What suburban areas would be the best locations to relocate a young family? (Pittsburgh: 2013, low crime)

[otter119]

I am currently very close to relocating my family to the Pittsburgh area. I have a young family with both my young boys in primary school (kindergarten and 2nd grade). My wife and I are looking for the best of all scenarios... good schools, low crime, great community, accommodating housing market, youth athletic programs, etc. Since my relocation is with in my job and I get to pick my final location, it is wide open.

Please give me you top five if you were to move your family in 2013.

Thanks!

[ex-burgher]

The location of your job would be a major factor. Pittsburgh has many great school districts so your choices are wide open. My top 5 suburban districts would be: Mount Lebanon, North Allegheny, Hampton, North Hills, and Quaker Valley (just because I love Sewickley).

[SteelCityRising]

My top five suburban districts would be:

Fox Chapel Area
Mt. Lebanon
Quaker Valley (also love Sewickley)
Hampton
Riverview (just because I love Oakmont)

[otter119]

My job will be a new office that will be out of my home for the first year or so. We would need to be within 20 minutes of a business park or business area when we locate an actual office. My job is regional so it access to the airport and major highways is a concern.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by otter119

My job will be a new office that will be out of my home for the first year or so. We would need to be within 20 minutes of a business park or business area when we locate an actual office. My job is regional so it access to the airport and major highways is a concern.

Taking ease of access to the airport into consideration I'll amend my list:

Quaker Valley
South Fayette
Mt. Lebanon
North Allegheny
Moon Area

[ex-burgher]

Then I would add South Fayette to your list. "Okay Dorothy" lives there and will chime in I'm sure.

Edit: I agree with SCR above

[otter119]

Thanks for the initial input. I have been doing research for about two weeks now and heard Cranberry and Canon-McMillian come up a few times as well. What are your thoughts on those areas and schools?

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by otter119

Thanks for the initial input. I have been doing research for about two weeks now and heard Cranberry and Canon-McMillian come up a few times as well. What are your thoughts on those areas and schools?

Both of those areas are good as well, albeit a bit further out. Cranberry is a safe, family-friendly, sprawling suburban area with above-average schools (albeit not classified as being as good as nearby North Allegheny). The main reason someone moves to Cranberry nowadays is to pay lower taxes because this community is over the county line in Butler County. Cranberry doesn't have a traditional indoor shopping mall, but it does have lots of chain restaurants and big-box stores. I don't like Cranberry because there's no defined "town center", but that's not a problem for the roughly 30,000 people who live there.

Canon-McMillan serves the Canonsburg/Cecil Township area, which is just over the county line in the opposite direction in Washington County. People move to this area for the same reason they move to Cranberry---lower taxes and a perceived (or real) edge in a bang-for-your-buck factor over Allegheny County. I personally like the town proper of Canonsburg, and I foresee it further revitalizing itself as the wealth in the surrounding townships grows. The area is home to a growing shale gas drilling industry. From Cecil Township/Canonsburg you'd head to Robinson or Washington for most of your shopping needs.

If it were just up to me I'd pick Quaker Valley due to the very close proximity to the airport and nearby business parks along with the strong sense of community offered in Sewickley.

[otter119]

SCR, thanks again for your insight. Local insight on the surroundings in valuable. One other topic of that is more preference than necessity, is the waterway recreation characteristic. I currently own a boat that my family loves to spend time on over the summer months. Is there much opportunity for inland lake recreation or is most of the accessible water recreation only on the surrounding rivers? We do alot of cruising, skiing, and water tubing. I am not at all familiar with what is typical in PA.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by otter119

SCR, thanks again for your insight. Local insight on the surroundings in valuable. One other topic of that is more preference than necessity, is the waterway recreation characteristic. I currently own a boat that my family loves to spend time on over the summer months. Is there much opportunity for inland lake recreation or is most of the accessible water recreation only on the surrounding rivers? We do alot of cruising, skiing, and water tubing. I am not at all familiar with what is typical in PA.

There aren't a plethora of recreational lakes in the immediate area; however, about twenty minutes north of Cranberry is Moraine State Park, which features a very nice lake. About an hour south of Canonsburg is Cheat Lake, just over the state line in West Virginia. Your best bet for lake recreation might be Lake Erie, about two hours to our north. Deep Creek Lake in Maryland is also nice. Conneaut Lake, between Pittsburgh and Cleveland, is another option.