Unless I had a really good job offer, I would not move to Pittsburgh or anywhere in the Rust Belt. This is from someone who lived in PA for over 50 years but never in the Rust Belt.
From what I remember the north and west sides of Pittsburgh are a little more prosperous with better schools.
Good luck with wherever you decide to move to start your new life. Find a good Realtor who knows the current market and can find you something you can afford and be happy in.

I lived in Pittsburgh for 7 years (as a grad student) and I think its a great city! There is a strong sense of neighborhood identities -- I'm sure you'll find something you like.

Consider Squirrel Hill, which has has older, established families and graduate students attending CMU and U. Pitt. Shadyside is more upscale. Oakland is all about living next to university and college students. Highland Park is also very nice.

Sketchier areas include the Hills (Upper, Polish, Middle, etc) -- remember Hill Street Blues cop show? -- East Liberty and Bloomfield.

I'm less familiar with the outlying burbs, but I'm sure a good realtor will help you out. Pgh has a lot to offer a family, imho.

Suggest you investigate job options first - and understand what sort of income you can expect- and how it will mesh with the cost of living. Not sure where you are coming from - but cost of living - esp housing in places with decent schools - can be high almost everywhere.

Don;t know what you mean by a medium cost of living (here a very modest starter house - small with 3 BR and 1 bath will set you back about a half a million in a decent school district). Have no idea what it is in Pittsburgh - but you need to find out,

Check out Wexford, a suburb of pit.

Lucky you I'd lovr to move back to Pittsburgh, Lived in Shadyside all my time there. It is especially nice but parts of it can be pricy. Highland Park near East Liberty has good transport and a nice feel.good shopping and service nearby Lived for awhile in the South Hills outside Mount Lebanon and liked that too < Mt Lebanon is supposed to have the best Schools, don't know as we had no children and I went to Catholic school which are all good.

There are a lot of nice places to live in Pittsburgh. Do you have a job to go to when you get there and where?

Hill Street Blues had some inspiration from the Hill District of Pittsburgh which you probably still want to avoid. That must be what capxxx is referring to, but East Liberty and Bloomfield are not in the Hill District.

Other than that, you really can't avoid hills in Pittsburgh! Squirrel Hill, Penn Hills, and areas like North Hills (but not North Side) and South Hills (maybe the South Side).

All those hills mean that it is not like you can just hop on a freeway and zoom across town.

Jeez. I've lived in Pittsburgh all of my life. It is a very safe city. Do you want to live in the suburbs or a more urban environment? There are good schools in all areas, very good healthcare, arts and entertainment and sports. Low housing costs. One of the lowest unemployement rates in the country. What else are you looking for aside from safety? Where are you moving from?

Oh and disregard any comments about the Rust Belt. Although we are known as the Steel City, our top industries are health care and technology. If you want an idea of housing costs, go to one of the local realty websites and do a search based on what you to spend.

Howard Hanna and Century 21 have good websites.

The best thing about Pittsburgh I think are the people. Hardworking, friendly, loyal. The worst thing is the winters. It's been mild so far this year, but it's darn cold today!

Pittsburgh the new HIP place to live and inexpensive in comparison to othr places

http://multimedia.post-gazette.com/default.asp?bctid=1389560721001

Yes, disregard any comments about Pgh. and the Rust Belt; for several years now it is noted for technology and health care, among other fields.

Mt. Lebanon, in the South Hills area, has consistently excellent ratings on its schools. It retains the neighborhood elementary school concept, and no one takes a bus. Raised my children in this suburb, and now my grandchildren live here.

Pittsburgh is a wonderful city with a small-town feel yet has the cultural, educational, and health care advantages of a large city.

I'm going to second many comments on this board. I just moved from Pennsylvania back in August (I got a job near Seattle), and at that time, most of my friends were moving TO Pitt because of its prosperity levels. It had recently been named one of the top three metropolitan areas to live and work, especially with a family. As you've lived in cities before, you know that no area is perfect, but Pitt's renaissance is encouraging.

A very good friend of mine lives in Squirrel Hill and loves it. He's lived there for years and has been slowly renovating an old house. He's also been trumpeting Pitt's mayor for his efforts to promote the city as a great place to be. There's even a contest out there to encourage people to move:

http://gothamist.com/2011/10/31/pittsburgh.php