Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Pennsylvania > Pittsburgh
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 08-07-2011, 05:18 PM
 
Location: Charlotte
1,763 posts, read 3,291,277 times
Reputation: 1179

Advertisements

Quote:
Originally Posted by slackbox View Post
Squirrel Hill is great... I have never been a city-dweller, it would have to take a lot to wrap my mind around living in the city. Not against it though, willing to try to figure it out. Are we sure it is a safe area? It is close to Homewood which I am told is a horrible area.
I spent part of my teen years in Point Breeze right next to Homewood - an easy walk. I don't recall ever seeing a person from Homewood in my neighborhood - I hate to generalize people, but you can usually tell if someone is from a neighborhood like Homewood. In 6 years, I never saw anyone where it was obvious they were from outside Point Breeze. This was a quiet street and I never heard of any crime being committed on it either. Mellon Park playground was nearby - only there were there families with their children from Homewood.
Most Pittsburghers stay in their own neighborhoods and I think the high crime areas like Homewood keep the crime to themselves - unfortunate for those unlucky to have to live there.
Squirrel Hill is even more secure as it is such a large neighborhood and not bordered by any low-income ones. I've walked around in Squirrel Hill/Point Breeze/Shadyside ALONE from age 10 and up. It never felt unsafe. The suburbs are much more dangerous for walking as there are often no sidewalks.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 08-07-2011, 07:46 PM
 
20 posts, read 43,180 times
Reputation: 16
Heh heh, we call Giant Eagle, Target, and Home Depot the "Trifecta of Convenience"... since these are the places you end up needing to go to almost everyday when you are a homeowner with a young family. Believe me, all I do at night when the kids are in bed is use Google Maps to find where all the Giant Eagles and Targets are and what neighborhoods are nearby, and if those neighborhoods are acceptable. I'm sorry, but >15 mins is just too much of a PITA to drive to one of these stores. Sewickley was adorable... it was just a little isolated. too bad, it was absolutely my dream town.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-07-2011, 09:58 PM
 
6,601 posts, read 8,975,035 times
Reputation: 4699
Quote:
Originally Posted by ex-burgher View Post
I spent part of my teen years in Point Breeze right next to Homewood - an easy walk. I don't recall ever seeing a person from Homewood in my neighborhood - I hate to generalize people, but you can usually tell if someone is from a neighborhood like Homewood. In 6 years, I never saw anyone where it was obvious they were from outside Point Breeze. This was a quiet street and I never heard of any crime being committed on it either. Mellon Park playground was nearby - only there were there families with their children from Homewood.
Most Pittsburghers stay in their own neighborhoods and I think the high crime areas like Homewood keep the crime to themselves - unfortunate for those unlucky to have to live there.
Squirrel Hill is even more secure as it is such a large neighborhood and not bordered by any low-income ones. I've walked around in Squirrel Hill/Point Breeze/Shadyside ALONE from age 10 and up. It never felt unsafe. The suburbs are much more dangerous for walking as there are often no sidewalks.
That's a good point. Squirrel Hill is the only neighborhood in the city that isn't even remotely bordered by a low-income and/or high crime area.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-08-2011, 07:52 AM
 
Location: O'Hara Twp.
4,359 posts, read 7,526,102 times
Reputation: 1611
Quote:
Originally Posted by slackbox View Post
We are living in Cranberry (Seven Fields) temporarily while looking for a place to live. My husband loves Cranberry. It's not bad. Good shopping, and new homes. Low taxes. We just don't WANT to pay $14,000 a year in taxes. We can, we just don't want to. Cranberry isn't bad, I just want to make sure I don't overlook any neighborhoods that offer what Cranberry doesn't... walkability, a cute shopping street in town, and unique houses. And good schools. I actually don't really want "economic diversity" because I don't want to have the best house in the neighborhood. We are going to go look at Sewickley today, and hopefully Squirrel Hill/Shadyside. Hope it goes well! Thank you all for your advice!
I think your husband loves Cranberry because of the lower taxes. Before your search goes even further you have to accept the fact that your taxes are going to be huge in Allegheny County if you buy a house for between 500k -650K. FYI - The city has a 3% income tax. Most of the burbs are 1.5%
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-08-2011, 08:09 AM
 
43,011 posts, read 108,004,288 times
Reputation: 30721
Quote:
Originally Posted by slackbox View Post
Heh heh, we call Giant Eagle, Target, and Home Depot the "Trifecta of Convenience"... since these are the places you end up needing to go to almost everyday when you are a homeowner with a young family. Believe me, all I do at night when the kids are in bed is use Google Maps to find where all the Giant Eagles and Targets are and what neighborhoods are nearby, and if those neighborhoods are acceptable. I'm sorry, but >15 mins is just too much of a PITA to drive to one of these stores. Sewickley was adorable... it was just a little isolated. too bad, it was absolutely my dream town.
So convenience is more important than living somewhere that makes you happy?

