Pittsburgh Warnings and Dangers

The Hill District has had its fair share of issues and it still has a poor reputation. I'm a student in Pittsburgh and I live in The Hill District because of the low cost of rent and its location relative to my school. I agree with most of the other comments regarding the area; the only reason you would have for being in or near this neighborhood, would be to attend an event at the arena. During hockey season I see a lot of drunk and clueless people from outside of the city walking through in the middle of the night. I would advise anyone not to do that. You stand out like a sore thumb and it's like walking around with a big target on your back. If you must walk through, just make sure to be in a big group.

Due to the poor reputation the neighborhood has (I've had more than a few cab drivers refuse to take me home at night), there is an eerie silence and sense of unease that falls over the area once the sun goes down. There's almost nothing to worry about during the day. For the most part, everyone keeps to themselves. People just need to remember to be aware of their surroundings, don't get distracted, don't stumble around like an idiot, and walk like you have a purpose and you know where you're going. Oh, and women, don't walk around swinging your purse...that is just asking for trouble!

To be fair, I've never had any problems that I haven't already encountered in other neighborhoods of Pittsburgh or any other city for that matter. In fact, the two or three MAJOR problems I've had since moving here took place in the Central Business District.

These are the most dangerous areas in Pittsburgh Metro in order of danger:

1. Homewood/Brushton - by far the most dangerous area in the region. There is no reason for anyone to visit this area and if you do.. good luck.

2. Hill District - also an extremely dangerous area. Right to the east of downtown. The only reason tourists would go here though is for the pens game and thats on the very edge.

3. East Hills - Next to Homewood. Same problems as Homewood but less dangerous.

4. Larimer - Also near Homewood and East hills. Entirely residential so theres no reason to visit here.

5. St. Clair Village - On the southern side of the city. Section 8 housing and nothing more.

6. North Side - Area north of PNC Park and Heinz Field. Not to be confused with the North Shore which is a very nice area with the 2 parks and lots of dinning and hotels. North Side is plauged with drugs and violence. Wise advice is not to go too far into this neighborhood.

7. Allentown/Arlington/Knoxville/Mount Oliver - Near St. Clair Village with the same types of problems with crime and drugs.

8. Wilkinsburg - Technically not a city neighborhood but a very dangerous area. Its a city right next to Homewood and the East Hills with a central business district.

9. Duquesne - Also not a city neighborhood. For an area of about 7,000 people and having 30 shootings in a year depicts this area as a very dangerous area. Next to Kennywood Amusement Park so just don't go into there.

10. Homestead/Hazelwood - Area by the Waterfront shopping area, which is a very nice shopping area by the way. Its just not wise drawing attention to yourself at night.

Overall Pittsburgh is a relatively safe city as a whole. Most of the crime occurs in these areas and its very well marked so just stay clear of these areas and i am sure you have a great time in the Steel City.

These are relatively high crime areas of Pittsburgh, specifically past 2 or 3 AM.

- Downtown (Strong Police Presence)
- South Side (Moderate Police Presence)
- North Side (Less Police Presence)
- Strip District (Moderate Police Presence)

Most crimes in these areas are just robberies, violent robberies are a lot less common.

In the same light, the surrounding Pittsburgh Suburbs have a light police presence, but these cops are more likely to pull over confused looking people are night, partially due to the lack of crime and to help people out who need it. If this happens and you don't think you did anything don't react negatively, the cop is probably trying to help.

I've lived in Pittsburgh for 26 years, i never been mugged or bothered with. This is all you need to do. If your visiting pgh the bad neighbor hoods dont have anything in the anyway so there is no need to go into them. You can drive through them and not have any problems. Just dont call attention to your self..ie. Blast music with your windows down... The Hill District/ Larmer/ East Lib/ Some of wilkinsburg/ allentown/ mt. oliver/ homewood/ homestead/north side thoses are all you have to worry about...you can drive through them but dont be an idiot.... the hill district is just east of the city where the mellon arena is.. thats where the pens play..the only reason u need to go there is for the mellon arena or to buy drugs..larmer there is nothing but houses and drugs no need to go there, east lib houses and drugs, wilkinsburg houses and drugs/ Allentown houses and drugs same with mt oliver , northside and homewood. now homestead is bad but its getting better...homestead has the waterfront in it which is a big development of high-end shops, restaurants, loews movie theater and comedy clubs. the waterfront development is not bad at all but 5th ave is still not that great. Anyway, places that have things to do and are not as dangerous as others, the southside, The southside is known for the longest street in the united states with the most bars on it... at night there is no need to worry about being mugged because there is so many people out and about...station sq, more expensive night out drinking but very safe. monroeville, robinson, greentree, plum, sq.hill, edgewood, west mifflin, cranberry, ross township are all family type suburbs. there is no crime at all the only thing that makes the news for theses neighbor hoods are too much snow, flooding, or fallin trees...as for oakland...everyone else on these post have said that oakland is not the great place to be at...first off oakland is not bad at all...everyone that lives there are between the ages of 18 and 26 because the whole town is a college town...i've walked through oakland at night many of times and have never been afraid...but come to pittsburgh to live...if you want to have a community that loves one another and loves there sports teams come to pittsburgh...its cheap to live and has plenty of jobs...

If you drive around the Pittsburgh area, you may come across signs indicating that you're on a "belt" route: Blue Belt, Orange Belt, etc. Visitors from cities that have actual beltways, like D.C. or Baltimore, may rejoice to think that they've found a way out of whatever neighborhood they are lost in. But no--Pittsburgh's "belts" are merely a series of random roads, mostly two-lane, that don't really lead anywhere. To make things worse, the area has recently implemented another series of routes designated by other colors that are intended to serve as emergency evacuation routes. Best advice? Use a GPS (although they often aren't right in Pittsburgh either.)

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During a recent visit to Pittsburgh, I was stopped at a light, when I saw a woman, wearing barely anything, crossing the street. She was closely followed by a guy, possibly intoxicated, who was just staring at her backside. When she reached the wall next to our stop light, she turned around, hoisted herself up on the wall and sat down. The man walked right up to this shady lady, and asked her something that I couldn't understand. She responded with something like, "I'm not working right now." LHenne1 was with me, and she swears the woman we saw was no woman at all, rather a transvestite. The guy following her sure seemed to be propositioning for sexual acts.

Liberty Avenue downtown has long been known as Pittsburgh's center of prostitution. Up until the 1980s, this street was full of women of the night, peep shows, dancing nudes, and the like. In the last 10 years or so the city has cracked down, but the trade still exists, though I expect at a steeper price for the buyer.

If you find yourself wandering around or taking a Port Authority Transit tour (aka, just riding the bus as far as it goes to see what you can see), try to avoid Homewood and the Hill District at night. During the day, pretty much all of the city is fine to be in, but at night the crime in those two areas is comparatively high.

As a note:
Pittsburgh does not have gangs or any type of major crime problem. Most victims of violent crime in the area seem to be victims of domestic issues or involved with drugs.

When we travel we prefer to keep some cash on us for things like taxis, tips, etc but for the most part we use our debit card. Judging by the exorbitant fees we have seen for ATM withdrawals it's a good thing to come with cash ready. Some fees we saw ranged from $2.50-$4 for a transaction which is ridiculous.