views on Grandview are amazing!

[DaBurgh]

The closer you want to be to downtown, the more challenging it will be to get back and forth to the airport... just something to consider.

My cousin and his wife lived in the Heinz Lofts for a couple of years and loved it.

[BrianTH]

It isn't too bad getting back and forth from the airport and Downtown or the East End, if there isn't much traffic at the relevant times (30 minutes or less).

Squirrel Hill is a pretty safe neighborhood--among the lowest crime rates in the City, and Pittsburgh is a pretty low crime city given its size. You could also look at actually living Downtown, and a place with a view on Mt Washington would likely be very nice (assuming you can afford it!)

[greg42]

I think, depending upon your definition of easy airport access, you will have to give up one or more things. Sewickley is certainly a town with walkable area, easy access to airport, not too far from downtown Pittsburgh (about 20 minute drive), but you're not going to find lofts, or really that many good rentals, perhaps. Ditto Mt Lebanon (although Mt Lebanon is actually not as close to the airport), although more rentals there I think.

The Strip is fine but going to be harder to get to the airport. At $1200, I don't think Cork Factory is really in your price range. I don't think the train traffic is heavy, if it is still active there. If it is, it would be very slow. The tracks don't continue much beyond there towards downtown, but they go far enough to get to the produce terminal and such. The active tracks are a few blocks away. You might hear something, but it will still be slow traffic, nothing loud and not right outside. Now if you were talking about the Brake House, say, well that is a few blocks closer to the train. Eh. I dunno. I used to live right up the cliff from a very active train corridor along the Ohio River, and it never bothered me. I don't see it as a problem, in other words, but that's me.

East End neighborhoods will be even farther from the airport, and there still aren't many lofts (won't say zero; I know there are a couple, but it's not common). These places and the Strip will be urban city neighborhoods though.

Mt Washington (at least if you're near Grandview) is fine and safe, and really not that inconvenient. The places with the views are mostly out of your price range.

I don't think you'll find yourself looking at places that are actually unsafe. They mostly wouldn't be on your radar in the first place.

[TechieTransplant]

Originally Posted by LongTrail23

Any thoughts on Mt. Washington? Some of those views on Grandview are amazing!

yeah, but when you get away from those great views, you would think you were in some small hick town in the mountains.

[BrianTH]

Mt Washington back off the ridge does feel to me like one of the many old-school working-class neighborhoods we have in Pittsburgh. But of course the South Side and Downtown are very close as well, so it is a matter of which direction you want to go.