Braddock Hills

On either side of the car-jammed Parkway East corridor lies Edgewood, a borough east of Pittsburgh where towering oaks, maples and sycamores shade blocks of historic housing, Regent Square commercial hubs and neighbors taking in the views along tranquil sidewalks. “People say hello to each other walking on the streets, it’s very cordial,” says Maureen States, owner of Neighborhood Realty Services who has worked in Edgewood for 22 years. “They can go straight down the street to restaurants or into Frick Park.” Home to combination Historic Landmarks and ongoing social hubs like the towering First Edgewood Presbyterian Church and Mission-style Edgewood Club, Edgewood is a mosaic of historic architecture and modern amenities 7 miles from downtown Pittsburgh. On long, sloping streets and densely plotted, sidewalk-lined blocks, Edgewood’s single-family homes come in a breadth of loud and more reserved styles popular from the mid-19th century through the late 20th century. “There’s a lot of Craftsman styles and Victorians, yet you also find 1950s houses,” States says. “It’s a wide variety with a lot of trees and pretty landscaping.” For $150,000 to $350,000, homebuyers find a wide array of smaller and less updated single-family homes ranging from brick American Foursquares to colorful Victorian-inspired homes with column-lined front porches. Homes in the $400,000 to $750,000 price range typically have upward of four bedrooms and more yard space, more updated appliances and amenities like on-property driveways, or larger frames adorned with Dutch Colonial roofs or Tudor-inspired wood detailing. Roads vary between asphalt and bumpy stretches of brick paving, and the neighborhood’s diversity of trees make for big, multi-colored piles of leaves to rake in the fall. A block and a half of South Braddock Avenue in the Regent Square area of the borough houses a small commercial district lined by broad sidewalks and limited street parking. Coffee lovers can stop into the 61B Cafe, named for the Port Authority bus line. For more of a meal, D’s Six Pax and Dogz serves loaded hotdogs and an impressive stock of beers, while Thai Cottage is a favorite for Thai cuisine and a cozy dining experience lit by dozens of hanging lanterns. Down the block, 3 Rivers Outdoor Company is a rugged, locally owned retailer for outdoor apparel, gear and equipment rentals. For more extensive shopping, locals head to Edgewood Town Centre. Giant Eagle anchors the plaza, but shoppers can head to Pet Supplies Plus, Planet Fitness and several fast-casual eateries a few storefronts away and across the central parking lot. Each summer, locals celebrate Edgewood Community Day on front porches and at Koenig Field. Packrats clear garages and closets at the Community Day Yard Sale in the morning before heading to the field for an art market, games and food, culminating in a fireworks show at dark. At Community Day and a few other events throughout the year, residents can buy tickets or rosin their own bows for Edgewood Symphony Orchestra concerts, a community-based volunteer ensemble making music together for over 35 years. Frick Park sprawls over more than 600 acres of woodland just west of Edgewood, sending hikers down miles of trails broken up by wooden staircases, bridges over trickling creeks and toward specialized recreation hubs like the clay tennis courts off South Braddock Avenue or the cardboard sled-strewn Blue Slide Playground closer to Squirrel Hill. Tennis and pickleball players can hit the courts at Koenig Field while walkers do loops of the asphalt track meandering past two baseball diamonds and the nearby playground. Membership at the Edgewood Club opens access to the swimming pool, tennis courts and basketball courts outside the clubhouse and C.C. Mellor Library during the warmer months. Kids attend Woodland Hills School District, starting off at Edgewood Elementary STEAM Academy which earns a C from Niche, followed by Dickson Preparatory STEAM Academy which also earns a C and Woodland Hills Senior High School which earns a B-minus. Woodland Hills partners with VEX Robotics to provide hands-on robotics, coding and engineering experience from elementary school through high school. Down the street from Edgewood Elementary, the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf provides deaf and hard of hearing students with tuition-free private education from birth through high school graduation. I-376, also called the Parkway East, runs through Edgewood, providing a 7-mile commute into downtown Pittsburgh. Port Authority bus stops run along Edgewood Avenue and South Braddock Avenue for those wanting a public transit option.

Welcome to Forest Hills, an aptly named borough in Pennsylvania's Allegheny County. Less than 10 miles east of Downtown Pittsburgh, this suburb is a great neighborhood for commuters, thanks to the proximity of Interstate 376 and Ardmore Boulevard, which is dotted by several Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus stops. "What's nice about Forest Hills is that it's super close to the city — really, it's convenient to get just about anywhere — but you still have that neighborly, community-type feel," says Andreana Gallagher, a local Realtor with Coldwell Banker Realty who has quite a few friends in the Forest Hills community. "As a lot of Pittsburghers know, life in a surrounding suburb can make traveling downtown difficult." The streets of this borough wind through the rolling hills Pennsylvania is known for, with pocket forests and open green space breaking up the dense housing. In fact, this neighborhood is designated as a Tree City by the Arbor Day Foundation, so it's no wonder that mature greenery like oaks and maples shade nearly every yard. So, while one's backyard could be a foray into nature in and of itself, there are parks and natural areas also utilized for enjoying the sunshine. The borough's namesake park, Forest Hills Park, has a 2-mile trail through the valley, athletic facilities and even a community swimming pool. Of all the neighborhood parks, this one is the most loaded with recreational amenities, which lines up with its popularity. For a less crowded playground or a quieter visit overall, Koch Park is another option, tucked right at the end of a residential street, surrounded by towering pines. Hillside Garden, managed by the Garden Club of Forest Hills, and the local Bird and Wildlife Sanctuary site are two other lush enclaves where you can take in the fresh air and peacefully observe the community's flora and fauna. Most of the homes in Forest Hills are Colonial Revivals but don't make the mistake of thinking any two homes are exactly alike. This isn't a cookie-cutter community by any means; however, Colonial Foursquares featuring large front porches comprise most of what you'll see, aside from the occasional ranch- or prairie-style abode. Bi- and split-level residences are also popular on the streets characterized by dramatic hills, like Woodside Road. Forest Hills' average sales price of $224,000 has the potential to land you a three-bedroom, two-bathroom home. Overall, listing prices range between $92,000 and $595,000. While this is predominantly a neighborhood of single-family homes, you can also find some properties that have been converted into duplexes and triplexes. Forest Hills is served by the Woodland Hills School District, so students living in this borough can start their academic journey in the township next door at Wilkins Elementary STEAM Academy, rated with a C on Niche, before attending Dickson Preparatory STEAM Academy, also rated with a C on Niche. And for the last stop on this K-12 pipeline, students can graduate down the street from home at Woodland Hills Senior High, which lies outside the borough's north side. This high school boasts a B-minus on Niche. It has an array of extracurriculars to enrich the school day, such as varsity sports like cross country. It also boasts a strong art department, with annual art shows hosted at the Carnegie Museum of Art. As for running errands, there are some locally owned businesses on the borough's south side in Sumner Avenue Shops. Still, for the most part, folks head over to the commercial strips off Ardmore Boulevard, where there's an Aldi, a Giant Eagle Supermarket, some fast-food chains and various local eateries, such as Jodi B's Restaurant, a diner with friendly staff and a menu of tried-and-true staples. Tucked right into the neighborhood is another delectable hub, Roll Up Food Truck. From their hearty lunch items to seasonal coffee beverages, this local shop most likely has something right up your alley. "I've found that folks in Forest Hills don't leave Forest Hills," Gallagher says. "There's a lot of pride when it comes to homeownership here. People take care of their homes; they get involved. It's a loved community."