HI-
I'm the original poster. Since writing back over a year ago, I moved to Pitt. I bought a house in Mt. Lebanon and we really like it here. The people are friendly and the area is very safe. I found a very nice house for under $200K. Although the commute (bus) is somewhat long to downtown (~40 min), I enjoy coming home everyday, as I really like where I live. After being here for ~6 months and learning more about the area, I would not have changed a thing about my choice to live in Mt. Leb. So now I can give advice. If you have a family, want your spouse and kids to live in a safe, pleasant town, this is the spot in the Pitt area to live!

What a great update, mdexphys! Thanks.

Welcome to the 'Burgh.

So glad you found a home, Mdexphys! As I said, I really liked the Mt. Lebanon area, and probably would settled there if we had moved 5 years earlier (pre-kid and before we owned a lot of junk!).

It seems like if you've moved anytime in the last year (or are looking now), you're really got your choice of houses. We've had ours on the market for several months and it appears to be a complete buyers market. According to our agent, it's like that all over the area. It's a bit frustrating for us, but good for buyers - and we're back "home" in Virginia, so hopefully it will be worth it!

My family is from Sewickley and it is beautiful! I have a cousin who lives on Mt. Washington in a beautiful historic home and she loves it there. Good Luck.

FYI: Pittsburgh gets more inches of rain per year than Seattle does. Look it up.

The person who left that post about Squirrel Hill hasn't been in the city in years. They just have some kind of lame agenda that is easy to see through.

BOTH Squirrel Hill and Shadyside are safe and wonderful city neighborhoods. I would like to meet ONE jewish family that fled to the suburbs. Please! You would love it there.

I suggested these areas because it sounds like you are young and looking for a vibrabt/fun area to raise your child. The other areas that people are mentioning are great, but less "hip."

I'm thinking of moving to Pittsburgh in the near future (next year or so) with the idea of opening a bakery. Nothing super fancy but a tad upscale. A nice place to get morning pastries and coffee, soup/sandwich for lunch. Cakes and seasonal pies and perhaps French bread. I'd think a combo of families, students and business people would be the customers. It needs to be a place that appreciates local business over chain stores and isn't overloaded with that kind of thing already, I think.

I need to do a lot of research to figure out exactly where something like that might be welcomed/wanted. Do you all have any advice on which neighborhood/s would be prime for something like that? Thanks much.

Shadyside
Squirrel Hill
Regent Square
Highland Park
North Oakland
Aspinwall/Fox Chapel
Mount Lebanon
South Side

wow, i stumbled upon this site surprised to find the amount of vitriol harbored against my fair city. how about this? i am a female in her 20s who just moved INTO THE CITY and i love it here. i plan on buying a house IN THE CITY. fancy that.

i do agree with other posters that sometimes one has to 'dig' for the good stuff or talk to the locals who know about it. that's why my friend and i started http://www.iheartpgh.com, to highlight those things about pittsburgh that we love but may be hard to find. feel free to browse and add more tidbits.

also, anyone who thinks that pittsburgh is boring must be a boring person. check out http://www.thisishappening.com for just the tip of the iceberg for things to do.

i love pittsburgh because unlike my previous homes, washington, dc or new york city, i know my neighbors, i have joined groups & associations, i am actively involved in local politics and i am working with other like-minded people in economic & community development. god knows, in brooklyn or DC my only options would be starving artist or happy hour barfly. i strive towards a higher quality life, and i have found it in pittsburgh.

We're looking to move to Pittsburgh in the next year. We've heard a lot of positive comments about Mt. Lebanon and we're also interested in the Penn Hills area. The crime rate is about half the national average there and the school system is rated above average but we haven't heard anyone mention this area. The house prices seem almost too good to be true to a Massachusetts native like myself. Can anyone tell me a little about the Penn Hills area? Thanks

Penn Hills schools are not good. I can't begin to imagine how they've received good ratings. It's a rather run-down suburb, and a long commute to most areas.

Had to add this once I saw it - from New York magazine

http://www.newyorkmetro.com/guides/c...ourlife/16049/ "New Yorkers are fleeing to...Pittsburgh: If Philadelphia is our "sixth borough," then Pennsylvania’s second city is Philly’s West Village. "It’s more gay-friendly than Manhattan," says Coldwell Banker relocation specialist Mark Rutigliano, who moved here (with his partner) from West 11th Street. It's not just that Queer As Folk is set here—a serious performing-arts scene thrives downtown and the city hosts the annual International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. Of course, Pittsburgh's appeal also lies in its affordable real estate: $300,000 gets you a three-bedroom house. And if you do get homesick, there’s an upscale gay bar called New York, New York."

