Working In White Hall and Deciding Where To Live? (Pittsburgh: apartment, rental)

[CartonMan35]

Hi Everyone!

I'm a 20-something from across the state that might take a job in White Hall. I'm looking to live in Pittsburgh in a safe area with a younger population and not have my commute be horrible...

That's a good possibility that I may sometimes have to work in the evening with my job until 11 pm. Do you think commuting back to the Southside Flats around midnight is asking too much in terms of safety? I also read that there is no parking around there (?), so I'd probably have to find a random spot somewhere and walk back every night. That might really suck on a friday night.

I'm looking at other neighborhoods in the South Hills but I'm really confused. I cannot find as much info on them as I can other neighborhoods like North Oakland, Lawrenceville, Shadyside, etc which would seem ideal for me. I'm assuming the commute from White Hall to there might suck though.

Does anyone know about Brookline?

Thank you!

[szug-bot]

Originally Posted by CartonMan35

Hi Everyone!

I'm a 20-something from across the state that might take a job in White Hall. I'm looking to live in Pittsburgh in a safe area with a younger population and not have my commute be horrible...

That's a good possibility that I may sometimes have to work in the evening with my job until 11 pm. Do you think commuting back to the Southside Flats around midnight is asking too much in terms of safety? I also read that there is no parking around there (?), so I'd probably have to find a random spot somewhere and walk back every night. That might really suck on a friday night.

I'm looking at other neighborhoods in the South Hills but I'm really confused. I cannot find as much info on them as I can other neighborhoods like North Oakland, Lawrenceville, Shadyside, etc which would seem ideal for me. I'm assuming the commute from White Hall to there might suck though.

Does anyone know about Brookline?

Thank you!

It's actually "Whitehall", just to let you know.

Do you think commuting back to the Southside Flats around midnight is asking too much in terms of safety?

Commuting from Whitehall? Do you mean safety from reckless driving, or from personal assault? Safety - for both criteria, not a great concern.

But I will suggest you do NOT settle in the South Side Flats until you get acclimated and used to your life in this area. Your questions are good ones, and they show you are using your head, particularly with the parking situation. I have heard from some in the party culture that the Flats are not safe for a woman (FYI, if you are female) walking alone at certain hours. Now, this isn't Chicago, or randomly perv-infested Northern Virginia, but that area is not as safe as it once was, either, for men or women.

Generally, you would be fine, but you are risking the odds with a late night walk from a car to your residence there. I would rather do that than a similar one in many parts of DC, by comparison, if that eases your mind.

However, if you can afford it, you might find an apartment/living situation where a parking space is included.

If you do NOT finish work at 11PM, what time would you expect to finish? Based on that, better advice may be offered, because in my younger days, I drove Whitehall to Oakland in rush hour - and 45 minutes was the norm. It seems like you would enjoy the Lawrenceville/Bloomfield/Garfield area based on your age and the research you've already done, but you have to consider that daily drive.

[WhoIsStanwix?]

Depending on your budget and your preferences you might consider downtown, Mt Washington, or Brookline in addition to Southside Flats. What is it that you are looking for in a neighborhood?

[guy2073]

Brookline is cool for a younger person, it is not going to have a party atmosphere like the Southside, forming is also a nice area for the younger crowd.

[szug-bot]

Originally Posted by guy2073

Brookline is cool for a younger person, it is not going to have a party atmosphere like the Southside, forming is also a nice area for the younger crowd.

What did you mean, guy2073?

OP, I would consider previous advice about Mt. Washington. Brookline seems to be a fan favorite on this board (I would not mind living there if my work was close to it), but it is more a family demographic, I think.

Yes, you need to expound on what you want in a neighborhood, and on your work situation (hours, etc.).

I might steer you to the South Side Slopes (vs. the Flats), actually, but as near to Sarah Street as possible. From what we know thus far, it could be that getting there from Whitehall will not be as bad as other options discussed, since you can get to 10th Street, then hang a right before you get deep into Carson Street traffic.

It's a female dog in the winter, so that is why I suggested "as close to Sarah Street as possible". Or, better yet, actually IN the S Side Flats, but in that 10th Street/Sarah Street corner. A small detail like that may save you much aggravation over time, and there are a number of nooks cut out where people (assumed nearby residents) park their car.

