...yet another moving to Pittsburgh thread...

[Craziaskowboi]

Truthfully, the Hispanic population in the Pittsburgh area is very sparse for any urban area in the United States, let alone a major metropolitan area. There are actually more Asians in the Pittsburgh area than Hispanics. With that said, there are some, and the population is growing rapidly percentage-wise. Most Hispanics in the Pittsburgh area live in the South Hills neighborhoods of the city, like Brookline, Beechview and Banksville.

Aside from the growth in the Hispanic population, the South Hills neighborhoods are pretty stagnant and sleepy, so you should be able to find some bargains there. Some neighborhoods have declined because of Section 8 housing, though, particularly Allentown, Beltzhoover, Knoxville, Mount Oliver, and parts of Arlington and Carrick. Basically, west of Saw Mill Run Boulevard (PA 51) is where most of the Hispanic population is, and east of there is where the Section 8 is.

As for Brentwood, I don't know how anybody there would react to somebody who's Hispanic, but there is some resentment toward blacks, particularly among the older residents, because many of those who live in Brentwood used to live in those South Hills neighborhoods that I mentioned with the Section 8 housing. My guess is that they aren't as intolerant of Hispanics as they are of blacks, but people who have that degree of intolerance toward one group of people might not need much of a reason to become intolerant of another.

Aside from having a Hispanic population, the logistics of neighborhoods like Brookine, Beechview and Banksville are pretty favorable too. I don't know if you're planning on working in the city of Duquesne or at Duquesne University, but either way, you'd be in a good place. A trip down Saw Mill Run Boulevard, through the Liberty Tunnel and over the Liberty Bridge puts you near Duquesne University. As for the city of Duquesne, you'd just use Saw Mill Run Boulevard, Lebanon Church Road, Pittsburgh-McKeesport Boulevard and PA 837 to get there.

[av504]

@Gnutella: thank you for the very insightful post. Personally, I'm fine living in any community, regardless of whether it's majority white, majority black or mixed. I'm not necessarily looking for other hispanics and I don't really identify as hispanic. My concern is in unwittingly finding myself in a community where my skin color would be an issue. As far as race goes, this was exactly the type of answer I was looking for.

@Hopes: I saw in another thread, you (or at least I think it was you) mentioned Turtle Creek, so I'll keep an eye out there in addition to the other areas you mentioned. Thanks.

@Everyone: Thank you very much. This is exactly what I was looking for. The same few areas seem to get all the recommendations and it's good to learn of the other quality neighborhoods.

To clarify: the wife will be attending Duquesne University. I'm willing to work wherever I can find an engineer job.

Would anyone recommend using a realtor to help me find a rental as I probably won't be able to visit first?

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by av504

@Hopes: I saw in another thread, you (or at least I think it was you) mentioned Turtle Creek, so I'll keep an eye out there in addition to the other areas you mentioned. Thanks.

Turtle Creek and Forrest Hills. Uptown Kid has a thread with a map of crime he created for the county. It will clearly show any specific streets to avoid. My girlfriend has lived in Turtle Creek for many years without incident. She also knows many people in Forrest Hills who are safely living there. These areas rarely get recommended because the school district is terrible, but if you aren't worried about a school district, it's fine. The same applies to Penn Hills. Check out Uptown Kid's map for that township too. These are not considered quality neighborhoods but they most certainly can be affordable places to live for certain people.

For suburbs that are extremely close to the city, Ross Township is a great township with a great school district. It doesn't get enough worthy mention for people who are looking for a good school district, even though the school district ranks among the best. It's very safe. Shaler Township is also a middle class township that is extremely safe. It doesn't get mentioned because the school district is average, but this region's average is usually better than other region's best.

In the city, Morningside doesn't get enough mention. It's a neat little neighborhood that is very safe. From a New Orleans crime standpoint, you can easily live in North Side neighborhoods Troy Hill and Spring Hill. They aren't dangerous neighborhoods, just poor, run down and gritty.

Originally Posted by av504

@Would anyone recommend using a realtor to help me find a rental as I probably won't be able to visit first?

Since it's best to use a realtor for an immediate area, you'll need to call a few realtors who have offices located in the general areas you are considering.

