"Listen to that Duquesne whistle blowing / Blowing like it's gonna sweep my world away / I'm gonna stop in Carbondale and keep on going / That Duquesne train gonna ride me night and day" - Bob Dylan, "Duquesne Whistle"
Located southeast of Pittsburgh, Duquesne is a small town that steel built, and one that steel left behind after the mills closed. Home to just over 5,500 residents, it is a quiet community with a long history, and proud residents who have withstood the ups and downs of generations. It's also a small, tightly-knit community that spends a lot of time locally, traveling very little for work or play. If you settle down here, your odometer won't be working overtime.
Renter's Paradise
"Listen to that Duquesne whistle blowing / Blowing like it's gonna sweep my world away / I'm gonna stop in Carbondale and keep on going / That Duquesne train gonna ride me night and day" - Bob Dylan, "Duquesne Whistle"
Located southeast of Pittsburgh, Duquesne is a small town that steel built, and one that steel left behind after the mills closed. Home to just over 5,500 residents, it is a quiet community with a long history, and proud residents who have withstood the ups and downs of generations. It's also a small, tightly-knit community that spends a lot of time locally, traveling very little for work or play. If you settle down here, your odometer won't be working overtime.
Moving to Duquesne
Renter's Paradise
Over 55 percent of the residential units in Duquesne are renter-occupied, and plenty of those places to rent are vacant and available (you can breathe that sigh of relief now). Combined with a variety of home choices -- evenly distributed amongst small apartment buildings, large apartment buildings, and single-family houses -- and a low average rent, even by Pennsylvania's standards, this makes Duquesne an easy place for a renter to call home.
Mature Housing
Reflecting the housing expansions due to industry in the past, over 40 percent of the housing units in Duquesne were built between 1940 and 1969. With just under 40% built prior to that, the majority of apartment and house rentals you'll see won't have modern amenities or modern layouts. This means you may have to forego some modern conveniences, and you might have to cope with some outdated styling -- but if historical buildings are your thing, hey, this might be good news. Most importantly, you should keep an eye out for outdated components, but if you can find yourself apartments with all bills paid, you won't have to worry so much.
Short Lead Time
Thanks to the consistent level of vacancies, you can find an apartment to rent in Duquesne in very little time. If you have all the paperwork set, all your references in line, and your security deposit, you could get in an apartment as fast as a week or two -- so start packing! Well, after you read on, naturally.
Neighborhoods of Duquesne
City Center: The city center neighborhood is actually the northern half of town, and has quite a few industrial properties located within, particularly along the river and in the southern section of the neighborhood. This is the area to find large apartment complexes and buildings - start your search at Grant Towers for a one bedroom apartment or at Oliver Plaza Apartments.
Southern Duquesne: Split from the City Center by Grant Avenue, the inner section of the neighborhood is mostly residential, with a smattering of commercial, while the outside rim along the Monongahela River. This area leans more towards single family units and small buildings with 1 and 2 bedroom apartments, instead of large buildings or complexes. There's not much retail of interest in the neighborhood, apart from Kopriver's Florist and Greenhouse if you want some indoor plants to help out the air quality in your place.
Living in Duquesne
Summers in Duquesne mean one thing - Kennywood. Located just north of the city limits, it is one of the longest-operating amusement parks in America, and a standing tradition for many in the Pittsburgh area. It's also one of only two amusement parks in America to be listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Hopefully you have some tennis shoes and a healthy love of roller coasters!
Fall, on the other hand, means football. This is a region that has continually produced football stars over the last century, so everything from Pop Warner to professional football gets plenty of attention when the weather cools. Duquesne High School closed in 2007, so the town itself no longer has a high school team, but all the students head over to West Mifflin Area High School, which has produced good teams over time. The University of Pittsburgh Panthers supply college-level ball, but most of all, this is Steeler Country. Everyone in southwestern Pennsylvania bleeds black and gold, and don't expect to get much done for those 3 hours on a Sunday or Monday (aside from some buffalo wing consumption).
