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Pittsburgh



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amother


 

Post Fri, Aug 01 2014, 7:34 am
Anyone know a/t about the community? I know that there was once a chassidish community there, but what about today? Is there a heimish community? Yeshivish? What schools are there?
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doctorima




 
 
    
 

Post Fri, Aug 01 2014, 8:46 am
I don't think there's much Chassidish there these days. Rabbi Dr. Twerski remarried and I believe spends most of his time in Monsey, and even when in Pittsburgh, he didn't have a shul. There is a very large Chabad presence there. There are yeshivish, but not huge numbers, and it's somewhat out-of-townish. A few school and shul options, but not a lot.
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amother


 

Post Sun, Aug 10 2014, 11:04 am
amother wrote:
I know that there was once a chassidish community there


OP are you referring to Pittsburger rebbe? I think the movement originated in Pittsburgh but now only in Israel, if I'm not mistaken?

I think Pittsburgh still has a sizeable Chabad community with its own shuls, nursery. You would definitely find heimish kehilo, some can be described as yeshivish but depends really how you define it, it's also OOT feel so not exactly the same as in Lakewood yeshivish IYKWIM. Schools are chabad or yeshiva or hillel academy the last is separate after 1st grade if I recall but also modern families send there. It's a lovely community where people are very friendly, housing is much cheaper but I think city tax is high. Again it's OOTish so you have limited choices for eating out for example but they have pretty much all amenities you need.
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amother


 

Post Sun, Aug 10 2014, 11:21 am
Housing prices have risen a fair bit and competition is fierce. I know 2 people who bought in Squirrel Hill recently, one frum one not, but searching same area. One paid $350K needing some fairly big renos, another $450K redone (large house, smaller lot). Both needed over 6 months to find the right house.

Squirrel Hill is, as well as the hub of the Jewish community, one of the nicer parts of Pittsburgh that attracts professionals. Unlike some parts that are gentrifying, it has stayed stable. If a house is zoned for Colfax it will attract a premium as this is a popular school with a gifted program. Minadeo less so.

Property tax is high for PA but not compared to NY/NJ. There IS city income tax aka wage tax. That is 3% of wage income. State income tax is only 3.07% though and since EIT is charged after state tax is deducted it works out a bit less.
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amother


 

Post Wed, Aug 13 2014, 6:13 pm
in terms of chassidim, there is chabad. there are two elementary schools- yeshiva (chabad) & hillel. there is a small kollel which also has a minyan as well as the main large shul Poalie Zedek (P.Z.) which has a nice mix of congregants. the kollel has various programs like avos ubanim on motzei shabbos and a summer learning program etc.
due to proximity to hospitals, there are a large number of jewish medical students, and there are frum couples who have moved there bec they are in the medical field.
two neighborhoods- squirel hill & white oak (smaller)
the nice thing about living in Pittsburgh is that the city is only 15 - 20 minutes away with so much to do for children and adults- childrens museum, aviary, science museum, zoo/aquarium, many beautiful parks, an amusement park, museum of natural history just to name a few!
there is a milchigs cafe- milky way, and a fleishigs one as well. also a bakery, kosher supermarket etc and costco / aldi / giant eagle sell many kosher products. chalav yisroel is available.
6 hour drive to n.y......
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amother


 

Post Thu, Aug 14 2014, 5:32 am
Squirrel Hill is in the city of Pittsburgh (as a side point many places have Pittsburgh addresses but are not in the city). White Oak is much smaller, and further away.

I was so busy discussing house prices that I forgot the rest. The reason Squirrel Hill is expensive (by Pgh standards--and salaries are lower) is that it is a really nice place to live. It is fairly Jewish feeling but not exclusively, so the kosher store, cafe, etc are nearby but mixed in with non kosher restaurants and Giant Eagle, then the JCC and the Carnegie Library, etc.. It is located between two huge parks, and only a few minutes from Oakland/Shadyside where the universities and hospitals are. It is quieter than NYC but very family friendly and pleasant and the slower pace is great. The Children's Museum is super, and the Science Center very good.

Only caveat is that grocery prices are relatively high. Giant Eagle is really the only major chain and has a huge market share.
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amother


 

Post Thu, Aug 14 2014, 6:18 am
What are the summers like?
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amother


 

Post Thu, Aug 14 2014, 6:40 am
Warm, humid. Usually a touch cooler than NYC, and less sunny, although summer is definitely the sunniest season. Supposedly over the whole year, Pittsburgh is only a bit sunnier than Seattle.

If you have ever been to Cleveland, Pittsburgh is warmer and less snowy as it is further from the lake and not quite as cloudy, but winters are still pretty dank and colder than NYC. NYC is relatively sunny for the Northeast--as you move westward, you get more clouds. When I go back to NYC I am struck by how bright it is especially in summer--and more bright winter days too.
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amother


 

Post Thu, Aug 14 2014, 12:11 pm
There are some decent cheaper grocery stores (Bottom Dollar Food, Aldi, Trader Joes, Costco, Target), but the only real supermarket chain here is indeed pretty expensive for meh quality. But Giant Eagle does often have good hours, so there's that. The price of kosher meat is pretty high here though. I'm considering stocking up when I visit other cities.

Everyone I've met since moving here has been lovely. It's definitely one of the nicest communities that I've seen.
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