questions about Brookline, Beechview, and Dormont (Pittsburgh, York: school, salaries, property taxes)

[The King of Um]

Originally Posted by Tirade

This is not an easily walkable area. If you're going to walk to it, then you'll need to approach from the back via Dormont Ave because Banksville Road has no sidewalks or shoulder around the Kuhn's shopping center (or on any part of that road really). Walk the route yourself before you buy in the area to see if it's doable.

Thanks for the advice, Tirade. I'd rather not get flattened by a vehicle! I've looked on Google Street View, and walking to Kuhn's via Dormont appears doable; however, I'm not there to see it in person, and I've obviously never completed the walk, so I really can't judge. Actually, I'm not too keen on moving to Dormont, Beechview, or Brookline. I'd much rather move to the North Side, probably to Brighton Heights (or possibly Marshall-Shadeland, as several people have said that the neighborhood is improving, but I don't know). Brighton Heights has really nice architecture, it's more convenient, and it's less hilly. Unfortunately, I can't find anything in any of the more urban areas that's decent that I can afford.

[jay5835]

Originally Posted by fleetiebelle

As an aside, last week as the final part of the Banksville Road renovations crews were putting up new crosswalks/crosswalk signs. Where all these pedestrians are coming from I can only imagine. I guess people walk down the hills to catch buses at corners, but anyone walking along Banksville has a death wish in most spots.

I wonder if it is even legal to walk there. It's against the law to walk on McKnight Road, I have heard.

[ferraris]

Originally Posted by fleetiebelle

As an aside, last week as the final part of the Banksville Road renovations crews were putting up new crosswalks/crosswalk signs. Where all these pedestrians are coming from I can only imagine. I guess people walk down the hills to catch buses at corners, but anyone walking along Banksville has a death wish in most spots.

I don't know if it's the case for this particular situation, but often it's easier to secure funding if you make "complete streets" that are pedestrian or bike friendly. A lot of times this results in streets and intersections that are bike or ped friendly on paper, but not in reality.

[ferraris]

Originally Posted by Hip Priest

Thanks for the advice, Tirade. I'd rather not get flattened by a vehicle! I've looked on Google Street View, and walking to Kuhn's via Dormont appears doable; however, I'm not there to see it in person, and I've obviously never completed the walk, so I really can't judge. Actually, I'm not too keen on moving to Dormont, Beechview, or Brookline. I'd much rather move to the North Side, probably to Brighton Heights (or possibly Marshall-Shadeland, as several people have said that the neighborhood is improving, but I don't know). Brighton Heights has really nice architecture, it's more convenient, and it's less hilly. Unfortunately, I can't find anything in any of the more urban areas that's decent that I can afford.

Somewhere else you mentioned that most of the properties you're looking at in Brighton Heights are about a mile from the Giant Eagle. You should see how far the Highwood Street Kuhn's is from those homes. It's in Marshall-Shadeland, but if you're looking in the southern part of Brighton Heights it's roughly equidistant to either grocery store.

Also consider how far you would be from the Rite Aid & Tom Friday's market. Tom Friday's is mostly a butcher shop, but they also sell some basic groceries, as does Rite Aid.

[The King of Um]

Originally Posted by ferrarisnowday

Somewhere else you mentioned that most of the properties you're looking at in Brighton Heights are about a mile from the Giant Eagle. You should see how far the Highwood Street Kuhn's is from those homes. It's in Marshall-Shadeland, but if you're looking in the southern part of Brighton Heights it's roughly equidistant to either grocery store.

I've checked already. It's a mile to about 1.5 miles. Currently there a few homes in Brighton Heights that I'm interested in. Hopefully, they won't sell within the next few days. Lately, I regret to say that homes are selling like hotcakes in Pittsburgh. What's worse, other homes aren't coming onto the market (at least not in my price range) to replace the ones that have sold. There appears to be an inventory problem. Honestly, I can't imagine why people are flocking to Pittsburgh. Yes, Pittsburgh is cool, cooler than most cities, even; I love the city. However, Pittsburgh isn't a first-class city; the only reason I thought people move to Pittsburgh is because they couldn't afford cities like New York or Boston (no offense, as I'm not trying to get an odious city comparison thread going).

[fleetiebelle]

Originally Posted by ferrarisnowday

I don't know if it's the case for this particular situation, but often it's easier to secure funding if you make "complete streets" that are pedestrian or bike friendly. A lot of times this results in streets and intersections that are bike or ped friendly on paper, but not in reality.

That probably explains intersections like this: Google Maps (51 and Woodruff) I don't even know how a pedestrian would get there to cross the street in the first place.

[ferraris]

Originally Posted by Hip Priest

I've checked already. It's a mile to about 1.5 miles. Currently there a few homes in Brighton Heights that I'm interested in. Hopefully, they won't sell within the next few days. Lately, I regret to say that homes are selling like hotcakes in Pittsburgh. What's worse, other homes aren't coming onto the market (at least not in my price range) to replace the ones that have sold. There appears to be an inventory problem. Honestly, I can't imagine why people are flocking to Pittsburgh. Yes, Pittsburgh is cool, cooler than most cities, even; I love the city. However, Pittsburgh isn't a first-class city; the only reason I thought people move to Pittsburgh is because they couldn't afford cities like New York or Boston (no offense, as I'm not trying to get an odious city comparison thread going).

You could quintuple your budget and still not find places in NYC or Boston. Pittsburgh is still cheap, it's just not bargain basement cheap.

[The King of Um]

Originally Posted by ferrarisnowday

You could quintuple your budget and still not find places in NYC or Boston. Pittsburgh is still cheap, it's just not bargain basement cheap.

That's true. Bargain basement cheap would be awful places like Detroit, Toledo, or Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. If I had unlimited funds, there's no question, I wouldn't be moving to Pittsburgh; I'd be going to NYC or Boston. However, I'm just a poor boy, so Pittsburgh will be my city.

[Clint.]

Originally Posted by ferrarisnowday

You could quintuple your budget and still not find places in NYC or Boston. Pittsburgh is still cheap, it's just not bargain basement cheap.

Right, that's true - $60,000 for a basically move-in ready house in an urban neighborhood generally considered to be "nice" or "safe" is going to be a pretty limiting factor in just about any city Pittsburgh's size or larger. There is no shortage of sub $60,000 homes in a few inner ring suburbs, rural areas, and more run down parts of the City of Pittsburgh.

Especially in a few inner suburbs some of those ~$60,000 homes are not in what are traditionally very low income areas and they are solidly built, etc. but most probably aren't architecturally what the OP is looking for - and if living in Brookline, Beechview, or Dormont without a car requires some extra walking and planning, imagine getting around in West Mifflin or Munhall or Castle Shannon without one. Plus, the atmosphere of those places is deliberately anti-urban.

It seems like bus service (not as much with the trolley) in Allegheny County is basically designed for A) shuttling people to and from work Downtown during morning and late afternoon commutes and B) running through traditionally poor neighborhoods where there are a lot of people who don't have cars. It's not a stretch to figure that if transportation funding remains the same and if enough of the low-income population migrates to other areas (because they are priced out of their traditional neighborhoods) the buses routes will do the same. But, maybe not.

[Goodjules]

Originally Posted by ferrarisnowday

You could quintuple your budget and still not find places in NYC or Boston. Pittsburgh is still cheap, it's just not bargain basement cheap.

A "starter" home in San Francisco is at the very least $500k so Pittsburgh is a bargain for people coming from many parts of the country. Plus, the economy is decent and it isn't a blighted mess like many other rust belt cities. That's why houses are selling and the dirt cheap bargain basement prices are disappearing.