Thinking of moving to Pittsburgh area, PA

I grew up in Carlisle, PA and went to College at IUP so I used to be well-versed in all things Pittsburgh but its been 10+ years since I actually spent any time there.

I'm finding some nice properties in the New Kensington area but I forget what its like. Any suggestions for any areas around Pittsburgh that might be at least close to some cool, hip, places? As of the last time I was in the 'burgh, words like "hip" and "young" were not in their vocabulary but I hear there are some neat places these days.

I want a bit of land; at least an acre and a larger, potentially older, larger house. Budget is around $100k. The fewer zoning laws and deed restrictions the better.

Kinda like this: Plum BoroughThis one has a nice, isolated property but from the description the house might need a bulldozer... which I don't mind. I'll put a camper on it while I build a house if I have to.

Ideas?

curtis73 wrote: As of the last time I was in the 'burgh, words like "hip" and "young" were not in their vocabulary...

But words like yinz and you'unz has lived on.

Plum Borough would have Beaverun road racing, karts, vintage racing and AutoX about 25 miles +/- to the west. http://www.beaverun.com/

Drag racing 20 miles +/- to the east. http://www.pittsburghracewaypark.com/

Plus a cpl ovals and motoX in the area. There was an offroad park in Smithton if it's still operating.

That Plum property doesn't look bad for the money.

Well, I don't know about cool and hip coinciding with land, but I live in Squirrel Hill near CMU and have really liked it. Though, I'm moving back to Ohio for a New job in two weeks and should probably spend more time trying to find a sub letter so I don't have to keep paying my roommates rent.

There are two fairly active autocross scca clubs, north hills and steel cities. NHSCCA holds theirs at North Park, while SCSCCA is mostly at BeaveRun. Both of these locations are north of the city, but only about 35 min and 1 hour respectively from "dahntahn".

As far as motorsports events, I don't mind driving a bit. My car culture exists in my garage and within a 6 hour radius, so having motorsports next door isn't really a big plus for me.

... geographic access to cool, hip stuff is important to me. I have no problem with rednecks as my neighbor (since I kinda am one) but it would be nice to live in an area that has some cool coffee shops and bars where I can meet like-minded people. Last time I was in the 'burgh I had the choice of hanging out with blue-collar Korean war vets and disgruntled steel mill retirees who thought that my long hair was an abomination, or their college-age grandchildren who thought that "the Fed" was a reference to Kevin Federline. There is a difference between liking to hunt for deer and assuming that the first day of Buck season was a national holiday and that "Realtree" is the new black. It would be nice to live somewhere where tattoos aren't taboo and I can find a Grocery store where I can buy organic asparagus instead of just Dinte Moore beef stew.

... not that I'm knocking Dinte Moore or anything...

jrw1621 wrote:

curtis73 wrote: As of the last time I was in the 'burgh, words like "hip" and "young" were not in their vocabulary...

But words like yinz and you'unz has lived on.

and don't forget the Stillers. Great football team 'n'at

When the snow hits the ground it gets all slippy 'n'at.

curtis73 wrote: ... geographic access to cool, hip stuff *is* important to me.

So basically under the shadow of an Eat N' Park sign?

Plum has some school tax issues right now and more in the future. I work with a guy that lives there and he's paying a lot. Check that out before you get too committed. It is a nice area and could be what you are looking for. Unfortunately it's not as convenient to downtown and all the vibrant areas.

New Ken has some really bad areas and some nicer ones. The downtown area is nearly abandoned with boarded up businesses all over the place. Pick wisely.

Finding the balance between rural "do what you want" areas and somewhere with culture is going to be tricky. Suburbia doesn't sound like a good fit for you. The East End of town is becoming younger and hipper along with Lawrenceville but those are city areas that are just beginning the renewal process. It's also where you'll find Whole Foods, a food coop, Construction Junction (building recycling materials) and a lot of interesting people. Homestead is starting to get revived with the Waterfront area but that's still pretty urban. Maybe you should look up along route 8 in the Etna and Glenshaw area. That's fairly close to downtown but still kind of rural.

I bought in the South Hills in Whitehall. I am 15 minutes from downtown and attend a lot of plays, musicals, operas and other cultural events so being that close to that action is important to me. I'm also close to the light rail system and have a bus stop four houses away. I have a great shopping plaza two blocks over that has great restaurants and amenities which is very convenient. However, if you want fewer zoning laws and deed restrictions it is the wrong place. No HOA in my town but lots of BS restrictions. Plus $100k won't get you much down here either. We have wonderful houses from the 50's but most are on a quarter acre lot and have a one car garage with a driveway big enough for one more. I got lucky and found one with a 24x22 two car garage addition and a driveway that can hold four more. I'm just finishing a total remodel and probably will have a market price near $175k.

