Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Been reading the boards for awhile, learning lots of great things about your area. I did the same thing when moving up here! I love this website.
I am in talks for a possible position in the Burgh. The job is on Penn Ave, near downtown.
My husband and I would be coming from Wisconsin so he could clean up the place when our lease ends in October.
We are early 40s, childfree, artsy bookstore/coffeehouse lovers, and I am a foodie, so love to cook. We have a 100 pound Great Pyrenees, so finding lodgings can be a challenge (we owned our own home when we got him), and also a fat gray tabby cat.
My other only qualification is either central air or at least one window unit. I know...it doesn't often get hot enough to need them up there (I'm a native Texan, and know about hot!), but I have a medical condition. When I get overheated, I tend to short circuit a bit, and need to cool down right away or I start having problems.
I've been taking avid notes on what I've read from everyone. Any extra suggestions here appreciated. It looks like I need to avoid the eastern areas around Wilkinsburg, Braddock, Homewood. It also looks like the area around McKees Rocks is also not great.
From what I get (correct me if I'm wrong), is that Pittsburgh is very pockety. By that I mean, that pockets of good and not-so-good neighborhoods seem to co-exist very close to each other. As an Austin to Dallas transplant years ago, I encountered the same sort of thing. I was used to the east side being bad, and the west side being good, and never the twain shall meet (the dividing line was I-35 back then). In the years since, east kept moving further west, and the west kept provoking more development west of Austin. In Dallas, you had the mansions of Highland Park (where Cowboys owner Jerry Jones lives) near some barrios outside Oak Lawn (the recognized gay neighborhood).
Anyhew, I have a phone interview this week, and I'm looking forward to the prospect of becoming Pennsylvanian.
You've got the exact right sense of the neighborhood structure: we've got lots of little neighborhoods, and it is true neighborhoods of varying niceness can be quite close to each other.
I couldn't tell if you were talking about renting or buying, but renting at first could be a good idea if you want to get to know the area before committing to a place. Off hand, I'd say one of the East End neighborhoods where you can rent homes with small yards would be a good fit for you--if you give us a sense of your price range we can help narrow that down.
Finally, on the A/C: some places here have central air, but you can certainly get window units if you rent a house and pay your own utilities.
Anyway, good luck with your interview, and we'll be glad to help you sort through neighborhoods (the more information you can give us about what you want, the better).
P.S. I wanted to note that parts of Wilkinsburg are quite nice (I should know--I live in one!), and other parts are coming along. In fact, depending on your price range there are some parts of Wilkinsburg that could be a good fit for you, particularly since you can use the East Busway to zip Downtown from here.
Our dog is actually an indoor couch potato (yes, he's spoiled), and gets regular walkies. It started because of the heat in Texas, but now he's just older. He lives for alerting us to the dangers of the mailman, UPS truck, FedEx, Chinese food delivery guy, Jehovah's Witnesses.... so it would probably be better if we can find a house as opposed to shared housing just because I'm afraid his barking would disturb the neighbors, and I like to try to be a polite neighbor myself.
We are definitely going to rent. Unfortunately my profession has undergone a lot of changes along with the new economy. You're lucky to find a job that is "on staff" and not a contract position, but the last full-time, non-contract gig I got only lasted a year and a half before the layoff. So I'd rather not have to worry about a mortgage on top of everything else. At least until the economy stabilizes and people aren't losing their shirts on houses.
We got lucky when we moved up here, and got a little 2 bedroom house in a cute suburb for 850 with a little garden, CA, a full basement, and our landlord had no problem with the dog.
So I'm looking at spending between 700-1400 in rent. Preferably on the lower end of that. I"m thinking around 1000 is a good figure. And I'd like to see if we could maybe get 3 bedrooms this time, so we could have a guest room again. The other stuff is nice-- a dishwasher, an updated kitchen, maybe a deck or sunroom, possibly a front porch for sittin, views, or possibly a garage, but I know those are "nice to finds" and will help me decide, one way or another between 2 possibles.
Is the busway actually a bus, or some other form of mass transit? I'm going to have to work on my terminology. I don't know that I'll ever say yinz (bein a ya'll gal and all). I'm glad I knew what a turnpike was before I moved up. Down south, we call that a tollway.
The Busways in Pittsburgh are special two-lane highways which only buses and emergency vehicles can use. The East Busway in particular is a great public transit resource: you can use it sort of like an elevated light rail system by going to one of the stations along the Busway, and there are also bus routes which go through nearby neighborhoods then hop on the Busway (think of a shuttle bus to a light rail station, except your shuttle bus then just becomes the train). Because the East Busway in particular goes all the way into Downtown, it is a great alternative to sitting in congestion for East End residents who commute to Downtown.
