Welcome to Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh's most liveable neighborhood. Here you'll find quaint neighborhood shops, family-friendly parks, and a walkable neighborhood full of families and young professionals. Located on the East Side of Pittsburgh, the heart of Squirrel Hill is the intersection of Forbes and Murray Avenues, where you will find upscale bakeries, a diverse mix of restaurants, and mom and pop shops standing side by side with trendy boutiques.
Squirrel Hill real estate features a wide variety of housing options for multiple budgets. Growing families will love the large, single homes that populate the leafy streets in the Fair Oaks section, while graduate students and young professionals will gravitate to the affordable rowhomes and smaller singles closer to the commercial district. If you are seeking a highly liveable, walkable, and eclectic neighborhood, Pittsburgh's Squirrel Hill is right for you.
Located on the hills not far from central Pittsburgh, Squirrel Hill began as a country retreat for downtown businessmen and their families during the hot summer months. The neighborhood grew and flourished after the end of the Civil War, and as the roads connecting the area with downtown were improved in the early twentieth century, the district filled with families and professionals. Many of these new residents were drawn by the neighborhood's unique blend of open space and proximity to the downtown business district. Walking around Squirrel Hill, you'll be able to spot many original homes still standing, including the Berry Mansion and Willow Cottage (now both on the campus of Chatham University) and two original log homes from the mid-18th century, which are located in Schenley Park. Famous area residents include Fred Rodgers from Mr. Rodgers Neighborhood, who made his home in Squirrel Hill, and journalist Howard Fineman, who was born in this section of Pittsburgh.
One of the best features of the Squirrel Hill area is the abundance of parks and outdoor activities. Here you'll find Schenley Park, a 456 acre public park that includes a golf course, swimming pool, tennis courts and an ice skating ring. The Park also hosts numerous yearly events, including the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix. Across the neighborhood, you'll find Frick Park, a 644 acre public park that is home to the Frick Environmental Center, the amazing Blue Slide Playground as well as miles of trails, tennis courts and more. Squirrel Hill is also home to the Chatham University Arboretum, one of Pittsburgh's finest nature preserves. The many parks and outdoor spaces located in the neighborhood make it a favorite spot not only for families with children, but also for artists, hikers, and outdoor enthusiasts of all stripes.
Whether your children are school-age or college bound, you'll appreciate the wide variety of educational options in Squirrel Hill. The neighborhood boasts one public high school and five public elementary schools, including two highly regarded magnet schools. The area is also home to several Jewish Day Schools and St. Edmund's Academy, a well-known private elementary school. Squirrel Hill also enjoys close proximity to world class institutions of higher education. Carnegie Mellon University is recognized as one of the best engineering, mathematics, and science universities in the nation, and its campus borders the neighborhood. Chatham University is a women's college offering programs through the doctoral level. The University's East Campus is located in Squirrel Hill. In addition to these schools and colleges, the neighborhood is home two two of the original libraries founded by Andrew Carnegie: The Squirrel Hill Library and The Main Library. Both of these libraries are open to the public and feature programs for families and children in addition to large book collections.
You'll be hard pressed to find many neighborhoods in the Pittsburgh area with better access to the downtown area. Squirrel Hill is connected to the downtown business district by I-376 on the south side and Route 378 on the north side, making commuting quick, easy and efficient. I-376 will also allow you easy access to I-76 (The Pennsylvania Turnpike) making this one of the best neighborhoods for families that need access to other regional hubs while still providing an upscale urban feel. For public mass transit, the area is served by numerous bus routes operating to Downtown Pittsburgh, the Strip District and nearby suburban townships.
Squirrel Hill is one of Pittsburgh's prime shopping destinations for those seeking out small boutiques and unique food options. On Murray Avenue, you'll find a collection of motley record and music stores, delicious bakeries and natural food stores, bohemian coffee shops and more. On Forbes Avenue, which intersects Murray in the neighborhood business district, you'll be able to sample eclectic food from the many upscale ethnic eateries, plus shop for bicycles and bike parts to enjoy in the district's leafy parks. While people come from all over the region to enjoy the abundant shopping options, as a Squirrel Hill resident, you'll be able to savor the sights and flavors easily, all year round. The Squirrel Hill neighborhood is one of the safest and most liveable areas in the entire Pittsburgh region. Whether you're moving in with a young family and need great parks and good schools, or coming here after college and need an easy commute downtown and funky shops and restaurants to sample on the weekends, Squirrel Hill is a great place to call home.
