Highland Park? (Pittsburgh, Aspinwall, Liberty: low crime, houses, established neighborhood)

[fern33]

I'm having alot of trouble trying to figure out all this neighborhood info too!
I remember hearing about Highland Park way back though and I was wondering what it's like. Also how about Morningside and the surrounding communities? (my primary criteria is low crime rates & affordable housing)

I'm just dreaming about moving to Pittsburgh right now and have no immediate plans so I'm just taking my time researching.

Thanks alot for any info!

fern

[PghREA]

I lived in Highland Park many many years ago. It is not the same as it once was and Morningside is changing also. I would sugest that you look at communities outside the city limits.

[Mr. Mon]

Originally Posted by PghREA

I lived in Highland Park many many years ago. It is not the same as it once was and Morningside is changing also. I would suggest that you look at communities outside the city limits.

What? With the exception of drawing to Peabody HS, I've heard nothing but nice things about both HP and Morningside.

Highland Park, especially to the east of Highland Ave., is a very stable, well established neighborhood, that's full of large well kept homes that can tend to be a bit on the expensive side. Access to both the park and transit make it nice if you're looking for a more "bucolic" version of city living.

Morningside is another established neighborhood that is seeing an influx of young couples and families. Houses tend to be smaller and more affordable than those in HP, typically around $150,000 or so. I've heard from friends that have recently moved there that the neighborhood is full of kids and that the crime rate is nearly non-existent. However, they complain that there are few busses outside of rush hours.

[PghREA]

Bucolic is not a word I would use in describing Highland Park or Morningside.

[woadlined]

This posting is one of the first Google search returns for "Highland Park Pittsburgh". I wanted to echo the thoughts of Mr. Mon above, and actively discourage the impression of Highland that PghREA is seeking to portray.

Here is another look altogether:http://www.popcitymedia.com/features...dpark1112.aspx

Just recently, we have been subjected to this event in our "bucolic" northern suburbs:
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08325...localstate.xml

...my point being, awful things happen in all communities. I can only presume the person looking for more information about Highland Park was ultimately not deterred by what has been posted in this thread...

[PeterRabbit]

August 25, 2008
East Liberty man dead in Highland Park shooting

Zone 5 police were sent to the 5600 block of Wellesley Avenue...
East Liberty man dead in Highland Park shooting - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

[NowACityGirl]

As far as I see it, there is crime everywhere. I've lived in Highland Park for about a year and a few months now and I love it. I think it is the perfect distance between anywhere you'd want to go, and I haven't had any problems. I really love it here. I moved here from a small town in PA too, and I would never go back there. I think this is a great neighborhood.

[MJOH]

Highland Park is one of the nicest, most quiet neighborhoods in Pittsburgh. These stints of crime are almost always targeted amongst the ppl involved and are because of drugs - your average citizen is not involved or affected. HP is bordered on one side by what used to be a "bad" neighborhood (East Liberty), but before it was "bad," it was a bustling center of the city. East Liberty is now being restored left and right, amazing restaurants are going in and young professionals (including google employees) are flocking to EL and HP. Houses in HP sell within weeks if not days of being put on the market, and they're gorgeous. We're quite possibly the only neighborhood in Pittsburgh that is not a thoroughfare, unlike places such as Squirrel Hill or Shadyside, which have a ton of traffic going through every day. We also have many fewer students living here, and many more young and middle-age professionals and families. When I come home after working in Oakland, I *do* feel like I'm coming home - to a quiet house and neighborhood, and that I'm no longer in the city. Then there is the park itself on the north end of the neighborhood - absolutely beautiful. We bought our house in Highland Park four years ago upon moving to Pittsburgh, and I never regretted the decision. In fact if I could pick up our house and neighborhood and move it the next of the city we're going to live in, I would.

I also suggest Point Breeze and Regent Square, although RS has more traffic. Aspinwall, if you don't mind being across the river, is also very cute and nice.

This is all coming from a woman who grew up in a 60,000-person town in Wisconsin w/ virtually no crime. Pittsburgh was my first "big city" living experience, and it took me a while to get used to. Now I know that places like HP are actually very unique in bigger cities, and I was lucky to have found a neighborhood such as this one.