[PghYinzer]

As someone who moved from South Side Flats (from near 13th and Sarah) to Brookline, it really is about what you are looking to do in your spare time that matters.


To be upfront, when I was younger, the reason I lived in South Side was to go out drinking. Yes my apt was nice, and I walked to work, but the main reason my group of friends lived there was because we drank a lot. The lack of parking didn't bother me too much because I walked to work, but during graduate school, coming home around 9 or 10 on a weeknight there would be times I was parked blocks away. Always worse in winter, and just miserable if it was raining or I had to carry anything heavy.


Moved to Brookline because it was safer (not a concern of mine) and cheaper to buy a house there than it was to keep paying my share of the rent in a small apt. Parking has been an issue, perhaps 6 times in 6.5 years, and by issue I mean I didn't get to park directly in front of my house. The area is safe, quiet, and would be an easy commute to Whitehall as you would be going against traffic and you wouldn't have to go near Brownsville Road. There is by no means an active nightlife in Brookline for a younger person (unless you like smoking cigs all day at a dive bar) but its a $7 Uber to Shiloh Street, and about $12 to Lawrenceville. The businesses on the Blvd do make life easier though. There are plenty of day to day places including the dry cleaners, liquor store, beer distributor, CVS, and plenty of places for food, there just isn't the trendy bars or restaurants you find in more expensive areas.


The money I save by living in Brookline easily outweighs the extra 20 mins it takes me to get to Lawrenceville by Uber. Also, as much as I would like to think that if I lived in Lawrenceville or South Side still, that I would be going out all the time to restaurants and bars, it just isn't true. The cost of living there, plus the cost of going out all the time, coupled with the fact that I fall asleep before 10 most nights...it just isn't likely to happen in my life these days.

[szug-bot]

Good points, yinzer. I just don't want to kid to move here, then feel lonely or too far from the action.
But yeah, Brookline might work for him, considering Uber.

CartonMan, is it possible you want to get into a home at this time, or is that jumping ahead?

Are you moving here alone? Will you be living alone? Do you already know people here?

[Faer]

If I was traveling from the South Side to Whitehall, I think I'd be taking E Carson to Beck's Run. As such, I would think the SS works area would make more sense. That side of the neighborhood is also a fair bit quieter than 12th-18th is and has a good bit more room for as far as street parking. Also, if you move there, you'll get a permit, which will mitigate a lot of those parking issues anyway.

[eschaton]

Others have covered this, but I concur that Mt. Washington deserves a close look. The commute time would be better than any part of South Side barring the extreme western end. It's also a lot easier to live there without access to off street parking. Try and get a rental as close to Shiloh Street as possible though - it's the local business district, and the neighborhood gets pretty suburban-feeling once you're a ways from it. It's a smaller business district (especially when compared to East Carson in South Side, which is ginormous), but it has around a half dozen bars and a few restaurants which serve alcohol as well, so you'll have enough to do. Plus you can walk to the Mon Incline and get down to Station Square and Downtown very easily.

I would not live in Brookine as a 20something young professional who is looking to rent. I would choose Dormont over Brookline as a renter. First, there's more rental units there. Second, you can take the T right into town if you want to for nightlife. Last, Patomac is a pretty nice business district, with one of the last independent theatres in the county. Not much in the way of nightlife, other than a few dive bars though, but it still beats Brookline as a 20something I think.

[guy2073]

Originally Posted by szug-bot

What did you mean, guy2073?

OP, I would consider previous advice about Mt. Washington. Brookline seems to be a fan favorite on this board (I would not mind living there if my work was close to it), but it is more a family demographic, I think.

Yes, you need to expound on what you want in a neighborhood, and on your work situation (hours, etc.).

I might steer you to the South Side Slopes (vs. the Flats), actually, but as near to Sarah Street as possible. From what we know thus far, it could be that getting there from Whitehall will not be as bad as other options discussed, since you can get to 10th Street, then hang a right before you get deep into Carson Street traffic.

It's a female dog in the winter, so that is why I suggested "as close to Sarah Street as possible". Or, better yet, actually IN the S Side Flats, but in that 10th Street/Sarah Street corner. A small detail like that may save you much aggravation over time, and there are a number of nooks cut out where people (assumed nearby residents) park their car.

Sorry my phone Auto corrected me and I didn't catch it. I tried saying dormont not forming.