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Garfield

Garfield

3.0
$250,531 Average Value
$199 Average Price per Sq Ft
14 Homes For Sale

Garfield blends walkability with arts and cultural revival

Garfield is a classic, walkable Pittsburgh neighborhood between busy commuter and commercial pockets in the East End. Major hospitals just blocks away in Bloomfield and Lawrenceville are important to everyday life, but much of what makes Garfield special is on a more human scale. After a period of failed urban renewal projects, investment in affordable housing and Penn Avenue’s arts and cultural scene has breathed new life into a community packed with century-old homes. Colorful street art, monthly gallery crawls, diverse local restaurants, volunteer-tended garden plots and youth sports leagues connect neighbors with a shared love of creativity and intentional community.

Housing costs, investment and affordability in the East End

Garfield's blocks are lined by rowhouses and detached National and Foursquare houses built from the late 19th through early 20th centuries. Move-in-ready homes sell from the upper $100,000s to the lower $500,000s. Houses that need significant work can go for as little as $40,000. Groups like the Bloomfield-Garfield Corporation and Garfield Jubilee Association have worked to increase affordable housing development and fix up blighted properties for decades. The majority of residents rent rather than own homes, whether in small multifamily properties, larger apartment buildings or the Garfield Commons mixed-income public housing community.

“Garfield is definitely going through the same transition that Lawrenceville and East Liberty did,” says Nathaniel Nieland, an agent with Coldwell Banker Realty who has served the Pittsburgh area for 18 years. “There are a lot of investors going in. You’ll see some new construction houses starting to pop up a little now. And younger people are filtering in, ones that are getting priced out of Shadyside, Friendship or Lawrenceville.” Despite rising housing costs, Garfield’s median single-family home price is still in the upper $200,000s. That’s lower than the median prices in neighboring East Liberty, Bloomfield, Shadyside and Central Lawrenceville.

Gabled roof houses with porches line Broad Street.
Gabled roof houses with porches line Broad Street.
Homes in Garfield include three-story townhouses.
Homes in Garfield include three-story townhouses.
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Connected to public transit, the East End and downtown

With access to sidewalks, shared bike lanes and a handful of Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus routes, many residents don’t rely on cars to get around Garfield and nearby East End areas. Two major health care employers, AHN West Penn Hospital and UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, are each about a mile away. Oakland, home to more health care and higher education hubs, is about 3 miles away. Downtown Pittsburgh is roughly 4 miles from home.

Garfield is surrounded by other highly populated neighborhoods.
Garfield is surrounded by other highly populated neighborhoods.
Public transportation is easy to access if you head down to Penn Avenue.
Public transportation is easy to access if you head down to Penn Avenue.
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A neighborhood full of arts, culture and community events

“It’s a very artsy community. You’ll see a lot of murals painted on the sides of buildings and all kinds of cool stuff,” Nieland says. Galleries, art workshops and live music venues make up the Penn Avenue Arts and Commercial District. That corridor comes alive with foot traffic, street musicians and open-door galleries during the monthly Unblurred First Fridays art crawl. Some of the spots you might visit during the event or during regular business hours include:

  • Pittsburgh Glass Center
  • Mr. Roboto Project
  • Center for PostNatural History
  • The Irma Freeman Center for Imagination

Fort Pitt Park in Garfield includes a football field and baseball diamond.
Fort Pitt Park in Garfield includes a football field and baseball diamond.

Community-centered green spaces and recreation

Creativity isn’t just concentrated in Garfield’s gallery spaces, it also fills the neighborhood's reinvented parks and recreation hubs. Volunteers have turned a few acres of land into the Garfield Community Farm, which also hosts farmers markets. Kids and adults can learn hip hop and street dance at Level Up Studios. The Irma Freeman Center for Imagination hosts visual and performing arts programs for all ages, as well as weekly yoga classes. There are master plan updates in the works for Fort Pitt Park, but the field and playground outside a former elementary school are already known as the home of the Garfield Gators Youth Sports League.

Restaurants and business life on Penn Avenue

The East End of Pittsburgh is known for its buzzy pockets of local businesses, and Garfield is no exception. Penn Avenue is pocketed with a blend of galleries, artsy specialty shops and diverse eateries. Some favorite restaurants are:

  • Bantha Tea Bar, a cozy cafe decorated with local art and jars of loose-leaf tea
  • Spak Brothers, a pizza shop known for experimental pies and vegan options
  • People’s Indian Restaurant, a small corner eatery with a massive lunch buffet
  • Soju, a Korean spot known for cool, contemporary ambiance and colorful cocktails
Aldi is the nearest major grocery store. Several other lively, walkable business districts are about a mile away in East Liberty, Shadyside, Bloomfield and Lawrenceville.

