Owning a Home in Pittsburgh
Despite being a great city with lots of entertainment options, Pittsburgh stands out among its peers for its affordability and accessibility. There are several great neighborhoods you can afford to own a home in on a resident salary that are within call distance of the hospitals we cover. Whether you’re looking for a 5-bedroom single family home in an inner-ring suburb or a row home in a more exciting neighborhood like Lawrenceville, East Liberty, or Shadyside, we have you covered. We’ve also had residents live in the north hills, southside flats, and southside slopes.
-Roger Klein, PGY-6
One of my primary goals when deciding on a location for residency was being able to own my own home. You can 100% do this here with the affordable property values as well as excellent cost of living to salary ratio. With the help of the physician loan program getting 0% down payment and no PMI, my husband and I bought a house prior to moving to Pittsburgh my intern year. It has been one of my primary sources of joy throughout my residency, and I enjoy hosting my co-residents on our deck!
-Peyton Skupin, PGY-5
As mentioned above, Pittsburgh is a remarkably affordable city considering our salary. My wife and I did not buy a home immediately upon entering residency. We wanted to check out the city a bit and figure out where to live. We bought a house at the end of intern year and are loving it. The physician loan is the way to go. It is such a stress relief to leave a long shift and drink a beer at your own home.
-Chris Owen, PGY-2
Living in South Side
Crossing a bridge is no problem! I can reach any hospital we rotate at in 15 min or less, 8 min on average! You can get more bang for your buck housing wise too! I live in South Side Slopes which has fantastic views, excellent vibes and the best breakfast sandwich I have ever had at 350 bakery a 2 minute drive from my house (order the sandwich with sausage, pepper jelly and an everything biscuit- you’ll thank me later).
-Peyton Skupin, PGY-5
I second the South Side perks, as someone who has lived in Pittsburgh for going on ~11 years, I have enjoyed the change of pace that South Side offers compared to other neighborhoods I’ve lived in previously (Oakland, Shadyside, Bloomfield). Very affordable, lots of great food options including what I think is one of the best restaurants in the city (Dish Osteria) as well as easy access to a riverfront walking/running/cycling trail, <15 minute drives to every hospital. Big Dog Coffee on Saturdays is a big plus as well.
-Noah Krampe, PGY-3
Both my girlfriend (who is a Peds intern) and I love running and cycling. We live in the Southside flats and being minutes away from being on the river trail makes exercising after work as seamless as possible. Would highly recommend.
-Ben Peticca, PGY-1
Southside is great. I lived there for intern year near Station Square. Lots of great restaurants and bars within a quick 5 min walk. It’s very close to the Riverhounds stadium, Pittsburgh’s male minor league soccer team. Southside is generally cheaper than other areas of the city such as Lawrenceville or Shadyside.
-Chris Owen, PGY-2
Living in the Strip District
The Strip District is Pittsburgh’s fastest growing neighborhood – population has doubled over the last few years and projected to double again in the near future. This neighborhood was formerly Pittsburgh’s market district, but now has many new-build apartment complexes that offer covered parking, gyms, rooftop decks and other amenities. The neighborhood itself has still retained much of its industrial charm with over 40 food markets and wholesale grocers and other manufacturing facilities still in operation. Some other highlights are the Terminal, a former produce warehouse that has been renovated to house >20 local and national retailers, and a beautiful riverfront running trail that continues to Point State Park. The neighborhood is within 15 min of all clinical sites and walkable to Lawrenceville too. One downside of the Strip is its relative lack of green space compared with other Pittsburgh neighborhoods, but if you’re looking to be in the heart of it all, could be the right neighborhood for you.
-Trevor Fachko, PGY-1
Living in Lawrenceville
We bought a house (very doable in Pittsburgh) in Lawrenceville and love it. Stayed in Lawrenceville during my away rotation and knew it was where I wanted to be when I matched here. Some of the best restaurants in the city (Pusadees, Morcilla, Driftwood Pizza), countless cafes (Mediterrra, Espresso a Mano, Happenstance, Inkwell, etc.), some of my favorite breweries in Pittsburgh (Eleventh Hour, Trace, Hop Farm), and a bustling night life all within a short walk. And I am less than a 10-minute drive from all our hospitals, and don’t have to risk bridge traffic after work. Would definitely recommend, but there are many great places to live in Pittsburgh.
-Parker Holum PGY-1
Maintaining a Long-Distance Relationship as a Urology Resident
While it’s not optimal to have a long-distance partner in residency, it’s very possible especially with the support of our program and our coresidents. I remember worrying a lot prior to the start of residency, but it is pretty common (in urology in general and here at UPMC specifically) and we are so well supported in our program. I remember our old chair telling me that no long-distance couple in the program had broken up because of distance and this was so hopeful to me before starting. My fiancé and I see each other about monthly which works best for our schedules as busy residents. Coresidents want to help you make your flights, optimize having time off when your partner visits, and support you through times of stress. I’ve made it to my fair share of Friday flights with the help of coresidents and am always happy to help someone else make a flight to see a loved one. It’s nice that all of the time with my partner gets to be spent enjoying each other's company rather than having my partner be grumpy that I haven’t done the dishes after a long day (I still haven’t done them).
-Andie Quinn, PGY-4
Finding a Community/Developing Hobbies in Pittsburgh
I always tell prospective applicants and subIs that no matter where they go for residency, it’s important during residency to always have at least one thing to look forward to outside of work each week. There will be tough days in the hospital and being able to separate yourself from work to be a “regular” person can be refreshing and enlightening. Despite its size, Pittsburgh has a lot going on throughout every week throughout the year. Some of the things that I’ve done since starting residency: joined a Spanish language group to keep up speaking, sauna/cold plunge in the winter months, took a breadmaking class, played on multiple soccer teams. Whatever your interests are, know that Pittsburgh and its community likely have a space where you can continue tried and true hobbies and explore new ones.
-Noah Krampe, PGY-3
Owning a Dog in Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh is an incredibly dog-friendly city. I have two dog parks within walking distance of my house which my dog, Birdie, patrols at least once a day. There are also many restaurants and breweries which are dog friendly. You’re likely to stumble across Birdie, my husband, and me at one of these establishments, such as Southern Tier or Hound Haus because I don’t go many places without my pup. Additionally, Pittsburgh has many national parks within 1-2 hour drive. Birdie’s current favorite is Ohiopyle where she can scale mountain sides, feel the water rushing over her whiskers under the many waterfalls, and acts as captain of our kayak. Needless to say, if you have a friendly dog, Birdie would love to run circles around him or her.
-Eva Mace, PGY-2