Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Pennsylvania > Pittsburgh
 [Register]
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.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 03-15-2010, 10:36 AM
 
70 posts, read 126,708 times
Reputation: 10

Advertisements

Hello everyone!

I'm moving to Pittsburgh either the last week of May or the first week of June and I'm looking for apartments in the area! I'm primarily interested in the Lawrenceville, Friendship, and Bloomfield neighborhoods! Here is some background information about me:

-I'm 19, Ukrainian, would like to be somewhere with a lot of diversity, preferably many foreigners like me
-I'm planning on enrolling in the community college
-I need lots of culture and great restaurants, since I work in the food and beverage industry (hostess)
-I'm very creative and artistic- I primarily am interested in the performing arts (being an aspiring actress) I sing, I dance, but I also love to draw, paint, write, and have recently developed an interest in photography. I also love european fashion, anything classic, feminine...
-Being healthy is extremely important to me... I cook every meal... and absolutely LOVE the idea of an open air market for my food shopping.
-It seems that there is TONS to do in the form of the arts and nightlife in Pittsburgh and I would prefer to live somewhere that is very accessible to such activities.
-I love the fact that Pittsburgh is walkable and would like to be, as I mentioned earlier, close to everything. I don't drive... will probably be relying on public transportation, so this is a major factor!

I had another pretty general thread on here, but seeing as I'm having absolutely NO LUCK finding apartments, I decided to start one dedicated to just that!

If anyone knows anybody that is either leasing an apartment or looking for a roommate in or near the aforementioned neighborhoods, please let me know! I'll need all the help I can get!

All ideas are welcome Thanks!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 03-15-2010, 12:06 PM
 
1,719 posts, read 4,182,657 times
Reputation: 1299
Quote:
Originally Posted by travelbug37 View Post
-I'm 19, Ukrainian, would like to be somewhere with a lot of diversity, preferably many foreigners like me
There aren't really any foreigners in Pittsburgh except for those who are here because of the universities. The neighborhoods you mentioned all have high student populations, but said students are mainly good ole fashioned Americans. Any foreign students I have seen live in the more upscale neighborhoods of Shadyside and Squirrel Hill.

While each Pittsburgh neighborhood has a specific cultural European past (Bloomfield - Italian, Polish Hill - Polish, Troy Hill - German, etc..), those cultural leanings have mainly faded away and said neighborhoods have become American-ized and Pittsburgh-ized. It's not like in New York City where you walk into a certain ethnic neighborhood and it has a very ethnic feel.

Quote:
Originally Posted by travelbug37 View Post
-I need lots of culture and great restaurants, since I work in the food and beverage industry (hostess)
Lawrenceville and Bloomfield have some decent restaurants and some culture. Friendship does not have a business district, but it is close to other neighborhoods. These three neighborhoods also have access to other neighborhoods that have more stuff to do (like South Side, Oakland, etc..).

Quote:
Originally Posted by travelbug37 View Post
-Being healthy is extremely important to me... I cook every meal... and absolutely LOVE the idea of an open air market for my food shopping.
Go to the Strip District on Saturday and Sunday. Bloomfield also has a farmer's market in the summer.

Quote:
Originally Posted by travelbug37 View Post
-It seems that there is TONS to do in the form of the arts and nightlife in Pittsburgh and I would prefer to live somewhere that is very accessible to such activities.
The neighborhoods you listed are amenable to that.

Quote:
Originally Posted by travelbug37 View Post
If anyone knows anybody that is either leasing an apartment or looking for a roommate in or near the aforementioned neighborhoods, please let me know! I'll need all the help I can get!
Look on craigslist.org. That is your best bet. Also, you could try the www.post-gazette.com classified section.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-15-2010, 01:18 PM
 
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
524 posts, read 1,036,804 times
Reputation: 276
What's your budget?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-15-2010, 05:12 PM
 
70 posts, read 126,708 times
Reputation: 10
Thanks, iwonderwhy2124!

I know that no neighborhood is perfect... and I'm sure that none can satisfy absolutely EVERY requirement... so the "foreigner" thing is not a big deal... It's sometimes helpful to have people around that are from the same area as you... just a comfort thing... but it's definitely not a deciding factor for me...

I have looked on craigslist! I've been checking it 3 times a day every day!! There's basically NOTHING in Lawrenceville posted... The only thing I found was 1 or 2 places in Friendship...

The most important factor for me when looking for apartments, besides safety and affordability, is whether it's walkable or not! Like I mentioned earlier, I do not drive at the moment. Even though I'm working on getting my license, I've been told that it's also more economical to take public transportation than owning and financing a car.

onwardandupward, I'll be moving by myself, unfortunately, so my budget is fairly low. I'd say no more than $600 dollars... if all or some utilities are included, maybe $700...

