Where to buy ? (Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Wilkinsburg: real estate, apartment, crime)

[PittNY]

Hello all,

This is my first post. Been reading this forum on and off since I moved here in May. I know you guys have gone over this with others, but would love a little more help. i moved into an apartment in Shadyside and love it. Problem is, I want to buy now and can't justify the cost of a home in this neighborhood. Can you recommend another area ? Would like to stay in the city proper. Anyone have any ideas on the Northside ? basically looking for an area where I can walk out the door and walk to activities. Any suggestions would be great. Appreciate your help....and by the way, pittsburgh has far exceeded my expectations

[PeterRabbit]

Move up 5th Avenue a little to Point Breeze. A friend bought a house there cheap about a block from Mellon Park. You'd still be close to Shadyside.

[Lobick]

I came here from NY also, in '95 to go to CMU and really fell in love with the city. Moved to San Diego for 4 yrs for a military commitment but moved back to the Burgh once I got the chance.

Since you mentioned the Northside, figured I'd chime in since that's my area of the city. Similar to you, my wife and I rented elsewhere (Southside) for five years prior to buying but couldn't justify the increased cost of the neighborhood when we could get twice the house for the same price in a different part of the city.

We bought in the War Streets almost 2 years ago now and could not be happier. The ability to walk to games, to the park and even downtown (or ride the T soon) is a real selling point for the area. Most will site crime as a potential negative for the Northside, but I haven't seen it. I don't feel threatened in the area. My wife and I regularly walk our dog and infant throughout the Northside neighborhoods. Now, my car was broken into in Shadyside when I was a student, several times on the Southside when we lived there and was tagged once in the War Streets. To a certain degree it's the price of urban living but I don't think the Northside is substantially different in that regard from other parts of the city.

I like the East End, don't get me wrong, but I think sometimes the comments on this board are a little too east end centric. It's probably, understandably, just a function of more posters living in that area of the city, but I think sometimes the volume of positive recommendations for those neighborhoods devalue other sections of the city. It wasn't until after I was done with school that I really got out of the east End and saw the rest of the city. I was very pleasantly surprised by what I've found.

From a purely real estate valuation point of view,I think the Central Northside is a pretty good bet right now. The new rowhouses on Federal Street are a tremendous step forward and coupled with the pending redevelopment of the Garden Theater block, all areas fronting Allegheny Commons will benefit. As has previously been mentioned, Deutchtown, especially those areas west of 279 are wonderful and seeing increased development (really home ownership) as are certain lower sections of Manchester.

Bottom line is go and at least check out these areas prior to buying in the East End, you might get more house for the buck and be happy with what you find.

[jay5835]

How nice to hear about the Mexican War Streets from someone who lives there.

Welcome.

[rhondee]

Originally Posted by Lobick

I like the East End, don't get me wrong, but I think sometimes the comments on this board are a little too east end centric. .

I agree. Its understandable to make the east recommendations for people who are young because of the high student population in that area of town but there are many nice neighborhoods in the North end of town that are under mentioned here on this forum.
The biggest advantage to living on this end of town is having a great highway infrastructure, I-279 and Rt 65, that makes for greater ease in getting around.

[SteelCityRising]

I've begun to make more deliveries recently in the North Side, and I must admit the entirety of the area is a gem that needs much less polishing overall than what some would lead you to believe. The Mexican War Streets in particular are gorgeous---very reminiscent of the historic area of Downtown Philadelphia (Olde City?) Upon alleghenyangel's recommendation I also ventured into West Deutschtown, and I saw a charming small business district (that admittedly needs some love---similar to Penn Avenue in Wilkinsburg).

I don't think we all mean to be "east-centric" in an attempt to snub other areas. Many of us on here DO live in the east, and as such that's just what we become familiar with. I know jay lives in East Liberty, Brian lives in Regent Square, I live in Polish Hill, Q-Top Motha lives in Polish Hill (impending Troy Hill in the North Side), and there are a few on here from Shadyside. Hopefully you, ML North, alleghenyangel, and rhondee can continue to fill us in on the positive happenings on the northern and western sides of the city.

I must admit I would really be interested in buying my first home myself somewhere in the North Side. Since I've moved to Pittsburgh I've heard the following:

1.) When I went to update my address on-file with the Rivers Casino the Players' Club representative told me "that's a bad zip code" when I told her I lived in 15219. I told her I lived in "the good part". She countered "there aren't any good parts there". I was upset, but I let her wallow in her own narrow-mindedness.

2.) My landlady and her better half both balked when I told them I wanted to explore more of the North Side. They said the Mexican War Streets were the "worst part". I beg to differ.

3.) While making a delivery Downtown to the City-County Building back in December a woman said "never mind" when I told her our store was in East Liberty.

Pittsburgh is NOT a LARGE city, people. How can so many people be so thoroughly IGNORANT of neighborhoods that are within walking distance of them?

[ML North]

To the OP, I live in the War Streets. I see someone above recommended the neighborhood. This has been my experience : //www.city-data.com/forum/pitts...l#post17254458

[BrianTH]

If you want something similar to Shadyside but less expensive, I definitely think the better parts of the North Side are worth considering. The South Side too, but it is not so inexpensive these days. Finally, parts of Lawrenceville/Bloomfield/Friendship may also be worth looking into.

[jay5835]

Originally Posted by RestonRunner86

Pittsburgh is NOT a LARGE city, people. How can so many people be so thoroughly IGNORANT of neighborhoods that are within walking distance of them?

Rivers and their concomitant bridges or tunnels are a real (if mostly psychological) boundary in most cities. Except for a spell when I worked near Tyson's Corner, or to go to Pentagon City, I hardly ever went to VA when I lived in DC.

And I won't even bother to use the words "bridge & tunnel" when I talk about NJ or Brooklyn.

[BrianTH]

It is not a matter of distance. Pittsburgh has a gazillion distinct neighborhoods, and many people don't have a need to go into many of them, and many of those aren't really between other places many people go to, and so on.

Basically, Pittsburgh is loosely organized on a hub and spoke model (except the spokes are bent around in three dimensions, and sometimes terminate suddenly). This model was largely dictated by the local topography. So if a part of Pittsburgh is on a different spoke from where you live and work, you may need to make a conscious effort to visit there.