Analysis of Pittsburgh (Highland Park, Bloomfield, Lawrenceville: rental, condos, crime)

[Outlander77]

I recently moved from the DC area to Pittsburgh for work. After 6 months of renting and thinking about for housing I've come to a few conclusions...Pittsburgh caters to college aged children to the point where there aren't any good places to buy housing close to the city other than Squirrel Hill. The housing that is close to the proximity of the city is dilapidated and run down. These lack of options are truly surprising. This catering additionally extends to the public transit system. I heard recently "students ride for free." I was looking into the price range coming from the south hills into Pittsburgh. It costs more to ride public transit for a work week then it does to fill up my vehicle for the week. This city needs to understand that young professionals are discouraged from putting down roots in Pittsburgh because of the obsession of a type of hipster college environment. DC had its hipster spots, but had more to offer to those in different areas of life . Basically, those who don't want to rent with 7 others guys have to look into the suburbs for housing. The lack of bike trails is also a let down, only if you live in the immediate city can you find paths. I honestly like the laid back feel of Pittsburgh but I'm let down by the lack of options and general areas of arrested development.

[theta_sigma]

This may in fact be the first and only time I've ever heard anyone say that Pittsburgh has too many young hipsters

Students ride for free because the universities have a deal with the port authority. It's not only the students, either. Any faculty or staff member of those universities also rides for free. It's a great employment perk, you should take it up with your own employer.

[UKyank]

1. It's much more economical to buy then rent here, but if you are renting I'm sure in can find suitable housing outside of squirrel hill. Downtown, strip district, southside works spring to mind without any additional research that don't cater to college kids.
2. Students don't ride for free, they have transit costs built into their tuition
3. Buy a month transit pass & I'm sure it will be cheaper then gas for your vehicle.
4. I'm surrounded by young professionals so I don't see it being an issue

[Moby Hick]

Originally Posted by theta_sigma

This may in fact be the first and only time I've ever heard anyone say that Pittsburgh has too many young hipsters

Or imply that riding the bus is hip.

[gg]

Point Breeze doesn't have a student feel, nor does Highland Park or the North Side. Education is a big business here in Pittsburgh and it isn't some huge city, so there will be student favoritism, but to be honest, with the MASSIVE fake economy going on due to huge student debt I have no problem with catering to students at all. They have it HORRIBLE in comparison to my generation. Maybe the North Side is your best bet. Better cycling options and not overrun with students. Check out Allegheny West for starters.

[bluecarebear]

Originally Posted by Outlander77

IThe housing that is close to the proximity of the city is dilapidated and run down. These lack of options are truly surprising.

A couple years ago, yes, the price and location was right. I picked up one myself. Today, no. The only deals left are in crummy crime ridden neighborhoods. I understand this is an old stock city but this is a city with borderline East coast prices without the East Coast amenities.

Originally Posted by theta_sigma

This may in fact be the first and only time I've ever heard anyone say that Pittsburgh has too many young hipsters

There have been many posts, including my rants, about how Pittsburgh has changed over the last few years. The gentrification is all geared towards hipsters.

[theta_sigma]

Also, define "dilapidated housing stock". Pittsburgh's housing stock is old. Some of it is old and gorgeous. Some of it is old and needs the energy and TLC that young professionals can put into it to become gorgeous. And some of it is truly dilapidated and should be nuked from orbit. But these are not all the same thing.

Highland Park and Morningside are not student hang-outs either (former has more impressive houses than latter). Bakery Square 2.0 is probably not going to have a whole lot of students, given that the rents are pitched towards the young professionals working at Google. I used to live in Point Breeze and our next door neighbors were the only students anywhere near the place (our house was a rental duplex on an alley, totally unlike the rest of the area). There are condos upon condos in North Oakland that are inhabited primarily by professors. My inlaws live in a condo building on Bellefield in Oakland and they are the youngest residents in the building (average age in that place is like 80). Shadyside, South Oakland and Squirrell Hill are the main student hang-outs, Lawrenceville and Garfield/Bloomfield are hipster areas. Stay away from those places and you won't get any of that icky student stink all over you, I promise.

[theta_sigma]

Originally Posted by bluecarebear

A couple years ago, yes, the price and location was right. I picked up one myself. Today, no. The only deals left are in crummy crime ridden neighborhoods. I understand this is an old stock city but this is a city with borderline East coast prices without the East Coast amenities.



There have been many posts, including my rants, about how Pittsburgh has changed over the last few years. The gentrification is all geared towards hipsters.

I think I must be defining hipsters quite differently than you. Hipsters =/= students =/= yuppies. All those people are young, yes, but the amount of disposable income varies greatly. Hipsters are first-wave gentrifiers but they're in Garfield now, having been priced out of Lawrenceville by yuppies. They're the artsy types looking for a good deal on rent for their studios and band practice spaces, they're not the ones paying half a mill for a Lville row. At least, not how I'm defining it.

[Outlander77]

I work with some hipsters. They refuse to mature ... They wear backpacks with seat belt buckles and the same clothes everyday. It's not that I don't like students, but a city is suppose to have differing areas. I have no desire to rent after this year as I have rented for the last 5. I wasn't implying that riding the bus was hip, if you read my post you may see that . I moved from DC which has a robust public transportation system that I used often. I also biked to work frequently when the weather was good, 7 miles to be precise. I understand the misconception you may have, if you have never lived or visited other cities it's hard to understand another person's perspective of analysis.

[Moby Hick]

Originally Posted by Outlander77

I work with some hipsters. They refuse to mature ... They wear backpacks with seat belt buckles and the same clothes everyday.

I have lived here ten years and worked on or near campus for nearly all of that time. I've never seen anybody wearing a backpack with a seat belt buckle and wouldn't know where to go to look for somebody wearing that.

I do wear basically the same clothes every day. Do khakis and a blue oxford shirt make me a hipster?