Do you know anybody that is leasing for that approximate amount?

I would really appreciate the help! Thank you
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-15-2010, 05:31 PM
 
Location: Brooklyn, NY
137 posts, read 367,180 times
Reputation: 103
If you are able to, you should go to Friendship/Bloomfield and Lawrenceville and just walk or drive around looking for FOR RENT signs. There always seemed to be a lot of places advertised for rent that way when I lived there. I found 2 of my apartments in Bloomfield just by walking around looking for signs in windows and yards.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-15-2010, 05:37 PM
 
Location: Mid-Atlantic
12,526 posts, read 17,551,932 times
Reputation: 10634
Quote:
Originally Posted by pcc09 View Post
If you are able to, you should go to Friendship/Bloomfield and Lawrenceville and just walk or drive around looking for FOR RENT signs. There always seemed to be a lot of places advertised for rent that way when I lived there. I found 2 of my apartments in Bloomfield just by walking around looking for signs in windows and yards.
I think that's always the way to find a good apt. When I lived in a duplex I would just put a sign in the window, I never put an ad in the paper. Always got good tenants that way, for whatever reason.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-15-2010, 06:19 PM
 
1,719 posts, read 4,182,657 times
Reputation: 1299
Quote:
Originally Posted by travelbug37 View Post
I have looked on craigslist! I've been checking it 3 times a day every day!! There's basically NOTHING in Lawrenceville posted... The only thing I found was 1 or 2 places in Friendship...
You must have been typing in the wrong thing:

pittsburgh apts/housing for rent classifieds "lawrenceville" - craigslist=

Tons of Lawrenceville places.

Quote:
Originally Posted by travelbug37 View Post
The most important factor for me when looking for apartments, besides safety and affordability, is whether it's walkable or not! Like I mentioned earlier, I do not drive at the moment. Even though I'm working on getting my license, I've been told that it's also more economical to take public transportation than owning and financing a car.
Make sure you are near Butler Street. That is the main drag and it has bus stops.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-15-2010, 06:43 PM
 
70 posts, read 126,708 times
Reputation: 10
Thank you, pcc09 and Copanut, for your responses!

I agree that this is definitely a good idea... unfortunately, I won't be able to visit Pittsburgh until maybe late April or early May. In the meantime, it would be nice to have some apartment prospects picked out, so that I can check them out in person when I visit.

Does anyone know anybody who is a landlord? Or that needs a roommate? I'd greatly appreciate it!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-15-2010, 07:07 PM
 
1,719 posts, read 4,182,657 times
Reputation: 1299
Well, you can live with me...but only if you're hot. Haha, I kid I kid.

May I ask why you picked Pittsburgh to move to? It seems to be an odd choice for a young aspiring actress from another country. Also, you might want to call CCAC (the local community college) and see what their residency rules are. You might have to live here a few years before you would be considered eligible to pay the lower Allegheny County resident tuition rates.

Also, you aren't going to be able to enjoy the nightlife until you are 21. That is the legal drinking age in Pennsylvania.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-15-2010, 08:22 PM
 
70 posts, read 126,708 times
Reputation: 10
Well... it's kind of a long story... lol... I'm turning 20 in May and this will be the 20th time I move in my life. I've moved back and forth between Russia, Ukraine, and America 8 times growing up, been to 17 schools, 5 high schools, lived in ny, dc, etc. and recently got into a series of strange circumstances that led me to, believe it or not, west virginia. I've been doing a little bit of acting and modeling here and there, but I would like to get a degree and a more stable job to support my aspirations. I was supposed to be moving to nyc with my bf but he doesn't like nyc, and it's way too expensive in this economy... also, we decided to end our relationship and now I will be moving alone... which lowered my budget quite a bit.

I have a good friend in Pittsburgh and I remember visiting her and thinking that it's a very unique city. Since money is kind of an issue, Pittsburgh seems like a good option, with its relatively low cost of living and low crime rate. I did a lot of research and it definitely seems like the city is just now coming into its own... I'm just desperate to get out of wv and I think Pittsburgh is big enough to feel like a city, but small enough that I'm not making a huge leap...and it would be a good first step to getting my life back on track...

I already contacted the school. Yes, it would be a year before I'm considered a resident. That's ok. I have several thousand dollars saved for school and will probably be going only part-time, so that I can work enough to afford to pay my rent.

I know that the drinking age is 21... haha... but that's the good thing about Pittsburgh, I thought... there are so many interesting options for "nightlife." I like the idea of being able to see a jazz performance, go to a comedy club, see some theatre, go clubbing every once in a while... you do have clubs that admit 18+ right? I'm not necessarily talking about bars when I say "nightlife."

btw, thank you for the link to the lawrenceville apartments! I don't know what I was doing wrong... lol
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
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.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Pennsylvania > Pittsburgh

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top