<p>Can someone give a refresher course on the neighborhoods around Pitt for off campus housing? Convenience? Safety? Availability? University owned? South/North Oakland? What streets/neighborhoods to avoid?</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>North Oakland: slightly nicer, slightly more expensive. Try to avoid anything around Centre and Melwood… a few blocks down in any direction is alright.</p>
<p>South Oakland: Not as nice or as safe as N Oakland, but still pretty good. Not really any where in particular to avoid… it varies by street. Some blocks are pretty nice, others not so much. </p>
<p>Shadyside: A decent distance away (~1 mile), generally nicer than anywhere in Oakland but also generally slightly more than N Oakland. Still affordable, however.</p>
<p>Squirrel Hill: Again, further away but nicer than Oakland. Around the same as Shadyside in terms of price.</p>
<p>Do most kids who live off campus use mass transit, school transit ( e.g. school provided buses ) or their own cars to get to and from school ? Thanks.</p>
<p>Almost no one has a car (or at least uses it to get around Pitt). The city bus system is free for students and goes almost anywhere, and Pitt runs a number of shuttles throughout Oakland. Parking is relatively difficult to find (unless you want to pay for a garage spot.)</p>
<p>These may be of use:
[Routes</a> & Schedules](<a href=“http://www.pc.pitt.edu/transportation/routes.html]Routes”>http://www.pc.pitt.edu/transportation/routes.html)
[Port</a> Authority of Allegheny County - Pittsburgh, PA](<a href=“http://www.portauthority.org/paac/default.aspx]Port”>http://www.portauthority.org/paac/default.aspx)</p>
<p>I’m not familiar with every shuttle Pitt offers, but generally they go within North Oakland and South Oakland. You’ll probably have to ride a city bus if you live anywhere else. </p>
<p>Also, I should note that South Oakland has the highest percentage of college students, North Oakland being the second most popular place. Squirrel Hill and Shadyside aren’t really “college” areas but some students still do live there.</p>
<p>Personally, I either ride a bike (many racks are available) or use the shuttle system to get around.</p>
<p>I am interested in this thread, as my daughter must move off campus next year. (Hard to believe she’ll be a senior already! How did that happen? ;)) I was disappointed to learn that applications for university-owned housing are no longer being accepted, due to the great demand.</p>
<p>[Off-Campus</a> Living | University of Pittsburgh](<a href=“http://www.ocl.pitt.edu/]Off-Campus”>http://www.ocl.pitt.edu/)</p>
<p>My daughter’s current roommate is a Pittsburgh resident, and I’m hoping she will be savvy about neighborhoods. I think they’re going to look at something tomorrow.</p>
<p>By the way, my daughter has been living in Ruskin this year, and it’s very nice. So if anyone has the opportunity to get in there, I would recommend it. Because it’s an apartment building, though, it’s not highly social.</p>
<p>We visited Pitt last weekend and were impressed that they have an office that helps students find off campus housing. They will screen landlords for dependability and reputation and will even help you find a roommate. If you haven’t checked into this resource I’m sure you can find it on the website.</p>
<p>There are so many housing opportunities available to Pitt students. Yes, Ruskin is a fabulous place to live. however, the upperclassmen tend to prefer to be at the other end of Oakland- closer to the restaurants, bars, activity, etc. ----for their senior year. i think if you check around you will be surprised at the great housing choices available in oakland. Some tend to leave Oakland and head to other areas, as well. But staying in Oakland is great-</p>
<p>Nurse, do you have any specific suggestions? My daughter will check the Panther Central housing survey, but I would like to help her in the meantime. Every time I check a building on apartmentratings dot com, the reviews are really negative!</p>
<p>So I am a senior here at Pitt. I’m currently interning for the Arts & Sciences Advising office and have a few comments to make. Most undergraduates who live off campus live in South Oakland, which is where I’ve lived for the past 3 years. There is no need for a car since you will be within a 10 minute walk to both the campus, and major bus routes that run all over the city. Also, people always worry about safety issues (my mom definately did a lot!), but personally I have never had a problem with it. I frequently walk around late at night by myself, and have never felt scared or worried about my safety. My only recommendation would be not to live across the Boulivard of the Allies. While South Oakland is pretty safe, I have heard of people getting robbed who have lived on the other side of the blvd.</p>
<p>Just wanted to mention that if anyone needs off-campus housing for the fall semester, the time to find it is now. If you wait past the end of March, I was told by a local agent, you will be out of luck. Or, at least, having to settle.</p>