Moving back to area - need a good jogging area! (Oakmont: neighborhoods, living in)

[Hopes]

North Park is largest place that is convenient for Mars. While there are trails, most people run on the asphalt of the road that goes around the lake. It's 18 minutes away---give for take depending on how fast you drive.

Hartwood Acres and Deer Lakes Park are both great places with wide soft surface trails winding through the woods, but they are about 30 minutes away from Mars.

There are smaller parks within 10 minutes that have some hiking trails, such as Cranberry Park and Richland Community Park. You'd have to check them out to see if the trails are long enough to be worth your time.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by robrobrob

Or even try and rent a small house in Hampton, which isn't that far from Mars I bet.

Excellent suggestion. Hartwood Acres is in Hampton. I didn't realize he was looking for a place to live. I thought he was already planning to live in Mars.

[greg42]

Originally Posted by Hopes

Excellent suggestion. Hartwood Acres is in Hampton. I didn't realize he was looking for a place to live. I thought he was already planning to live in Mars.

From what I can tell he's going to be working in Mars and is trying to find a place to live that's near a good place to run but within 30 min drive of Mars.

The only other thing I would say is don't discount the value of a shorter commute if you start looking at places at or beyond that 30 minute range. I made some choices with longer commutes, then my priorities shifted and I wish I had a shorter commute. May not be as big of a deal if you're still going to rent, but it's something to keep in mind.

[jmantra]

What about Zelienople or Harmony, both have nice downtowns with sidewalks conductive for jogging and I am sure there are parks nearby.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by greg42

I made some choices with longer commutes, then my priorities shifted and I wish I had a shorter commute.

So Cranberry isn't 'all that' for you afterall, huh?

[greg42]

Originally Posted by Hopes

So Cranberry isn't 'all that' for you afterall, huh?

I don't believe I ever claimed that it was. Plus, although it provides the easiest reference point for explaining where I do live, I don't actually live there. It is simply the nearest useful shopping area to my house. I think the old timers in my area tend to keep all their business in Beaver County, even though for certain things this is farther away or less useful. (I'd love to support the Giant Eagle in the Northern Lights plaza, which is actually in Economy Borough where I live, but it's too small, old and useless when the one in Cranberry is about the same distance and more useful. I get my hair cut in Northern Lights plaza. ) The neighbor on one side of me is the original owner of his house from 1982 or 1983. I'm one of those feriners who doesn't obey the old traditions.

I try to give useful info for the topic at hand, and I will defend against the common perception that these distances and drive times (such as Cranberry-downtown) are longer than they really are, but I haven't hidden the fact that after 6 years of living in the sticks plus additional input from the other member of my household (not involved in the original house purchase) I am ready to try some urban living again. I actually lived downtown when I first moved here, for several years. Back then it wasn't that interesting, I was always going out to the suburbs for something anyway, and while I tried for about 10 months to live in Mt Washington I eventually moved to Emsworth along Rt 65. (It's the next town after Ben Avon.) After 5 years of that I bought the house in Beaver County because I thought I liked the closer to rural setting vs some of the others in my price range that I looked at, and it was near the places I was commonly going anyway, Cranberry and parts of northwestern Allegheny County, without being in the middle of the commercial stuff. I'm happy I didn't buy one of the farther away houses I looked at!

Thus, I pass along my experience. When I bought the house, the commute didn't seem like a big deal to me. After 6 years, priorities have changed, even though I never imagined that they would. So it's something to consider at least before buying. For me, I'm thinking the house needs a bit of this and that if I don't want to take a bath on it, but I am picky. Perhaps I will get an opinion on selling it this year.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by greg42

The neighbor on one side of me is the original owner of his house from 1982 or 1983. I'm one of those feriners who doesn't obey the old traditions.

That's a fairly new house by Pittsburgh standards!

Originally Posted by greg42

Thus, I pass along my experience. When I bought the house, the commute didn't seem like a big deal to me. After 6 years, priorities have changed, even though I never imagined that they would.

No need for a dissertation. I know you know I was TEASING you! (Kanukook said smilies helped people understand that! LOL)

[greg42]

Long-winded is my middle name. I think it's interesting to know how people come to choose places and how they come to be unhappy with the choices, so I took the opportunity to share my own.

The new-ish house (mine is the same vintage) definitely has its ups and downs. It didn't need any electrical renovation, for example, that was nice. And it has good windows and really good insulation. But it's just old enough at 27 years (and cheap enough originally) that it really could use some kitchen work. I already ended up doing a new furnace a couple years ago. And it has the original roof. I keep stretching that another year and stretching it another year. Probably next summer. Plus, one of the previous owners built a deck out of mostly untreated lumber. I guess they thought painting it would be enough? That's the first thing that's getting done in the spring.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by greg42

The new-ish house (mine is the same vintage) definitely has its ups and downs. It didn't need any electrical renovation, for example, that was nice. And it has good windows and really good insulation. But it's just old enough at 27 years (and cheap enough originally) that it really could use some kitchen work. I already ended up doing a new furnace a couple years ago. And it has the original roof. I keep stretching that another year and stretching it another year. Probably next summer. Plus, one of the previous owners built a deck out of mostly untreated lumber. I guess they thought painting it would be enough? That's the first thing that's getting done in the spring.

If you can do the kitchen yourself, you'll save a forutune and it will help with resale. How handy are you?

[greg42]

Originally Posted by Hopes

If you can do the kitchen yourself, you'll save a forutune and it will help with resale. How handy are you?

Reasonably, and getting better. I'm thinking about doing some kitchen stuff myself. (Deck I'm definitely going to try myself, although probably my dad will help.) But let's not derail this thread any further. Somehow we got to this from jogging areas, and it's my fault really with my long-winded rambling.