Potential relocation - Questions (Pittsburgh, Bethel Park: houses, employment, neighborhoods)

[janster100]

We are considering a relocation for a job in the Canonsburg area. We are looking for recommendations on areas to live that would be within a 30 minute commute, be close to Christian schools and have a max budget of around $600K for the house (4 or 5 bedroom). Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

[I_Like_Spam]

Plenty of good communities out there for the kind of budget you have.

One that you want to avoid would be Mt. Lebanon which is less than 30 from Canonsburg, they don't provide transportation to private schools, unlike most of the school districts out there.

School Districts are required to provide transportation for private school students if they provide it for the public school students- but Mt. Lebo doesn't have public school transport.

[janster100]

Are there any communities within 30 minutes of Canonsburg that have Christian schools? We are okay with areas that do not have public transport.

[WILWRadio]

Originally Posted by janster100

Are there any communities within 30 minutes of Canonsburg that have Christian schools? We are okay with areas that do not have public transport.

This may help.

Pittsburgh Christian Schools

[Hopes]

Pick the school first and then figure out where you want to buy a house. FYI concerning proximity of home to private school. PA law dictates that school districts provide transportation to private school students whose private school is located 10 miles from the border of the school district where the students live IF the school district provides transportation to its own students. In other words, pick a private school that is within 10 miles of the school district border where your purchase your home and your children will have free transportation for school. Except for Mt. Lebanon because Mt. Lebanon school district doesn't have bus transportation for any of its students. This means that your children can almost attend any Christian school you want since you are willing to commute 30 minutes to work. If you chose a school that is far away from Canonsburg, buy a house halfway between the two and your children will have transportation.

Also, it's helpful if you provide more information about what type of Christian school. Most are K-8 and then the high schools are separate. If your children are younger in K-8 grades, take into consideration the location of Christian high schools if you plan to live here when they are high school aged. Most Christian schools in the region are Catholic. If you want a nondenominational Christian school, that's relevant so let us know. If you provide some more information along these lines, we will be able to help you target the areas best for house hunting that are within 10 miles of the appropriate Christian schools and 30 minute commute to Canonsburg.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by WILWRadio

This may help.

Pittsburgh Christian Schools

That's a great map of nondenominational Christian schools.

OP you can pick most schools on that list that are west, north and south of the "downtown Pittsburgh" symbol in the middle of the map.

For ease, I'll list the ones that you can find a house within reasonable distance to the school for transportation and to employment in Canonsburg.

Eden Christian Academy -- Wexford Campus
Eden Christian Academy -- Mt Nebo Campus
Eden Christian Academy -- Berkley Hills Campus
Rhema Christian School
Robinson Township Christian School
Jubilee Christian School
Hillcrest Christian Academy
Central Christian Academy
Wilson Christian Academy

Some of these are K-12 and some only go to 8th grade.

You'll have to decide which school you want to target and then we can help you figure out the best areas to look for housing.

[greg42]

Originally Posted by WILWRadio

This may help.

Pittsburgh Christian Schools

There's at least one missing from that site, I know because it's near my house, but I guess it's a good start. Here's the one I know of that's missing: North Hills Christian School - A Christian School In Pittsburgh Pennsylvania

Probably not that useful for OP though. Canonsburg is in Washington County so you'd want to look for more down that way probably.

Note that the Christian schools site link is listing only non-Catholic schools. There are a lot of Catholic schools in the area as well.

Also keep in mind there are some very good public school districts in the vicinity, such as Peters Township. I gather that academics alone is not the reason you are looking for Christian schools, but in case it is, there are certainly spots that you could choose and not have to pay for the private schools.

For 4-5 BR newer houses Peters is probably a good place to look anyway down that way. You don't have to limit yourself to better school districts if you're choosing the private schools, but choosing the better school districts can help with maintaining the value of your house should you need to turn around and sell it or whatever. Of course, that's just picking close to Canonsburg. If you want to be closer to whatever preferred Christian school, there are other places you might end up choosing instead. Canonsburg is easy to get to from the places to the west of Pittsburgh boundaries, including some that are northwest as well as directly west or southwest.

[janster100]

Thanks for the replies. Our kids currently go to a Baptist school. We attend a non-denominational church, so we would prefer the same for the school. The kids are in 1st and 3rd, but we would like future access to a Christian high school when they are older.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by janster100

The kids are in 1st and 3rd, but we would like future access to a Christian high school when they are older.

It would be better to chose a K-12 school then.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by greg42

Probably not that useful for OP though. Canonsburg is in Washington County so you'd want to look for more down that way probably.

The OP could live anywhere along I-79 since Wexford to Canonsburg is 38 minute commute.

For example, their kids could attend the Eden school in Wexford and they could buy a house halfway between Wexford and Canonsburg. Let's say they pick a house in Franklin Park. The commute to Canonsburg would be 28 minutes. The school bus ride to the school would be 12 minutes. If they chose the Eden school in Berkley Hills, the children's bus ride would be 8 minutes.

If they want to live closer to Canonsburg, they could chose the Hillcrest Christian Academy in Bethel Park. If they lived in Peters, the commute to Canonsburg would be 6 minutes and the bus ride to school would be 12 minutes. They can easily do the Robinson Township Christian School too.

The Christian schools might be limited in this region, but she has lots of options on where to live. I recommend she research the K-12 schools and figure out which one she wants her children to attend. Then it will be easy to identify the neighborhoods that are best situated between work and school.