Anyway, for $1000 (plus utilities) you can definitely find a 2BR house, and maybe a 3BR, somewhere in one of the decent neighborhoods in the East End. It helps a lot you don't need to worry about school districts and such, which lets you concentrate on just housing and local amenities. If you do end up pushing closer to $1400 you'll have even more options, particularly if you want a 3BR. Basically, for a little more rent, in addition to more space you may also find something closer to any local amenities (parks, commercial districts, and such). But again, I don't think you need to pay that much for a 2BR or modest 3BR if you don't want to.
If you have been poking around here, you probably are familiar with most of these neighborhood names already, but I will mention them quickly anyway. Shadyside is a great neighborhood right on the Busway, but it might be a stretch finding something suitable in your budget and it isn't the best place for big dogs. Friendship is a more transitional neighborhood right next to Shadyside, but it is really coming along as part of the growing arts corridor along Penn Avenue, has good public transit to Downtown, and your rental dollar will go farther than in Shadyside--but ironically the houses are often so big in Friendship you would only be renting part of one.
Squirrel Hill is another great neighborhood and you should definitely look there: it has a great walkable commercial area, its between two huge dog-popular parks, and there is a wide variety of housing available--but your budget is going to put you on the lower end of the Squirrel Hill range so you might have to compromise a bit on space and/or convenience. Squirrel Hill actually only has so-so public transit to Downtown due to not being on the Busway and Oakland (a congested area for buses) being in the way. Point Breeze is often lumped in with Squirrel Hill, since it pretty much looks like just an extension of the residential part of Squirrel Hill, but it does have a very small commercial area of its own.
My neighborhood, Regent Square, is often seen as a slightly less expensive alternative to Squirrel Hill: again, there is a wide variety of housing, it has its own little thriving commericial area, and great access to Frick Park. Because it is near the Busway it is also convenient for Downtown (my wife uses one of the local-to-express buses I mentioned, the 63B, for her commute Downtown). Just to our north is Park Place, a more transitional neighborhood, but again that means your rental dollar will go farther. Note that parts of both Park Place and Regent Square are in Wilkinsburg, but as a renter without kids I don't think that has any particular negative consequences--in fact, you pay a much lower income tax (1% instead of 3%). These days, I would also recommend checking out the area east of Regent Square before you get to the Busway--that is another area coming along, and parts are right next to a new Busway stations (accessible through a tunnel at Whitney).
Swisshelm Park (part of Pittsburgh) and some nearby parts of Swissvale (a small suburb) is another area near me worth checking out for house rentals. It is a well-established residential area, and while you are a little farther from the cute commercial area in Regent Square, again you have great public transit access thanks to the Busway (the Busway has been extended into this area, and also the 68G is another local-express-busway route to Downtown).
Also good for house rentals are Morningside and Highland Park. These are two well-established residential neighborhoods right next to Highland Park (same name as the neighborhood) that recently have started getting a little local commercial development. Both are near East Liberty, which was considered a downside a few years ago but quickly is becoming a positive as East Liberty is redeveloping into a major restaurant/retail center. I'm a little less familiar with public transit from that area, but I think there is at least one of those local-to-express-busway routes going through Highland Park (the 93A).
Other possibilities would include Lawrenceville or the South Side, two popular rowhouse neighborhoods with good access to Downtown (the South Side is more established, and Lawrenceville is more hipster). Rents have been skyrocketing in those areas and they may or may not be what you are looking for lifestyle-wise, but they are certainly worth some research.
That is a quick overview--I'm sure in your price range you can find something suitable, so again just let us know how we can help.
These are fabulous suggestions Brian, and thanks again for your help. I'm watching Craig's List avidly for all of the above. I wondered about Lawrenceville, as it seemed kind of like it had our vibe, but I also wonder about "up and coming areas" with possible crime. I saw on another post where someone had said to avoid Butler between about 49th and 62nd, but other than that, I wasn't sure. I DO love the idea of being able to walk to brunch on Sunday, though!
Being from the land of endless parking lots, I tend to get a bit claustrophobic when I only have street parking. And the living right on top of people (as in the figure of speech, literally crammed in next to people, not necessarily in a shared housing) might get to me a bit. So I'm also not averse to suburbs.
When we got to Milwaukee, the first thing I did was head west a bit so we'd have a little breathing room. We're right on the border of a suburb here with a little backyard and a tiny one car garage.
