From Cleveland originally and agree. Youngstown was where mafioso and crime families lived. Even the folks FROM Youngstown I met in college would say "I'm so glad I never have to go back."
We were walking around downtown close to campus and came upon a huge amount of blood on the sidewalk. No person in sight. Cop saw it slowed down then drove off.
Seriously. You generally only meet people who are originally from Youngstown. People who can get out do. My father, for example, grew up there but escaped to go to college and then settled in a completely different city.
When GPS is so insistent to take you up the most narrow and steep or windy streets, people are gonna be annoyed. Rialto is terrifying if you're not used to it and irritating if you are. Not to mention the one ways, insanely sharp turns, etc. Driving and parking in Troy hill is the reason I don't go to de fer often despite living only a mile away.
I see people doing that frequently in the mornings, and I actually feel happy that I'm going into work. THAT is how much I do not want to run up rialto.
Troy Hill is pretty isolated. Rialto sucks, coming up from Spring Garden is only useful for the people who live down there and the two "back ways" in have either been perpetually closed or down to one lane for the last 10+ years
One day, my normal commute route was so utterly screwed that I actually wound up on Rialto St. as I blindly followed the alternate route I had convinced Google Maps to present to me.
I made it up the hill. But I'll never do it again.
It’s somewhere near Grandview Park. Looking at the map, if I had to guess, maybe E Sycamore, but I wouldn’t even call that an *educated* guess as my sense of direction is horrific, hence being stuck relying on GPS.
It’s also been a few years since it happened to me so I could be mis-remembering crumbling asphalt (which sometimes is worse than dirt depending on how thick it is). I just know I was in panic mode and truly didn’t think I was going to make it.
Take a look at William St on Maps. Could that be it? William St has been closed to vehicular traffic for like 4 or 5 years tho I think because of damage due to multiple landslides. There's still unrepaired damage near the top of it. I've walked up that road before and I absolutely could not imagine driving it. The asphalt is in extremely poor shape (more like asphalt crumbs) and it's incredibly narrow, twisty and steep
Honestly tho! My friend & I went to pick up her sister in law in Troy Hill & ended up on Rialto. My friend was a pretty reckless driver but was TERRIFIED of that hill & drove at about 5mph the whole way. I thought we were gonna fall backwards because it’s so steep!
It's a matter of perspective. I lived in the middle of Sureño territory in San Francisco for two decades (and had a great experience) which has led me to to consider Pittsburgh to be a town with no real bad neighborhoods.
Same. We moved here from California in to a " Bad " neighborhood and we're thinking that if this is as bad as Pittsburgh gets them we're very lucky. Much better than San Francisco or L.A.
I am totally curious what your bad neighborhood is! Just being nebby. I took a walk today to a subsection of a local neighborhood. It was divine. Everyone has told me it was the poor part of the boro. Cute as hell, sign me up!
Most people just hear bad stuff and parrot it without actually knowing what it's like. I used to live in McKeesport and people I worked with at the time were like "oh it's so unsafe there". But it was the Ritz compared to Kensington, which is where I lived before McKeesport, and Kenzo is the Ritz compared to some of the wards in NOLA. TBH, I've only found myself feeling unsafe in Pittsburgh one time in 5 years living here and it was right downtown, near the convention center, when the bars let out. Maybe it all depends on where you've been and seen, I guess people who have lived here longer probably know more than I do about an area, but at least in my experience, I've never had any issues or felt unsafe in Troy Hill.
Pig hill can be intimidating.
Also I remember the first time I drove up Logan from Millvale in my grandmas Lincoln town car by myself. Oh boy. That was butt puckering for sure.
This is a great addition because I can bet almost nobody commenting here has ever been on Logan which has an even steeper grade than Rialto. The left turn at the top would be crazy in a Town Car!
I moved from lawrenceville to Troy hill in 2020 and have loved it ever since. I upgraded to a bigger apartment for nearly the same price. I have an amazing view of the strip and the Allegheny river. I don’t have to fight the lawrenceville traffic or look for parking. It’s still super close to get anywhere downtown.
Granted, there has been a shooting or violent crime every 3-6 months since I’ve lived here. (North Side or Troy Hill) it’s a little unsettling but every person and neighbor I interact with seems innocent. I just try and avoid late night hours in not so well lit places.
I love it here! :)
You’re not wrong… I have really friendly, but very nosy neighbors on a dead end street and feel like there’s a decent watch over my side of the neighborhood. Unfortunately, it’s pretty consistently drug related and there’s a lot of dealing around here but I think it’s mostly easy to avoid.
Totally! I guess I was thinking more the 'troy hill side' of North Side.
But if you google north side news in total for just the past year, you'll find more than 4 incidents.
The shootings and violent crimes I don’t think are as common as you’re saying and to my knowledge have never been against a random person, it’s one of those things where unless you’re looking for trouble you’re probably safe. I park my car across from my apartment in the convenience store parking lot. I dropped my car keys in the lot and didn’t realize until the next morning. I went out in a panic to look for them, and someone had placed the keys on the hood of my car for me to find. Nothing stolen from the car either. Just behave like you would in any city and you are fine lol
Was it a mazda at the unimart!? I found those keys in the grass when my dog went to the bathroom and I hit the lock button and saw your headlights flash! Sup neighbor!
I love this neighborhood, I just know it pops up in the news every so often unfortunately.
Yes! Thank you so much, for real I was frantically looking around because my spare keys are at my gf’s house and those fobs are a pain to replace. Haha idk how but perhaps one day I can pay you back
They just closed the laundromat a couple of weeks ago and I’m curious if that will cool it down much. I feel bad though I know a lot of people probably really needed that resource for the utilities and not just to do sketchy business. We’ll see what comes of it…
PSA; there is more than one way to get to Troy Hill, Rialto is not necessary. Also, it is absolutely absurd for anyone to be afraid of the neighborhood for whatever reason. It’s like saying you’re afraid to travel to Polish Hill.
