How safe is it to live on Allegheny Avenue (Manchester) (Fox Chapel: section 8, apartments)

[ursvetlanka]

Hello, everyone.

There are a lot of threads about North Shore and various parts of it, but I would like to start a discussion of Allegheny Avenue in particular.

I now live in Bloomfield, but I found a gorgeous apartment on Allegheny Avenue (between Ridge Ave and Pennsylvania Ave), which I will be renting for the following reasons:

- gorgeous apartment by all means
- fits my budget perfectly
- ideal location that suits my current work & study situation.

Since I am not shopping for another place anymore, I have started to look up information on North Shore - some things are definitely scary, some are not as bad.

Does anyone live on Allegheny Avenue and what is your impression of it? Would you continue living in that neighborhood, or are you counting down the days until you can move out?
I am very used to thriving Bloomfield and groceries, library, post office and other amenities at hand - Allegheny Avenue looked a little sketchy when I was there last. What are the main things to watch out for residing in Manchester?

Thanks.

[I_Like_Spam]

Manchester is generally safe south of Liverpool, so you should be cool over there. The area has seen worse days, but its on the upswing and Allegheny Ave. is like the border of Manchester and Allegheny West.

Grocery shopping requires a bit of travel from there, for sure- but there are convenience stores and fast food in the shadows of CCAC.

The biggest concern I'd have is making sure I had a safe place for my ride during football games- people will park and walk from there to the stadium.

[ursvetlanka]

Thanks for the tip on grocery shopping. I haven't noticed anything but a poorly looking Giant Eagle behind.. a gas station past the Allegheny Hospital? If this is the only grocery option, it is not good. It is such a beautiful neighborhood, I'm very surprised how little amenities are there and how run down some of it is...

[pman]

arent they adding a store in the garden block?

[Uptown kid]

Manchester as a whole is currently safer than it once was... Although it has nothing to do with the gentrification of the Lower Northside, Manchester is safer than it once was because the Zone 1 police rounded up 30 members of the local street gang the Manchester OGz. 5 years from now Upper Manchester will be the at the same level as it was 5 years from today. However, Manchester is divided into two totally differnet sections Upper & Lower. Lower Manchester is safe hip and stable neighborhood with potential. While Upper Manchester is still a somewhat depressed rough ghetto home to the OG'z... To your advantage Allegheny is in the lower section. *Note that Liverpool Street seems to be a good divider between the two...

[ursvetlanka]

Thank you for the insight, guys. I am actually excited to move there! I am not afraid to defend myself in the streets if I have to, and I will not be assuming that North Side is Fox Chapel, but it is nice to have a place that you really like.
I have viewed numerous apartments in Shadyside area, I have been living nearby for 2 years, and they are all the size of a shoe box with horrible bathrooms and run-down kitchens for $900+/mo.

[PreservationPioneer]

I believe Allegheny Ave. is actually the border between Allegheny West (a neighborhood that is generally viewed as an upscale urban area) and Manchester (generally viewed as an urban neighborhood in transition). So on one side you will have beautifully restored homes, and the other side you will have a few sketchy areas (although Manchester is rapidly revitalizing, so probably not too many these days).

[ferraris]

I moved from Bloomfield to the War Streets this past summer. I definitely do not regret it. I had some concerns due to the stuff you read online or hear people say, but I feel that those opinions are either outdated or simply wrong.

The couple of blocks that you are describing may as well be in Allegheny West rather than Manchester. I'd suggest taking a walk down Beech and Western Ave between Allegheny and Brighton Road. Beech will show you how nice the area is, and Western will show you what sort of business district you'll be dealing with. It's nowhere near as extensive as Liberty in Bloomfield, but you do have a decent number of places, things like a dentist & barber, and a few restaurants and bars.

To answer your initial question though, it is safe in my opinion. Are you aware of the police station on Western and the one on Brighton?

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by ursvetlanka

Thanks for the tip on grocery shopping. I haven't noticed anything but a poorly looking Giant Eagle behind.. a gas station past the Allegheny Hospital? If this is the only grocery option, it is not good.

That's it aside from a couple small private overpriced general stores. You'll definitely need to drive to a grocery store if you don't like that Giant Eagle.

[Aqua Teen Carl]

I have family in Manchester and I spend a lot of time in Bloomfield. For the most part people won't bother you if you don't bother them. My family has been living there for over 10 years and the only trouble they've had was having their car broken into 3 or 4 times and people vandalizing their house twice. There is some Section 8 housing spread about and some housing that are boarded up in various areas. For awhile there was a lot of drug activity but that has seemed to have died down. I'm not sure if this will apply to you but during Steeler games you won't find a place to park in lower Manchester. Also yes, that crappy Giant Eagle is your only grocery store option.

On the flip side there are great (old) houses there and some things to do on Western Ave. Living in Manchester definitely takes a lot more patience than living in Bloomfield but from your posts it sounds like you'll do just fine.