Oakland

Home to Carnegie Mellon, Pitt, and UPMC
Known to be one of Pittsburgh's liveliest neighborhoods, it is the educational and medical heart of the city since it's home to Carnegie Mellon, Pitt, UPMC, and nearby Carlow University. Naturally, a ton of students live in this area but it also hosts young professionals and families. In terms of popular spots, you can find people enjoying the likes of Essie's Original Hot Dog Shop, Conflict Kitchen, or Spice Island Tea House.

The Cathedral of Learning is the main landmark in this neighborhood and can be seen for miles as it dominates the Oakland skyline. There's also two world-class museums here, which give the area a bit of culture. The bottom line for this neighborhood is that it's close to all of the major universities and provides great access to the rest of the city.
What Oakland Residents
Think About Their Apartments
overall
8.0
value
7.5
amenities
6.5
social
6.4
management
7.5
Median rents in Oakland
Studio
$
1,150
1 Bedroom
$
1,250
2 Bedroom
$
1,500

Living in
Oakland

Oakland — 8.1/10 Rating (based on 41 neighborhood reviews)
North Oakland is great because it is so close to campus. It is also very quiet and safe and has good restaurants in walking distance. The bus routes are also amazing, there are like five different bus lines that pass directly past my apartment and all of them drop me off at the medical school. The only downside is that most people live in Shadyside so I can’t really walk to my friends houses very easily
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Reviewed by
9
/10
Neighborhood Rating
Aberdeen Apartments
In the northern part of Oakland between Trees Gym and Peterson Events Center/UPMC Presbyterian. Generally safe and not that busy. Occasionally have homeless people ask for money and high influx of people during the basketball season.
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Reviewed by
9
/10
Neighborhood Rating
Darragh St Apartments
I love living in North Oakland. I am about a 20 minute walk to campus, so it is nice to not have to rely on public transit. It is also a very quiet neighborhood and mostly consists of graduate students.
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Reviewed by
10
/10
Neighborhood Rating
Wellington Apartments
Oakland is a great neighborhood for students. Lots of restaurants and bars. Feels safe to walk around, even at night. Bus transit to any Pittsburgh neighborhood.
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Reviewed by
9
/10
Neighborhood Rating
Darragh St Apartments
Very close to campus and the hospitals, close to CVS and convenience store at the gas station, walking distance from multiple restaurants
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Reviewed by
10
/10
Neighborhood Rating
Bayard Manor
The neighborhood is right between school and restaurants/groceries. It is mostly residential and quiet.
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Reviewed by
8
/10
Neighborhood Rating
Old King Edward
I live and work here, but honestly do not explore much of the neighborhood because there is not much to see. Food choices are pretty good, many small restaurants and fast-food style places. The prettiest spots are the Carnegie Museums and Schenley Park, always fun to visit the Phipps Botanical Gardens as well, all of which are on the edge with other neighborhoods. No big grocery store (except Forbes Street Market which is very helpful and has all the essentials).
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Reviewed by
8
/10
Neighborhood Rating
Darragh St Apartments
Pretty cozy for being so close to Pitt. Nearby Shadyside is infested with NIMBYs however.
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Reviewed by
8
/10
Neighborhood Rating
Park Plaza Condominiums
The location is great. You can catch a bus really to any part of the city from here.
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Reviewed by
8
/10
Neighborhood Rating
Dithridge Towers
Close to campus and many restaurants nearby. Walking distance to Shadyside
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Reviewed by
8
/10
Neighborhood Rating
North Windsor Apartments
Close proximity to Scaife Hall (about a 10-15 minute walk)
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Reviewed by
9
/10
Neighborhood Rating
Schenley Apartments
Close to University of Pittsburgh, convenient location.
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Reviewed by
10
/10
Neighborhood Rating
Old King Edward
Oakland is nice, lots of food options and feels safe. Major negative is lack of grocery store, which is annoying if you don’t have a car.
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Reviewed by
9
/10
Neighborhood Rating
Darragh St Apartments
Okay. I really don't spend a whole lot of time here. But I go out to eat a good bit and have had nice experiences
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Reviewed by
9
/10
Neighborhood Rating
Darragh St Apartments
Easy to walk to and from campus and other places to eat nearby. Does not always feel the safest.
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Reviewed by
6
/10
Neighborhood Rating
227 Dunseith St
lots of undergrads and loud sometimes but very close to med school so worth it IMO
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Reviewed by
5
/10
Neighborhood Rating
Not Applicable (standalone house)
Convenient for school but can be a little more difficult to navigate for groceries if you dont have a car. Mostly undergrads in the buildings.
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Reviewed by
8
/10
Neighborhood Rating
Schenley Apartments
It's very close to campus so its very safe.
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Reviewed by
3
/10
Neighborhood Rating
Darragh St Apartments
Lots of restaurants nearby. No grocery stores so something to be aware of if commuting is an issue.
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Reviewed by
9
/10
Neighborhood Rating
Darragh St Apartments
Lots of undergraduates, but very convenient
