University of Pittsburgh (Allentown, Mount Oliver, Oliver: apartments, violent crime, neighborhoods)

[SeniorStudent]

Hi - I just got accepted to University of Pittsburgh and was very excited until I read that violent crime is up in Pittsburgh. (I am originally from NYC, now living in NJ). Can anyone reassure me that it is OK? Is PITT in a good part of town? Is campus security good, etc.
Thanks,
SS

[Mugatu]

You'll be fine. Violent crime is up in Pittsburgh (and everywhere), but Pittsburgh is still one of the safest cities of it's size in the country. Most of the violent crime is concentrated in the bad areas and stays there. I moved up here from Orlando, FL and the difference in crime is night and day. It has turned into the the wild west down there, violent crime has spread into the nicer areas of town and many suburbs there. But I feel completely safe in the Pittsburgh area. Since you come from NY and NJ you will not find this city dangerous at all.

And I'll leave it up to the more seasoned Pittsburghers to tell you what areas around PITT are good, I'm still trying to learn my way around this place.

[sugarbomb]

You're from NYC and you're worried about crime in Pittsburgh? You'll be fine. Pitt's campus is safe. Some parts of Oakland (the neighborhood that Pitt is in) are a little less savory, but I still don't think that it's bad. Lots of students live in Oakland, so some parts get super-noisy due to parties. If that's not your bag, Squirrel Hill is an extremely safe, quieter neighborhood next to Oakland.

University of Pittsburgh: Crimes Reported to University Officials or Pittsburgh City Police -- Stats for past 3 years of crime reports at the University.

[TexasGirl@Heart]

You'll be fine on campus. I work on campus at the hospital.

[dugdogmaster]

University of Pittsburgh - Police Department

[SteelersFan09]

I think you'll really enjoy it. To me, Pitt's campus is a really cool place to hang out. Lots of neat buildings, terrific library. Have you been down to visit yet? If I could go back in time, I probably would've went there right after high school.

[bbrian12]

crime in the city is centralized to a few crappy neighborhoods
stay out of homewood, east liberty, north side, and the hill
and you will be fine

[vtPGH]

As others have stated, the Oakland area right around the universities is pretty safe, with a strong security presence. The biggest issues often deal with pickpocketing and robbers who prey on unlocked off-campus student apartments.

As stated, crime citywide is fairly centralized, with the Hill District, Homewood, and Lincoln-Lemington registering the highest frequencies of violent crimes. As of late, the Southside hilltop communities have also seen their fare share of crime. Neighborhoods like Beltzhoover, Allentown, Arlington, and Mount Oliver borough come to mind.

As far as the North Side, the OP should understand that when Pittsburghers use this term, they're referring to the collection of city neighborhoods to the north of the Allegheny and Ohio rivers. While some of these neighborhoods continue to struggle with episodes of violent crime (Charles St. Valley, Northview Heights, Manchester), others have very infrequent incidents of violent crime, and lots of commercial and residential investment. (Allegheny West, Brighton Heights, Troy Hill). It's a mixed bag.

[hnsq]

If you want to live near Pitt, I wouldn't go farther west than Robinson Ave, and I would stay out of South Oakland (not necessarily dangerous, just slummy/trashy/undergradish). Anything in North Oakland/Shadyside/Squirrel Hill/Bloomfield/Friendship is really good for a student. Highlighted neighborhoods are my personal favorites. Not as stuck up as Shadyside, not as 'undergrad' as South Oakland.

[dugdogmaster]

Originally Posted by hnsq

I would stay out of South Oakland (not necessarily dangerous, just slummy/trashy/undergradish).

Gritty