What suburban areas would be the best locations to relocate a young family? (Pittsburgh: new home, landscaping)

[Hopes]

Cranberry would be your best bet because it's close to Moraine State Park, which has a large lake, and there's a large business park too.

[otter119]

You bring up a very valid point in your answer. How much of a difference is the tax break in Butler and Washington Counties?

[greg42]

The farther north you go the farther you get from the airport though, so it may depend upon how often that is needed. The access is easy enough, it's just that from Cranberry itself you're going to be in the 35-45 minute range for airport drive.

Of course there are benefits there too. Apart from being closer to the lakes to the north, the Cranberry area positions you for easier east-west access on the PA Turnpike. But if that's not as important as the airport, I think the Sewickley or S. Fayette areas might be better. You can choose between those based on what type of environment you prefer; Sewickley has the advantage (if you happen to care about such things) of being in and around one of the few real suburban small towns we have around here. Town centers like that are fairly rare. You'd only be 20-30 min further from Lake Arthur at Moraine.

Note that by "Cranberry area" we can and should could also include the northern Allegheny County areas that are in the N. Allegheny school district. You may find that you prefer that school district over Cranberry's actual Seneca Valley district. That said, for buying a house, Cranberry is over a county line where the taxes are less. Next door Mars Area schools might be another option if you want to be over the county line, but you do get a little bit further from the I-79 access. Only a little really though; parts of Cranberry itself are just as far, as are parts of Marshall Township or Franklin Park in N. Allegheny.

[speagles84]

Originally Posted by 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!

90% of Pittsburgh's suburbs will fit your criteria. As a whole, all of Pittsburgh's suburbs are safe crime wise, and most SUBURBAN schools do relatively well academically wise. Areas and school districts along the river you probably would want to avoid (they usually have higher crime and worse schools). Maybe giving us a price range and age of the house you'd want to buy could narrow down your search?

[otter119]

G42, thanks for that breakdown. I really appreciate all the comments and hope to continue this dialog through the next couple of weeks. I will not be using the airport enough to base my house location on it exclusively. Members of my home office will need to fly in as well as me flying out. A 45 drive to the airport may be the limit I would want to set. I will be traveling around the Metro Pitt area and highway access to the city is a good thing.

I sounds like there are a large amount of school districts and communities that fall in my selection set. I am planning a trip at the end of the month to do some scouting. It looks like we have many potential destinations.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by otter119

You bring up a very valid point in your answer. How much of a difference is the tax break in Butler and Washington Counties?

Property taxes are significantly higher in Allegheny County. You can save thousands per year living in a surrounding county.

The more expensive the house, the greater the savings. 350k house in Upper St. Clair has taxes over 11k. 350k house in Cecil has taxes of 4k.

[otter119]

I would be looking to purchase a home in the 200k-250k range with potential to move up or remodel after being in the area for a while. I don't really like suburbs that have house really close together. I like to have neighbors and really enjoy a social and active neighborhood, but prefer a bit of space between the homes. I would like a sizable parcel (1 acre min. not bigger than 3) that would allow for nice landscaping, a functional yard for kid's play, potential swimming pool.

[speagles84]

Originally Posted by otter119

I would be looking to purchase a home in the 200k-250k range with potential to move up or remodel after being in the area for a while. I don't really like suburbs that have house really close together. I like to have neighbors and really enjoy a social and active neighborhood, but prefer a bit of space between the homes. I would like a sizable parcel (1 acre min. not bigger than 3) that would allow for nice landscaping, a functional yard for kid's play, potential swimming pool.

Ah okay. I'd suggest South Fayette, Marshall Township (North Allegheny SD), Peters Township (Washington County), Cecil Township (Washington County), and North Strabane (Washington County). All of those areas have new homes being built in the area in the 200-250k range. They are suburban but much more spread out than what has been mentioned so far. And they are all in good school districts!

[Hopes]

The surrounding counties would be perfect for you then.

[okaydorothy]

South fayette fits most of your criteria except for the boat. It is 20 mins to the airport, great schools, newer subdivisions and more being built. It is close to the city but yet last night I had a huge raccoon in my deck. We moved here last year and love it