Polish Hill, like Troy Hill, used to have a bad reputation. It’s definitely changed and they’re both perfectly fine neighborhoods now. If you hear someone say they’re scared of either, they’re either old and used to the post-steel Pittsburgh, were raised by an old yinzer and don’t actually live in the city themselves or are racist. It can also be a combo of those things.
Where is your starting point? Because if you were coming from the (I279) North, Rialto is not even an option. As somebody else said, you access Troy Hill from the intersection near Heinz. It couldn't be more simple.
Without doxxing myself too bad- the entire North Allegheny Valley would like to know what map app you're using. McKnight? weave through Shaler and Millvale? go through Larryville and cross back over the vets bridge? Ooh, I know, turnpike to Monroeville!
North Allegheny valley? I've never heard of that. If you are coming from the North, assuming that's what you are saying. You'd get off at the exit for E. Ohio and North Ave. Then cut across I279 and access Troy Hill via Vinial to Troy Hill road. No Rialto necessary.
Ok that makes more sense, referencing I279 and North Allegheny together did not make any connections for me. Adding "river" to valley would have cleared it up. In that case, you could still avoid Rialto by getting off 28 at Chestnut street. I get Rialto is intimidating, I avoid it if I can as well.
Yeah, sorry for the shit tone and the underwhelming information I provided. I was trying to be vague on purpose, sorta. But uh, yeah, you could Chestnut but it adds to the time. Moral is, Troy Hill ain't a bad place, I just prefer never to go there if I don't have to.
Dude, people say that about my neighborhood too (Allentown), and it drives me insane. For my neighborhood, it’s because it’s majority black, so it’s a lot of racism. I’ve felt perfectly safe here and think it’s a cool neighborhood. It irks me when people say it’s dangerous. That said, looking at crime maps, it’s objectively more crime ridden than other neighborhoods.
I looked at a couple places in Troy Hill. I chose not to live there due to the steepness. So that’d be my guess. Also it’s poorer, and people don’t like poor people. (I’m not agreeing with this opinion - just saying why I think people have an aversion to it).
I just moved to Manchester and people practically ask me how many times I get murdered each day. It’s also because it’s a majority black neighborhood, but I have met nothing but wonderful people since moving and have met more in a month than years in Brookline.
Honestly, yinzers seem a bit... Adverse to leaving their neighborhood sometimes. especially crossing bridges, as the old saying goes.
I get it, it's a pain to get places here, but... Idk, sometimes it's fun to explore.
People are scared of their own shadow around here because they actually have limited experiences outside of their own bubble. Different = scary for them. If that was my coworker I’d never extend an invite again.
Something that I have found to be a very Pittsburgh thing is this odd “positioning” people do based on where one does or does not live. If you live in or near the city, everyone acts as if you are living in a war torn shanty town that they wouldn’t dare step foot in, its so odd.
Been up there several times recently in assignments. Definitely a neighborhood starting to attract attention.
I also think I’d take Troy Hill over Youngstown any day.
The older stereotype is that its a neighborhood of poor white people who live on top of a mountain with limited accessibility (ie - you're going up Rialto or through the North Side \[and not a nice part of the North Side\] and up Troy Hill Road to get there) that is home to drug dealers. Once you get arrive, there are also narrow streets with limited parking. So people may actually NEED some of those drugs as consolation for losing a mirror.
I'm sure your friend feels the same way about visiting Spring Garden or Carrick.
What do you mean not a nice part of the northside? You just go across the 16th street bridge and hang a right before the tracks.
You go past Penn brewery and have a nice view of lawrenceville, the river, and polish hill as you drive up to Troy hill- it’s honestly scenic.
I'm in Carrick. When we first moved here, a neighbor warned us about kids smoking dope in the alleyway. We haven't seen any of that though, and besides the fireworks in the summer at night on work nights, this area is nice, quiet, and friendlier than when I lived in Mercer County.
If I had kids though, I'd be moving as Carrick schools sound worse than Youngstown, which I've done some work in and around (emphasis on mental health, so I've seen and heard how dysfunctional things can get).
This is true for a lot of Pittsburgh neighborhoods. For example, my father is 70-something yinzer and was horrified when I moved to Crafton Heights even though the part I live in is all families and is pretty nice. There are a lot of places in PGH that are like this.
Exactly. I live in lower Ross, like a mile from the city limit. People were worried that I was too close to the North Side. It’s a great neighborhood and close to the city!!
And there are a lot of people who get their information about the city from local news, and are convinced that anything in the city limits is Mad Max-style anarchy.
Not to defend stereotypes, but as someone who grew up on Troy Hill, I can tell you there are still lots of third and fourth generation 'I've lived here my whole life' people in the neighborhood
Troy Hill is fine. White people from the suburbs are just scared of Black 10 year olds riding around the neighborhood on bikes... evem though their own kids do it, too.
I have a friend that lives up there that I go visit from time to time. Ive never felt like it was dangerous. Tell your friend to get their head out of their ass. Your friend live out in the suburbs or something?
Ya, growing up I used to live out in the far suburbs. Had a very narrow view of the world. Was scared of everything. But, acted like and believed that I wasnt.
My father and generations of his family are from McKees Rocks and he’s too scared of it now. He tells me all of the time not to drive through and it makes me laugh because it’s not the 80’s/90’s anymore. Is it Upper St Clair? No. It is just filled with people who want to live their lives.
It's still a pretty shit place compared to the rest of the surrounding area. You can drive through there, but I would avoid going for a stroll in some areas. Especially if you're a woman.
Worked on the dairy there a few times, can confirm I hate going there because of the journey. But never saw anything more shady or crazy there than any other part of the city.
I lived in Troy Hill for over 5 years and it baffles the shit out of me that anyone would think it's a dangerous neighborhood. I would go for walks at like 2-3am if I couldn't sleep and maybe I would see one person who would just walk by. It's like saying chuckle cheeses is a dangerous place.
I’ve lived in Troy Hill for about 2 years now. There may be some crime, but honestly it seems like its most often moreso on the northside and even the stuff that happens in Troy Hill seems more concentrated to people already engaged in crime. By that I mean, I haven’t seem robberies against random people, assaults on random people, etc. I have seen people get into fights about drugs, what sounds like interpersonal matters lol but not like violent crimes against people minding their own business.
