Pittsburgh in 10 days (Ross Township, Scott Township, Bellevue: rental, low crime, hotel)

[Gelasia]

I was hesitant to post this but decided to after it was suggested.

Basically I found out this week I need to be in Pittsburgh for work by Sept 10th. So this means I need to find a place to live. I really dont want to live in a hotel - been there done that and so over it.


I'm not really picky ( I don't think) as I will be in town solely for work.

Things that are important to me:

Dedicated parking space

Private Washer/Dryer or at least a hook up inside home

Dogs allowed

Small fenced in yard

Safe

I run or walk with my dogs daily so ideally I'd like to live in area where I can run and feel safe doing so.

I will be commuting 2-3 times a week about 45 minutes North West so in a location where I can jump on an expressway within minutes would be desired.


Originally I was looking at Shady side and Squirrel but this seems even further out of the way.
Another idea was to be close to downtown or river front but now I'm just confused.

Any thoughts or ideas are welcomed.

Thanks yall!

[PeterRabbit]

Please tell us where you can find this in TX and your budget?

[Gelasia]

Not sure what Texas has to do with this but everything I just mentioned is easily attained and more.

My budget is 2300 a month max but Id really like to stay way under that somewhere around 1200-1600?

and thanks for replying

[Craziaskowboi]

If you want to live in the city of Pittsburgh, then I'd recommend the North Side. From the North Side, you can use I-279 or PA 65 (Ohio River Boulevard) to get to I-79, which is the north/south Interstate through the Pittsburgh area. Or, if you need to use I-376 or Pittsburgh International Airport, then a quick drive across the West End Bridge and down PA 51 (Saw Mill Run Boulevard) will get you to I-376 while avoiding the Fort Pitt Tunnel bottleneck. There are a few seedy neighborhoods on the North Side, but there are also several decent neighborhoods. You'd have to ask somebody who's more familiar with them, though.

If you want to live in the suburbs, then your best choices are to the north or west, although many of them are expensive. Some of the more affordable northern suburbs are West View, Reserve Township and Ross Township. Some of the more affordable western suburbs are Bellevue, Coraopolis, Crafton, Green Tree, Kennedy Township, Moon Township, Scott Township and Stowe Township.

[Gelasia]

Thank you for your reply.

What do you consider the North side of the city? Can you list a few neighborhoods please?

Thanks!

Originally Posted by Gnutella

If you want to live in the city of Pittsburgh, then I'd recommend the North Side. From the North Side, you can use I-279 or PA 65 (Ohio River Boulevard) to get to I-79, which is the north/south Interstate through the Pittsburgh area. Or, if you need to use I-376 or Pittsburgh International Airport, then a quick drive across the West End Bridge and down PA 51 (Saw Mill Run Boulevard) will get you to I-376 while avoiding the Fort Pitt Tunnel bottleneck. There are a few seedy neighborhoods on the North Side, but there are also several decent neighborhoods. You'd have to ask somebody who's more familiar with them, though.

If you want to live in the suburbs, then your best choices are to the north or west, although many of them are expensive. Some of the more affordable northern suburbs are West View, Reserve Township and Ross Township. Some of the more affordable western suburbs are Bellevue, Coraopolis, Crafton, Green Tree, Kennedy Township, Moon Township, Scott Township and Stowe Township.

[ferraris]

pittsburghcityliving.com is an excellent resource for the city neighborhoods. Anything north of the Ohio and Allegheny rivers is considered to be the north side. Click on "North Pittsburgh" on the left for details on individual neighborhoods.

I'd recommend the Central Northside (Mexican War Streets), Allegheny West, East Allegheny (Deutschtown), Observatory Hill, and Brighton Heights. If you don't mind a less upscale area, then Troy Hill and Fineview are definitely worth checking out as well - You could potentially halve your budget in those neighborhoods. You have a pretty generous budget, but Pittsburgh is notorious for being tough to find pet friendly rental options.

Something like this, in the Mexican War Streets would work well except for the parking spot aspect. But with as much money as you'd be saving it could be worth forgoing the parking spot. That place is even near Allegheny Commons, which has an off-leash area for dogs (though the ad doesn't mention if dogs are allowed or not...usually it can be negotiated with extra security deposit).

[Gelasia]

Thnaks so much! I also found a place on Avery street I'm considering but concerned about safety

[Craziaskowboi]

Hopefully "Uptown kid" chimes in because he's our resident crime/gang tracker. There are a couple of sketchy areas on the North Side, but there are also plenty of safe areas too, so try not to worry too much. Pittsburgh has a relatively low crime rate for a city its size, and though there are gangs in some neighborhoods, it's not like Chicago where they're causing near-daily chaos.

[gg]

With your budget I would look at Allegheny West in the North Side perhaps. I don't know if there would be anything on Herr's Island, but that might be on the high end, but would be awesome if you run or enjoy outdoor stuff. If you want really safe, Aspinwall is up the Allegheny and not bad to head Northwest from there. Highland Park is another choice because you can access the Turnpike easily, or head down 28S to 279N, so you have two options for getting out of there.

I wouldn't look at anything sketchy in your price range. You don't need to. Avery Street is okay, but in your price range I think I would look elsewhere. I mean, it is safe enough, but just okay.

[ferraris]

Avery Street is in West Deutschtown. It's an interesting area, most of the people who live there are middle to upper middle class, but you wouldn't know it from walking down East Ohio Street or near the Giant Eagle. That's because Deutschtown is a bus, business, and grocery hub for the north side. So lots of people from all over the north side are there throughout the day. That said, it's not an especially dangerous area and I would be fine living there. You just have to be comfortable with the appearance of it being a lower class area than it actually is, which may or may not be a big deal to you.