New Grad Moving to Pittsburgh

tokidoki7, ASN, RN · Jan 8, 2012

Congratulations on finding a job! Which unit are you working on? I've worked at Montefiore in the past.

Friendship, Squirrel Hill, Shadyside, Bloomfield, and Highland Park are good, safe neighborhoods to live in. They are not very far from Oakland and public transportation is reliable in those areas.

You do not want to live in Oakland. North and South Oakland are very trashy areas, based on my experience of having lived in North Oakland. Plus you have to deal with traffic due to the University of Pittsburgh and other hospitals so close by. If you're unable to find a decent place, then it would only be okay short term

DM,RN · Jan 8, 2012

Thank you for your kind words. It is a medical unit and I am very happy.

Do people live in the downtown area. I was hoping for an urban feel. I would be using public transportation so that is a must for me. I would love a walkable area with things around it (shops, coffee, places to eat... ect) Sorry for so many questions.

tokidoki7, ASN, RN · Jan 8, 2012

Yes, people live in the downtown area but it's very expensive.

Highland Park is a neighbohood as well as the name of the actually park that is located there. The park is very nice- two reservoirs, an artificial lake, tennis courts, lots of greenery- a lot of people go there to jog. There are restaurants and coffee shops scattered throughtout as well. Depending on where you live, only 2 buses run through Highland Park on the 2 main streets- N. Highland Ave and N. Negley Ave. If you live a little closer to either of those streets, you'll be in good shape.

Shadyside is down the street from HP and there you will find plenty of restaurants and trendy shops on S. Highland and Walnut (Apple, Gap, Banana Republic, etc). Some parts of Shadyside are very congested as there are a lot of apt buildings, the streets are narrow, and parking is tight. The best part of Shadyside to live in, IMO, is the part which is closer to Mellon Park/East Liberty/Point Breeze. You'll be right in the center of the public transportation hub and you can catch any bus you want to go to Oakland (P1 and 75 will take you to Oakland in 10-15 minutes). Mellon Park is very small, but across the street there is an art school that has a small (underutilized) park next to it. Another positive to that area are the shops that are very close by including the new Bakery Square: a new Target, Trader Joes, Whole Foods, Giant Eagle, Staples, as well as clothing shops like Anthropologie and a huge fitness center.

Squirrel Hill is another popular neighborhood with a lot of shops, restuarants, and access to public transportation if you live close to the main street, Murray Ave. Squirrel Hill is pretty large and some parts of it are close to Schenely Park and Frick Park.

Another neighborhood that I forget to mention that is close to Squirrel Hill is Regent Square where you will be quite close to Frick Park. It's a small nice neighborhood, but some parts border with Wilkinsburg (a not so nice neighborhood).

A great idea is for you to check out these neighborhoods on Google map and you can get an idea on where everything is located.

CoffeeRTC, BSN, RN · Jan 10, 2012

Yep...Pittsburgh downtown is expensive, but if you lived in Boston..i think it is cheaper than that.

The PP hit it on the head with her descriptions. Stay out of Oakland (closest to the hospital...total college area)

allnurses Guide · Jan 16, 2012

Congrats! I agree - Shadyside or Squirrel Hill for shops, people, buses. Lawrenceville is also kind of up and coming hipster with decent bus service and very close to the hospital. Strip District between Lawrenceville and downtown is being gentrified with new lofts etc but expensive. If I were you, while I got my bearings and decided what kind of area I like, would stick with Shadyside, Squirrel Hill or Lawrenceville.

Highland Park is ok but also close to some worse areas.. I don't know that I'd feel safe walking around there from a bus at night and I'm not a nervous type of person.

PghRN30 · Feb 10, 2012

Agree with everyone on shadyside and squirrel hill. However i would not recommend someone from out of town to look in bloomfield highland park or lawrencville. Yes some parts of all 3 are very nice, but those are places to look at once you are in town and have a feel for the area and what is good. Better to find a safe place just to get here, and then look more for better place for once your lease is up after you are here and see the city more..

One thing you have to realise about Pittsburgh is it is a bunch of communities that all run right into eachother with no distinct boundaries unless a highway, park or river runs between. You can be in a very nice area, make a wrong turn and 2 blocks over be in a neighbourhood you do not want to be in. If you are looking for a place before you get here, or only will have a short time to look, Shadyside and squirrel hill are safe as far as that. Squirrel hill is an area with heavy jewish population. Shady side a lot of college students do live there in some parts, especially grad students. Also many professors and Drs. So you do get some of the college crowd, but not like being in Oakland.

One huge difference between Pittsburgh's downtown and other cities, is how the city is laid out. Yes some people have apts in town, but mostly because they work in town and do not want to deal with the commute to get in (Some its like CEOs that have a home elsewhere and apt in town). Most of downtown is office buildings, convention center, arena, the theatres. Really unless you work downtown, there are only a handful of things you would likely even go downtown for.