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Reviewed by
9
/10
Neighborhood Rating
Camelot Apartments
Lots of undergrads
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Reviewed by
8
/10
Neighborhood Rating
Darragh St Apartments
North Oakland is great! It's within walking distance to Scaife, but it's far enough away that I feel a nice sense of separation from school. It's generally a quiet area that is well-separated from the undergraduates. It's also very close to all of the restaurants/grocery stores in Shadyside/East Liberty. I love living at this location.
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Reviewed by
10
/10
Neighborhood Rating
Pennsylvania Apartments
I really like North Oakland. It’s closer to the Med school than Shadyside but has nice restaurants and bars that you can walk to. It’s quieter than the Oakland or South Oakland area. I personally think it’s the best of all worlds
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Reviewed by
9
/10
Neighborhood Rating
Pennsylvania Apartments
Very close to campus - 10-12 min walk from Mervis.
Bus stops within a block of apartment
Usually drive to Shadyside or other neighborhoods to do stuff on the weekend
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Reviewed by
8
/10
Neighborhood Rating
SkyVue Apartments
I love living in North Oakland because it is easily accessible to school but also many other parts of Pittsburgh, including food, coffee shops, and more.
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Reviewed by
9
/10
Neighborhood Rating
Park Plaza Condominiums
Lovely neighborhood with mix of elders and younger people; students and young professionals; as well as young families.
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Reviewed by
6
/10
Neighborhood Rating
Oak Hill Apartments
I lived on a street side apartment and was often disturbed by noise in the nighttime and when studying— definitely impacted sleep negatively. The upside is the proximity to campus, cvs, and restaurants and public transport. There were no grocery stores nearby other than forbes market and the pharmacy so it’s difficult to come up with balanced options if you enjoy cooking your own meals and you don’t have an amazon prime subscription to get delivery.
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Reviewed by
4
/10
Neighborhood Rating
3401 Forbes Avenue
Oakland is pretty nice. Forbes and Fifth Avenue would arguably constitute the "main streets" in West Oakland. My location personally is close to Pitt's basketball stadium as well as the Treea athletic center. Chesterfield is not too far from UPMC's Monte Fiori, Magee Women's Hospital and the main Presbyterian Hospital building. It's about a 8-10 minute walk from Mervis and a 4-6 minute bike ride (depending on how you walk/ride). The buses (which are free with your student ID) stop at both the top and bottom of the street, can also get you down town, to the cultural district and/or the stop in about 15-20 minutes (and roughly the same on a bike). The 28X, which goes all the way to the regional airport, regularly stops at the bottom of the hill. It's a college town-ish space but no one appears to stay up super late on the week days or weekends.
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Reviewed by
7
/10
Neighborhood Rating
None
The neighborhood is in the academic area of Oakland, and it is very convenient for me.
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Reviewed by
6
/10
Neighborhood Rating
Darragh St Apartments
Very safe neighborhood. Close (~15 min) walk to Scaife, CVS, restaurants, etc.
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Reviewed by
9
/10
Neighborhood Rating
Schenley Apartments
Very convenient location. Close to the school, bus lines, restaurants.
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Reviewed by
10
/10
Neighborhood Rating
New King Edward
As a student, there hasn't been much time to get out. The neighborhood is mostly students and is very heavy with traffic because of the university and healthcare settings. This isn't somewhere I'd want to live if I wasn't a student or in need of convenience.
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Reviewed by
8
/10
Neighborhood Rating
Darragh St Apartments
It gets loud and kind of dirty because of the undergrads being around. And at night it’s not the safest (like from 12 am - 6am). But it’s close to Pitt, the hospitals, and decent fast food on Forbes or Craig St
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Reviewed by
6
/10
Neighborhood Rating
333 Oakland Ave
Different food places to try, close to the medical school, and walking distance away from a lot of other facilities
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Reviewed by
9
/10
Neighborhood Rating
New King Edward
Not a ton to do, but easy to access most other neighborhoods in the city. The 24 hour CVS is a highlight.
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Reviewed by
7
/10
Neighborhood Rating
Pennsylvania Apartments
College students around so have some cheap restaurants. Not the most adult neighborhood.
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Reviewed by
8
/10
Neighborhood Rating
Darragh St Apartments
Nothing here, no grocery. bars down hill, not ideal to walk home at night
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Reviewed by
10
/10
Neighborhood Rating
Darragh St Apartments
It's an undergrad campus. Don't have high hopes. It's nice to be close to Forbes/Fifth restaurants and bus system, though.
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Reviewed by
8
/10
Neighborhood Rating
Darragh St Apartments
Peaceful
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Reviewed by
9
/10
Neighborhood Rating
Darragh St Apartments
its close to campus, sometimes can be a bit empty and a bit creepy at night, but thats anywhere
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Reviewed by
8
/10
Neighborhood Rating
Pennsylvania Apartments
Been Fine
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Reviewed by
8
/10
Neighborhood Rating
SkyVue Apartments