Have to credit http://iheartpgh.com for finding this one. The latter is a great site itself, I must add, for the Pittsburgh lovers on this forum!

Looking for info. on Mexican War Streets:

Hi -- My husband and I will be moving to Pittsburgh this summer. In all liklihood, we will rent until we get a better sense of the area, but are entertaining the fantasy of buying should the right place come along. I would love some advice from all of you past and present Pittsburghers.

I looked at a few properties in the Mexican War Street area last weekend, and was generally impressed. Yes, the Northside seemed a bit more run down than some of the other neighborhoods on the East side, but here are a few of the plusses I am considering about this area:
1. The architecture is beautiful, and so are (most of) the streets. I am really drawn to older houses in general, and the wood floors and original details in these houses were lovely. Some have been completely renovated from top to bottom but still have the historical features preserved.
2. My husband will be working downtown and we only have one car. So, it would be ideal if he could manage a short commute on public transportation to work.
3. Many houses in our price range.
4. I like the idea of living close to downtown...like the residential but still urban feel of the area. I am *not* a suburb person.
5. Close to Strip District where I can shop for food items from many different cuisines. I am a cook (non-professional for now), and spend a lot of time shopping for groceries.
6. We have been told that the real estate in this area is quickly appreciating in value as more of the houses are being renovated, and that we could make a decent profit if we sold in six or seven years.


Now, for the minuses:
1. Crime: I have received mixed messages about crime in this area. On this message board, there are a few posts warning out of state buyers to steer clear of MWS at all costs. There are also posts from people who are happy there. I don't want to be afraid to walk out of my front door after dark, but I expect that there are pockets of sketchier areas throughout the entire city.
2. Bad schools. This is a concern; however, we will in all liklihood not have any school age children while we are living in this house. But do tell me just how bad they are.
3. Not a lot to do. As far as I can tell there is one cafe, a bar, and a few stores. I've also heard that the Eagle grocery on the Northside is one of the worst in town. On the other side, I have been told that a major building project is just about to be underway on the shore of the Northside with a parking deck, shops, restaurants, etc. Is there enough to do downtown (within walking distance)?

So, I need some advice. Please try to distinguish between the rumors about MWS (particularly as it was three to four years ago) and knowledge from experience.

With anticipation,
Sarah

Sarah:

Go to wqed.org. Get a VHS or DVD of North Side Story on the website. It gives you a broad idea of different neighborhoods in that area of town. Personally I went to CCAC for 2 yrs which is in that neighborhood and never felt threatened but just a few blocks from the college are run down areas. I don't really think you can get away from areas that are considered "bad." Case in point - Shadyside is an upscale beautiful area with victorian houses and mansion but just bordering that area are low income areas called East Liberty and North Oakland so you can't win no matter where you live. Actually I have lived in Squirrel Hill and if I could do it all again I'd live there or in the South Side (really cool hip place). East Carson has all the hundreds of stores that make up the neighborhood of South Side. By the way South Side is located across the Monongahela River from downtown Pittsburgh and is a very short trip to the strip district.

Sarahalisonmiller:

I would probably not recommend living in the Mexican War Streets area. While the homes are beautifully restored and lovely..the general vicinity is very run down, economically downtrodden, and not at all convenient to the amenities most people look for in an urban neighborhood...nice restaurants, shopping, grocery stores etc. Nor would I want to send my children to the schools in the area..but that is just my opinion as lifelong Pittsburgher.

Just based on the safety issues alone, I would not recommend the area. As a young professional female who often must work beyond the 9-5 window, I would not feel comfortable commuting home in the early morning or late at night, if I got held up at work.

I totally understand your desire not to move to the suburbs, but I think you may find more of what you are looking for in the South Side, Shadyside, or Squirrel Hill. You may want to consider Bloomfield as well. Not that I am saying these areas don't have crime and other problems - they do. However; I would fell more comfortable in any of those areas overall. You would also have access to all the amenities of urban living that you would not have easy access to on the North Side - dining, nightlife, shops, etc. You could always go downtown for restaurants and some nightlife if you lived on the North Side, but you won't find grocery stores and such in the "Golden Triangle" itself. The city itself is pretty quiet on evenings/weekends.