Spak Brothers is always serving up a high volume of pizzas throughout the week.
Spak Brothers is always serving up a high volume of pizzas throughout the week.
Garfield residents typically shop at the local Aldi.
Garfield residents typically shop at the local Aldi.
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Pittsburgh Milliones serves grades 6-12 with top education and after school programs.
Pittsburgh Milliones serves grades 6-12 with top education and after school programs.

Neighborhood and choice schools in PPS

Garfield is served by the Pittsburgh Public School District. Kids can attend neighborhood schools assigned by home address or apply to schools with special academic magnet programs. One of Garfield’s neighborhood schools, Pittsburgh Milliones 6-12, offers a magnet college preparatory program developed with the University of Pittsburgh.

Julia Szymanski
Written By
Julia Szymanski
Patrick Graham
Photography Contributed By
Patrick Graham

Agents Specializing in this Area

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Schools

Source:
GreatSchools: The GreatSchools Rating helps parents compare schools within a state based on a variety of school quality indicators and provides a helpful picture of how effectively each school serves all of its students. Ratings are on a scale of 1 (below average) to 10 (above average) and can include test scores, college readiness, academic progress, advanced courses, equity, discipline and attendance data. We also advise parents to visit schools, consider other information on school performance and programs, and consider family needs as part of the school selection process. View GreatSchools Rating Methodology

Parks in this Area

Transit

Airport

Pittsburgh International

34 min drive

Bus

Black St & Chislett

Bus

Hillcrest St & Wicklow St

Bus

Penn Ave & Atlantic

Bus

Atlantic Ave & Kincaid

Bus

Schenley Ave & Columbo St

Bus

Hillcrest St & Aiken

Bus

Columbo St & Pacific

Reviews

Niche Reviews
3.0 5 Reviews
1.0 Nearby Resident
4/18/2024 Niche Review
An African American community was really rough. As most redline segregated communities. This community just like any other Blaq communities are being targeted by privilege pilgrims. Bloomfield remains an historic italian community sq hill historic jewish community but the blaq communities are being targeted for eradication. The Whyte Supremacy is ruthless its shows no mercy to AA.
Are you familiar with the Garfield neighborhood? to let others know what life in this neighborhood is like.

Crime and Safety

1 - Low Crime, 10 - High Crime Garfield US
Homicide 4 4
Sexual Assault 5 4
Assault with Weapon 4 4
Robbery 4 4
Burglary 5 4
Motor Vehicle Theft 4 4
Larceny 4 4
Crime Score 4 4

Source: WhatIsMyCrimeRisk.com

Garfield Demographics and Home Trends

Housing Trends

Median List Price
$289,950
Median Sale Price
$275,000
Median Single Family Sale Price
$304,950
Median Townhouse Sale Price
$249,900
Median Change From 1st List Price
5%
Last 12 months Home Sales
41
Median Home Sale Price YoY Change
8%
Average Price Per Sq Ft
$199

Neighborhood Facts

Number of Homes
1,223
Number of Homes for Sale
14
Median Year Built
1915
Months of Supply
4.10
Average Single Family Home Size Sq Ft
1,562
Below the national average
1,930
Average Townhouse Size Sq Ft
1,464
Average 2 Bedroom Size Sq Ft
951
Average 1 Bedroom Size Sq Ft
1,052
Median Lot Size Sq Ft
2,613

Distribution of Home Values

Source: Public Records

Homes for Sale

Homes for Rent

Average Home Value





Source: Public Records

Property Mix - Square Feet

This Neighborhood Has More Renters

Demographics

Total Population
3,760
Median Age
36
Population Density
14 ppl/acre
Population under 18
24%
On par with the national average
23.8%
Population over 65
15.7%
On par with the national average
19.1%

Finances

Median Household Income
$60,816
Significantly below the national average
$79,601
Average Household Income
$78,904

Education and Workforce

High School Graduates
93.6%
College Graduates
44.5%
Above the national average
34.1%
Advanced Degrees
16%
% Population in Labor Force
71.6%
Above the national average
64.9%

Weather

Annual Precipitation
41''
Average Winter Low Temperature
23°F
Average Summer High Temperature
83°F
Annual Snowfall
40''

Area Factors

Bikeable

Bike Score®

57 / 100

Very Walkable

Walk Score®

71 / 100

Good Transit

Transit Score®

50 / 100
Source: Walk Score
Source: Walk Score

Sound Score® measures the noise level of any address. Transit Score® measures access to public transit. Bike Score® measures the bikeability of any address.

Nearby Neighborhoods

Disclaimer: Certain information contained herein is derived from information provided by parties other than Homes.com. Our sources include: Accuweather, Public Records and Neustar. All information provided is deemed reliable, but is not guaranteed to be accurate and should be independently verified.
NEIGHBORHOOD
Garfield
Trish Gesswein
Houwzer LLC-Haddonfield
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