Tell me about Pittsburgh

[Twin01cobra]

Incorrect.

My Allegheny property taxes are far cheaper then my parents that live in Butler County.

Maybe in the city you can get cheaper property taxes and that depends on the neighborhood. Houses are also stacked like sardines in most areas.

Go outside the city into suburbs and compare values of homes to the same value in other counties and I'll bet that the other counties taxes are cheaper.

For example my property taxes are 3k a year and I have a small ranch home. I looked in other counties for similar style home with the same amount or more propety and the taxes were less than half.

Not to mention the 7% sales tax we get screwed on.

[wick]

Just got my statement as well.

Ours came too as did some stuff from you guys. hahaha

[97LaserRed]

Speak of the Devil.

I just got my county taxes in the mail today.

HOLY SHIT!! YOU DIDNT EDIT THIS POST!!!

Butler vs Allegheny

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pitt...b/s_63191.html

Washington County's rate is 24.9

Butler County's rate is 23.62


Steiny,

I dunno if your parents live in Mars Boro but there & Slippery Rock Boro have very high local taxes.

http://www.co.butler.pa.us/butler/cw...=1489&q=607673

And this one is the first post you have on scs that is acutally normal!!!

I'm used to seeing this...

I'm a tool bag

[SAC81]

Tell me about Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh (pronounced /ˈpɪtsbərɡ/) is the second-largest city in the U.S. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia[7] and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States.[8][9] The estimated population of the city in 2009 was 311,647,[10] while the seven-county metropolitan area was estimated at 2,354,957.[11] Downtown Pittsburgh retains substantial economic influence, ranking at 25th in the nation for jobs within the urban core and 6th in job density.[12] The characteristic shape of Pittsburgh's central business district is a triangular tract carved by the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers, which form the Ohio River. The city features 151 high-rise buildings,[13] 446 bridges,[14] two inclined railways, and a pre-revolutionary fortification. Pittsburgh is known colloquially as "The City of Bridges" and "The Steel City" for its many bridges and former steel manufacturing base.

While the city is historically known for its steel industry, today its economy is largely based on healthcare, education, technology, robotics, and financial services. The downturn of the steel industry left no steel mills within the City of Pittsburgh, and two remaining facilities (the Edgar Thomson Steel Works and Brackenridge Works) in the county.[15] By contrast, the region supports 1,600 technology companies, ranging from a Google campus to small startups.[4] The city has redeveloped abandoned industrial sites with new housing, shopping and offices, such as The Waterfront and the SouthSide Works.

While Pittsburgh faced an economic crisis in the 1980s as the regional steel industry waned,[16] modern Pittsburgh is economically strong.[17] The housing market is relatively stable despite a national subprime mortgage crisis, and Pittsburgh added jobs in 2008 even as the national economy entered a significant jobs recession.[18] This positive economic trend is in contrast to the 1980s, when Pittsburgh lost its manufacturing base in steel and electronics, and corporate jobs in the oil (Gulf Oil), electronics (Westinghouse), chemical (Koppers) and defense (Rockwell International) industries.

The city is headquarters to major global financial institutions PNC Financial Services (the nation's sixth largest bank), Federated Investors and the regional headquarters of BNY Mellon, descended from Mellon Financial and the Mellon family. Major publications often note Pittsburgh's high livability compared to other American cities. Most recently, in 2010, both Forbes and Yahoo! listed Pittsburgh as the most livable city in the United States.[19][20]

;)

[SonofaBish]

Not to beat a dead horse, Steiny, as LS3GTO's link says it all, but on a comparably valued home, Allegheny county is far more expensive... and last time i checked, its not the county tax that's the killer - its the school taxes that are far more epensive...

For the home i'm building, the taxes were estimated at 4500 in Washington Twp, Westmoreland County - which from what i've seen is a fairly expensive township in Westmoreland county.... The same home was going to have taxes of 6000 in Allegheny County (Plum school district)... That's one of the main reasons that I wanted to go just a couple mins further east into westmoreland county...

[somethingclever]

I would also recommend living in the Robinson Township / Oakdale / McDonald area if you like that small-town feeling....

+2...this is also a good recommendation.


The only downside with this area is I've been reading about more and more drug problems out that way.....

But in general, it's a nice area and convienient to work/shopping...yet country living.

[thedak]

I built a home in Cecil Twp, Washington County. Total taxes are ~ $5100

Same house in South Fayette, Allegheny County, 10 miles away is ~$7900

That is a $220 more a month on the mortgage. Just for taxes.

