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Old 04-18-2010, 11:42 AM
 
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Hello- My husband is currently an ortho resident in NYC and is applying for a one year fellowship. One of the places we are looking at is Pittsburgh. I have some questions regarding the city becasue I have never been there. 1) Do people live within the city or live outside and commute in? 2) If you live outside of the city how difficult is it to commute in? My husband will be working a lot of hours so we would like to stay under a 20 minute drive. 3) Can you find a 2/3 bedroom apartment for around $2000 a month? 4) Are there areas that are not as safe as others. We will have two children under three. Thank you for all of your help.
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Old 04-18-2010, 11:52 AM
 
Location: Charlotte
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The commutes from outside the city are usually pretty slow - it depends on where your husband will be working. There are numerous safe city neighborhoods on the east side - Squirrel Hill, Shadyside, Point Breeze, Regent Square, and Greenfield. I'm sure you won't have much difficulty in your price range. You could probably find an entire house for that price.
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Old 04-18-2010, 11:53 AM
 
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
524 posts, read 1,036,026 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by susanfward View Post
Hello- My husband is currently an ortho resident in NYC and is applying for a one year fellowship. One of the places we are looking at is Pittsburgh. I have some questions regarding the city becasue I have never been there. 1) Do people live within the city or live outside and commute in? 2) If you live outside of the city how difficult is it to commute in? My husband will be working a lot of hours so we would like to stay under a 20 minute drive. 3) Can you find a 2/3 bedroom apartment for around $2000 a month? 4) Are there areas that are not as safe as others. We will have two children under three. Thank you for all of your help.
1) Both
2) Depends on how far out you live. IMO, your best bet is to stay close to where your husband's residency is, which is likely in the Shadyside/Oakland area (could be North Side, though, if at Allegheny General). That way, he can get to work and back home quickly, to maximize the little free time he will have. I'd recommend him using public transit as well, unless he would have a dedicated parking spot.
3) Yes
4) Of course. If he will be at one of the main UPMC hospitals, good places to look would be Squirrel Hill, North Oakland, Shadyside, Friendship, Point Breeze and Regent Square. With the ages of your children, you're not looking at schools yet; just possibly preschool or daycare, and there are lots of options in those areas. In addition, those areas have access to city parks and recreation.

Good luck!
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Old 04-18-2010, 01:03 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by susanfward View Post
Hello- My husband is currently an ortho resident in NYC and is applying for a one year fellowship. One of the places we are looking at is Pittsburgh. I have some questions regarding the city becasue I have never been there. 1) Do people live within the city or live outside and commute in? 2) If you live outside of the city how difficult is it to commute in? My husband will be working a lot of hours so we would like to stay under a 20 minute drive. 3) Can you find a 2/3 bedroom apartment for around $2000 a month? 4) Are there areas that are not as safe as others. We will have two children under three. Thank you for all of your help.
I assume your husband would be working in Oakland? Most people live outside the city, in the suburbs. The city has around 340,000 people, but Allegheny County has around 1.4 million people. The commute really depends on where he will be working and where you will be living. Less than an hour for sure, I'd say. Most likely 45 mins-1hour. You can't find many apartments for $2,000 a month. At that price, you should be looking for a house. You can find 2 BR apts for $700-$800 here, so $2,000 would be very luxorious and not common. You can def find a house in Shadyside or Squirrel Hill for that amount though. You will have a yard and be close to Oakland. But, prices here are much cheaper than NYC so $2k for an apt is a bit nuts. Even for a house that is pretty high and would put you in a high-end neighborhood. You could find a 3BR house for under $1,000 in a nice area like Bethel Park and your husband could take the T into the city. Also, there are things like "park and rides" where you drive a mile or so to a big parking lot, then catch an express bus right into the city. As with all cities, there are some rough areas, but with your budget you won't be near them. One thing to consider is that if you live in the city you should consider private school eventually. If you live in the suburbs you can find great schools with a rental. You should look into Cranberry. You can rent a 3BR townhouse with a yard, garage, and finished basement for $1,600 and be in a great school district, plus the commute isn't that bad compared to other areas. Good luck.
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Old 04-18-2010, 01:04 PM
 
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Traffic is basically nonexistent compared to NYC. That said, for $2,000 a month, your choices are going to be numerous, depending on where the hospital is. One bit of advice, There is no city like NYC. While you would think most would know this, you'd be surprised how many New Yorkers I've heard complain about various cities not having all of the amenities of New York. It's easy to entertain yourself in NYC, in a place like Pittsburgh, you have to work at it. This means while there is plenty to do and see, you generally have to do more digging than you would in NYC, where the options are endless. If you come with the right mindset, you'll enjoy your year here.
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Old 04-18-2010, 01:42 PM
 
Location: Charlotte
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If your husband is in Oakland and with your budget, I would recommend Squirrel Hill or Regent Square for good access to Frick Park and its playgrounds. Even if he is at Allegheny General on the North Side, these neighborhoods would be a good choice. The commute would not be too bad.
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Old 04-18-2010, 02:16 PM
 
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
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My Hubby is just finishing up a fellowship here. He is at Magee... We live in Mt. Lebanon and it is a fantastic spot for kids!!! We live in a 3 bedroom and will be leaving the middle of June...My DH starts his 'real' position July 1st... Let me know if you want anymore info!!! We are also in a great school district... Walkable to the elementary (Kindergarten) and to a fantastic preschool as well...
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Old 04-18-2010, 02:29 PM
 
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Assuming the fellowship is in the East End, and noting that schools aren't an issue, and finally noting your budget is ample for Pittsburgh, I'd also recommend living in one of the nice, walkable, family-friendly East End neighborhood to minimize the commute and generally have an easy lifestyle. Squirrel Hill and my neighborhood, Regent Square, are both good choices due to proximity to Frick Park, but you could also consider Shadyside, Bloomfield/Friendship, or Highland Park.
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Old 04-18-2010, 03:55 PM
 
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Thank you all for the information. Coming from NYC where $2000 gets you a small walk-up one bedroom I am very excited that we can find something for much less. We think Pittsburgh is a great city for us. NYC is a little much and we don't need so much. Just a town with sports and a couple of nice restaurants. My husband would be working at multiple University of Pittsburgh hospitals so I am not sure about the specifics. All of the information you have given us will be of great help.
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Old 04-18-2010, 05:48 PM
 
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Yes 2K will get you plenty in the burgh....

Herodous - was playing down Pittsburgh a bit, you will find that for its size, Pittsburgh offers alot of ammenties that one finds in NYC....

Not eveyone desires the NYC pace of life....I learned this by living here for almost 15 years....anyone from NYC know that its going to be a slow down moving anywhere else in the country no city keeps up with NYC's pace...

The fact that you will finanlly be able to afford much more for your dollar, that you can own a car in Pittsburgh, have room on the sidewalk to walk, and not having to scarifice alot of amenities that your used to in NYC or larger cities.. amung many things attracting people to Pittsburgh.

Welcome and hope you like it.
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