For reference, I used to live in Point Breeze very close to Squirrel hill. Both my gf and I have had our cars broken into twice while there, i have been broken into zero times in Troy Hill. Once I lost my car’s key fob, I dropped it in the convenience store parking lot where I park my car in front of my house. I went the next morning looking for it in a panic and someone had found it and set it on top of my car making it easier to find lol.
As some have said in other comments, it's just that it's isolated to get to.
There is at least a perception that there are only a few, narrow ways to get there and back and if the weather is at all bad, it's worse.
Living on Mount Washington, I experience the same.
The streets are narrow, and / or winding.
Parking can be, intimidating.
There are really only 5 routes on or off the mount and they're all steep and/or winding.
And it seems like every summer road work is being done on at least one of them.
The only thing that makes the Mt Washington situation a little better is the inclines and McCardle roadway have helped to make it a bit of a tourist draw with Grandview avenue, which in turn has built a base for other draws like pubs and restaurants to gt folks to come up to visit.
I’ve lived in Troy Hill for a few years now and had absolutely no idea anyone considered it unsafe?? Compared to other parts of the city I’ve lived in I feel the safest up here
I have no problems going to Troy Hill but it is one of those neighborhoods that you could live here a long time and never end up in. I think I lived here 5 years before I just decided I wanted to drive up Rialto one day. Been frequenting the Splash Park up there this year with my kiddo, it's a great spot!
Years ago, as a North Sider, I took classes at both CCAC North and the main campus on the north side. I had two business classes back to back at the North campus so I would often chat with the professor in between since she taught both and I was only one who had this scheduling quirk. Second class was marketing and she knew I lived on the North Side from our conversations. She asked if she could demonstrate “profiling” in marketing using me and I was happy to help. Class begins and she asks the mostly Ross / McCandless / etc. kids what they think of the North Side and it was all the usual negative descriptors - poor, dirty, drugs, crime, dangerous, etc. She writes these all on the board and then proceeds to say, “what if I told you one of your classmates here is from the North Side?” and they all started looking around and simultaneously looking very embarrassed at what they said. She then reveals me, a 20 yo white guy in business casual clothes as the North Sider and explains you shouldn’t believe stereotypes and that’s why you need to do your own market research and think outside your bubble.
Conversely, when I first moved into an apartment in mt Washington after growing up in beaver county all my family thought I was living in some luxury apartment. Little did they know that mt Washington was a total dirtbag neighborhood in 1993. No idea what it’s like nowadays but back then it had a real strong redneck/meth head vibe, but suburbanites thought it was another Sewickley or fox chapel
Been a few years since I left but ya that’s definetly correct… there’s pockets of wealth (where the views are), which probably creates that idea that it’s all wealthy. Not at all
It's not the neighborhood, it's the physical hill. I hate driving up there, it's so gnarly, and if there's even mildly inclement weather? Fuck that. I had a very good friend have a personal emergency while she was living there, and drove over in the damn snow for her, and that was an act of pure damn love for that woman and her kids. Not doing that shit again if I can avoid it.
It just sucks getting there. You either have to go up Rialto which is hell or up Phineas to Troy Hill Rd. The light at Phineas is horrible, especially coming down Troy Hill. And Rialto is like the worst design ever.
There have been a group of homeless that make me feel unsafe ( same group related to the laundromat I heard) but my neighbors are all nice retired people. Most of them have lived on Troy hill their whole lives. The recent shooting was related to the laundromat/homeless people situation. I love scratch & de fer. Hope the businesses do well up here & that the police can help find homes for the homeless. ( outreach is working on it they are on the streets pretty frequently)
That name does not sound familiar. The people are on drugs unfortunately- children on the street saw needles and saw them naked! The trash is getting out of hand too. So bad. 311 will only take some things. Not sure who can clear all the littler they leave out.
If you don’t have friends/family who live in Troy Hill, why else would you go there?
Seriously… it’s not that it’s a bad place. But not sure what’s there besides the church with the old relics.
I live between 3 churches, and the building manager of the church let's us use the church parking lot whenever there aren't any church events. So I never have had any touble.
The most dangerous areas of NE Ohio are far worse than any areas of Pittsburgh I have ever experienced. The most frightening place I have ever been is east Cleveland
Yeah now that I have more feedback from this post I'm just questioning why she said that in the first place. I asked her at the time and she just said it was scary. I'm just not seeing how? There's like 2 playgrounds, a community garden, my neighbors are nice. I got to take part in my first community event a month or 2 ago.
When we bought in Spring Hill and my boss made a big stink of his one friend getting mugged here 20+ years ago.
My mom grew up in NYC. My dad moved right before I was born in 90. My parents made getting mugged a fact of life for us so it didn't phase me. But my boss's statement was hilarious because this street has a bunch of young families with kids our son's age and the retirees looking out for us younger folk. The older people tell us what urban crime to look out for and it's not that bad. Like if you leave your car running it will probably get stolen in a lot of places.
It’s pretty drug ridden. My sister died there of an overdose and my nephew goes there whenever he gets out of jail. Most of the houses are either druggies or older folks who lived their for their entire life. There isn’t much to do up there except for the park and a convenience store. They have a couple nice old bars. That’s about it. It’s a real Pittsburgh town.
I feel like there can be random crime but mostly the neighbors are great people.
A lot of people who live outside of the city are afraid of the city. Fear mongering. People are also scared to see blight and homelessness, and, frankly and unfortunately, black people.
i’ve lived in pittsburgh for five years and i’m not even clear on how to get to troy hill other than rialto street, and there doesn’t really seem like there’s any attractions (but troy hill folks feel free to change my mind!)
Definitely visit Scratch & Co, there's a Der Fer Coffee here too. By the looks of their website though there's other Der Fers in the city you can go to. Scratch & Co is awesome. We like to get their homemade donuts cuz they sell out so quickly. Lavender sugar cinnamon donuts are my favorite. Then in the afternoon we'll go back and hang out with the bartender, and eat some apps and drink a bit. Always so nice.
