moving to verona,pa

[gg]

Originally Posted by alleghenyangel

I disagree. I have talked to enough old timers, and seen enough pictures of the glory days (pre-1970s) to know that pretty much every neighborhood was better mid-century than today. I think there has also been considerable decline in many neighborhoods since the 1980s and 1990s. Think about all of the urban renewal mistakes, urban prairie, abandoned and rotting homes that exist now that didn't exist a few decades ago. East Liberty is a mess outside of the improving business district. A lot of old people die off and their houses sit abandoned until they are torn down. This is an epidemic all around the city, except for the fashionable neighborhoods, where they have a chance of being renovated instead of torn down. The business districts are not what they were, either. Mom and pop stores are a thing of the past.

I am a pretty old timer from this region. As I stated it depends how far back you want to go. My point was neighborhoods improved over the past 15 years in many cases. Yes, if you go back to the glory days they are lost and will never fully return. Pittsburgh was a booming place back in the day. We can't expect it to fully come back. Goodness, I used to shop at the East Hills Shopping Center. There was a Kaufmann's and Hornes there. Now it is a weed infested old abandon parking lot. East Liberty was a lively place, but I was too young to see it booming. The beautiful homes were broken up into a bunch of units and people moved in who could care less about anything and it just ran down to its current state, but there is some improvements and some of those amazing homes are being saved sort of.

Just an example, Lawrenceville was pretty much all boarded up a decade or so ago. Now it is at least functioning. Sure the mantles and grandeur of many of those homes are lost, but at least they are being lived in. Gotta take what you can get.

[gg]

Oh bs on Section 8! Tell it like it is! Verona is much worse off now than before that huge section 8 place moved in. PERIOD! Don't tell me, I KNOW! I went to Riverview. I lived right next door in Oakmont for decades and frequent Verona all the time these days. Stop sugar coating. Verona is a small town and didn't absorb a big section 8 development so easily. These section 8 places add a lot of litter as well. I don't know why people just don't tell it like it is? Yes, they have to live somewhere, but don't tell me they have no effect on a little place like Verona. Yes, there is a ton of tension there. It was always a tough little town even back in the days before it changed.

[eschaton]

Just a quick aside.

I'm not going to agree or disagree with those saying Verona is headed downhill. I don't know enough to make a statement either way. I have driven through, and it seemed like the typical river borough, no different from Millvale or Etna.

That said, if it was perceived as headed downhill, wouldn't this torpedo Oakmont? I realize Riverview isn't considered the best school district as it is, but if Verona turned into another Lincoln Park, I don't think too many middle-class families with kids would move there, as it's a pretty far remove from the well-known private schools. Add to this the likelihood of bla...I mean, uhh..Section 8 renters...hanging out on Allegheny Avenue during the day, and I could see a wholesale flight from Oakmont, with the typical self-fulfilling prophecy happening, as only the terrified and racists leave at first, but the progressive worsening creates more actual safety problems (not to mention home resale problems) over time.

[gg]

For the record, I don't think Verona is going downhill. I think it is probably stable, but it isn't as good as it was in the 80's-90's. Verona's downtown was quite good back in the day. Cool little diners and such. Still has a pretty good hardware store. It is a safe neighborhood, but there are plenty of car breakins and such for drug money. I don't know if there is more or less small crime like that these days.

[Clint.]

Ha ha, this thread is about Verona? I thought it was just about the merits of Section 8.

I don't know much about Verona, either. I have driven a few of the side streets and they seemed mostly OK - houses in decent shape, yards taken care of. I go there for my job as a social worker and meet with someone who lives there. In fact, I may go out this afternoon.

He doesn't have Section 8 () - it is an instance of a couple SSI people pooling their resources; however, the police have visited his rental home several times in the last few years and he has on more than one occassion banged on neighbors' doors while half naked.

But that's just one house out of how many? You have to expect a few problems in most places from time to time.

[robrobrob]

First off, Curtis you are not an old timer. An old timer is over 80. You still have a kid in school.

Verona, has gone downhill. The business district sort of appears fine but it really isn't. A lot the buildings are for sale or recently sold for very low prices. The bank is gone. At the same time it is all relative. Is it Oakmont. No. But it never was either.

The Riverview School District is a mixed bag. A lot the the wealthy kids have always gone to Shadyside.

[Copanut]

Just drove through Verona today on my way to Oakmont. The biz district didn't look too bad. Oakmont still looks very good along with that new housing plan down by the river.

[tclifton]

Originally Posted by Copanut

All of Verona is in the Riverview SD.

I know this is an old thread, but I wanted to clear this up.
This isn't true.
Verona is a big place, and there are parts of it that go to Penn Hills SD even though there is a Verona mailing address with a 15147 zip code.

[gg]

Originally Posted by Copanut

All of Verona is in the Riverview SD.

Nope, this is correct as far as locals are concerned. People that live with the Verona mailing address and the kids go to Penn Hills are considered Penn Hills. It is just the way it is as far as locals are concerned. I grew up there. So tclifton, I want to correct you… as far as the locals are concerned. Mailing addresses don't mean as much as school districts around these parts.

[tclifton]

Originally Posted by h_curtis

Nope, this is correct as far as locals are concerned. People that live with the Verona mailing address and the kids go to Penn Hills are considered Penn Hills. It is just the way it is as far as locals are concerned. I grew up there. So tclifton, I want to correct you… as far as the locals are concerned. Mailing addresses don't mean as much as school districts around these parts.

I'm not sure what "as far as locals are concerned" means, but I just wanted to clear up for someone that might not be familiar with the area and is considering moving. If they buy a house in the 15147 zip code, that doesn't guarantee that they're going to go to Riverview. They could potentially go to Penn Hills, depending on where they buy.