Lower Lawrenceville for Young Family (Philadelphia, Pittsburgh: for sale, low crime, chapel)

[cirila]

Hello everybody!

My husband will be transferred to Pittsburgh in a couple of months. We're a in our late 20s and have a 5 month old baby and a dog. We're currently living in North Texas but hate it here. Both of us come from progressive and highly vibrant cities (Cordoba, Argentina and Austin, Texas), so living in this hot cement jungle surrounded by churches, cookie-cutter houses, and boring chain stores -don't mean to offend anybody, I'm just being honest- is killing us. Yes, we're very "healthy granola". Just so you know, I work from home and my husband will be driving all around Pennsylvania -he's in the oil industry, so we're not restricted to any area in particular.

This is what we're looking for:

*Walking distance to grocery stores -especially Whole Foods, farmers markets, old fashioned grocery stores, and health food stores. Bars and restaurants would be a plus.
*Walking distance to a park
*Low crime
*Quaint affordable homes with backyard
*Trees and greenery
*Artsy vibe
*Diversity
*Educated folks
*Not necessarily a trendy area like Shadyside or Squirrell Hill
*We don't care about schools because when the time comes, we'll either send her to a private school, or we'll homeschool her.
*Our budget is 250k max.

After doing some research, we've come to the conclusion that Lower Lawrenceville might be the best option for us. What do you guys think? Any input? Is there any other neighborhood that meets our needs?

Thank you so much in advance!

[I_Like_Spam]

Looking at your requirements, I'm not sure that lower Lawrenceville meets your needs.

From the intersection of Butler and Penn, its about 7 blocks to Arsenal Park and 13 blocks to the 21st St. in the Strip where you can do your grocery shopping, and those stores aren't open in the evening. Also, the lots are pretty small in most of L'ville, backyard space is usually pretty limited.

I'd suggest, for your needs that the Friendship area would be more suitable. The lots are a lot bigger.

A lot more trees, close enough to walk to Italian groceries in Bloomfield or the Giant Eagle Market District, and a lot of int'l type folks in those areas. Close to the emerging Penn Ave arts area as well in Garfield.

[soniqV]

That seems like it fits your bill. Really you could probably expand your search to anywhere in the Lower Larryville/Bloomfield/Friendship corridor minus Garfield. LL will put you closer to the artsy stuff and Friendship is right next to the booming East Liberty business district and about a mile from Whole Foods. It's all close to food and drink.

[PreservationPioneer]

Lower and Central Lawrenceville would probably both fit your needs. They are both very historic, and increasingly vibrant.

[jay5835]

Go to www.howardhanna.com and look up a house for sale at 304 S. Fairmount, Pittsburgh 15232. It's in your price range. Then go to "directions" on this map, and plug in 5880 Centre Ave, Pittsburgh 15206. That's Whole Foods. It's 4/10 of a mile.

304 S Fairmount, Bloomfield, PA 15232 - Google Maps

[Bong477]

Did you look at regent square?

[onwardandupward]

I would definitely pick Friendship/Bloomfield over Lower Lawrenceville, and I would add parts of East Liberty and Highland Park to your list.

[gg]

I would look at Highland Park. From what your just wrote, that would be my first choice. Also Point Breeze would be another option.

[cirila]

Thank you all for your responses! Very useful info! I'll certainly check those other neighborhoods as well. It's not easy to get the feel of a place without actually being there, but at least I have an idea as to what to expect

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by cirila

Thank you all for your responses! Very useful info! I'll certainly check those other neighborhoods as well. It's not easy to get the feel of a place without actually being there, but at least I have an idea as to what to expect

Welcome in advance to Pittsburgh! I can empathize with your disdain for North Texas, as I moved here from Northern Virginia (very similar in composition in terms of lots of sprawl, big-box stores, McMansions, huge parking lots, etc.) That wasn't my own personal cup of tea, but I do realize that such environs is now what the majority of Americans desire, for better or for worse.

Pittsburgh a city of unique neighborhoods. I'm not so certain Lower Lawrenceville would be your best bet. As was previously recommended I think Friendship may be more ideal. You would be very near to Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, the new two-story Target (with its own shopping cart escalators!), the main drag of Liberty Avenue through Bloomfield (Pittsburgh's "Little Italy"), Bakery Square, the Strip District, Shadyside's business districts, and Oakland. You could walk to many of these amenities or hop a bus to others within 10 minutes.

If you're into healthier foods adjacent Garfield is home to Quiet Storm and Salt of the Earth, which are two restaurants noted for their tasty (yet healthy) offerings, with Quiet Storm offering a lot of vegetarian/vegan options. Garfield is very "edgy" and gritty, to say the least, and East Liberty, despite its rapid gentrification, is still rough around the edges. There's a Panera Bread along Centre Avenue in Shadyside, a quick stroll from Friendship.

Regent Square would be another excellent recommendation. You'd be on the doorstep of Frick Park, and there is a nice (albeit small) business district along South Braddock Avenue that is home to an increasing array of eateries, some conveniences, and even a small movie theater. The surrounding streets are very leafy (many are brick, too, which helps to calm traffic). When making deliveries to Regent Square I routinely see families riding bikes, grandmothers pulling grandchildren around in little red wagons, etc. The public school system overall in Pittsburgh is abysmal (save for the Allerdice High School feeding pattern), but as gentrification continues very strongly in the 2010s I believe you may see the tides change by 2020.

h_curtis recommended Highland Park. While this is generally a nice neighborhood very near to the namesake Highland Park with its zoo and aquarium, it sorely lacks a retail element. You're not terribly far from the entertainment, retail, and dining options of East Liberty and Shadyside, but you'd have to drive or take a bus from the more desirable parts of the neighborhood (the blocks furthest north and nearest to the park).

One thing you'll notice with Pittsburgh is how you can quickly go from an upscale area to a ghetto. I live in Polish Hill, which is a working-class blue-collar neighborhood that is actually enjoying some spillover from the artsy success of Lawrenceville. My neighborhood is EXTREMELY safe---one of the safest in the city, actually (I believe Swisshelm Park may be the safest). Nevertheless just across Bigelow Boulevard is the notorious Hill District, which seemingly can't go one week without street thugs shooting or stabbing each other. The Mexican War Streets in the North Side are very upscale and remind me quite a bit of parts of Olde City in Philadelphia with its stately rowhomes. Within walking distance are some very unsavory parts of the North Side. The East Busway is all that separates Point Breeze North (nice) from Homewood (not so nice). Some parts of the city, especially in the East End, are gentrifying quickly, and some suburbs (namely Verona and parts of Penn Hills) are the "beneficiaries" of the questionable elements being pushed out. This metro area is home to both Fox Chapel (where the driveways are replete with BMWs and Audis) and Braddock, a community that feels like it's going to collapse around you as you drive through it. It's home to Cranberry Township (similar to the sterile suburbs you abhor in the Metroplex) as well as historic districts. You won't find a metro area that offers quite this level of a "bang-for-your-buck factor" (and, ironically, if I keep urging my NoVA/DC friends to move here that cost-of-living will become exorbitant by the 2020s).