5 Reasons to Love Living in Squirrel Hill

Walkability to Restaurants and Businesses

When we think of Squirrel Hill, one of our very first thoughts is about the thriving business district found on Murray and Forbes Avenues in the heart of the neighborhood.

There are so many businesses along these two streets that we'd go as far as saying that Squirrel Hill offers one of the most vibrant shopping districts in all of Pittsburgh. Tons of great restaurants, with a particularly high assortment of Asian restaurants? Yep. Shops and boutique stores? You know it. Specialty grocers? Absolutely. In fact, there are so many businesses in Squirrel Hill that people drive all around the region to Squirrel Hill solely to shop and eat here.

Going further, many additional businesses and restaurants can be found throughout the neighborhood outside of these two popular streets, meaning that no matter where you live, the odds are good you won't be too far away from a great shop or restaurant!

This was truly one of the highlights of our own time living in Squirrel Hill, as we lived just a few houses away from Murray Avenue on Bartlett and could get out and enjoy the amenities in moments. Our only regret is that we moved away just weeks before Hidden Harbor (the city's best tiki bar) opened around the corner! If you live close, prepare to be spoiled.

• While we'd normally like to highlight a few of our favorite businesses in an article like this, there are simply far too many stores to check out in Squirrel Hill. Pop over to our Squirrel Hill neighborhood guide to check out all of our favorite places!

Great Parks in Your Backyard

Whenever we talk to residents of Squirrel Hill about what they love about the neighborhood, one particular spot comes up time and time again- Frick Park. As one of the largest parks in the city, Frick Park is a stunning green space that can be found along the eastern border of Squirrel Hill proper.

For those who live between Murray Avenue and the park, you can have an easy walk to a stunning green space in under 20 minutes (or as little as a few seconds, for the houses found right at the park edge!).

Much like the business district in central Squirrel Hill, Frick Park is a destination for locals all over the region to get out and enjoy a beautiful day- especially during peak fall colors!

But we would be remiss if we did not highlight the fact that Frick Park is not the only park bordering Squirrel Hill! Schenley Park is another stunningly beautiful park found along the western edge of Squirrel Hill, and much like Frick Park you can reach the entrance to the park in just under 20 minutes from the intersection of Forbes and Murray as well.

Put these two together, and we can safely say that a significant portion of residents in the neighborhood can easily reach both parks and enjoy some beautiful green spaces in no time at all!

Impressively Beautiful Houses

Many neighborhoods in Pittsburgh are identifiable by their style of houses, and you won't be in Squirrel Hill long before you are blown away by the houses in the neighborhood.

The large, beautiful homes in Squirrel Hill are simply lovely to see, and for those who want a significant amount of space, there is no shortage of options available here. But with properties like these, so too comes a pretty high price tag and housing in Squirrel Hill is, on average, among some of the most expensive neighborhoods in the city.

While this is true for many properties, not every house in the neighborhood follows this trend, so there are options available for many budgets for those who look hard enough.

Decent Public Transportation

One of the biggest complaints we hear about Pittsburgh is how the public transit around the city can be limiting, and this is heavily dependent on where you live and where you're heading.

Live in the south? You may have great access to the T into the city. Live in the north? Not so much. But if you live in the center of the city or the East End, you have numerous options to consider. This is particularly true in Squirrel Hill.

Throughout the neighborhood, you have access to many bus routes that head to neighborhoods such as Oakland, Downtown, Lawrenceville, and Greenfield, and others that head to nearby boroughs to the south and east as well. 

Although you may not be able to get everywhere via public transit, the options here are pretty impressive by Pittsburgh standards. In all of the neighborhoods we lived in Pittsburgh, we took the bus the most while in Squirrel Hill!

College Accessibility and Rentals

We can take the previous two points even further and highlight the fact that Squirrel Hill is a great neighborhood for those coming into Pittsburgh to study at our area colleges.

Popular universities, like Pitt and Carnegie Mellon, are located just a short bus ride to the west from Squirrel Hill, Chatham is located at the northern edge of the neighborhood, and others like Duquesne can be reached on one of the many bus routes that head into downtown as well.

Couple this with the fact that many larger homes in Squirrel Hill have been converted into multi-unit apartment rentals, and you can easily see why this neighborhood is growing as a rental hub, particularly for graduate students who want to live off-campus yet still be close. Angie lived in Squirrel Hill for grad school at Carnegie Mellon before we had to relocate for my commute, and she loved being able to hop on any of the 61 buses and be on campus in under 15 minutes (and, even better, she could walk to campus on nice days or when traffic was bad, too!).

So while we may think of the stunning houses in Squirrel Hill as nice places to own, those in the rental market may be able to find a smaller unit inside to take advantage of the neighborhood's stellar location all the same!

More Things to Know About Living in Squirrel Hill

Of course, there are more things to consider when it comes to living in Squirrel Hill. Additional points to keep in mind include:

• Although many houses in Squirrel Hill have driveways and garages, a decent number do not. Throw on that the neighborhood has many multi-unit apartments and is a popular destination for visitors coming to the business district, and street parking can be hard to come by- particularly as you get closer to Forbes and Murray.
• For those who require street parking, note that most streets in the neighborhood require permits, so be sure to check the requirements for your street.
• Likewise, in being in the city, be aware that street cleaning typically takes place from April to November on select days (and sides of the street) as well. 
• The business district in Squirrel Hill can be quite busy during the day and evening, and jaywalkers, many delivery trucks, and the erratic driving that follows each are of particular note. It is advised to pay extra attention when driving on or near Forbes and Murray.
• The Squirrel Hill Farmers Market typically takes place on Sundays from May to December, and there are periodic night markets in the summer, and presents a great opportunity to shop local and pick up items you may not be able to regularly get in the business district.
• That said, the neighborhood is not known for late-night culture, and most businesses close down earlier than some would prefer. There have been many times where we've left a restaurant after an early dinner and wanted to go check out a nearby store, only to find that they were closed for the night.
• On a similar note, while there are some great bars in Squirrel Hill, several of which are open later than nearby restaurants, options are limited for how large the neighborhood is. For example, there is no brewery in Squirrel Hill, which often feels surprising given the city's love of craft beer (but Independent Brewing Co. does have one of the best artisan draft lists in the city, so it's hard to be too upset).
• Restaurants are also often in a state of flux in Squirrel Hill, particularly the Asian restaurants, and ownership, names, and menus tend to cycle more in this neighborhood than others. You may find a new favorite, only to come back a few weeks later and find an entirely new business has opened in its place without seeing any news about it at all.
• If you are commuting to work, remember that traffic at the Squirrel Hill tunnel on I-376 is prone to backups during rush hour, game days, etc. This often occurs in both directions as traffic flows steadily east and west during peak travel hours. The joke about there being a tunnel monster here feels true, as you often have zero traffic once you get to the other side- making you wonder why traffic slowed down at all.
• When we lived in Squirrel Hill, I worked out by the airport and had to deal with double tunnel traffic. My commute could easily double or triple in the event of tunnel traffic, and is the primary reason why we had to move away from the neighborhood. 

Overall, Squirrel Hill is a wonderful neighborhood in Pittsburgh and whether you're simply visiting for the day or planning to call it home, there is a lot to love about it!

Do you live in Squirrel Hill? What do you think of the neighborhood? Comment below to share!

Are you looking to buy a house in Squirrel Hill and need a real estate agent? Be sure to contact our friends at The Melinda Lynch Team and tell them Discover the Burgh sent you!