A rental house in Mars (Pittsburgh, Grove City: 2013, cheap house, good schools)

[Skiplarue]

Originally Posted by Cmm1

How so judgmental? Op wants to avoid a modular house and competitive parents.

I actually live in the school district and my children attend. Look at the MASD website to check out the SAT score and compare them to Hampton, North Allegheny and Pine Richland. Fact is a fact.

Well, while they may have those pretty silver awards, which I can tell you mean nothing, since the high school my kids would attend here boasts similar stats, has a big silver medal,but is really mediocre with important high SATs.

North Allegheny is much too big - over 600 per class. No.

Pine Richland is a good school, if your kids can make it through without committing suicide, attempting suicide, or just plain being bullied into a shadow of themselves. That school district has issues with its bullying problem and from what I can see they still have not done Jack S*** about it. Those are facts too. Not good, no matter what your SATs are.

Hampton looks good on the screen, but I know nothing about the schools there. From Google tho, it looks like suburbs. I just see looped streets with perfectly spaced houses like dominoes. Not the area for us, in that case.

It is just my personal opinion that standardized testing means exactly squat.

[Skiplarue]

[quote=Hopes;29963866]Competitive parents are judgemental. There's nothing wrong with wanting to avoid that type of parent. I'll bet her husband wants to avoid a modular house BECAUSE of competitive parents who will be judgemental of people living in modular houses. quote]

Well, he wants to avoid them b/c they are fire hazards. ever see how fast one of them burns? *shudder*
Whereas I avoid them for exactly the reason you stated above. I have no patience for it.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by Skiplarue

Hampton looks good on the screen, but I know nothing about the schools there. From Google tho, it looks like suburbs. I just see looped streets with perfectly spaced houses like dominoes. Not the area for us, in that case.

Hampton is a very nice small school district. There are many areas that are rural with old houses. Lots of farm land and wooded areas with dirt driveways. There are even dirt roads. Your main problem will be finding a rental with acreage. You might be able to find one with a big secluded yard though. Rent will be very high in Hampton, and you'll likely be limited to houses in old domino shaped developments when you're ready to buy, unless you have the patience to wait for an old unrestored farm house to go on the market. You could wait for a very long time though because there is never a wide selection of houses on the market due to Hampton's small size.

Throughout the metro, you can find old isolated houses that aren't part of perfectly spaced houses. The hilly topography makes that possible. There are houses set deep back into ravines. When you get back into the ravine, you'd think you were in the back hills of Kentucky or Tennessee because you wouldn't even know there were houses nearby. There are farms right on the hilltop in Reserve Township right across the river from downtown Pittsburgh. You can stand in a farm field and see the skyscrapers.

[erieguy]

You mentioned Economy Borough area earlier. Freedom is a small school district, has next to no competitiveness, is a very good school, and there's a lot of land and rural areas. Definitely worth a look.

[Skiplarue]

Originally Posted by erieguy

You mentioned Economy Borough area earlier. Freedom is a small school district, has next to no competitiveness, is a very good school, and there's a lot of land and rural areas. Definitely worth a look.

I noticed that. We are looking at a house there in a nice neighborhood. Not the land I want, but the house and area and schools make it livable for at least a year. Then maybe something more private will be available...

[greg42]

Originally Posted by erieguy

You mentioned Economy Borough area earlier. Freedom is a small school district, has next to no competitiveness, is a very good school, and there's a lot of land and rural areas. Definitely worth a look.

You need to be in New Sewickley Township or a couple others to be in Freedom Area district though. Economy is in Ambridge Area. Freedom Area is not some kind of top district but is better overall seemingly.

Economy Elementary is generally thought to be pretty decent but a lot of people are a bit leery of sending their kids to Ambridge Middle and High. They're certainly not awful but it's not great, decidedly average for the wider area, as opposed to something like Mars Area which is well above average. If your not averse to switching schools after a short time, you could probably make it work in Economy if we're talking elementary age. Make sure the spot you're looking at actually feeds to Economy Elementary. There are I think 3 elementary schools in the district and Economy Borough is large so it might not be guaranteed that every corner of it goes to that school.

Economy is mostly rural and some developed tract housing. There's very little commercial, the main thing being the one corner that touches Rt 65 which includes the Northern Lights shopping center (mostly empty). It's a safe area. 10 years of living here and nothing too weird happens, very quiet. You might inquire of City-Data member heartchya who also lives here and has elementary-aged kid. (Maybe send a DM; I don't think she's been too active in recent weeks.)

[erieguy]

I said she mentioned Economy Borough. Do some more research as not all of Economy goes to Ambridge. I have many friends in Freedom, EcoBoro, Conway, etc. whose children go to Freedom. It depends on where you're at. If you're more towards the Baden area then perhaps you may go to Ambridge.

[greg42]

Originally Posted by erieguy

I said she mentioned Economy Borough. Do some more research as not all of Economy goes to Ambridge. I have many friends in Freedom, EcoBoro, Conway, etc. whose children go to Freedom. It depends on where you're at. If you're more towards the Baden area then perhaps you may go to Ambridge.

That isn't how it works. Although zip codes do not care about municipal boundaries (Economy does not have a zip code and post office; its zip codes are Ambridge 15003, Baden 15005, Freedom 15042 and Sewickley 15143 depending upon area, served by routes from each of those post offices), school districts most decidedly do. A given municipality is in one school district in its entirety, not split.

Economy Borough is served by the Ambridge school district. There have been some rumblings at council and by the mayor that they'd like to have it leave Ambridge district and join Freedom district but that isn't going to happen quickly or painlessly. It's more about taxes and leadership than it is about school quality. Ambridge Area spent a TON of money on 3 new school buildings (including the high school) just within the time I've lived there.

Freedom and Conway are in the Freedom Area district, as is New Sewickley Township. That's it. Your friends whose children go to Freedom Area schools live in those places. Maybe someone managed some special arrangement to have their kid go to Freedom, but there are no AREAS of Economy that send children to Freedom Area schools.

Baden and Ambridge and Harmony Township and Economy are in the Ambridge district (also South Heights, across the river, oddly enough).

[PinkFlowerGarden]

Originally Posted by Hopes

True, but it is rural on the other side of route 8.

Not really. It is almost as bad as RT 19 going north. There is another parking lot (RT19) in the making (I give it another year before it is all concrete from Cranberry to Zelie). Even South Butler school district is getting competitive.

[trackstar13]

Yinz better not sprawl it up Erie N'at, I like having my buffer from family and certain friends by being a few hours away.

Seriously though it is crazy how far north the Pittsburgh sprawl is getting and maybe Mercer county/Grove City can be the next Cranberry.