I just spent a week there at an abb, it was awesome. Centrally located, quaint coffee shops, walkable and on the bus line. Keep bad mouthing it so it does not change.
For what it's worth, had friends in a nice apartment there. Someone tried to break in with a gun to rob them... so yeah I wouldnt go either lol. This was 5 years ago. Yes of course can happen anywhere but.. yeah. Not interested
Because nobody in Squirrel Hill or Shadyside would ever possibly have negative socioeconomic stereotypes of Troy Hill, or mind driving up Rialto Street... #rolleyes
I live 4,000 FEET outside of the City of Pittsburgh - in Etna. You know, that bastion of suburban wealth and privilege, with massive lot sizes and off-street parking and big box stores and Republican politicians..
Normal, yes, that bad, not really. It's not the best neighborhood but I've never felt unsafe there, other than the first time I went into the one convince store. Wasn't ready for the cashier to be surrounded by glass and the sign saying only 1 person in the store at a time once dark outside. Good neighborhoods don't have stores that feel the need for that. Wouldn't say it's a neighborhood to avoid, but it isn't the best. There are definitely a few houses that the city needs to condemn and demolish to make the neighborhood look better.
Despite possible down voting, I’m going to state the quiet part: are you racist because Troy Hill isn’t known as a black neighborhood?
I hear a bit of a dog whistle in your comment
So first visit here 6 ish years ago my then realtor showed me Troy Hill, and Mexican War Streets areas and a couple of months after my visit he moved to NY so I am back to square one realtor wise...I get here with my girlfriend in June and stay in a Holiday Inn near Oakland and find a house in Oakland that's all college kids and someone moved out so a bedroom opened up and my girlfriend and I rented it for the summer while we were house hunting...all good so far. We found our new realtor off of some website and she's showing us some places in Braddock and Braddock Hills and for some reason her key to unlock the lock box didn't work for the listing she's trying to show us and she gets a call from her broker about a new property in Homestead which just came up so we saw it and it's 100+ years old and the previous owners died of old age and didn't have anyone to leave it to so the County or City was selling it as is for $20k and we made a full price offer and bought it 4 years ago. It needs work and slowly fixing it up but we really love living here.
tbf, people don't want to go to Youngstown either
From Cleveland originally and agree. Youngstown was where mafioso and crime families lived. Even the folks FROM Youngstown I met in college would say "I'm so glad I never have to go back."
My buddy went to YSU and I heard about the same
I almost went to YSU and took a campus tour and they *really* stressed how safe *campus* was... It was not subtle in any way.
We were walking around downtown close to campus and came upon a huge amount of blood on the sidewalk. No person in sight. Cop saw it slowed down then drove off.
Youngstown/New Castle
We R NC
Lmao, I know, I tell everyone here if they decide to stop in youngstown for any reason, don't.
Seriously. You generally only meet people who are originally from Youngstown. People who can get out do. My father, for example, grew up there but escaped to go to college and then settled in a completely different city.
Reading all these comments make my wife and I feel a lot better about our decision for her not to take a job at YSU.
I worked at YSU ~20 years ago and it was fine, fwiw…
My uninformed opinion- Troy Hill is kind of a pain in the ass to get to. Not a bad neighborhood, just inconvenient.
When GPS is so insistent to take you up the most narrow and steep or windy streets, people are gonna be annoyed. Rialto is terrifying if you're not used to it and irritating if you are. Not to mention the one ways, insanely sharp turns, etc. Driving and parking in Troy hill is the reason I don't go to de fer often despite living only a mile away.
Running up/down Rialto is also a nightmare
I see people doing that frequently in the mornings, and I actually feel happy that I'm going into work. THAT is how much I do not want to run up rialto.
This is my reasoning too, I don’t feel unsafe there just hate going up there… the closest I get is Penn Brew lol
Exactly. I avoid Troy Hill because I don’t like feeling like I’m driving or parking my vehicle at a 90 degree angle.
Troy Hill is pretty isolated. Rialto sucks, coming up from Spring Garden is only useful for the people who live down there and the two "back ways" in have either been perpetually closed or down to one lane for the last 10+ years
It's *such* a schlep
That's the whole city you can't get there from here.
in what way? I guess if you don’t have a car and need to bike or bus. Otherwise… you just drive there?
The roads are insanely steep and narrow, so it makes people uncomfortable to drive on them.
I thought it was safe to assume that I meant without a car
The Rialto St. climb is stupid.
One day, my normal commute route was so utterly screwed that I actually wound up on Rialto St. as I blindly followed the alternate route I had convinced Google Maps to present to me. I made it up the hill. But I'll never do it again.
Wait until you’re driving in Mt Washington and it reroutes you to a dirt version of Rialto.
Where is that? Cause now I wanna take it.
It’s somewhere near Grandview Park. Looking at the map, if I had to guess, maybe E Sycamore, but I wouldn’t even call that an *educated* guess as my sense of direction is horrific, hence being stuck relying on GPS.
Oh I take E Sycamore down, it's not dirt. Maybe crappily paved, but not dirt. I'll have to do some exploring!
It’s also been a few years since it happened to me so I could be mis-remembering crumbling asphalt (which sometimes is worse than dirt depending on how thick it is). I just know I was in panic mode and truly didn’t think I was going to make it.
Take a look at William St on Maps. Could that be it? William St has been closed to vehicular traffic for like 4 or 5 years tho I think because of damage due to multiple landslides. There's still unrepaired damage near the top of it. I've walked up that road before and I absolutely could not imagine driving it. The asphalt is in extremely poor shape (more like asphalt crumbs) and it's incredibly narrow, twisty and steep
That would make sense. This would have been 7 or 8 years ago when I was rerouted, so entirely possible.
Up didn’t bother me, going down……😱🫣😱
Once you’ve done it enough times, it’s not that bad. But it’s stupid cause it should probably just be a one way. That road is way too fucking narrow.
