Sewickley -- Relocation (Pittsburgh, Fox Chapel, Edgeworth: apartments, to rent, homes)

[zip95]

Fox Chapel isn't walkable. Fox Chapel is basically a collection of sprawling estates.

[gameguy56]

Originally Posted by relonow

Thanks for the info............very helpful. We live in a large house on a 2 acre lot now and would like something similar. I love the idea of older, large homes and a walkable borough with a small town feel. I don't want to get into a community that is too snooty or pretentious (plenty of those around here!). I'm hopeful that since there is a mix of incomes (borough, hills, etc.) maybe that is not the case.

Also, since we are a family with three very active kids (every sport you can name, music lessons, etc.) I want to be sure that is available also. Do Sewickley, Fox Chapel and Mt. Lebanon all have the typical travel soccer, baseball, gymnastics, etc. available??

Thanks so much for your help!

Sewickley has plenty of travel teams as well as music teachers and pretty much anything a kid could want. The really nice part is that if you live in town your kids could probably walk to a lot of them.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by relonow

Thanks for the info............very helpful. We live in a large house on a 2 acre lot now and would like something similar. I love the idea of older, large homes and a walkable borough with a small town feel.

As the other poster suggested, Fox Chapel may be a relatively bad fit due to the lack of a walkable center with a small town feel.

I don't want to get into a community that is too snooty or pretentious (plenty of those around here!). I'm hopeful that since there is a mix of incomes (borough, hills, etc.) maybe that is not the case.

This may be a bit of an issue. Household incomes can sometimes be a bit deceptive in Pittsburgh due to the older-than-usual population. If you look just at 2000 median family incomes, Mt Lebanon was $79744, Sewickley Hills $92102, Sewickley Heights $158756, and Fox Chapel $191378 (I omitted Sewickley Borough, because it sounds to me like you would probably be looking in the Hills or Heights given your housing preferences). For comparison, the median family income for all of Allegheny County was $49815.

So, these are all relatively affluent areas by local standards, including Mt Lebanon--and I think if you buy what you are looking for in Mt Lebanon, your immediate neighbors will likely be more in the Sewickley Hills range, maybe higher. Incidentally, there are other neighborhoods in the region where you might find more of a range of incomes, but those are mostly in the city.

Also, since we are a family with three very active kids (every sport you can name, music lessons, etc.) I want to be sure that is available also. Do Sewickley, Fox Chapel and Mt. Lebanon all have the typical travel soccer, baseball, gymnastics, etc. available??

Yes, and generally you are looking at very well-funded school districts with excellent reputations. As an aside, that is largely because with so many school districts in Allegheny County, and the heavy reliance on local property taxes in Pennsylvania public schools, the school districts serving the most affluent neighborhoods tend to be very, very good (and the school districts serving the least affluent neighborhoods can be pretty bad).

[zip95]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

Household incomes can sometimes be a bit deceptive in Pittsburgh due to the older-than-usual population. If you look just at 2000 median family incomes, Mt Lebanon was $79744, Sewickley Hills $92102, Sewickley Heights $158756, and Fox Chapel $191378 (I omitted Sewickley Borough, because it sounds to me like you would probably be looking in the Hills or Heights given your housing preferences). For comparison, the median family income for all of Allegheny County was $49815.

So, these are all relatively affluent areas by local standards, including Mt Lebanon--

I agree, and I want to stress that income metrics are only a rough starting point. Things like amenities, schools, diversity, and retail could all play a role depending on your concerns. Also, I listed select suburbs over $50k, so none of the areas I listed would be a bad choice.

[relonow]

Thank you for all the helpful information. I'm wondering if there is anyone out there reading this that has moved from northern NJ to the Pittsburgh area and can give me an idea of what kind of "culture shock" we might expect?? I'm originally from Ohio so I think I have a good idea. We live in the Westfield/Scotch Plains area of NJ and I'm nervous about how my kids (three from ages 7-13) will adapt.

[Wendelyn Piquette]

I lived in Fort Lauderdale for some time, but I grew up here.
I can tell you that if there are any similarities between northern NJ and south FL, you will absolutely love Pittsburgh! Please don't take this the wrong way, but people say hello to you on the street, neighbors get to know neighbors, everybody is very friendly. You will be amazed at the interconnectedness of this city: everybody seems to know everybody.
When I lived in Florida it was common for people to complain about how unconnected everybody was. In fact, one woman told me that she held the door open for another woman whose arms were full of boxes. Instead of a thankyou, she was treated to "Well, I can see you're not from around here."
Welcome to Pittsburgh! I hope you enjoy it here as much as we do!

[bboy36win]

Originally Posted by relonow

We are contemplating a move from the NYC/NJ area to Pittsburgh. While we haven't yet made a visit, some people we know say we would want to look in Mt. Lebanon, Fox Chapel & Sewickley.

In searching this website, I don't see many mentions of Sewickley. Also, in searching real estate listings, there are TONS of Sewickley homes for sale. Is there something I don't know?

Any advice is appreciated!!!

For what it's worth: in my limited experience,
- To me, Mt. Lebanon feels the most urban.
- Fox Chapel feels the most suburban.
- Sewickley feels the most like small-town America.

[RockLobster]

Sewickley being 12 miles northwest of downtown and a very easy drive on route 65 or via the north hills expressway may offer what you are looking for. A new england style village minus the green. A touch of Wisteria lane with a bit less of the drama. The retail and restaurant offerings are located on a main street that is very walk able. And violent crime is almost non existent.
The town has numerous churches with the catholic and Presbyterian ones being quite large. Both public and private schools are in walking distance of the main section of town. And if you love tennis, golf and or swimming, the local country club setting is very nice. Three clubs within four miles of the village and one being located right in town.

The main street is Beaver street and it's a good spot to people watch or car watch for that matter. A typical 10 minute coffee break outside Starbucks or Mad Mocha will give you the likes of Lynn Swan, Sidney Crosby, Chuck Knoll, the Sewickley Academy Lacrosse team running for practice, business people from out of town, a well spoken panhandler, or perhaps one of the village graduate Hollywood, media types returning home for a quick visit. ( Dan Cortese, Wentworth Miller, Henry Chalfant )
Homes in the village range from the upper $200.000's to over a million. Neighbor borough Edgeworth along with Sewickley Heights has homes in value well into the millions.

Proximity to the Pittsburgh's airport and to a rapidly growing industrial park 2 miles away has given the local area some economic clout. And several high tech companies have located headquarters in the village. All in all it is a unique environment for Pittsburgh and has recently attracted more and more professionals from the west and east coast areas.

[PGH Bound]

RockLobster -- We are also relocating to Sewickley, thank you for your candid advice. You mentioned that there are three clubs located within 4 miles of the village. Could you list those? We are quite interested in indoor tennis and swimming and I understand that the club in the village (Edgeworth) does not have an indoor option.

[alleghenyman]

Keep in mind that there is Sewickley heights, which is mostly multimillion dollar estates like something in Greenwich, CT, the Borough of Sewickley, which is a class bedroom suburb like everyone is describing, and Sewickley Township, which is entirely separate. It is much larger and more blue collar and not very glamorous. It also isn't near Pittsburgh.

It is more old money than the part of NJ you're from but socially is similar but friendlier.