moving from california to pittsburgh...where to live?? (York, Bloomfield: middle-class, crime)

[amanda6312]

ive read a lot on here about people saying there is like one block of southside that is nice and the rest is "ghetto"...so that kinda worries me. unforn. we wont even be able to see ANY of the city until we pack our stuff and move there.
on the other hand i havent heard one bad thing about shadyside...so that may be the spot for us.
i just wanna be able to live within 5 mins to anything i need. bars, food, shopping, everything...ive been looking up shadyside for a little while now, and it doesnt seems as bad as it first did when i was looking through pictures!

[guylocke]

Shadyside is a much safer move, but also much more expensive.

I don't think I would ever call the Southside a ghetto. Whoever did doesn't know what they're talking about.

The Southside IS a bit gritty and rough looking, but the people who patronage the Southside on a regular basis like it that way. There are a couple modern residential condo's, apartments, and town homes if you're looking for that sort of thing.

And believe it or not, most of the "ghetto" looking homes have young professionals and many student's living in them. And MANY of the student's are Duquesne students, and they are ANYTHING but ghetto, they are the arguably the wealthiest, snobbiest, and "most elitist" cohort of students in the entire city.

However, Shadyside and the Southside are like night and day. I lived in the Southside for two years and loved every second of it, but I would definitely love Shadyside, too!

Decisions decisions!

[amanda6312]

haha seriously. still trying to decide what is best for us! but i guess i wont really know til we get there and see things hands on. for now...i must just rely on pictures, and word of mouth!

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by amanda6312

ive read a lot on here about people saying there is like one block of southside that is nice and the rest is "ghetto"...so that kinda worries me.

Ghetto is indeed quite an exaggeration, but I think it would be fair to say it has more of a urban feel overall than Shadyside--but again, the South Side Works in particular is completely new and designed as a modern "lifestyle center", so for good or ill renting a place there would not be quite like renting a place in most of the South Side.

unforn. we wont even be able to see ANY of the city until we pack our stuff and move there.

I keep forgetting to whom I have recommended this, but Streetview on Google Maps has a lot of Pittsburgh available for virtual walking tours. If you haven't already, you might spend some time with that (Walnut Street in Shadyside between Negley and Aiken was what I was referencing earlier as the place with the national retailers).

Edit: and here is a random photo gallery of the shops I just googled:

shadyside shops (http://images.michaelantelman.com/v/squirrel+hill/shadyside/shadyshops/?g2_GALLERYSID=615e04dd886f1f2efbfee6da75d95304 - broken link)

on the other hand i havent heard one bad thing about shadyside...so that may be the spot for us.
i just wanna be able to live within 5 mins to anything i need. bars, food, shopping, everything...ive been looking up shadyside for a little while now, and it doesnt seems as bad as it first did when i was looking through pictures!

Shadyside is popular (and expensive by Pittsburgh standards) precisely because it is both upscale and very convenient in the way you describe. So I would also say if you find an apartment in Shadyside that looks nice and aren't unhappy with the price, it is a pretty attractive option given what you have told us.

[londonbarcelona]

Originally Posted by amanda6312

haha seriously. still trying to decide what is best for us! but i guess i wont really know til we get there and see things hands on. for now...i must just rely on pictures, and word of mouth!

YouTube all the areas you are interested. Here is one that I found on
Southside. Hope it helps!
Yet here's
another take....

I use YouTube quite a bit because it gives you a feel for the 'real' people.

From what people say on this forum, southside seems okay.

[simplyinjest]

I'd definitely check out South Side.

[amanda6312]

im looking at Franklin West Apartments online now....are they different types of apartments and houses or....what? every picture seems to be taken at a different apartment...and it seems like they are stand alone houses....

[PeterRabbit]

Those are stand alone houses converted into apts. That's what most of Shadyside is. Their rents seemed ok but I didn't see anything special at F-W.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by amanda6312

im looking at Franklin West Apartments online now....are they different types of apartments and houses or....what? every picture seems to be taken at a different apartment...and it seems like they are stand alone houses....

Yep, Franklin West (and a couple other similar management companies) manage a LOT of smaller properties, including many converted houses (sometimes mansions). That was part of why I suggested them: small apartment buildings and converted houses tend to be the best deal in Pittsburgh, but it can be tough for out-of-town people to search for them--except perhaps if you go through someone like Franklin West.

For what it is worth, in addition to convenience you are getting some quality control going through a place like Franklin West--but their apartments are going to be eclectic.

[amanda6312]

well we accepted the job today & will be there sometime within the next 2 months...now its all about selling our stuff & learning more about all the different areas!! thanks for all your help everyone!!