Shaler & other northern suburbs... (Pittsburgh, McCandless Township: house, job market, buyers) - Pennsylvania (PA) - City-Data Forum

jc_denver · 10-26-2006, 09:29 AM

Hello...

My wife and I are planning on moving to the Pittsburgh area in the spring, and are considering different areas. She has family in the suburbs north of Pittsburgh, so we're concentrating our search there.

That being said, please comment about some of the cities and their corresponding school districts - we do not have children now, but will be doing so soon.

It particular, please comment about Shaler, Ben Avon, McCandless, etc...

I would love to have a cool old home (like I've seen in Shaler), but would like to balance the fact that we'd love a decent sized yard, want good schools, proximity to downtown, etc...

I'd love your insight - thanks in advance!!!

PghREA · 10-27-2006, 04:56 PM

I've been a North Hills resident for many many years. All the school districts in the North Hills are really good. In Shaler, you would probably be looking in the Glenshaw area for the type of home you like. Ben Avon is the Avonworth school district. Another area is Franklin Park (with some older homes) which is North Allegheny Schools and includes McCandless Township.

If you're interested in pursuing this house hunt in the North, pm me and I can send you some MLS listings which may be of interest to you.

jc_denver · 10-30-2006, 08:00 AM

...My wife is the one primarily interested in the school districts. Since we don't even have kids yet, I was thinking it shouldn't necessarily be the priority at this point - we could worry about that in a few years.

The compromise would hopefully be a city with pretty good schools though...however, I would still hopefully like to be close to downtown. According to the new ratings that came out this year, the two northern areas that got good scores are North Allegheny and Hampton.

I wonder if people could comment further about the North Hills suburbs - anything/everything is up for discussion. Crime, schools, atmosphere, people, things to do, etc, etc, etc...

Thanks in advance!

PghREA · 10-30-2006, 11:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jc_denver

...My wife is the one primarily interested in the school districts. Since we don't even have kids yet, I was thinking it shouldn't necessarily be the priority at this point - we could worry about that in a few years.

The compromise would hopefully be a city with pretty good schools though...however, I would still hopefully like to be close to downtown. According to the new ratings that came out this year, the two northern areas that got good scores are North Allegheny and Hampton.

I wonder if people could comment further about the North Hills suburbs - anything/everything is up for discussion. Crime, schools, atmosphere, people, things to do, etc, etc, etc...

Thanks in advance!

Don't forget Pine-Richland!

I'm in Hampton, which is a really good school district. The difference between Hampton and North Allegheny is size. Only students who live in Hampton Township go to Hampton schools. North Allegheny includes many surrounding areas.

jc_denver · 10-30-2006, 03:43 PM

...What if I threw that into the mix? Would that influence any of your information you're all providing? I'm 32, and my wife is 30 - that being the case, are there any northern suburbs that we should consider based on younger families, younger couple, and/or things to do???

PghREA · 10-30-2006, 08:09 PM

Nope, young and old are mixed in all the the areas. No matter where you are in the North, you're about 20 minutes from the downtown area at the most.

wvbound1 · 10-31-2006, 06:07 AM

jc denver

Even if you have no kids now, please consider the area you are living in by the school district. Housing is stagnant in the area. My friends house has been on the market 2 years. So location is everything. It is a buyers market, you have lots of choices. School district and area are everything. Then look at commutes to work. If you are planning on living in the suburbs and commuting to downtown, you have to consider the drive time.

Good luck. I live here and do like it, but I'm moving for job reasons. I'll miss the city. It has a lot to offer if you want to take advantage of it.

jc_denver · 10-31-2006, 07:36 AM

Good point WVBOUND...my wife does not want to plan on moving in 5 years or so. Especially considering the fact that the future is unknown...it may be difficult to move, market could crash...whatever??? Therefore, I believe we're going to pick a place based on our future needs - rather than what we think we want now.

Any other insight on other Pittsburgh issues? Smoking ban, job market, etc...

I'm an architect, but would also probably have options in web/graphic design...any knowledge of the market for folks like me?