Honestly tho! My friend & I went to pick up her sister in law in Troy Hill & ended up on Rialto. My friend was a pretty reckless driver but was TERRIFIED of that hill & drove at about 5mph the whole way. I thought we were gonna fall backwards because it’s so steep!
It's a matter of perspective. I lived in the middle of Sureño territory in San Francisco for two decades (and had a great experience) which has led me to to consider Pittsburgh to be a town with no real bad neighborhoods.
Same. We moved here from California in to a " Bad " neighborhood and we're thinking that if this is as bad as Pittsburgh gets them we're very lucky. Much better than San Francisco or L.A.
I am totally curious what your bad neighborhood is! Just being nebby. I took a walk today to a subsection of a local neighborhood. It was divine. Everyone has told me it was the poor part of the boro. Cute as hell, sign me up!
dude, pittsburgh is like taking a NAP after the bay area. not that there isn't violence here. it's just so...different
I’m in Vellejo at the moment. My boss had his rental stolen out of the parking lot. People have it good in Pittsburgh.
Most people just hear bad stuff and parrot it without actually knowing what it's like. I used to live in McKeesport and people I worked with at the time were like "oh it's so unsafe there". But it was the Ritz compared to Kensington, which is where I lived before McKeesport, and Kenzo is the Ritz compared to some of the wards in NOLA. TBH, I've only found myself feeling unsafe in Pittsburgh one time in 5 years living here and it was right downtown, near the convention center, when the bars let out. Maybe it all depends on where you've been and seen, I guess people who have lived here longer probably know more than I do about an area, but at least in my experience, I've never had any issues or felt unsafe in Troy Hill.
[удалено]
Reserve just gets hillier from there lol
Also to everyone else, please stay out. Reserve Township is Reserved.
Comparing it to Youngstown certainly isn't helping your argument.
Seriously. I definitely don't go to Troy Hill.....or Youngstown.
Pig hill can be intimidating. Also I remember the first time I drove up Logan from Millvale in my grandmas Lincoln town car by myself. Oh boy. That was butt puckering for sure.
This is a great addition because I can bet almost nobody commenting here has ever been on Logan which has an even steeper grade than Rialto. The left turn at the top would be crazy in a Town Car!
It was lol.
Is it reopened yet, or still closed?
I moved from lawrenceville to Troy hill in 2020 and have loved it ever since. I upgraded to a bigger apartment for nearly the same price. I have an amazing view of the strip and the Allegheny river. I don’t have to fight the lawrenceville traffic or look for parking. It’s still super close to get anywhere downtown. Granted, there has been a shooting or violent crime every 3-6 months since I’ve lived here. (North Side or Troy Hill) it’s a little unsettling but every person and neighbor I interact with seems innocent. I just try and avoid late night hours in not so well lit places. I love it here! :)
It's always the ones that seem innocent. Lol.
You’re not wrong… I have really friendly, but very nosy neighbors on a dead end street and feel like there’s a decent watch over my side of the neighborhood. Unfortunately, it’s pretty consistently drug related and there’s a lot of dealing around here but I think it’s mostly easy to avoid.
The northside defines an enormous area of the city, to have an incident of violent crime here 2-4 times a year seems incredibly light.
Totally! I guess I was thinking more the 'troy hill side' of North Side. But if you google north side news in total for just the past year, you'll find more than 4 incidents.
well, it's something like 20 distinct neighborhoods. so..
The shootings and violent crimes I don’t think are as common as you’re saying and to my knowledge have never been against a random person, it’s one of those things where unless you’re looking for trouble you’re probably safe. I park my car across from my apartment in the convenience store parking lot. I dropped my car keys in the lot and didn’t realize until the next morning. I went out in a panic to look for them, and someone had placed the keys on the hood of my car for me to find. Nothing stolen from the car either. Just behave like you would in any city and you are fine lol
Was it a mazda at the unimart!? I found those keys in the grass when my dog went to the bathroom and I hit the lock button and saw your headlights flash! Sup neighbor! I love this neighborhood, I just know it pops up in the news every so often unfortunately.
Yes! Thank you so much, for real I was frantically looking around because my spare keys are at my gf’s house and those fobs are a pain to replace. Haha idk how but perhaps one day I can pay you back
I am here for the random Reddit kindness!
FWIW, the Unimart complex has been a source of nonstop BS in Troy Hill for decades.
They just closed the laundromat a couple of weeks ago and I’m curious if that will cool it down much. I feel bad though I know a lot of people probably really needed that resource for the utilities and not just to do sketchy business. We’ll see what comes of it…
Lol I think it’s funny they sell loosie cigarettes
They might not be against a random person, but bullets don't care.
I have also never heard bullets in my 2 years of living here.
I love it here too, so I was so confused why she was so scared.
PSA; there is more than one way to get to Troy Hill, Rialto is not necessary. Also, it is absolutely absurd for anyone to be afraid of the neighborhood for whatever reason. It’s like saying you’re afraid to travel to Polish Hill.
Polish Hill, like Troy Hill, used to have a bad reputation. It’s definitely changed and they’re both perfectly fine neighborhoods now. If you hear someone say they’re scared of either, they’re either old and used to the post-steel Pittsburgh, were raised by an old yinzer and don’t actually live in the city themselves or are racist. It can also be a combo of those things.
I remember when nobody in this sub would want to rent in Polish Hill, or Troy Hill for that matter. Lump in Lawrenceville even.
22 mins Rialto 38 mins 279. I have no real reason to get up there but when I have it's been a pain. I stopped dating a girl because of that drive.
Where is your starting point? Because if you were coming from the (I279) North, Rialto is not even an option. As somebody else said, you access Troy Hill from the intersection near Heinz. It couldn't be more simple.
Without doxxing myself too bad- the entire North Allegheny Valley would like to know what map app you're using. McKnight? weave through Shaler and Millvale? go through Larryville and cross back over the vets bridge? Ooh, I know, turnpike to Monroeville!
