Public Transportation In Pittsburg (Pittsburgh, Bellevue: rentals, crime rates, houses)

[ead462]

I am checking into possible places to relocate and Pittsburg being an option. I am a non-driver so would need access to good public transportation. Also looking into good schools, medical facilities, low cost housing and safe neighborhoods.
Any info or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.

Dee

[ontheroad]

I've managed to get around quite handily by bus within Pittsburgh (from the Eastside to the South and elsewhere). I believe you have a good selection of housing throughout the City, and its environs and the medical facilities are well above average (and classified as A+ nationally).

I don't know much about their crime rates, but I haven't felt discomforted walking around or driving at night.

I've only visited, mind, but going out in a few weeks times again with the intention of seeing the City from a "maybe I'll live here" perspective.

[ead462]

Thanks for your insight and reply.

[angellewis]

ead:

Try Crafton, just in the edge of the city of pgh, the bus way is right on main street and runs all day long. Last bus would stop running the bus way at like midnight adn starts as early as 5 am I belive.

I have lived in Crafton for 4 yrs and loved it. I would recomend crafton. Carlinton is a very good school my niece and nephews go there now. Also Ingram is a pretty nice spot too and Montor school is good as well.

Ingram and Crafton meets right on Steuben street so those are a good place to be. Great houses, victorian styles. Many places to rent as well. Good luck. If you need anything on these towns pm me.

[Lighthouse58]

I will second the nod for Crafton. My dad no longer drives and gets around by bus. he LOVES the bus system--and this from a guy who drove everywhere all his life until the past year. The busway runs right through crafton and puts you in downtown or oakland very quickly. maybe 15 minutes to downtown. at rush hours the buses come by every 10 minutes. beside the busway, there are several bus routes that serve other parts of the borough.

(BTW, not to be picky or anything, but if you are doing a search on school districts, the school district for Crafton is "Carlynton" not "Carlington". the name is an amalgam of the 3 towns that form the district: CARnegie, RosLYN Farms, and CrafTON. The school district is OK, but there is also an excellent Catholic grade school in Crafton (St. Philip) as well as a Catholic high school (Bishop Canevin).)

[elliesmom207]

I live in Bellevue this is a nice area, lots of rentals, safe, a 20 min bus ride into the city.

The bus system is pretty good and reasonably priced, I recommend getting a pass.

www.ridegold.com

[Drover]

I briefly lived in Pittsburgh proper and I found the public transportation system so confounding and inconvenient that I used it exactly once in two years. I guess that stems from having grown up in a place that's laid out in a perfect, comprehensive grid, which cannot be done in Pittsburgh for obvious geographical reasons. Still, if your start or end point is anywhere other than downtown (pardon me -- "dahntahn") -- that is, if you want to go from non-downtown Point A to non-downtown Point B, you first have to go downtown and then redirect out to your destination, unless your start and end points both happen to be on the same line that radiates from downtown. As they like to say in Pittsburgh, "you can't get there from here."

For what it's worth, I did most of my travel in Pittsburgh by car. Unless you live in an ultra-dense neighborhood like Oakland (especially near the universities), Shadyside or the South Side Flats, parking is a snap. I also had little difficulty finding parking in most of the interesting shopping/dining/night-life districts. The exceptions were the Strip District and the Carson Street area; but even then I was always able to find something within a few blocks of my destination, and the resultant walk never killed me. Having a car in Pittsburgh is far less inconvenient than most urban areas like DC, NYC, Chicago, Boston, et cetera. If you must go car-less, you can get by. But the parking and population density in Pittsburgh generally does not require it.

I third the nod for Crafton if for no other reason than it is home to one of the best goddamn beer bars in all of America (no exaggeration), namely The Sharp Edge Creekhouse. If high-end beer isn't your thing, disregard. Personally, I could blow an entire paycheck in that place in a single night. On a less trivial note, you can get an awful lot of house for your money in Crafton and as others have pointed out it's quite convenient to downtown -- provided that's where you want to go.

Schools: I'll defer to those who have kids and actually have an idea.

Medical facilities: You can hardly throw a rock in any direction without hitting a medical facility of some sort or another. Health care and medical research is a major industry in Pittsburgh and, I dare say, said industry is helping to keep the city afloat.

Low cost housing and safe neighborhoods: Pittsburgh has both. And believe it or not, the two actually intersect. Pittsburgh is not immune from the urban woes that afflict any substantial city in the country. But there are many safe,wonderful, charming neighborhoods in Pittsburgh that are not only perfectly safe but pleasantly affordable.

Keep Pittsburgh on your short list of places to consider, and go pay a visit. It's a nice place.

[JacksPgh]

I lived on the North Side for 7 years with out a car. I walked to work everyday Downtown. It was beautiful. The neighborhoods are tight and each have their own little shopping area. Most neighborhoods are very pedestrian friendly and walkable. Pittsburgh is as much of a bunch of tight neighborhoods as it is a big city. The terrain makes each neighborhood distinct. There ARE buses that traverse the city without going downtown. It does take time to figure out, but not impossible. It takes a commitment. The North Side has a bad rep but I loved it there and plan on returning. A lot depends on which neighborhood you choose as to how easy it will be living with out a car.

[ontheroad]

I did make my visit and truth be told I liked using the bus, although I had a car at my disposal. I alternated. One of the reasons I preferred the bus was my ability to look out the windows, mingle with folks and take my time figuring out the layout of the City.

If you select one of the neighbourhoods that have one or several buslines you'll be fine without a car.

Originally Posted by ontheroad

I've managed to get around quite handily by bus within Pittsburgh (from the Eastside to the South and elsewhere). I believe you have a good selection of housing throughout the City, and its environs and the medical facilities are well above average (and classified as A+ nationally).

I don't know much about their crime rates, but I haven't felt discomforted walking around or driving at night.

I've only visited, mind, but going out in a few weeks times again with the intention of seeing the City from a "maybe I'll live here" perspective.

[BATC]

Just watch out for the cities down the Monongahela River that were decimated when the steel mills closed...don't advise that unless you want to rebuild a city...they are still not safe and haven't been for almost 50 years. It is a shame, they were once really great from what I hear, but not in my lifetime there. Perhaps if you get far enough up the "Mon" as they call it, you can find nicer more rural areas, but you will also be far from the medical centers and public transport. Those areas are slowly rebuilding, but have a way to go. For a younger family with the money for parochial schools and strong civic sensitivities and an urge to rebuild, it's a great place as you can get a house (a fixer upper probably) for around $5 - $15 K. By the way by parochial I mean Roman Catholic for the most part; any other religion or denomination is in an extreme minority (I grew up as one of only 3 Protestant kids out of around 30 in a classroom and we were ostracized for that).