Neighborhood Top Three for Moving (Pittsburgh, Liberty: apartments, renters, loft)

[Elder18]

Okay folks.
The time for me to look for a place to live in Pittsburgh is upon me.
So far I have narrowed my choices of neighborhoods to live in down to three or so. If anyone would like to share any insights about each place (bad areas, commuting, local attractions) please do.

I'm going to be going to Pitt next fall and I'm into things like parks, libraries, art stuff, local history, and biking. I'm also married, so living near the Pegasus isn't a huge draw for me.

The three are: 1) Greenfield 2) Bloomfield 3) Lawrenceville

Thanks for the insight.

[guylocke]

Yikes, that would be a tough question... Lawrenceville would be my last pick (it's not the nicest place) although I have seen a lot of renovation because of Children's Hospital bringing in new business. Bloomfield is the "Lil Italy" of Pittsburgh and has some real cute areas. They have a bad problem with graffeti at the moment. None of those places would be considered new and definitely not the nicest neighborhoods in Pittsburgh, but I imagine the housing is inexspensive. Do you need to worry about schools? Those are all inner city school places..... eep.

[Hopes]

Friendship/Bloomfield (The houses in Friendship are nicer than in Bloomfield but you still get to enjoy Bloomfield because it's just a block or two away. Friendship and Bloomfield are closer to the artists loft in East Liberty and the new art places we just learned about on Penn Avenue.)

Lawrenceville (You and I have talked lots about Lawrenceville. It's a nice enough place. If you can find the right place for the right price, go for it. I think you'll find Lawrenceville to have a more of a neighborhood feel than Friendship. I think the population in Friendship is more transient---students and renters and such than Lawrenceville.)

Greenfield (there's no art anywhere near Greenfield, but if you want to live near a park it's nicely situated near Schenley Park. Lawrenceville, Friendship and Bloomfield do not have nearby parks. Residents in those areas use the Allegheny Cemetary as a park for jogging, walking and biking. )

[Elder18]

I think it's down to Bloomfield and Greenfield. Schools are not a concern at all as we have no kids nor plans to produce any dashing yet clumsy offspring.

I like Bloomfield because it's in the middle of the city and I know there are lots of artist stuff and coffee houses in the area. It's also not too far from Pitt.

I like Greenfield because of Schenly Park and it's really close to Pitt. Also lots of people talked it up in another thread I started.

If anyone has more insight on Bloomfield I'd appreciate it.

[Drover]

Gotta go with Bloomfield. Just more going on there -- not as sleepy as Greenfield, which is more of a bedroom community. Plus Bloomfield isn't that far from Mellon Park, which isn't as nice as Schenley or Frick Parks as Greenfield but it is a good chunk of open green space.

Some of Bloomfield's housing, particularly around Liberty Avenue, is just strange, at least to my Midwestern sensibilities. There are a lot of tightly packed tall & narrow frame houses and rowhouses on very small lots and very narrow streets. There's virtually no green space in that part of the neighborhood. It just feels clausterphobic to me. But the houses there are cheaper than hell. Housing closer to Friendship is more standard single-homes (many converted to apartments) on bigger lots with actual yards and trees and stuff. I always liked Bloomfield and I enjoyed spending time there. You sure can't beat the Italian food in that neighborhood.

[guylocke]

Gotta go with Bloomfield. Just more going on there -- not as sleepy as Greenfield, which is more of a bedroom community. Plus Bloomfield isn't that far from Mellon Park, which isn't as nice as Schenley or Frick Parks as Greenfield but it is a good chunk of open green space.

Some of Bloomfield's housing, particularly around Liberty Avenue, is just strange, at least to my Midwestern sensibilities. There are a lot of tightly packed tall & narrow frame houses and rowhouses on very small lots and very narrow streets. There's virtually no green space in that part of the neighborhood. It just feels clausterphobic to me. But the houses there are cheaper than hell. Housing closer to Friendship is more standard single-homes (many converted to apartments) on bigger lots with actual yards and trees and stuff. I always liked Bloomfield and I enjoyed spending time there. You sure can't beat the Italian food in that neighborhood.

I second this.

[Hopes]

Bloomfield is very far from Mellon Park compared to how how close Greenfield is to Schenley park. He'll be able to easily bike from Greenfield to Oakland, and he might be lucky enough to find a home with a view of the Pittsburgh skyline in Greenfield. Of course Bloomfield/Friendship has much more to offer as far as neighborhoods go, but he wants parks, libraries, and biking. Greenfield has that. The only thing it doesn't have is the unique commercial district of the Bloomfield/Friendship area or the arts.

[Elder18]

1) What are the worst areas of Bloomfield? And by worst, I mean those with the most crime. It seems like there isn't much in the way of violent crime there, but as for crime in general, I'm curious.

2) According to Google Map, the center of Greenfield and the center of Bloomfield are only about 15mins. apart (or about 4 miles). How is this from a practical stand-point? Does the reality match what Google comes up with?

One of the things I like about P-burg is that it's nice and compact, whereas Toledo, Ohio, where I live, is a sprawling mess.

What I mean is that it seems I could live in Greenfield and still get to Bloomfield fairly quickly and easily. Is this the case?

The reason I'm being particular is because I might have only a day or two to really look for an apartment.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by Elder18

1) What are the worst areas of Bloomfield? And by worst, I mean those with the most crime. It seems like there isn't much in the way of violent crime there, but as for crime in general, I'm curious.

Garfield is across Penn Avenue from Friendship. Years ago, I lived about 1-1/2 blocks away from Penn Avenue on South Fairmont Street. My car was stolen in the middle of the night. It was parked on South Fairmont Street right in front of the building. I even heard the glass break, but when I looked out the window I didn't see anything wrong. The next morning my car was gone. It was found two days later, sitting on concrete blocks and stripped, in Garfield. Either find a place a few blocks away from Penn Avenue or own a car they don't like!

Originally Posted by Elder18

2) According to Google Map, the center of Greenfield and the center of Bloomfield are only about 15mins. apart (or about 4 miles). How is this from a practical stand-point? Does the reality match what Google comes up with?

That's about right. The real question is how often will you bother to drive to Bloomfield once you've set your roots in Greenfield. There's a big difference between enjoying Bloomfield as a visitor and enjoying Bloomfield as a resident. When you drive there, you go to a specific restaurant or stop at a couple of stores. But when you live there, you walk down the sidewalks and live it. If you're the type of person who would drive to Bloomfield, park the car, and spend the day there, then you can have the best of both worlds. I personally think you'll end up walking into Oakland or Squirrel Hill more than you'll end up going to Bloomfield. There's nothing wrong with that though.

Originally Posted by Elder18

What I mean is that it seems I could live in Greenfield and still get to Bloomfield fairly quickly and easily. Is this the case?

Yes, you could live in Greenfield and get to Bloomfield fairly quickly and easily.

[Susecita]

Older,

I am following you like a hawk because I think you have similar tastes to mine and I am embarking on the same quest you are in two months. Yikes. I just wanted to thank you for being so thorough in your search as it has certainly helped mine.

-S