5 Reasons to Love Living in the Mexican War Streets

Historic Row Houses & Neighborhood Art

The area known as the Mexican War Streets is within the Central North Side neighborhood and is home to many historic row houses that give the neighborhood a vibe unlike any other place in Pittsburgh. When walking around, you’ll likely feel like you’ve been transported to New York City or Boston due to the beautiful row houses and overall walkability of the area (which we’ll talk about more in a moment).

But within a walk around the neighborhood, you can dive deeper with beautiful art, architecture, and community parklets/gardens found seemingly everywhere you look. A personal favorite of ours is the City of Asylum houses on Sampsonia Way (the alley behind the Mattress Factory’s main building). These homes were used to host writers-in-residence who had to leave their home country due to risk of persecution. Several houses here have beautiful murals depicting scenes and poetry in the writer’s native language- certainly something you can miss if you do not know to walk down the road!

The Name is a Nod to the Mexican-American War

You may wonder why the area is called the Mexican War Streets, and that is because it was built during the period around the Mexican-American war (back when the North Side was still Allegheny City and not part of Pittsburgh). To honor the history, the streets of the neighborhood were named after Generals and battles of the Mexican-American war.

For example, Buena Vista Street was named for the Battle of Buena Vista, Palo Alto Street was named for the Battle of Palo Alto, Sherman Avenue was named for Thomas Sherman, Taylor Avenue after Zachary Taylor, and many more. 

So, to get ahead of things, no, there isn’t a war going on there (the neighborhood is actually quite safe). It is just a nod to a part of the country’s history when the neighborhood was founded, and residents will do well to take a dive into the history to learn more about the origin of their street name!

Businesses Found in the Neighborhood

While the Mexican War Streets does not have a central business district, the neighborhood features several businesses speckled amongst the residential buildings.

Throughout the area, you can find attractions like Randyland and the Mattress Factory, stores like Mayfly Market and Deli, Sergio Paisley men’s clothing store, and La Jolie Salon, restaurants like ShadoBeni (vegan Trinidadian) and Monterey Pub, a decently sized YMCA gym, a historic building converted into a B&B, and even a local branch of Pittsburgh’s own Commonplace Coffee to name a few!

Additional shops and restaurants can also be found on Federal Street, just outside of the neighborhood boundaries on the east side a short walk away. Spots like Badamo’s Pizza, Carmi Express, a Pittsburgh Public Library, and more can be found here as well.

So if you like being just a brief stroll away from restaurants and amenities, the Mexican War Streets has it!

Walkability to Downtown (and Nearby Attractions)

Perhaps one of the best highlights of the Mexican War Streets comes with its proximity to the city at large- both via walking and driving.

Those who are up for a short walk can easily reach nearby business districts on East Ohio Street and Western Avenue in 10-20 minutes- home to some of the best restaurants, bars, and breweries in the city (check out Allegheny City Brewing, Four Points Brewing, Alberta’s Pizza, Fig & Ash, and many, many more).

Connecting the two areas are Allegheny Commons and West Park, with beautiful green spaces, an open dog park, Lake Elizabeth, the Children’s Museum, the National Aviary, and the acclaimed food hall Federal Galley. You can even be at one of the city’s best hospitals, Allegheny General, in a brief walk, too!

For those who like to walk a bit further, you can easily reach other highlights like PNC Park, Acrisure Stadium, their respective stops for the T heading to the South Hills, the Andy Warhol Museum, and even Point State Park in downtown Pittsburgh in a 20-30 minute walk depending on where you live. Truly, you can get to many spots of the city by foot all while calling the historic neighborhood home!

• The Mexican War Streets is part of a larger regional area known as the North Side. Check out our North Side guide for all of our favorite spots in the area!

Easy Access to the Rest of Pittsburgh

One of the best parts about the North Side is that you have easy access to the rest of Pittsburgh by car (or, depending on direction, bus).

Within just a few minutes by car, you can be on 28 heading east along the northern side of the city (to Lawrenceville, Millvale, Sharpsburg, and beyond), 279 heading north connecting to 79 (hitting McKnight Road, Wexford, and even Zelienople in under 30 minutes), 65 heading west (towards Sewickley and Ambridge), 51 heading south, 376 heading east along the southern side of the city (to Oakland, Squirrel Hill, and more), or out the Fort Pitt Tunnel to quickly connect up to 376 west and 79.

While not a central neighborhood geographically speaking, the Mexican War Streets (and North Side at large) is great for accessibility to the greater Pittsburgh metro area simply because you can be on so many major roads in just a few minutes and a great deal of the city and nearby boroughs in 20-30 minutes by car- when there is no traffic, at least.

More Things to Know About Living in the Mexican War Streets

When it comes to living in the Mexican War Streets, there are a few additional details to keep in mind. A few notable highlights are the following:

• Many streets within The Mexican War Streets are part of the National Register of Historic Places, and you may have local regulations over what exterior building modifications can be done. That said, the boundaries covered here may be a bit variable to the area most locals consider to be “the War Streets,” so this is worth checking from street to street, house to house as the boundaries have changed over time.
• While many houses in the Mexican War Streets have garages accessible via side alleys, many do not. Keep in mind that street parking is often limited, and permits are required.
• In being in the city limits, the Mexican War Streets has street cleaning scheduled monthly (typically two days a month from April to November) on alternating days for each side of the street. This can pose a challenge due to limited street parking.
• There are many local organizations to join, neighborhood events (like the Mexican War Streets yard sale- arguably the best in the city), and even a community garden, giving many opportunities to get out and meet your neighbors.
• Likewise, a great deal of the houses in the War Streets are row houses. While this is a major highlight as noted above, keep in mind special considerations when living in houses of this style- their unique layout (often narrow but long), shared walls, potential noise concerns, lack of yard space, etc.
• The businesses that are scattered throughout the neighborhood may also be of note to some due to extra visitors, noise concerns, extra parking demand, etc. The Mattress Factory has semi-frequent events late into the evening with music (e.g. a wedding or their summer Garden Party), Randyland often has music playing during the day, and Monterey Pub is a popular bar often open until midnight. 
• The Mexican War Streets also went through a housing boom in the late 2010s and early 2020s, with many row houses undergoing significant renovations. While this means that pricing has risen for completely renovated properties, there are still many buildings that could be available for less that require some work- giving options for all home buyers. 
• The North Side is a bit of a food desert with one Giant Eagle grocery store on Cedar Avenue that leaves a lot to be desired. (It is our local grocery store, and we rarely ever go to it.) Thankfully, the North Side is home to a large farmer’s market in the park in front of Allegheny General Hospital in the summer and fall months that is stellar.
• As with all neighborhoods, traffic can back up on key roads like the West End Bridge or the nearby highways during rush hour. If your commute involves crossing a bridge (downtown excluded, typically), look into traffic patterns more. Likewise, game day traffic often sees an increased number of cars parking on nearby streets and North Ave. can have significant congestion before/after games.

Overall, the Mexican War Streets is one of our favorite neighborhoods in Pittsburgh as it is charming, has stellar houses, many amazing local businesses, and easy accessibility to the rest of the city. We even live nearby (albeit, not in the War Streets proper), and truly love everything the North Side has to offer.

Do you have any extra thoughts about living in the Mexican War Streets to share with a potential new neighbor? Comment below to share!

Are you looking to buy a house in the Mexican War Streets and need a real estate agent? Be sure to contact our friends at The Melinda Lynch Team and tell them Discover the Burgh sent you!