Shadyside is very upscale, and a lot of young, urban professionals flock to it to live there, or to at least dine and shop there. Squirrel Hill is a beautiful, long-established community, where you will find lots of families, as well as young couples, college students, etc. The South Side is a bit "edgier" and "funky" than the other two areas, but the area is also moving a bit towards the upscale urban living trend with the continual growth of the South Side works area. Bloomfield is another old established neighborhood, one that I probably don't like as well as the others I mentioned, but is full of restaurants and very close to Shadyside and the Strip District, etc.

I understand your dilemma, the houses of the MWS are beautiful..however; I would research a bit more into some of the areas I and the other posters have mentioned as alternative urban neighborhoods. I hope this helps in some small way.....let us know what you decide!

Touching base after a long absence~

Last April my wife and I came to PGH on a househunting trip, having used resources including this board to narrow our search to Mt Lebanon. We saw several, made one offer, and left town biting our nails in escrow. All went well, and for $200k we own a nominal 4BD (one's really an office) house in excellent shape.

Having lived here (ex-LA, ex-San Francisco, ex-San Diego) I have to say that there are elements of honesty (as opposed to truth!) in each of the posts on this board. This is a place unlike any I've ever been. In the main, the positives far outweigh the negatives. The cost and pace of everything here are much more accessible, live is deemed worth not only living but enjoying, kids are valued rather than tolerated or despised, and there is an infectious sense that we are all 'Burghers together. I could use a good burrito, however!

Some have said that the South Hills are overcrowded. In relative local terms I can see where that comes from, but compared to my CA experience this is mostly a walk in the park. To be sure, traffic increases as you go south; I am fortunate to be not only in Mt Lebanon but in the northern part, so that I am exempt from much of that traffic. Plus I've taken my neighbors' advice as to alternate commute routes.

A huge change for my family, collectively and individually, is the neighborliness we find here. Others not from the West Coast (especially those from the Midwest) may find this less of a change socially, but for us it has been a trip to another planet, in the best possible sense.

Our move has not been without turmoil; we leave much family behind in LA and making new friends, even from great people, is hard in ways I couldn't have predicted. Still, the economic and social trade-up we have made is one I would do again in a heartbeat. There is a lot of wacky stuff here that first seems incomprehensible to an outsider, but before long you find yourself realizing the lawn needs cut and that you hanker for fries on your sammitch. Corny but true--this place becomes part of you, and you become part of it.

Thanks to all who helped our move, and good luck to all who are thinking about coming here. And bring me a burrito!

3RiverRelo: Glad you're adjusting. I couldn't do it myself (*shudder*), but I'll have a burrito at La Salsa at lunch and think good thoughts....

3 River Relo -- Good to hear from you on this. (I was one of the naysayers -- above prior user name was Sevastopol.)

We are in our mid-30s and choose not to have kids. When we would go to community outings in our Pittsburgh suburb, people would say, "where are your kids" as if this was a given. When we'd say no we don't have kids...people looked at us like we had 2 heads or something.

I say this because I suspect you have a much more "normal" time in the 'burgh if you're a family.

Glad you're having fun there (better you than me!)

I previously had generally positive things to say about living in Pittsburgh, and I still do for the most part. However, having moved back to VA, my opinion is getting tainted because we absolutely can not seem to sell our house! The price is rock bottom and the house is practically like new; however, the Pittsburgh real estate market is apparently just incredibly depressed. A word of caution if you're thinking of a move that won't be more or less permanent!

I live in Pittsburgh now. If you are moving from another (better) city as I did, move to Shadyside or Squirrel Hill. You can get a great condo for less than 200 K with walking distance to everything. They are the only walking neighborhoods in the city. The suburbs are depressing and cookie cutter. All the "transplants" live in the city and all the "lifers" live in the burbs. Shadyside/Squirrel Hill are only 3 miles from Downtown, vibrant, diverse and close to the parks, restaurants, bars, museums etc.

These areas also turn the fastest if you are worried about re-selling your house. I know plenty of people with houses in the suburbs that took nearly a year to sell.

Its a tough city to break into. I hated it hear at first. Now its slowly growing on me (like a fungus) because you can have a GREAT quality of life for cheap. Someday I dream of sunny days in another city...