...yet another moving to Pittsburgh thread... (Baldwin, Wilkinsburg: apartment complexes, rentals, low crime)

[av504]

As of now, I'm mainly looking for some preliminary information. There are still a lot of unknowns. So far, this forum has been a wealth of information.

My wife and I are moving to Pittsburgh from New Orleans sometime this summer. She's starting a PhD program at Duquesne in the Fall and I'm looking for work as an Electrical Engineer (I'm graduating with my B.S in EE, in about a month). We have a cat and no children.

Two main caveats:
-We probably will not be able to visit before we move as we're trying to save money for the move itself.
-We're unsure of our rental budget because my job situation is presently one of the aforementioned unknowns (i'm looking for work).

Here's where we stand:
We're looking into some of the less desirable ("desirable" meaning places like Shadyside, Squirrel Hill, etc.) for apartments because we'd like a two bedroom with a decent sized kitchen and laundry hook/ups within 15 miles of Duquesne. A basement or garage is preferable. Are there any areas that come to mind where I can get something like that in the $700/mo. range?

From browsing these forums the past few weeks, it seems Wilkinsburg is one of the places to avoid (really, how is the crime compared to New Orleans?). In other areas, from what I understand, there are pockets of racism (Brentwood?). Being hispanic, married to a white female, I'd like to avoid those areas as well. Aside not wanting to be around racists, I have no racial or cultural preferences in a community. What are some other areas I should all out avoid?

Example:
One property management company I found on craigslist is Regent Square Rentals. They seem to have some nicely sized units (for the price) in North Baldwin (near the end of Evelyn Rd). Is there anything I should know about that area? Does anyone have experience with Regent Square Rentals?

Sorry for the long first post. I appreciate any insight you could provide.

[PghYinzer]

Take a look in Brookline. We have great diversity, the Blvd is undergoing a major reconstruction right now, and a some great places to eat. The price is lower than any of the safe neighborhoods because we are not in the East End and the rest of the city barely knows that we exist. I used to commute to Pitt in less than 15 mins, and Duquense is closer. I know of people who rent entire houses for $900 a month, so you could def get an apartment in Brookline for $700.00.

[Evergrey]

Amazing how tarnished Brentwood's reputation is... national infamy!

[av504]

@PghYinzer: Thank you for the recommendation. It sound like a great area. I'll definitely be looking there.

@Evergrey: Lol, perhaps. I'm not writing off Brentwood completely (same goes for Wilkinsburg), but it's the kind of situation that I'd like to experience firsthand before locking myself into a 6-12 month lease.

[speagles84]

Originally Posted by av504

As of now, I'm mainly looking for some preliminary information. There are still a lot of unknowns. So far, this forum has been a wealth of information.

My wife and I are moving to Pittsburgh from New Orleans sometime this summer. She's starting a PhD program at Duquesne in the Fall and I'm looking for work as an Electrical Engineer (I'm graduating with my B.S in EE, in about a month). We have a cat and no children.

Two main caveats:
-We probably will not be able to visit before we move as we're trying to save money for the move itself.
-We're unsure of our rental budget because my job situation is presently one of the aforementioned unknowns (i'm looking for work).

Here's where we stand:
We're looking into some of the less desirable ("desirable" meaning places like Shadyside, Squirrel Hill, etc.) for apartments because we'd like a two bedroom with a decent sized kitchen and laundry hook/ups within 15 miles of Duquesne. A basement or garage is preferable. Are there any areas that come to mind where I can get something like that in the $700/mo. range?

Yes, many places are in that range. For the city, I'd suggest Greenfield, Lawrenceville, Beechview (Pittsburgh's highest percentage of Hispanics, a weak 10-15%), Brookline. They are all urban and dense, and all have good public transportation. For the suburbs, Dormont, Crafton, Bellevue. There aren't tons and tons of rentals in Pittsburgh's suburbs.

Originally Posted by av504

From browsing these forums the past few weeks, it seems Wilkinsburg is one of the places to avoid (really, how is the crime compared to New Orleans?). In other areas, from what I understand, there are pockets of racism (Brentwood?). Being hispanic, married to a white female, I'd like to avoid those areas as well. Aside not wanting to be around racists, I have no racial or cultural preferences in a community. What are some other areas I should all out avoid?

Trust me, you do NOT want Wilkinsburg. There is a small section on the east side of the busway that is nice now, but its not in your price range. The rest of Wilkinsburg is rundown, dangerous, and not safe whatsoever.

Brentwood gets a bad reputation, but I think the racism is mostly towards African Americans. Its a nice, dense suburb right out of the city with a low crime rate and nice town center. Worth a look.

Originally Posted by av504

Example:
One property management company I found on craigslist is Regent Square Rentals. They seem to have some nicely sized units (for the price) in North Baldwin (near the end of Evelyn Rd). Is there anything I should know about that area? Does anyone have experience with Regent Square Rentals?

Sorry for the long first post. I appreciate any insight you could provide.

I'm not familiar with that location of Baldwin. Uptown Kid might know more about that area. He seems to have a good grasp on many of the apartment complexes in Allegheny County.

[Hopes]

Add Millvale, Etna, Sharpsburg to your list of possibilities.

[SteelCityRising]

Originally Posted by PghYinzer

Take a look in Brookline. We have great diversity, the Blvd is undergoing a major reconstruction right now, and a some great places to eat. The price is lower than any of the safe neighborhoods because we are not in the East End and the rest of the city barely knows that we exist. I used to commute to Pitt in less than 15 mins, and Duquense is closer. I know of people who rent entire houses for $900 a month, so you could def get an apartment in Brookline for $700.00.

Originally Posted by speagles84

Yes, many places are in that range. For the city, I'd suggest Greenfield, Lawrenceville, Beechview (Pittsburgh's highest percentage of Hispanics, a weak 10-15%), Brookline. They are all urban and dense, and all have good public transportation. For the suburbs, Dormont, Crafton, Bellevue. There aren't tons and tons of rentals in Pittsburgh's suburbs.



Trust me, you do NOT want Wilkinsburg. There is a small section on the east side of the busway that is nice now, but its not in your price range. The rest of Wilkinsburg is rundown, dangerous, and not safe whatsoever.

Brentwood gets a bad reputation, but I think the racism is mostly towards African Americans. Its a nice, dense suburb right out of the city with a low crime rate and nice town center. Worth a look.



I'm not familiar with that location of Baldwin. Uptown Kid might know more about that area. He seems to have a good grasp on many of the apartment complexes in Allegheny County.

Originally Posted by Hopes

Add Millvale, Etna, Sharpsburg to your list of possibilities.

^ All solid advice for potential locations. I would also add Polish Hill, Bloomfield, Friendship, Morningside, and Stanton Heights to the mix. $700/month for a 2-BR would be tough in any of these neighborhoods, but occasionally a deal or two will creep up.

[speagles84]

Originally Posted by SteelCityRising

^ All solid advice for potential locations. I would also add Polish Hill, Bloomfield, Friendship, Morningside, and Stanton Heights to the mix. $700/month for a 2-BR would be tough in any of these neighborhoods, but occasionally a deal or two will creep up.

Yeah that's why I left those out. Although my girlfriend found one in SH off Murray (2 bedroom) a few months ago for 550$

[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.

[speagles84]

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.

Only problem (one that I face frequently) is the crossing at 6th/Forbes/Crosstown. That's a pain in the butt with no crosswalks.