You can easily change your shopping habits. You can't easily find the perfect dream neighborhood. There's no reason to go shopping at Target and Home Depot everyday. Many homeowners with young families are very capable of planning their shopping trips so they are consolidated. What I don't undertand is how an extra 5 minutes can be a deal breaker when very few neighborhoods have the charm and walkability you want.

News flash: The reason you are having a problem finding Mayberry is because Mayberry was before shopping malls and big box stores. Heck, Mayberry is before most stay at home wives had cars! The reason you can't find what you want is because you are trying to blend two lifestyles into one. A lifestyle of walkable neighborhoods with shops, restaurants and ice cream parlors within walking distance is the opposite of the lifestyle of Target and Home Depot.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-08-2011, 09:18 AM
 
Location: Pittsburgh area
9,912 posts, read 24,645,588 times
Reputation: 5163
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hopes View Post
So convenience is more important than living somewhere that makes you happy?

You can easily change your shopping habits. You can't easily find the perfect dream neighborhood. There's no reason to go shopping at Target and Home Depot everyday. Many homeowners with young families are very capable of planning their shopping trips so they are consolidated. What I don't undertand is how an extra 5 minutes can be a deal breaker when very few neighborhoods have the charm and walkability you want.
This is what I was thinking too. Glad I'm not the only one.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-08-2011, 09:20 AM
 
1,139 posts, read 2,495,701 times
Reputation: 421
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hopes View Post
A lifestyle of walkable neighborhoods with shops, restaurants and ice cream parlors within walking distance is the opposite of the lifestyle of Target and Home Depot.
Can't all of this be found in East Liberty?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-08-2011, 09:29 AM
 
Location: Leesburg
799 posts, read 1,289,291 times
Reputation: 237
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hopes View Post
So convenience is more important than living somewhere that makes you happy?

You can easily change your shopping habits. You can't easily find the perfect dream neighborhood. There's no reason to go shopping at Target and Home Depot everyday. Many homeowners with young families are very capable of planning their shopping trips so they are consolidated. What I don't undertand is how an extra 5 minutes can be a deal breaker when very few neighborhoods have the charm and walkability you want.

News flash: The reason you are having a problem finding Mayberry is because Mayberry was before shopping malls and big box stores. Heck, Mayberry is before most stay at home wives had cars! The reason you can't find what you want is because you are trying to blend two lifestyles into one. A lifestyle of walkable neighborhoods with shops, restaurants and ice cream parlors within walking distance is the opposite of the lifestyle of Target and Home Depot.
I don't know what the big deal is. She seems to know what she wants and what she likes. She's looking for a compelling reason to leave a place (Cranberry) that is, at the very least, good enough.

What she wants does exist, perhaps not in Pittsburgh. I know because I currently live in such a place.

Last edited by globalburgh; 08-08-2011 at 10:25 AM.. Reason: Typo/word missing
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-11-2011, 05:28 PM
 
62 posts, read 109,504 times
Reputation: 55
I can't believe only one person has suggested Oakmont. Considering the criteria it seems ideal for the OP. Great neighborhood, very walkable, great shops and cafes, decent schools, and safe. It's literally right across the river from Fox Chapel and would be an easy commute to East Liberty.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-11-2011, 07:21 PM
 
43,011 posts, read 108,004,288 times
Reputation: 30721
Quote:
Originally Posted by Burghson86 View Post
I can't believe only one person has suggested Oakmont. Considering the criteria it seems ideal for the OP. Great neighborhood, very walkable, great shops and cafes, decent schools, and safe. It's literally right across the river from Fox Chapel and would be an easy commute to East Liberty.
That's because the OP wants good schools, not decent schools.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Pennsylvania > Pittsburgh
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6. The time now is 07:02 AM.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top