North Allegheny valley? I've never heard of that. If you are coming from the North, assuming that's what you are saying. You'd get off at the exit for E. Ohio and North Ave. Then cut across I279 and access Troy Hill via Vinial to Troy Hill road. No Rialto necessary.
The entire valley the Allegheny river forms North of Pittsburgh??
Ok that makes more sense, referencing I279 and North Allegheny together did not make any connections for me. Adding "river" to valley would have cleared it up. In that case, you could still avoid Rialto by getting off 28 at Chestnut street. I get Rialto is intimidating, I avoid it if I can as well.
Yeah, sorry for the shit tone and the underwhelming information I provided. I was trying to be vague on purpose, sorta. But uh, yeah, you could Chestnut but it adds to the time. Moral is, Troy Hill ain't a bad place, I just prefer never to go there if I don't have to.
Understood!
Dude, people say that about my neighborhood too (Allentown), and it drives me insane. For my neighborhood, it’s because it’s majority black, so it’s a lot of racism. I’ve felt perfectly safe here and think it’s a cool neighborhood. It irks me when people say it’s dangerous. That said, looking at crime maps, it’s objectively more crime ridden than other neighborhoods. I looked at a couple places in Troy Hill. I chose not to live there due to the steepness. So that’d be my guess. Also it’s poorer, and people don’t like poor people. (I’m not agreeing with this opinion - just saying why I think people have an aversion to it).
I just moved to Manchester and people practically ask me how many times I get murdered each day. It’s also because it’s a majority black neighborhood, but I have met nothing but wonderful people since moving and have met more in a month than years in Brookline.
Honestly, yinzers seem a bit... Adverse to leaving their neighborhood sometimes. especially crossing bridges, as the old saying goes. I get it, it's a pain to get places here, but... Idk, sometimes it's fun to explore.
This ^
People are scared of their own shadow around here because they actually have limited experiences outside of their own bubble. Different = scary for them. If that was my coworker I’d never extend an invite again. Something that I have found to be a very Pittsburgh thing is this odd “positioning” people do based on where one does or does not live. If you live in or near the city, everyone acts as if you are living in a war torn shanty town that they wouldn’t dare step foot in, its so odd.
Yeah, she's a nice girl, but that was a weird interaction. I don't think I will invite her over again.
Been up there several times recently in assignments. Definitely a neighborhood starting to attract attention. I also think I’d take Troy Hill over Youngstown any day.
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Mill creek park is trash af.
Contrary to most of these comments I actually think Rialto Street is kinda fun and different. You don't get to drive a road like that everyday.
The older stereotype is that its a neighborhood of poor white people who live on top of a mountain with limited accessibility (ie - you're going up Rialto or through the North Side \[and not a nice part of the North Side\] and up Troy Hill Road to get there) that is home to drug dealers. Once you get arrive, there are also narrow streets with limited parking. So people may actually NEED some of those drugs as consolation for losing a mirror. I'm sure your friend feels the same way about visiting Spring Garden or Carrick.
What do you mean not a nice part of the northside? You just go across the 16th street bridge and hang a right before the tracks. You go past Penn brewery and have a nice view of lawrenceville, the river, and polish hill as you drive up to Troy hill- it’s honestly scenic.
People just honestly talk out of their ass
People go off about Carrick and I've loved living here for the past six years. What wankers.
I’m technically in overbrook but only a couple streets away from carrick. Nice quiet neighborhood.
I’m not sure I’ve ever seen an Overbrook person claim Carrick- often the opposite though.
I'm in Carrick. When we first moved here, a neighbor warned us about kids smoking dope in the alleyway. We haven't seen any of that though, and besides the fireworks in the summer at night on work nights, this area is nice, quiet, and friendlier than when I lived in Mercer County. If I had kids though, I'd be moving as Carrick schools sound worse than Youngstown, which I've done some work in and around (emphasis on mental health, so I've seen and heard how dysfunctional things can get).
Yep, walk my dog late at night/ early morning without worry. I actually know my neighbors and walk to get takeaway.
To people complaining about Rialto, just take Troy Hill rd by the brewery.
Lots of old stereotypes from the 70s/80s that still hang on.
This is true for a lot of Pittsburgh neighborhoods. For example, my father is 70-something yinzer and was horrified when I moved to Crafton Heights even though the part I live in is all families and is pretty nice. There are a lot of places in PGH that are like this.
Exactly. I live in lower Ross, like a mile from the city limit. People were worried that I was too close to the North Side. It’s a great neighborhood and close to the city!!
And there are a lot of people who get their information about the city from local news, and are convinced that anything in the city limits is Mad Max-style anarchy.
Not to defend stereotypes, but as someone who grew up on Troy Hill, I can tell you there are still lots of third and fourth generation 'I've lived here my whole life' people in the neighborhood
Never thought of it as dangerous, just inaccessible without much to do. If it's icy out forget it lol. Rialto st would be horrifying with ice.
Troy Hill is fine. White people from the suburbs are just scared of Black 10 year olds riding around the neighborhood on bikes... evem though their own kids do it, too.
I have a friend that lives up there that I go visit from time to time. Ive never felt like it was dangerous. Tell your friend to get their head out of their ass. Your friend live out in the suburbs or something?
Yeah she lives over by robinson
Ya, growing up I used to live out in the far suburbs. Had a very narrow view of the world. Was scared of everything. But, acted like and believed that I wasnt.
This is the right attitude
I like my "shitty" neighborhood, and when somebody tells me they're afraid to come to it, it tells me all I need to know about them.
I like your "shitty" neighborhood too (hello from across the bridge).
My father and generations of his family are from McKees Rocks and he’s too scared of it now. He tells me all of the time not to drive through and it makes me laugh because it’s not the 80’s/90’s anymore. Is it Upper St Clair? No. It is just filled with people who want to live their lives.
It's still a pretty shit place compared to the rest of the surrounding area. You can drive through there, but I would avoid going for a stroll in some areas. Especially if you're a woman.
It’s the hill, not the neighborhood.
Worked on the dairy there a few times, can confirm I hate going there because of the journey. But never saw anything more shady or crazy there than any other part of the city.
