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Hey! Nice to meet you all. I'm 24, married, and from Philadelphia. My Husband and I are tired of renting. We want a place to call home, especially now, as we are expecting our first child.
Pittsburgh seems to be much more affordable than Philadelphia. I have visited friends over in Pittsburgh. I like the vibe. More relaxed.
I thought Penn Hills looked cool. What is Penn Hills like for someone like me? I am republican. I hear that Penn Hills is very liberal. It probably doesn't really matter. I care more about crime and safety.
Why is crime always happening in Penn Hills? Is it really good enough to raise a child? It really does look beautiful though. Are there safer spots than others?
Penn Hills just seems convenient, but also far from the hustle and bustle.
Penn Hills varies a lot depending upon the neighborhood you are considering.
To give a broad summary, it's a first-ring suburb which directly abuts the City of Pittsburgh. The area of the city it abuts (greater Homewood) is one of the largest swathes of black neighborhoods in the city. The neighborhood of Penn Hills closest to the city (Lincoln Park) has had a large black population since the mid 20th century. The remainder of Penn Hills has had a very slowly progressing white flight - basically middle-class black folks moving out from the city to become homeowners in safe neighborhoods.
Today, some neighborhoods are like 75% black/25% white, and some are 90% white/10% black. Aside from Lincoln Park, and a few of the apartment complexes (which wouldn't bother homeowners) I think Penn Hills is fine from a safety perspective. However, all neighborhoods are in the same school district, which has experienced accelerated white flight compared to the township as a whole (public school enrollment is around 70% black), along with issues due to financial mismanagement in the district. As a result, the property taxes for the school district are on the high side.
The bottom line is if you pick the right neighborhood in Penn Hills, it is fine. You should be prepared however that taxes will be on the higher side, property appreciation may not be what you expect, and you may not be comfortable having your child attend schools where they will be heavily in the minority.
Hey! Nice to meet you all. I'm 24, married, and from Philadelphia. My Husband and I are tired of renting. We want a place to call home, especially now, as we are expecting our first child.
Pittsburgh seems to be much more affordable than Philadelphia. I have visited friends over in Pittsburgh. I like the vibe. More relaxed.
I thought Penn Hills looked cool. What is Penn Hills like for someone like me? I am republican. I hear that Penn Hills is very liberal. It probably doesn't really matter. I care more about crime and safety.
Why is crime always happening in Penn Hills? Is it really good enough to raise a child? It really does look beautiful though. Are there safer spots than others?
Penn Hills just seems convenient, but also far from the hustle and bustle.
Some parts of Penn Hills are fine, further away from the parts that border Homewood and Wilkinsburg. However, the main issue seems to lie with the school district. Therefore, that may make it hard if you have kids. It probably is more democrat now because of urban people moving out. It has convenient access to Monroeville for shopping but there isn't much in the way of it right in Penn Hills anymore.
Hey! Nice to meet you all. I'm 24, married, and from Philadelphia. My Husband and I are tired of renting. We want a place to call home, especially now, as we are expecting our first child.
Pittsburgh seems to be much more affordable than Philadelphia. I have visited friends over in Pittsburgh. I like the vibe. More relaxed.
I thought Penn Hills looked cool. What is Penn Hills like for someone like me? I am republican. I hear that Penn Hills is very liberal. It probably doesn't really matter. I care more about crime and safety.
Why is crime always happening in Penn Hills? Is it really good enough to raise a child? It really does look beautiful though. Are there safer spots than others?
Penn Hills just seems convenient, but also far from the hustle and bustle.
Congrats! Mine are 22 and 26 so it has been a long time since those days. Are you already in Pittsburgh area or looking to move here from Philly? Seems like you are in Philly but maybe not. Anyway how do you end up on Penn Hills? What was the draw to that area? I would take some time to visit again and maybe scout some more.
My wife and I are agents but we run into clients have a area in their head but often end up somewhere else. Some good info on the area but there might be others that could be better options too, there are so many small towns/neighborhoods most don't even know they exist. As for being republican, I think that just depends on how you present yourself. If you are respectful and don't try to cause a scene I wouldn't expect any issues. My family is pretty middle of the road, more libertarian than republican but I likely lean more conservative than liberal in some areas and I've never had issues.
Depending upon where you both work, you may want to consider further east, into Westmoreland County, where the taxes are much lower.
I would look into Trafford, Harrison City,or further out Rt130, or along Rt30, North Huntingdon Twp, Irwin, or even Hempfield Twp or Greensburg.
If work is downtown or even further west, these areas may be too far for the commute.
Murrysville is very nice, but pricey.
I would strongly advise to steer clear of anyplace in the Woodland Hills School District.
The eastern suburbs are generally in decline. Adjacent Verona is a better bet than Penn Hills. It has a cute small town vibe, but is convenient to the trendy East End, and more affordable than the fancier suburb of Oakmont. Penn Hills in my opinion is not the most aesthetically pleasing area overall, but some parts are quite decent. It's a lot of cheap '50s Colonials and ranches, few sidewalks, and lots of plazas, if that is your cup of tea. I'm pretty sure the whole area is built on top of old coal mines as well.
Thanks. We are really excited about the baby. Oh, I don't know. I just happened to drive through the area a few times and liked the look of it. Realllly random, but any areas that are full of ranch style homes?
Last edited by What Is Penn Hills; 01-17-2021 at 03:18 PM..
I am originally from Penn Hills, but have not lived there for many years.
Penn Hills is a huge area - and it's impossible to label the entire municipality as either good or bad. There are some rough/sketchy areas of Penn Hills and there are some absolutely beautiful areas as well. The biggest problem is that it all feeds into the same school district which has a lot of socioeconomic problems and very high taxes.
If I were raising a child in Penn Hills, I'd pick the neighborhood of Crescent Hills to live in. Very nice older well maintained homes, right in the center of Penn Hills, and the neighborhood has an active Civic Club and neighborhood park full of activities for kids to do.
If you look at a map, I would not live west of Route 130. That area is just getting worse as it borders the city and Wilkinsburg. I would avoid the neighborhoods of Universal and Eastvue on the east end of Penn Hills.
Lately, I've been wanting to not use my car as much. Any areas where I can bike/scooter (when running errands alone once the baby is born) or walk a mile or so to some shops or bus? I love nature and want to experience that from time to time. Any bike trails running through suburbs?
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