Cons about relocating to Mt. Lebanon area?? (Pittsburgh, Dormont: middle school, universities)

[flutterbyu]

Hi all,

My family is planning a move to the greater Pittsburgh area in June of this year and I have pretty much narrowed down our search to the Mt.Lebo/USC area due to a number of factors (location for both of our jobs, schools, etc). While I have come across an abundance of data regarding the quality of the acadmics in these areas, I am wondering if anyone has any feedback regarding how easy/difficult it is for new families to integrate into the communities. I have a daughter who will be starting 6th grade and we currently live in a smaller suburb of Boston (about 13k) that is very welcoming to new families; we moved here 3 years ago and she had no problem making friends/fitting in.

As everything I am reading about the Mt.Lebo area sounds too good to be true, I'm just wondering if there are any negatives people could come up with in regard to moving to this area with a middle schooler.

Thanks!

[Copanut]

It's tough to find a good butler in that area.

[flutterbyu]

Ha! Thanks - I will definitely keep that in mind!

[TechieTransplant]

The police do a great job keeping the community safe, but get your speedometer checked and follow the rules of the road to a "t" or you will be pulled over. If you drive a German car, prepare for profiling. I'm not exaggerating in the least.

Mt Lebo is very clean, streets/roads are in great shape. You really see the tax dollars at work

[Copanut]

Before Yac comes on here, I better make a comment in line with the thread. I lived in Lebo for 2 years and then in Dormont right on the border for a few more. Great area, schools are excellent, municipal services are top notch. No doubt someone will follow and talk about how stuck up everyone is, not true, after all, I lived there. Then again...

[flutterbyu]

Any thoughts on the younger Mt. Lebo set though? The town we live in now is pretty middle-upper class, so I am used to dealing with SUV-driving moms wearing Lulumon to the morning rec basketball games, but I'm more interested in the youth. Anyone know if new kids are welcomed or if the transition is made more difficult by cliques, bullying, etc? Seems like a good number of families moving into the area each year - is this accurate or is the town mostly full of families who have been there forever?

[flutterbyu]

Also! Is the Mt.Lebo school system one in which an "average" kid will get lost/forgotten about? My daughter is very middle of the road and I am concerned that moving to a larger district will contribute to her not getting the attention she will need to succeed. I have seen some larger districts in the Boston area in which if you are gifted or have special needs, you had better be an independent learner, because the resources just aren't there for you.

[ferraris]

Originally Posted by Copanut

No doubt someone will follow and talk about how stuck up everyone is, not true, after all, I lived there. Then again...

Regardless of whether it's true or not (not that snootiness can really be proved or measured), there are a good number of people that will judge you when you tell them you live in Mt. Lebo. I'll admit that I tend to stereotype people in Mt. Lebo as financially and socially overextended, trying too hard to "make it" and keep up with the Joneses. It's not just because it's a suburb either, it's something specifically stereotyped to Mt. Lebanon.

It's not really a huge negative, but it's something to consider for the OP. If the kids are anything like the adults that I know from Mt. Lebanon, it isn't a social situation that I'd want to toss a kid into.

[Aqua Teen Carl]

Originally Posted by flutterbyu

My daughter is very middle of the road

An honest parent in Mt. Lebo? You deserve a rep point.

[BrianTH]

So speaking as a non-native myself, we don't have a ton of in-migrants in Pittsburgh, and a lot of those are clustered in certain parts of the City (like near the hospitals and universities). But if I had to guess where outside the City you would find more in-migrants than usual for this area, Mt Lebanon would be high on my list.