Moving to Pittsburgh

[enis083]

I got a job in Pittsburgh. The company is paying for the move. I'll be living by myself and will be working downtown. Trying to keep rent below $700 and not have to drive more than 30 minutes each way. I'll be moving sometime next month. What is a good place to live? I need suggestions. Thanks.

 

[Triumph]

Real estate is cheap in Pittsburgh, you should buy something. NICE rental properties abound (and by nice I mean apartments in real houses with character and not acres of cookie cutter prefab apartment complexes). Lots of nice places to live. North Oakland, Shadyside, Squirrel Hill are all close to the city and are nice. $700 shouldn't be too much of a problem. There are places where I wouldn't want to live like Wilkinsburg, East Liberty, or Braddock, but honestly I've never found a neighborhood that I was actually scared to pass through.

 

[Wonderful Pork]

No idea where to live, but check out Primanti Bros for a cap 'n cheese and Iron City.

 

[iliopsoas]

shadyside or squirrel hill

 

[Sphexi]

Originally posted by: enis083
I got a job in Pittsburgh. The company is paying for the move. I'll be living by myself and will be working downtown. Trying to keep rent below $700 and not have to drive more than 30 minutes each way. I'll be moving sometime next month. What is a good place to live? I need suggestions. Thanks.

Not in Pittsburgh.

 

[trinketsummoner]

The city itself is expensive and taxes will kill you. Look around the northern part of Pittsburgh - Cranberry is a nice place and booming at the moment. Butler county taxes are a lot lower too. I live in Butler City and its about 45 mins from downtown, maybe an hour if traffic is busy. Where are you going to be working?

 

[kranky]

Apartment or house? If you want an apartment finder book, PM me your address and I'll mail you one. You won't have any problems finding a nice apartment for $700 (Heck, my house payment is under $600.)

Downtown parking is expensive (to me, anyway). If you live south of downtown you can use the light rail system to get to town. If you drive, there are places on the fringes of downtown where parking is a lot cheaper.

What is important to you when choosing a neighborhood? Do you want older homes converted into 2-3 apartments? A large, new apartment complex? Suburbs or urban?

 

[KK]

cranberry is nice

 

[enis083]

I'm looking more for an apartment or a condo. I've never really lived at an house and dont want to be responsible for lawn care, shoveling snow, etc... Newer would be better. I got the apartment rental guide sent to me this past weekend but I don't know what the neighborhoods are like since I haven't gone to Pittsburgh yet. I plan on going to Pittsburgh at the end of this month and wanted to get an idea of where I should concentrate my search. I would perfer to live out in the suburbs but not more than a 20-30 minute drive.

 

[EvilYoda]

My cousin went to Shadyside Academy, I remember that area being nice, along with Squirrel Hill...and apparently I wasn't completely off since others actually agree with me...and they sound like they know what they're talking about.

 

[t3h l337 n3wb]

Erm, isn't Shadyside Acadamy NOT in Shadyside, but actually in Fox Chapel? At least the middle/high school is I think. I just moved from Pittsburgh like a year ago. I used to live in Bloomfield -_-; Trust me, you don't want to live IN the city. Cranberry is very nice, but it's a bit far. If you prefer a house closer, Shadyside and Squirrel Hill are better places to live. The public schools in the city are pretty bad, so I had to go to a private school (Winchester Thurston in Shadyside).

 

[darkjester]

I'm moving there, too, in the next couple of months. I'm in the process of buying a place in the South Hills area. Yeah, taxes are really going to hurt, but at least I won't be paying rent anymore.

Compared to NY, Pittsburgh is going to seem cheap to me (especially real estate -- it's incredible).

Best of luck in Steeltown!

 

[trinketsummoner]

Cranberry isnt far at all, 30 mins tops to downtown, even during the rush hour. If you end up with a place in the city limits, check the taxes, it can make a huge difference to your cost of living.

 

[miniMUNCH]

Originally posted by: iliopsoas
shadyside or squirrel hill

Like he said...also, you could consider southside or oakland.

I live in Shadyside and pay $650 per month for decent, albeit somewhat small, 1 BR. All utilities and free parking "first come, first served" are included in rent.

Google map 2 Bayard Road 15213 or "walnut street" 15213

Lots of college life in shadyside...there are direct bus routes from shadyside to downtown (10-15 minute ride).

Bus system is pretty good in Pittsburgh...I hardly ever drive anymore.

 

[kranky]

In the city: nicer areas which have many apartments are Squirrel Hill, Point Breeze and Shadyside, Highland Park. Not quite as nice but still very livable are Oakland and Bloomfield. Avoid the Hill District, Lawrenceville, East Liberty.

Outside the city in the suburbs, avoid Wilkinsburg and Mt. Oliver. As miniMUNCH (who still owes me a beer, by the way. ) said, the transit system is pretty good. If you live South of downtown you could use the light rail system. You could save a lot on parking if you took the bus or light rail into downtown. There are quite a few park-and-ride lots in the suburbs.

The highway going north out of downtown has an HOV lane which helps the buses make decent time.

If you live in the city, there's a pretty big wage tax, so know for sure before you make a choice.

darkjester, what South Hills neighborhood are you moving to?

The apartment guide I picked up at work is called "Pittsburgh's Apartment Source" (August issue). If that's one you could use, PM me and I'll mail it to you.

 

[AStar617]

PNC Park is as good a place as any to squat while you decide. Beautiful park.