[ferraris]

Originally Posted by eschaton

Beechview is a great choice since your wife is going to Duquense. It's one of the only city neighborhoods which actually has a light rail line going right through it which heads downtown. If she got off at Steel Plaza, there would be a 2-4 block walk to the edge of the Duquesne campus.

I second the recommendation for Beechview. It's within your price range, not unsafe, and has good transit access to potential downtown jobs and Duquesene. Getting off at First Ave or Steel Plaza, it's only a few blocks to get to Duquesne. Brookline is another similar option, but you're missing the public transit aspect there (there's a bus, but no T). Mt. Washington might work, too.

Originally Posted by av504

@Gnutella: thank you for the very insightful post. Personally, I'm fine living in any community, regardless of whether it's majority white, majority black or mixed. I'm not necessarily looking for other hispanics and I don't really identify as hispanic. My concern is in unwittingly finding myself in a community where my skin color would be an issue. As far as race goes, this was exactly the type of answer I was looking for.

@Hopes: I saw in another thread, you (or at least I think it was you) mentioned Turtle Creek, so I'll keep an eye out there in addition to the other areas you mentioned. Thanks.

@Everyone: Thank you very much. This is exactly what I was looking for. The same few areas seem to get all the recommendations and it's good to learn of the other quality neighborhoods.

To clarify: the wife will be attending Duquesne University. I'm willing to work wherever I can find an engineer job.

Would anyone recommend using a realtor to help me find a rental as I probably won't be able to visit first?

Being hispanic is unlikely to cause (m)any problems here. Beechview is the only area with an actual pocket of hispanic population, but it's so small that it would be considered a white neighborhood in many other cities.

Instead of using a realtor, since you're trying to save money, I'd recommend trying to get a month-to-month lease. Or at least only a 6-month lease. That way you can get out of the place pretty quickly if necessary.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by ferrarisnowday

Instead of using a realtor, since you're trying to save money, I'd recommend trying to get a month-to-month lease. Or at least only a 6-month lease. That way you can get out of the place pretty quickly if necessary.

Realtors don't cost anything for rentals. Perhaps you meant they would be more likely to be stuck in a 12 month lease if they used a realtor. Not sure about that. The only way to find out is to ask.

[ferraris]

Originally Posted by Hopes

Realtors don't cost anything for rentals. Perhaps you meant they would be more likely to be stuck in a 12 month lease if they used a realtor. Not sure about that. The only way to find out is to ask.

I did not know that, I figured they took a commission. In that case, using a realtor does sound like a decent idea. Especially in a place like Beechview, there could be someone having trouble selling a house who would be happy to take on an engineer and Duquense student as tenants until the house sells.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by ferrarisnowday

I did not know that, I figured they took a commission.

In some states, but not Pennsylvania. Here, they get paid via a percentage of the yearly rent from the owner. It's built into the rent but the rent isn't higher than places not obtained via realtors because they wouldn't be able to rent them if they were more expensive. The owners who use realtors are owners who don't want to be bothered with screening prospective tenants, etc.

[XRiteMA98]

Originally Posted by eschaton

Beechview is a great choice since your wife is going to Duquense. It's one of the only city neighborhoods which actually has a light rail line going right through it which heads downtown. If she got off at Steel Plaza, there would be a 2-4 block walk to the edge of the Duquesne campus.

Beechview and Brookline have hispanic population and grocery shops.

[pipersrocks]

Personally I love living in the Edgewood/Regent Square/Swissvale Area. It's super close to 376 and a quick drive to pretty much anywhere we could want to go. The main drag in Regent Square might be small, but it's very stable and growing. I love the businesses there, and being able to drive 5 minutes to Squirrel Hill (another favorite neighborhood) is a definite bonus. Regent Square itself is small, and some consider the adjacent bits of Wilkinsburg to also be a part of Regent Square. There's a lot of beautiful housing stock available there. You might also be able to find something nice in Point Breeze which is right next to Regent Square and considered to be a desirable and affordable neighborhood as well. As for me, I'm renting a 2 bedroom house in Wilkinsburg for under $600/mo. We're on a quiet dead end street right across from the School of the Deaf in Edgewood. I feel very safe and I love having all of the space and a yard! You just have to look around and ask around for awhile, I'm sure you'll find something that suits you.