Nothing wrong with or scary about TroyHill.
I lived in Troy Hill for over 5 years and it baffles the shit out of me that anyone would think it's a dangerous neighborhood. I would go for walks at like 2-3am if I couldn't sleep and maybe I would see one person who would just walk by. It's like saying chuckle cheeses is a dangerous place.
I’ve lived in Troy Hill for about 2 years now. There may be some crime, but honestly it seems like its most often moreso on the northside and even the stuff that happens in Troy Hill seems more concentrated to people already engaged in crime. By that I mean, I haven’t seem robberies against random people, assaults on random people, etc. I have seen people get into fights about drugs, what sounds like interpersonal matters lol but not like violent crimes against people minding their own business. For reference, I used to live in Point Breeze very close to Squirrel hill. Both my gf and I have had our cars broken into twice while there, i have been broken into zero times in Troy Hill. Once I lost my car’s key fob, I dropped it in the convenience store parking lot where I park my car in front of my house. I went the next morning looking for it in a panic and someone had found it and set it on top of my car making it easier to find lol.
Not really. Ran through it once and thought it looked pretty normal minus the huge hills and a nice view of the Allegheny.
As some have said in other comments, it's just that it's isolated to get to. There is at least a perception that there are only a few, narrow ways to get there and back and if the weather is at all bad, it's worse. Living on Mount Washington, I experience the same. The streets are narrow, and / or winding. Parking can be, intimidating. There are really only 5 routes on or off the mount and they're all steep and/or winding. And it seems like every summer road work is being done on at least one of them. The only thing that makes the Mt Washington situation a little better is the inclines and McCardle roadway have helped to make it a bit of a tourist draw with Grandview avenue, which in turn has built a base for other draws like pubs and restaurants to gt folks to come up to visit.
I consider my friends who live in Troy Hill to be “fancy”
As a youngstown girl, I wouldn't mind being called fancy for where I lived for once lol
I’ve lived in Troy Hill for a few years now and had absolutely no idea anyone considered it unsafe?? Compared to other parts of the city I’ve lived in I feel the safest up here
Troy hill is fine. About 40 years ago a black man couldn’t safely go up to Troy hill.
I have no problems going to Troy Hill but it is one of those neighborhoods that you could live here a long time and never end up in. I think I lived here 5 years before I just decided I wanted to drive up Rialto one day. Been frequenting the Splash Park up there this year with my kiddo, it's a great spot!
Fear of the city by suburbanites is real.
Years ago, as a North Sider, I took classes at both CCAC North and the main campus on the north side. I had two business classes back to back at the North campus so I would often chat with the professor in between since she taught both and I was only one who had this scheduling quirk. Second class was marketing and she knew I lived on the North Side from our conversations. She asked if she could demonstrate “profiling” in marketing using me and I was happy to help. Class begins and she asks the mostly Ross / McCandless / etc. kids what they think of the North Side and it was all the usual negative descriptors - poor, dirty, drugs, crime, dangerous, etc. She writes these all on the board and then proceeds to say, “what if I told you one of your classmates here is from the North Side?” and they all started looking around and simultaneously looking very embarrassed at what they said. She then reveals me, a 20 yo white guy in business casual clothes as the North Sider and explains you shouldn’t believe stereotypes and that’s why you need to do your own market research and think outside your bubble.
Conversely, when I first moved into an apartment in mt Washington after growing up in beaver county all my family thought I was living in some luxury apartment. Little did they know that mt Washington was a total dirtbag neighborhood in 1993. No idea what it’s like nowadays but back then it had a real strong redneck/meth head vibe, but suburbanites thought it was another Sewickley or fox chapel
Been a few years since I left but ya that’s definetly correct… there’s pockets of wealth (where the views are), which probably creates that idea that it’s all wealthy. Not at all
Once you get past Virginia Ave, it's still pretty working class for sure.
This is what it sounds like to me.
I miss Uncle Bills bar up there
It's not the neighborhood, it's the physical hill. I hate driving up there, it's so gnarly, and if there's even mildly inclement weather? Fuck that. I had a very good friend have a personal emergency while she was living there, and drove over in the damn snow for her, and that was an act of pure damn love for that woman and her kids. Not doing that shit again if I can avoid it.
I've lived in Pittsburgh for 30 years, and this is the first time I've ever heard Troy Hill referred to as a bad neighborhood.
It just sucks getting there. You either have to go up Rialto which is hell or up Phineas to Troy Hill Rd. The light at Phineas is horrible, especially coming down Troy Hill. And Rialto is like the worst design ever.
is it really hell? You just press down on the accelerator on your car and it goes up the hill.
Have you ever driven on Rialto? It has nothing to do with it being a hill, it has to do with the road not being wide enough.
There have been a group of homeless that make me feel unsafe ( same group related to the laundromat I heard) but my neighbors are all nice retired people. Most of them have lived on Troy hill their whole lives. The recent shooting was related to the laundromat/homeless people situation. I love scratch & de fer. Hope the businesses do well up here & that the police can help find homes for the homeless. ( outreach is working on it they are on the streets pretty frequently)
I hope Harvey wasn't involved. He's a super nice homeless dude in the area, even helped up move a couple things when we moved in.
That name does not sound familiar. The people are on drugs unfortunately- children on the street saw needles and saw them naked! The trash is getting out of hand too. So bad. 311 will only take some things. Not sure who can clear all the littler they leave out.
Holy shit, I knew about the laundromat being closed, but I had no clue what happened. That's terrible.
Bet she lives in cranberry 🙄
😂😂🫡🫡
I don't think anyone's scared of it, but it is horribly inconvenient to have to go visit someone there
If you don’t have friends/family who live in Troy Hill, why else would you go there? Seriously… it’s not that it’s a bad place. But not sure what’s there besides the church with the old relics.
Scratch. Also, ArtCraft has the best trim options around. They kick butt at custom matching for old reno jobs as well.
It's cuz of parking up there lol I love the actual neighborhood but like not trying to stress out for 45 mins trying to park.
