The Bad Parts of the North Side (Troy, Penn: section 8, apartments)

[Renaldo5000]

Originally Posted by alleghenyangel

Troy Hill

Troy Hill has gone downhill in the past five years. I lived there and watched my white trash neighbors scream at each other, a junkie OD in the back-alley apartment, and several young black males who seemed to make a living by standing around and "chilling".

I think that it is either going to rejuvenate and the riff-raff will be kicked out or it will commence a full-slide into ghettodom. I am hoping for the first because my mother owns a beautiful home up there that she is financially beholden to.

[TRO Z]

Troy Hill isn't bad, Just a bunch of Yinzers who drink heavily....Spring Garden aka Spring Gutter is a different story, that place is a hot mess...Spring hill has that large project up there, that area can be tricky folks, so use your street smarts or at least gain some before playing in certain areas of the N.Side...

[PreservationPioneer]

I disagree about Spring Garden and Spring Hill. I have been around these areas a lot and have never felt unsafe.

[Tiger Beer]

Originally Posted by vtPGH

I enjoy living in the Central Northside, aka Mexican War Streets, aka Old Allegheny City, aka Hoodtown. I can walk to and from my place of employment, am close to Downtown, and have restaurants and a grocery store nearby. Lots of recent investment in both neighborhoods (East Ohio St and Federal North corridors), and definitely on the upswing. Are there still some pockets where crime may happen from time to time; yes. Most residents know where they are and at what times to avoid them. But overall, both neighborhoods have cleaned up a lot from where they were 15-20 years ago.

I love the look of that area - Central Northside - aka Mexican War Streets.

How about EAST ALLEGHENY? It has a similar look...although from the sounds of it, it is the Mexican War Streets that has been significantly revamped.

What's the reputation for East Allegheny?

It also seems like anyone living in that area can easily walk right across the bridge into downtown, right? Also, you'd be hearing the sounds of Pirates games in the summer...or at least somewhat of proximity to it, I'd imagine. Or not really?

[vtPGH]

Originally Posted by Tiger Beer

I love the look of that area - Central Northside - aka Mexican War Streets.

How about EAST ALLEGHENY? It has a similar look...although from the sounds of it, it is the Mexican War Streets that has been significantly revamped.

What's the reputation for East Allegheny?

It also seems like anyone living in that area can easily walk right across the bridge into downtown, right? Also, you'd be hearing the sounds of Pirates games in the summer...or at least somewhat of proximity to it, I'd imagine. Or not really?

East Allegheny, as the city officially calls it, is very much divided into two parts by I-279 (Parkway North), which cuts the neighborhood in half. There's the side to the east of the highway, that runs into Spring Garden, over to the Penn Brewery, and is downhill from Troy Hill, and then there's the side to the west of the highway, which is commonly known as Deutschtown.

Deutschtown, like the War Streets, has undergone a lot of new investment over the last 10-15 years, as the main commercial drag, East Ohio Street has seen a good number of new businesses open up and historic facades rehabilitated. It still has some seedier businesses remaining, but the trend is definitely positive. Being located between Downtown and Allegheny General Hospital, and being pretty much flat, the neighborhood, though it did see deterioration from the 70's up to the early 90's, has always had staple businesses, churches, and civic institutions to help weather the storm and spur on investment.

The walk into downtown is pretty much a straight shot (6-8 minutes) across the 7th or 9th St. bridges, with the exception that you have to cross under the railroad pass thrus that the city has allowed to leak and crumble. As far as Pirates games, I lived on Avery St for a few summers and you could hear the fireworks displays, but not often the cheers of the crowd. That said, there was very little to cheer for...maybe one of these days...

[Drover]

You might hear the crowd cheer if there was actually... well, a crowd...

That place is depressingly uncrowded, especially for a stadium that is reputed to be among of the top 3 stadiums in the league. I'm guessing I've been to more games at PNC Park than your average Pittsburgher, and I live 500 miles away.

[Geeo]

I lived on Avery Street as well from 1988 to 95 and really liked it. There was a lot of renovation going on, which has accelerated since I left. But there were still the old-timers on the street who kept an eye on everything. Avery, Lockhart and Pressley streets are pretty well intact with no (or very few) vacancies. The Priory Hotel was a big catalyst that led to the improvement of the neighborhood. The houses are quite large, but it's deceiving from the street. Almost all are three-story and run deep in the back.

[Tiger Beer]

Is East Allegheny & Mexican War Streets.....are they expensive to buy or rent? They are seemingly fairly ideal in a lot of ways.

It sounds like those areas are good...and then it's going further away from downtown is where it gets bad...from the sounds of it.....or does East Allegheny & Mexican War Streets get a lot of spillover from whatever it is that is bad further away?

[Copanut]

Originally Posted by Drover

You might hear the crowd cheer if there was actually... well, a crowd...

That place is depressingly uncrowded, especially for a stadium that is reputed to be among of the top 3 stadiums in the league. I'm guessing I've been to more games at PNC Park than your average Pittsburgher, and I live 500 miles away.

The first year it was built they averaged close to 31K per game. Since then around 21K, not too bad for a team that hasn't sniffed the playoffs since 93. Until the current ownership makes an attempt to play winning baseball, I'll only show up when I get free tickets.

[Drover]

Actually 21K isn't that bad considering the team's recent performance. I'm guessing the stadium is as much or more of a draw as the team right now. It really is a great place to catch a game, and with tickets starting as low as 7 bucks it's a cost-effective way to spend a summer evening hanging out with friends.