Affordable apartments in the city...

[Tony345]

"urban pioneer mindset"...is this a nice way of saying a younger white guy will have a hard time fitting in? haha

southside, shadyside, squirll hill, and bloomfield seem to be my best bets. Is craigslist the best way to get an apt aroun pgh?

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by Tony345

Is craigslist the best way to get an apt aroun pgh?

It is certainly one of the top ways.

Otherwise--a lot of the best values aren't marketed much and it can actually be a good idea to drive around writing down numbers on For Rent signs, but if you are coming from out of town that may not be an option. The classifieds in the Post Gazette are another place landlords put ads. There are also some decent property management companies (decent being relative in that area), and they have searchable websites, but their apartments tend to be pricey for what you get.

[groar]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

However, I do think a lot of Bloomfield has less of a young person scene than some of the other neighborhoods

really? it seems like almost everyone i know who's around my age (i'm 31) lives in bloomfield, and it was my stepsister's first choice of neighborhoods to move to when she graduated from college.

oh and polish hill is definitely up and coming - there are plans to open a 3 story coffee shop/record shop/comic book store there next year. if things go well, i could see it being the next lawrenceville eventually. there are definitely a lot of young/hip/whatever people living there.

[robrobrob]

I lived in Squirrel Hill, Shadyside and Point Breeze. Shadyside was by far my favorite. I last lived there five years ago and I never paid more than 650. My last place was a pretty nice condo with hardwood floors. I also lived in a big apartment building on the corner of Alder and Spahr. Some large apartment buildings are pretty affordable. I personally would look there first and see if I could find a something in my budget. Try looking at the building on the corner of Alder and Spahr. When I lived there it was really affordable for Shadyside.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by groar

really? it seems like almost everyone i know who's around my age (i'm 31) lives in bloomfield, and it was my stepsister's first choice of neighborhoods to move to when she graduated from college.

I think Bloomfield may be a little more popular as you are getting late-20s, early-30s. In fact for what it is worth, here are some 2000 Census numbers (old data at this point, but the best available), percentage of population 20-24/25-34:

All of Pittsburgh 10.3/14.6

Shadyside 19.9/30.1
Squirrel Hill (North) 27.0/12.0
Squirrel Hill (South) 9.2/18.5
South Side Flats 16.5/19.3
Bloomfield 10.8/21.1

[Chichappens]

I would go with Bloomfield.