Relocating-Need some ideas. (Pittsburgh, Butler, Bradford: neighborhoods, living in, price)

[Disgruntled Traveler]

I came upon this forum and have been spending some time looking around and decided to join.

I will be relocating to the Pittsburgh area for a year or two because of my job. While I have always been use to working and living in smaller rural areas, I have no choice in this matter. Believe me I tried to avoid Pgh!

Seems like many posts I have read refer to the 'ghettos', badlands, shootings, and all the bad stuff happening in the city. I am wondering if there is actually any really decent neighborhoods or areas in around Pittsburgh proper? I have talked to some of my friends who lived here and they have mentioned Sewickley, Bradfordwoods, Pine, being all good areas, but that is too far out of Pittsburgh as far as I am concerned.

Another thing, and no I am not a racist, but are there any areas that are predominantly white in Pittsburgh city? My wife is old fashioned and a country gal, so she has not been exposed to the "urban" lifestyle yet.

Any help is appreciated.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by Disgruntled Traveler

I am wondering if there is actually any really decent neighborhoods or areas in around Pittsburgh proper?

Yes, there are many nice neighborhoods in the City or close-in suburbs, so many in fact that I would suggest helping people make recommendations by giving a little more detail about what you are looking for in terms of housing type and costs, location and local amenities, and so on.

Another thing, and no I am not a racist, but are there any areas that are predominantly white in Pittsburgh city? My wife is old fashioned and a country gal, so she has not been exposed to the "urban" lifestyle yet.

The answer to your question is yes, but I hope you will be open to using this opportunity to have you and your wife get to know some non-white neighbors, as opposed to deliberately segregating yourselves.

[TechieTransplant]

Originally Posted by Disgruntled Traveler

Believe me I tried to avoid Pgh!

Seems like many posts I have read refer to the 'ghettos', badlands, shootings, and all the bad stuff happening in the city. I am wondering if there is actually any really decent neighborhoods or areas in around Pittsburgh proper?

I'm sorry, if you say you have been reading this website, you haven't paid enough attention. There are far more posts on the great things about this city than the not so desirable areas.

[bradjl2009]

Neighborhoods you would like would be Brookline, Green Tree, Summer Hill, Bloomfield, some of Lawrenceville, Banksville, Regent Square, and many more. Plus nearly any of the inner ring suburbs will fit your needs. Good luck here.

[tmorrisn]

I agree with scottrpriester - there are very few threads about violence or bad stuff happening in the city. The city itself is very safe, and the suburbs around the city are even safer. If you are intimidated/scared to move here, perhaps consider a suburb or even a town in an adjacent county (Butler, Westmoreland, etc) and commute to work.

As for your request for predominantly white areas - lucky for you the city is predominantly white. This doesn't make the city any better than any other city. And you should reexamine your prejudices and fears about non-white people. Just like whites, non-whites come in a plethora of varieties. Living in a mostly white area does not mean you're living in a good area. I would encourage you to find a neighborhood that meets your criteria and try to befriend all of your neighbors (regardless of color).

[Mugatu]

You sound like a very sheltered couple. You'll fit right in here in the 'burgh.

[bradjl2009]

I'd like to raise a question. Why is it acceptable for someone to say they want to live in an area that's predominately black, asian, hispanic or say there are too many white people in an and no questions are raised usually but if someone wants to live in a mostly white area everyone cries racist? I'm not saying that the poster is right or wrong but IMO that's a little hypocritical.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by bradjl2009

I'd like to raise a question. Why is it acceptable for someone to say they want to live in an area that's predominately black, asian, hispanic or say there are too many white people in an and no questions are raised usually but if someone wants to live in a mostly white area everyone cries racist? I'm not saying that the poster is right or wrong but IMO that's a little hypocritical.

Well, first of all, so far no one has called the original poster "racist".

Second, I'm not sure what you have in mind when you write "to say they want to live in an area that's predominately black, asian, hispanic or say there are too many white people." Off hand, I can't think of many, if any, examples of people saying something quite like that here. Rather, I can recall some people who wanted to know where there are at least some people of a particular ethnicity (including sometimes white ethnicities), or who wanted to know which neighborhoods are ethnically diverse in general. But obviously those are very different sentiments because they are not exclusionary in nature (i.e., the underlying desire is not to get away from any particular ethnic group).

But maybe you have something specific in mind you would like to share.

[JonathanA]

Ignore the race-baiting and counter-race-baiting.

Very generally speaking, it sounds like Pittsburgh would have plenty to offer you. All the things you ask about are available in a number of neighborhoods.

But as somebody above mentioned, the number of "correct" answers to your broad question would be too large to be helpful. So...

Where will you be working?
How long a commute would satisfy you?
Public transportation a must?
Walkable neighborhood with lots of amenities, or is car-reliant okay?
What amenities do you need/desire?
What is your price range?

That info can help narrow it down to probably 3 or 4 good areas to choose from.

[highway29south]

Originally Posted by Mugatu

You sound like a very sheltered couple. You'll fit right in here in the 'burgh.

Lol! Yeah, I have to agree.

Try the suburbs north, south and west of the city if you are looking for mostly white neighborhoods.