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I'm a recent graduate from Virginia Tech in Chemical Engineering (yes - that Virginia Tech and yes, I was there when it happened). I'm moving to Pittsburgh to work for Westinghouse as an entry-level engineer (anybody else on here working for them?). Westinghouse will be located in Cranberry, but I really want to live in the city.
I've done TONS of research on Pittsburgh already, and I think I know where I want to live, at least neighborhood wise. I'm looking at Shadyside, Squirrel Hill and Downtown (like the culture and strip districts). Unfortunately, I have no idea which place is best for a really young professional. Also, I don't know which complexes are best. I've looked around, but I've only found a couple ... and they all seem sort of blahh. I'm looking for a one-bedroom or efficiency that is less than $900 per month. I really like the modern look of the downtown places, but it seems that everybody lives in Shadyside. I really want to be in a place where people walk around town at night with cafe's, restaurants and shops. The younger the people are, the better too (I'm only 21). Does anybody have specific recommendations as to buildings that would suit me best?
I'm also Asian, so I'm really interested in living in a place that has a lot of diversity and is accepting of differences. I've read that most minorities live near the universities, but is there one specific location that there are a lot of Asians at?
Since I'm JUST starting off, I really don't have a clue as to what I'm doing. I have no friends, family or acquaintances in Pittsburgh. Does anybody have advice on how to start fresh in a new city? How to make friends around my age and in my circumstance?
I'm really sorry if this thread has been posted before. If it has, can somebody please direct me there? I'm still definitely looking for specific recommendations as to complexes to look at. Speaking of which, would it be wise to buy a house in Pittsburgh now a days?
I think you'd really like Shadyside. Walkable neighborhood, lots of grad students, lots of Asians and other ethnicities. Shopping, coffee shops, good retaurants and bistros. There are modern apartment complexes and apartments in older mansions that may appeal to you. The drive to Cranberry would be 20 - 30 minutes, since you're going against rush-hour traffic.
I've been in the new Westinghouse building and it is turning out great and really nice.
I am about 4 years out of school. I went to Philly first and lived on the main line in a apartment that cost 900 a month. The main line is a expensive area right outside of Philly. I also am a engineer, and I started on a really bad salery. Put it this way, most of my money went to rent, and I put bars, groceries, etc on credit. THIS IS THE MOST STUPIDIST THING TO DO. I know you went to a great engineering school and are probably smart enough not to do that. However, I consider myself pretty smart also, and I was stupid enough to do this. Now I am paying back my debts and live on no credit at all. It sucks because I could have an extra 600 bucks a month if I wasn't stupid out of college.
So Lesson number 1 about starting out, stay out of debt and get a place that is affordable where you can still have extra cash to hang out, buy food, etc and not put it on credit. In Pittsburgh you can get a great apartment for 600 bucks than have an extra 300 to live on.
About Pittsburgh:
The neighborhoods you are looking at are excellent choices. I live in Squirrel Hill and work in Wexford (about 5-10 miles south of where you will be working). Traffic is not bad getting there and back because it is against traffic. I really wish Westinghouse and my company would have kept in the city. I hate this urban sprawl bs they decided to do by building up there. If you are young and want a fun lifestyle just stay away from Cranberry and Wexford. They are urban sprawl hellholes.
Pittsburgh is a older city. It doesn't have the amount of modern apartment buildings like the south will have. There are really cool modern buildings that went up. However, there are a lot of really cool old buildings in Pittsburgh with cool character to choose from. I live in a turn of the 20th century building with huge limestone blocks on the facade. I could never live in a apartment with such style in the south for what I pay. I live two blocks of the main strip in Squirrel Hill for a pretty good price. Much better than the apartments that I had when I did a few years in Denver. I would choose shadyside if you are young and single and making good money. There are lots of beautiful women there, young people, nice cafes, and coffee shops to hang in.
I came back to the Burgh about a year and a half ago, and I love it here just as much as any other city I lived in. You will like it. I just wish yours and my commute wasn't bad, and Westinghouse and my company could stay in the city instead of making us drive 20 miles to sprawlville.
Last edited by Awesomo.2000; 12-11-2008 at 10:31 AM..
But is there a specific complex/realtor that I should be looking at?? I'm really looking for a place that's very modern, but also cozy. I have my heart set on a nice efficiency that's modern, clean and is close to the young professionals/students. Does a place like that even exist in Shadyside or are all the apartments converted houses??
Franklin-West is what I would also recommend. They've been in business for many years and manage a lot of properties in the Shadyside area. Because a building may look old on the outside doesn't mean it isn't modern inside. They have a lot of photos on their site and list the rental rates. Franklin West || Shadyside
You pointed out the fact that you were Asian. Do you want to immerse yourself into Pittsbugh's Asian culture or do you just want to feel welcome? I Personally would pick Squirel Hill over Shadyside as a twenty-one year old. Squirrel Hill is upscale, yet has a younger feel to it because it is just up Forbes Avenue from Pitt and CMU. There are more restaurants than Shadyside and the restaurants, Asian or otherwise, are less expensive. Shadyside is awesome too. It may be a bit more pretentious byPittsburgh standards than Squirrel Hill, but cool nonetheless. I just think Shadyside is better for someone who is more established, maybe mid to late twenties at the youngest.
I think it depends a little bit on if you're into the bar scene, in which case I'd guess Shadyside might be a better fit. Although there are definitely places to go out in Squirrel Hill, Walnut Street has more energy than Forbes on a weekend night, IMO. Squirrel Hill is more laid-back (which I like, but I'm not 21 anymore...) They're both nice neighborhoods, though, and both are pretty diverse. For that matter, they're all of five minutes apart by car, so you can explore both pretty thoroughly when you move here and if you feel like you'd rather live in the other one, you can always move after a year.
Also, don't know if this would be of interest to you, but there's a Korean grocery at the corner of Forward and Murray in Squirrel Hill. It seems to have a pretty good selection, but I'm not much of an expert on Korean foods.
There's quite a few neighborhoods in the city that have a good proportion of younger professionals, as well as graduate student types. Shadyside, Squirrel Hill, Regent Square, and Friendship on the East End are a few that come to mind. With Pitt, CMU, and many of the city's hospitals on the East End, these neighborhoods are pretty diverse, and have the largest and most established Asian community in the area. In comparison, I've found the Asian presence in Oakland and Shadyside to be significantly greater than in and around Blacksburg, but not at NOVA levels (i.e. Springfield, Annandale).
Commuting up to Cranberry will be a decent hike for local standards, probably in the 45min range during peak hours, but it would be against traffic both ways.
As far as apartment hunting, some of the highest quality and affordable finds can be found on Craigslist. Most of the places are converted home and not the big complexes, but often times the landlords are more attentive, and less bureaucratic.
Hope that helps a little...having made the move up from Tech 2 years ago, feel free to message me with any questions.
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