Our house in Dallas was in one of the furthest out suburbs on the east side, but I was miserable there when we first bought because there wasn't much there, and it was Bubba-ville. Now, it's one of the fastest growing counties in Texas, they've opened a big outdoor shopping center, and it's ground zero for all types of shopping and entertainment.
So, if there are eateries (even chains) and shopping nearby to a suburb I'm okay with that, but not having any takeout options or nearby options for home improvement or a bookstore run and a coffee was really annoying.
While I personally wouldn't worry about the crime in Lawrenceville, it sounds like the density of population/housing there may not be your cup of tea. That may also rule out the South Side and potentially Shadyside.
The rest of the neighborhoods I mentioned, however, do contain houses with small yards and often garages, and feel a bit more suburban (which makes sense, because a lot of them are former streetcar suburbs). Of course we have a lot of convenient inner suburbs like that too, some with nice little "downtown" areas of their own. That's getting outside my area of "expertise", but I know lots of people end up cross-shopping the nicer East End neighborhoods with place like Mt. Lebanon, Oakmont, and so forth.
As a final City neighborhood to consider, I forgot to mention the South Side Slopes, as opposed to the Flats. It is really convenient to Downtown and you can get places with great views, but it is a lot less dense and more inner-suburban feeling. Again, just a place to at least research.
I constantly hear about the "revitalization" of Lawrenceville and I can't help but chuckle a bit. I never see anybody walking on the sidewalks and checking out those cute artsy new shops. The neighborhood is pretty dead (except for the junkies and local dirtballs walking around).
I just saw a cute little 3/2 in Mt. Lebanon today, and thought it looked about right for what we need. It looked like the immediate area was pretty quiet but there's a mall not too far away?
I hope Lawrenceville can continue to thrive. If I don't live there I'm sure someone will be interested in the redone places. I love the fact that folks are putting in the effort and bringing the neighborhood back. Sometimes it just takes awhile!
I constantly hear about the "revitalization" of Lawrenceville and I can't help but chuckle a bit. I never see anybody walking on the sidewalks and checking out those cute artsy new shops. The neighborhood is pretty dead (except for the junkies and local dirtballs walking around).
I agree to an extent. There have been some new artsy type places arounf Doughboy Square around 34-38th Street, and a few places between 40-45. I still am not enthused as some on this board. Some compare it to South Side late 1980s. I started hanging on South Side in the late 80s when the party started to shift from Oakland. Lawrenceville is much more downtrodden. Don't get me wrong. I am glad to see that there are some people who believe in the neighborhood, entrepreneurs, and artists alike. Still, it will be a long way back. I guess you gotta start somewhere. Hey, it is an inexpensive place right now. Hopefully, the area around Doughboy Square can be cleaned up some more, it needs it. That ugly building with the Rite-Aid across from Arsenal School can be razed or revitalized. Behind there is an historic old building that was an arsenal for the Civil War. Maybe something can be done with that. Past that attractive castle-like structure heading east on Butler past Allegheny Cemetery, the area goes downhill. There is that huge Sunoco Oil refinery plant that does not belong in the city, but is not going anywhere soon. Finally, seversal unsightly factory buildings near the 62nd Street Bridge have been torn down. Ravensthal and company want to develop this land. I wish them luck, along with the rest of Lawrenceville.
I agree to an extent. There have been some new artsy type places arounf Doughboy Square around 34-38th Street, and a few places between 40-45. I still am not enthused as some on this board. Some compare it to South Side late 1980s. I started hanging on South Side in the late 80s when the party started to shift from Oakland. Lawrenceville is much more downtrodden. Don't get me wrong. I am glad to see that there are some people who believe in the neighborhood, entrepreneurs, and artists alike. Still, it will be a long way back. I guess you gotta start somewhere. Hey, it is an inexpensive place right now. Hopefully, the area around Doughboy Square can be cleaned up some more, it needs it. That ugly building with the Rite-Aid across from Arsenal School can be razed or revitalized. Behind there is an historic old building that was an arsenal for the Civil War. Maybe something can be done with that. Past that attractive castle-like structure heading east on Butler past Allegheny Cemetery, the area goes downhill. There is that huge Sunoco Oil refinery plant that does not belong in the city, but is not going anywhere soon. Finally, seversal unsightly factory buildings near the 62nd Street Bridge have been torn down. Ravensthal and company want to develop this land. I wish them luck, along with the rest of Lawrenceville.
Thanks for the extra perspective, nu.
For little areas like this, I at least want to give little local area places my business to try to keep them healthy. And hopefully foster the growth of others.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