I'd say contact a real estate agent in the Plum area and ask a lot of questions. Then talk to one over in the Highland Park area. Then contact one out in Moon Township. Those might be good places to start.

jimbob- thank you for the tips. I'm looking for enough space to build maybe a 40x40 shop and without the deed restrictions so I can do it legally. That property I listed also looks from the satellite image that I could walk 300 yards back into the woods and shoot some meat to fill the freezer, especially if I buddy up with whoever owns the 400 acres surrounding it. That is a bonus, not a necessity. My family has farms in Bedford and WV where I can hunt as well, I just like the idea of owning a neat wooded lot.

I don't mind urban at all (I lived in dahntahn L.A. for 7 years) its just that I doubt I'll find the property I want. Suburban living is also fine (currently doing that in Austin) but again... having the HOA send me a letter every time I change my oil in the driveway gets annoying.

I'll check out those other areas you suggested. My wife's parents live in Franklin and they've agreed to take preliminary looks at some properties for us. I'll get them a list and turn them loose.

1988RedT2 wrote:

curtis73 wrote: ... geographic access to cool, hip stuff *is* important to me.

So basically under the shadow of an Eat N' Park sign?

Way hip in a beehive-hairdo-lemon-meringue-flo-and-dot-waitress kind of way

I grew up in Plum, a buddy of mine had a shop in the New Ken area and I still have some friends in that area.

Yeah, taxes in Plum are getting interesting. They spent way too much to remodel the high school. My parents still live there but I think they should move at this point. It's still a nice area, I'll kind of disagree about not being convenient to down town - no worse than Robinson and the mess around the shopping areas out there. When/if 28 is ever done that will help a lot as well. Plum is a big area so it depends on what area you are talking about. As you probably already know to get around the area you are going to have to deal with a parkway or rt 28. That area also has Allegheny River blvd which is another option. Public transportation is not really an option out that way.

New Ken/Arnold - there are certainly some nice houses but yeah, drugs are a big issue. When we'd be working at the shop late there would always be "interesting" people stopping by. Sometimes scary. Heard shots multiple times. Cop cars and helicopters. Amazingly, no one ever messed with any of the cars outside. No one ever stole a tool that was accidently left out side.

That is New Ken "proper" - there are parts of the surrounding area that have New Ken zip codes but are way different.

Of course there was just this:

Sad - this guy sounded crazy

and some trivia - parts of this video were shot in the area:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDKwCvD56kw&ob=av3e

Feel free to let me know if you have any questions. Like I said I was a 30 year resident of that exact area, my parents still live there and I'm a whopping 9 miles from there now. Do you have a line on any work out this way?

no line on work, but for the tiny mortgage payment I'm looking at I can make enough money changing a few timing belts for folks each month if I have to.

Right now I'm managing an auto repair shop and that's what I've been doing for the last several years. I also have a CDL and if things get in a pinch I could always drive school buses or do some regional bobtail delivery.

I been more familiar further south and southeast of the 'burgh. Elizabeth Twp. just south of the Mon River always looked good to me when I was looking, you'll still find rural there and more further south to I-70. Anything south of I-70 will be 30 plus minutes to the city. Nothing hip in that area tho just normal folks, maybe rednecks. Further east towards Greensburg isn't bad but Rt. 30 sucks.

If you're not stuck on Pittsburgh, 1.5 hours south is Morgantown, WV, much smaller city yet growing and less congested than the 'burgh. WVU college/ youth/ party town, medical centers are big employers, friendly folks too. I been looking for work there I like it so much.

I had a whole litany of geographically based insults pertaining to inbreeding and the steelers, but I decided to be the bigger man, and just not say anything bad at all about that ...place.

fasted58 wrote: I been more familiar further south and southeast of the 'burgh. Elizabeth Twp.

Hey thats where I live now, and grew up in South Park.

Curtis, I will send you a PM with more info, but if you need help looking in the area, I am how do I say it with out having to crusify myself a "real estate agent". I normally use my license to buy/rehab/resell/rent homes for myself and help friends here and there. Since most GRMer's I meet end up being friends and some like family I would do my best to help you in any way. But I will only help you if you promise to tell me the story of how you met your wife!!!

Jimbob's post was spot on for the area's he mentioned. One of the biggest things to think about with Pittsburgh is taxes, they are stupid high, and in area's that they shouldn't be. I have plenty of suggestions for area's to search in if that would help.

Good luck Paul