Moving From Utah to Pittsburgh Area

[stevo6]

Here's some national hospital rankings to dig into. The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center is one of the regions largest employers and ranks pretty well in most categories. There are other good hospitals of course, notably the Magee Woman's Hospital.

U.S. News Best Hospitals 2010-11

[Burghgirl17]

Originally Posted by stevo6

maybe South Fayette is a small step down if you want to split hairs. It is borderline rural/suburban.

Not so much anymore. 15 years ago, I would totally agree. When I graduated from high school, it definitely was. Now that I live there as an adult with a family- not so much. It has been built up quite a bit. Tons of young families. The school has also done an amazing job turning into one of the best in the state. It has risen so quickly that it is tough to compare to Mt. Lebanon/USC, who have both been tops for a long time and have that reputation.

SF definitely has a different vibe that Mt. Lebanon - it's a lot newer, whereas the housing stock in Mt. Lebanon is a lot older. Mt. Lebanon has more commercial areas and is walkable. SF is more spread out. USC doesn't really have the commercial district, but it is a little closer to commercial areas.

One thing to consider with Mt. Lebanon, which I always found amazing, is that your kids must walk to school or be dropped off. Schools buses do not take your children to and from the school.

None of the areas that you have mentioned give me pause regarding your concerns for safety. They are all very safe areas.

A lot of it depends on what your family likes. Do you love the charm of older houses? Or are you home repair challenged? Do you want more space, or do you want to pay more for a smaller home in a particular location? How much of a yard? How close do you want to be to your neighbors?

[oldshoe64]

I wish to thank the people who have responded. There were some things that I did not initially consider. Since I am not a traveler and am not seeking a position that requires travel I do not need to be by the airport nor wish to be by one. If I can avoid some heavy traffic I would. In my employment search I am coming across positions in the center of Pittsburgh. I looks like, mostly likely, this is where I would be traveling. As far as the type of home we like newer ones (not older than 20 years)

[Gr8Style]

I have lived in Pittsburgh all my life except for the times I was away for college and then again I was away for 10 years while pursuing my professional training. I then came back to Pittsburgh and subsequently lived in several different neighborhoods on the "east end" including Shadyside and Squirrel Hill before settling down in Fox Chapel. I have lived there now for 25 years. I have a sister who lives in
Mt Lebanon and one who lives in Hampton and I used to visit my sister in Mt Lebanon very often and stay with her for days at a time when I was in high school and even in college before I entered my mid 20's. I used to baby sit my niece who attended Mt Lebanon schools. My other sister's children attended schools in Hampton and even though my children all went to Private Schools, the Campus School in Oakland and then Shadyside Academy in Fox Chapel, I have many friends who's children went to the Fox Chapel Public Schools.
I believe that in terms of school systems the Fox Chapel School system is the better of the two as this School System consistently wins the highest awards and they have the highest number of students achieve every imaginable award possible. I also know that they also give a lot of individual help to students who have learning problems and I have seen my neighbor's son achieve wonders with their help and was able to transfer to Shadyside academy and graduate.
Also, I think the most important consideration is that if you want to work in Hospitals or anywhere downtown, you must not live in the South Hills as the traffic going through the tunnels is unbelievably atrocious morning and evening and you would spend 1/2 of your life sitting in traffic. Speaking of Pollution, what could be worse! In Fox Chapel, you are in a Wildlife and Nature Preservation Area and although I am a mere 12-15 minutes from downtown and 35-50 minutes from the Airport, you would swear you were in the country at my house. Here you are surrounded by gorgeous huge mature trees and an occasional stream, birds and little animals and two golf courses you can walk to. Unlike Sewickley Heights where it is next to impossible to find a house under $1,500,000, in Fox Chapel you can find houses for under $400,000 if you look and sometimes even under $300,000. Another advantage of living here, is that there is no crime and it is possible to leave your car unlocked in your driveway and your front door unlocked. When I lived in Shadyside on Kentucky Ave about 6 houses down from
S. Aiken, my husband and I had our cars stolen in front of
our house 4 times in one year!
I hope you found this review useful as I thought I could be helpful with all my experience.