Getting to Know
Oakland

Neighborhood Boundaries
East to West Boundaries: Neville St to Bigelow Blvd
North to South Boundaries: Bloomfield Bridge to Monongahela River
dining
Lulu’s Noodles
P&G’s Pamela’s Diner
The Porch
Zarra’s A Taste of Southern Italy
convenience
CVS Pharmacy
CVS Pharmacy
Rite Aid
fitness
Panther Hollow Trail
parks
Flagstaff Hill, Schenley Park
Forbes Field Outfield Wall
coffee
Brioche Doree
Crazy Mocha
Fuku Tea
Starbucks
bus
58 (bus)
61B/61C/61D (bus)
77 (bus)
P3 (bus)
parking
Allpro Parking - Sterling Plaza Garage
Ppa Forbes & Semple Garage
About your Neighbors
Data from the 2013 American Community Survey
Zip Codes
Oakland includes zip codes 15213, 15219, and 15260
Rent vs Own
54
% of Oakland residents are renters
Driving to Work
30
% of Oakland residents drive to work
New Construction
6
% of housing units in Oakland have been built in the last 15 years
Building Types
58
%
<20 units
11
%
20-49 units
21
%
50+ units
Demographics
Children (under 18)
5
%
18 - 34
63
%
35 - 54
10
%
55+
12
%
Unit Mix
9
%
Studio
28
%
1 Bed
27
%
2 Bed
26
%
3+ Bed
Occupation or Education
Working Professional
37
%
Undergrad Student
49
%
Grad Student
8
%
Unemployed
4
%
Retired
-9
%

Best Apartments
in Oakland

Camelot Apartments
2 Beds $538
3 Beds $662

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Old King Edward
1 Bed $1,545

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The Bridge on Forbes
Studio $1,575
1 Bed $1,848
2 Beds $1,238

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Bayard Manor
Studio $1,100

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Chalfont Apartments
1 Bed $1,941
2 Beds $2,384

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Dithridge House

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