Moving to Pittsburgh from NYC next month...a few questions/ and or concerns (York: chapel, neighborhood)

[Stephanie1990]

My son and I are moving to Pittsburgh from NYC after living here for the last two years while I had a contract position. The cost of living living here and having to take a position that offered me much less after the contract ended has prompted me to make the decision to relocate to that area, (I am originally from very close to there).

I WILL NOT have a car for the first few months after moving; as I sold mine before I moved to New York. What are the best area's to live that offer decent public transporation, good schools, (my son will be entering 5th grade) and affordable housing?

Any advise would be greatly appreciated. This is not going to be easy at first but I am excited about the prospect of a new life in a place that is not as stressful as New York, with a much better cost of living.

[ferraris]

Where will you be working? Areas with good schools and access to public transportation to the point of not needing a car are going to be very hard to come by. In the city I would have to say that Bloomfield is the only cheap neighborhood where you can get by easily and safely without a car (and probably without a bus, aside from commuting to work really), but then you have to decide if Pittsburgh Public is acceptable to you or not. After that I would look for something along the T or East Busway, which could put you into suburban school districts.

[Stephanie1990]

I'll be working close to downtown. I have heard of Bloomfield as well and that sounds like a good option. The no car status will only be temporary; just want to make sure that I will be able to survive for those few months without one

[gg]

If you want good schools on a budget and okay public transportation, have a look at Sharpsburg (Fox Chapel School) or Millvale (Shaler). Both are inexpensive.

Bloomfield? He has a kid in 5th grade I thought? I wouldn't send your kid to Pittsburgh Schools Look at near by suburbs with a son.

[fleetiebelle]

I'd vote for Dormont. It's on the light rail line, and the school district is decent.

[greg42]

Hm. The combo of a good school with no car at all is kinda tough. Plus reasonable rent. You need to be able to walk or take public transport to the grocery store and such. I guess Sharpsburg or Millvale mentioned above could work as long as you watch the distance to stores. I also think there's a possibility that West View could work, despite being a little bit farther from the city vs Millvale/Sharpsburg (not significantly farther from downtown though). This is in the North Hills district. Bloomfield and Mt Washington come to mind in the city, but I'm not sure you want to do city schools. Not sure if anything along the T would work. You might think Dormont but it seems like the rents have been going up there. There might be something that would work in Crafton or Carnegie if close enough to shopping and the West Busway, but I'd go first to the other options mentioned.

[ferraris]

Originally Posted by h_curtis

If you want good schools on a budget and okay public transportation, have a look at Sharpsburg (Fox Chapel School) or Millvale (Shaler). Both are inexpensive.

Bloomfield? He has a kid in 5th grade I thought? I wouldn't send your kid to Pittsburgh Schools Look at near by suburbs with a son.

I did specifically point out that you'd have to decide if PPS is acceptable or not. Millvale would probably be a good option too, there's a grocery store in the business district, right? That's probably the biggest obstacle to not having a car, relying on the T and Bus to get you to a grocery store would be a pain, having one within a 10 minute walk is a lot better when you don't have a car.

Bloomfield would land you in Woolslair Elementry I would think, here is the city-data page on that school. https://www.city-data.com/school/wool...school-pa.html 57% of 5th graders there are proficient or advanced in Math, 41% in reading, and only 5% are "below basic" in writing (not sure why the 'advanced' category isn't there for writing, maybe out of the few kids there, none of them met that standard?).

[Bong477]

Can you define what you think affordable housing is?

[Stephanie1990]

I am coming from New York City and I am not concerned with 'LOW' rent, I just meant affordable, as anything is affordable considering where I am moving from, (which requires in many cases to pay over $2500.00 or more for even a one bedroom.) I don't anticipate anything remotely like that in most area's of Pittsburgh; as the cost of living is much better. Anywhere from $850.00 - $950.00 a month would be doable, or even a little lower...

As far as PPS, I have read that they are among the best in the country, considering they are city schools, so it is a consideration. I will be doing more research on it, though before I do decide.

[gg]

Originally Posted by Bong477

Can you define what you think affordable housing is?

True, he is coming from NYC, but he probably knows this area. Sharpsburg can be had for +- $500 a month. Millvale is about the same.