South Fayette is an excellent School District but I don't have any kids.

It was an easy choice.

[TooFast98Cobra]

I built a home in Cecil Twp, Washington County. Total taxes are ~ $5100

Same house in South Fayette, Allegheny County, 10 miles away is ~$7900

That is a $220 more a month on the mortgage. Just for taxes.

South Fayette is an excellent School District but I don't have any kids.

It was an easy choice.

My parents live in Cecil, right by southpoint.

[wick]

My parents live in Cecil, right by southpoint.

I think their taxes might be just a shade higher...Hahahahahahaha

[95riosnake]

its not the county tax that's the killer - its the school taxes that are far more epensive...

Very true. My manager owns a house in the Southside, where there is no school, and his property taxes are MUCH lower than mine. I believe mine are ~$3200/yr (townhouse, no land so I don't pay quite as much as a home of the same value that has land) and IIRC he said his are in the teens.

The school district you're living in will affect your taxes more than anything IMO

[PaceFever79]

If I had a good paying job in Green Tree here's where I would live;

city suburbs; Mt Lebo, or Crafton/Green Tree (more house for the money)

outer suburbs; Robinson Twp, Sewickly, or North Hills (10 miles)

rural suburbs; Cranberry, Wexford, Brighton Twp, Beaver, Chippewa (20-30 miles)

I would avoid south suburbs mainly because I dislike RT 51 (traffic is bad and much of it is run down/ugly)

[sutyak]

How long of a commute would it be from Bethel Park to Cochran Rd?
Google says 6.5 miles, but I'm not sure what that translates to in "city" terms.

[SonofaBish]

I would think somewhere around 15 to 20 mins....

[sutyak]

Thanks! Bethel Park is definitely high on the list if I were to work in green tree.
Granted that is just looking online ...

[map22]

im down in monongahela area, nice place, nice farm land, but yet not to far away from everything

[sutyak]

There's also a chance I'll need a place to rent for a while, so I might be asking around here for some help. Will install parts for bed! :)

[thedak]

Hit up the Pretty Kitty.

Ask for Kat.

[sutyak]

Hit up the Pretty Kitty.

Ask for Kat.

That doesn't sound like a bed for rent my wife would go for.

[PaxtonShelby]

I've lived in Moon Township all my life. ( insert joke here ). It is 20 minutes west of Pittsburgh ( 15-25 minutes from your potential job in Greentree ), less than 10 minutes from the Greater Pgh Airport, and very close to Robinson Twp, Imperial, McDonald which have also been mentioned. Good schools. You get more property / space for your money than you would in areas closer to the city such as Mt. Lebanon and Greentree.

I work in Robinson for Bayer, and my commute is 10 minutes. My taxes are not cheap ( approx $5.5k total per year for 3000 sq ft ), but with my wife working a mile from home, my job being 10 minutes from home, and both our parents living within 2 miles of us, it is a no-brainer for us to stay in Moon.

I don't want to bad-mouth any of the other areas/neighborhoods around Pittsburgh, as this city is literally full of wonderful places to live. However, if you end up working in Greentree, you would not want to live North or East of the city just because of the traffic you'll encounter in your daily commute. Traffic is something I cannot take on a daily basis. I jump in my car/truck and am home in a flash. No time wasted, and I can pick up the kids, get dinner together, help with homework, and have some fun with the kids before the evening is gone.

Since you're not from this area and don't have a feel yet for it, if you accept the position in Greentree, first I suggest that you determine the maximum commute you're willing to deal with. Be sure to do a few dry-runs ( both to- and from-work ) during the time of day when you'll be commuting. From Greentree, work your way in all directions that are AWAY from Pittsburgh. Going toward the city you will just encounter more traffic during peak times. Then you'll know where to look for a house/property that you can afford, that you like, with the caliber of schools and other amenities that you want. Like I said, I'm 10 min from work, and my kids' schools are less than 10 min away, grocery store 2 min away, shopping malls ( pretty much any store you'd need ) 10 min away, plenty of restaurants, and so on. 10 min from the airport ( really important if you have to travel for work ). Near major roads ( Rt 79, turnpike, 376...

Good luck with all of this. If you make the move, regardless of where you end up around the city, I know you'll really like the area. There's a reason the Steeler Nation is so pervasive...this place grows on you and stays with you. Even when people need to leave the area they do so with fond memories and appreciation for the city and its people.

Keep us posted on your situation, and I'm sure we'll continue to chime in with our thoughts and opinions!

[Quik83Z]

It's great in the summer....sucks in the winter....that is all!