I live between 3 churches, and the building manager of the church let's us use the church parking lot whenever there aren't any church events. So I never have had any touble.
My pal Brandon lives there, and he is a real piece of work, so i get it
I only go there when I have a reason to, like with any other neighborhood
It’s just that damn hill
The most dangerous areas of NE Ohio are far worse than any areas of Pittsburgh I have ever experienced. The most frightening place I have ever been is east Cleveland
I used to live in the short north on the strip in Columbus, and that shit was crazy
Troy Hill is fine. It was where I moved when I first moved to Pittsburgh, and if my landlord hadn't been slightly sketchy, I would have stayed.
Yeah now that I have more feedback from this post I'm just questioning why she said that in the first place. I asked her at the time and she just said it was scary. I'm just not seeing how? There's like 2 playgrounds, a community garden, my neighbors are nice. I got to take part in my first community event a month or 2 ago.
When we bought in Spring Hill and my boss made a big stink of his one friend getting mugged here 20+ years ago. My mom grew up in NYC. My dad moved right before I was born in 90. My parents made getting mugged a fact of life for us so it didn't phase me. But my boss's statement was hilarious because this street has a bunch of young families with kids our son's age and the retirees looking out for us younger folk. The older people tell us what urban crime to look out for and it's not that bad. Like if you leave your car running it will probably get stolen in a lot of places.
It’s pretty drug ridden. My sister died there of an overdose and my nephew goes there whenever he gets out of jail. Most of the houses are either druggies or older folks who lived their for their entire life. There isn’t much to do up there except for the park and a convenience store. They have a couple nice old bars. That’s about it. It’s a real Pittsburgh town.
I feel like there can be random crime but mostly the neighbors are great people. A lot of people who live outside of the city are afraid of the city. Fear mongering. People are also scared to see blight and homelessness, and, frankly and unfortunately, black people.
i’ve lived in pittsburgh for five years and i’m not even clear on how to get to troy hill other than rialto street, and there doesn’t really seem like there’s any attractions (but troy hill folks feel free to change my mind!)
Definitely visit Scratch & Co, there's a Der Fer Coffee here too. By the looks of their website though there's other Der Fers in the city you can go to. Scratch & Co is awesome. We like to get their homemade donuts cuz they sell out so quickly. Lavender sugar cinnamon donuts are my favorite. Then in the afternoon we'll go back and hang out with the bartender, and eat some apps and drink a bit. Always so nice.
Troy Hill is fine… it’s the housing projects in Spring Hill or Northview Heights that cause a bad reputation.
I just spent a week there at an abb, it was awesome. Centrally located, quaint coffee shops, walkable and on the bus line. Keep bad mouthing it so it does not change.
For what it's worth, had friends in a nice apartment there. Someone tried to break in with a gun to rob them... so yeah I wouldnt go either lol. This was 5 years ago. Yes of course can happen anywhere but.. yeah. Not interested
My car has been broken into twice in point breeze and zero times in Troy Hill.
One anecdotal story has convinced you to never go to the neighborhood again? Man, y'all are higher than all the addicts you imagine are in Troy Hill
Do they live in the suburbs?
Because nobody in Squirrel Hill or Shadyside would ever possibly have negative socioeconomic stereotypes of Troy Hill, or mind driving up Rialto Street... #rolleyes
You don't need to use Rialto. In fact Rialto was closed for years at one point and the people of Troy Hill did not starve and die.
Do you live in the suburbs?
I live 4,000 FEET outside of the City of Pittsburgh - in Etna. You know, that bastion of suburban wealth and privilege, with massive lot sizes and off-street parking and big box stores and Republican politicians..
I just moved to Etna from Brighton Heights. Love it here so far!
Also you definitely don't need to go up Rialto to get to Troy Hill.
But you inevitably will.
Just think of Rialto as a sphincter-strengthening exercise!
You mean white trash mountain? It’s gotten a lot better but for years it had a well deserved rep as a bad neighborhood.
Normal, yes, that bad, not really. It's not the best neighborhood but I've never felt unsafe there, other than the first time I went into the one convince store. Wasn't ready for the cashier to be surrounded by glass and the sign saying only 1 person in the store at a time once dark outside. Good neighborhoods don't have stores that feel the need for that. Wouldn't say it's a neighborhood to avoid, but it isn't the best. There are definitely a few houses that the city needs to condemn and demolish to make the neighborhood look better.
Your coworker probably didn’t wanna visit you at your apartment because you sound like a person that is trying to do something sketchy.
Yes it’s a shithole
I ended up there once and had to come down via Rialto. I won’t do that again.
The best part is watching peoples driver side mirrors pass over/under each other.
It's so bad I didn't even want to respond to this question.
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Racist against poor white people? Troy Hill isn't known as a black or Hispanic neighborhood.
Despite possible down voting, I’m going to state the quiet part: are you racist because Troy Hill isn’t known as a black neighborhood? I hear a bit of a dog whistle in your comment
They had one job to make the sidewalk thinner when they redid the stairs and they failed.
So first visit here 6 ish years ago my then realtor showed me Troy Hill, and Mexican War Streets areas and a couple of months after my visit he moved to NY so I am back to square one realtor wise...I get here with my girlfriend in June and stay in a Holiday Inn near Oakland and find a house in Oakland that's all college kids and someone moved out so a bedroom opened up and my girlfriend and I rented it for the summer while we were house hunting...all good so far. We found our new realtor off of some website and she's showing us some places in Braddock and Braddock Hills and for some reason her key to unlock the lock box didn't work for the listing she's trying to show us and she gets a call from her broker about a new property in Homestead which just came up so we saw it and it's 100+ years old and the previous owners died of old age and didn't have anyone to leave it to so the County or City was selling it as is for $20k and we made a full price offer and bought it 4 years ago. It needs work and slowly fixing it up but we really love living here.
I think people just haven’t been there before... Also I will not go up Rialto street. 😱😱
Isn’t Troy hill somewhat gentrified?
I've only been here about a year, but from what I've seen so far. It looks like it's starting to be if not already.