south park vs. bethel park vs. upper st. clair (Pittsburgh: real estate, houses)

[mamaof2]

hello,

my family and i might be moving to pittsburgh in the near future, and we're wondering what the differences of these areas are? my husband will be working in south park and would like to be within a 15 minute drive to work. we want to be in a safe area with good schools. also, we are very liberal people. and outdoors types. any whole food stores in either of these areas? a quaint or artsy type of downtown??

any help would be much appreciated!

[stevo6]

All are safe, solid communities, but sadly "townless". There's no there there, as someone (Bucky Fuller?) once said, unless you consider the mall or the strip a "there". All are automobile oriented suburbs. In terms of amenities, South Park has the park, which is a huge area perfect for biking or walking. It is probably the best situated for access to the mountains to the south and east- maybe 1hr. 15 min. to quality whitewater and trails via rt.51 and 40. Neighboring Bethel Park is a step up in terms of schools and shopping. It has a mall and several restaraunts. USC is another step up for schools - and the real estate costs that go along with it. Its one of the best school systems in the state, but there is little else there except the township rec. facilities and a handful of offices. These are not liberal communities. For that, or at least more balance, and a more town-like setting you might consider Mt.Lebanon or possibly West Mifflin, Castle Shannon, or Library which are all more urban than South Park. Mt. Lebanon has charm and a great school system; the others are a bit more gritty. I don't know about whole foods, but there are specialty markets in Mt. Lebanon and Castle Shannon. Good luck!

[Hopes]

All of the three townships are nice, safe neighborhoods.

The high school ranking for the townships you inquired about are as follows:

Upper St. Clair ---- 2nd out of 64
Bethel Park ---- 6th out of 64
South Park ---- 18th out of 64

Mt. Lebanon's high school ranks first in the county but it's a higher cost of living and there's more traffic congestion in the area to go with that "town" feeling. Plus it's much farther away from South Park than the other townships you're considering.

I vote for Bethel Park. It's right next to South Park, literally, so the commute would be quick. You can walk to South Park from many of the Bethel Park neighborhoods. In the park there are roller skating, roller blading, wave pool, bike and running lanes, etc. The school has a good ranking but the property will be more affordable than Upper St. Clair and Mt. Lebanon. Bethel Park has a great community center with fantastic programs. It's huge. Also, in the summers the township has a summer parks program where children can spend the day in an organized 'summer camp' at the neighborhood parks nearby everyone's houses. At least, the summer parks program existed a couple years ago. It's also easy to access Interstate 79 from Bethel Park. You're right in the middle of all the major shopping areas----one mall in West Mifflin and the other mall (2) in Upper St. Clair.

My next choice would be Upper St. Clair, but you'll pay more for a house there. If you find a great deal in South Park, seriously consider it because 18th isn't a bad ranking.

[Hopes]

It just occurred to me that since your husband only has to commut to South Park you would save a fortune in real estate taxes if you bought a house in Washington County. PETER'S TOWNSHIP is booming! It's where everyone is trying to live to escape the high property and school taxes in Allegheny County. Peters township borders South Park township and the school district ranks #1 for Washington County.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by stevo6

These are not liberal communities. For that, or at least more balance, and a more town-like setting you might consider Mt.Lebanon or possibly West Mifflin, Castle Shannon, or Library which are all more urban than South Park.

Goodness! Mt. Lebanon's population is 95.6% white. Just because it has a little main street doesn't mean the residents have a more urban mentality than the other townships she's considering. We have no idea what she means when she says liberal. All of greater metropolitan Pittsburgh went blue in the presidential elections, and not just Allegheny County but surrounding counties too. Liberal is a relative term. Greater Pittsburgh isn't the deep south.

[mamaof2]

thank you "hopes" for all of your worthwhile answers to my questions. you have helped me out a lot. i appreciate you taking the time to respond.

[stevo6]

Originally Posted by Hopes

Goodness! Mt. Lebanon's population is 95.6% white. Just because it has a little main street doesn't mean the residents have a more urban mentality than the other townships she's considering. We have no idea what she means when she says liberal. All of greater metropolitan Pittsburgh went blue in the presidential elections, and not just Allegheny County but surrounding counties too. Liberal is a relative term. Greater Pittsburgh isn't the deep south.

Not quite sure what your getting at Hopes. Allegheny County may be blue but these affluent suburbs are not. And Peters is about as red as it gets in PA! I was pointing to more urban settings because of the simple fact that in denser areas there is more person to person contact, whether its just thru shopping, or public transit, or shared services, or even shared infrastructure. Community is more highly valued than in places like Peters or USC where self-reliance seems to be of greater import. Urban areas are typically more blue for that reason. This may not be what she's thinking when she says "very liberal" . She did say she wanted an "artsy" downtown and I'm not sure anything in the South Hills would fit that bill.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by stevo6

Not quite sure what your getting at Hopes. Allegheny County my be blue but these affluent suburbs are not. And Peters is about as red as it gets in PA! I was pointing to more urban settings because of the simple fact that in denser areas there is more person to person contact, whether its just thru shopping, or public transit, or shared services, or even shared infrastructure. Community is more highly valued than in places like Peters or USC where self-reliance seems to be of greater import. Urban areas are typically more blue for that reason.

Every county surrounding Allegheny County also voted blue. That completely contradicts your theory that only "urban neighborhoods" produce liberal mindedness. It's the overall greater metropolitian areas that produce liberal mindedness. That's counties surrounding large cities.

http://www.county.allegheny.pa.us/el...pri/rpt009.asp

Bethel Park & Peter's Township are part of the 18th Congressional District which overwhelmingly voted for Kerry at 78.3%. Check out the map for the 18th Congressional District's zone. The district extends through Washington County and Westmoreland County too.

http://nationalatlas.gov/printable/images/pdf/congdist/PA18_109.pdf (broken link)

Originally Posted by stevo6

She did say she wanted an "artsy" downtown and I'm not sure anything in the South Hills would fit that bill.

Agreed, nothing in the South Hills qualifies as "artsy."

Southside isn't very far away though. She could drive there for her "artsy" fix.

http://www.southsidepgh.com/be_entertained/index.php (broken link)

[stevo6]

Hopes - that everybody voted for Kerry means very little, considering the alternative! If you look at the number of registered Republicans vs, Democrats in these areas I believe you'll see the strong majority are Republican. Republicans still have the edge. Correct me if I'm wrong (and I could be since I'm remembering stats from a few years ago). The culture certainly seems on the conservative side to me.
Bottom line is that the poster painted a picture that I felt was not consistant with what one has in the South Hills and throughout PA : "very liberal", "artsy downtown", "outdoorsy" - sounds like Boulder , Co. or Burlington, Vt. or maybe State College, Pa, but not the South Hills. Steve