Hi S.. I suggest you look in the eastern suburbs. Try the Monroeville, North Versailles, or Penn Hills. You do not want to live in Oakland. Renting is a great idea. We moved here from Ohio and let me tell you a couple of things about PA;
1. every year you have to pay $52 (usually out of your first check) to the city in which you work it is called the occupational tax.
2. your car has to be inspected and new tags (or plates) every year at a general cost of $100. You'll have to do that within 30 days of residencey and your drivers license...if you have AAA you can do it at the AAA office (not the inspection of course that you have to get at just about any service station). Once you do that you have to do it the same month every year...not on your bithday.
3. If you buy a house there is the county tax on your property then there is a School tax. The county taxes aren't bad...the school taxes can be 4-5 times higher than the county tax. For example county tax $400 school tax $2000
4. We found our rental home in the paper. It took us about 3 weeks and the normal rental for a house around here is between $600-$800 a month for a nice house a in good neighborhood.
5. The commute into the city is wild. The freeway in from the east is 376 (called the parkway east if you watch the local news) You have to go through a tunnel from just about any direction and people tend to slow down going through them...
5. There are two main gas companies, Dominion Peoples and Equitable it all depends on where you live.
6. The main phone (land line) is Verizon they have the best deals.
7. The main electrical co. is Duquesne Light Company. Some areas have Allegheny Power, but l've never dealt with them.
8. The main cable company is Comcast but Verizon cable is comming to many areas.
9. Some of the best school districts are Gateway (Monroeville)
East Allegheny (North Versailles, East Mckeesport, Wall & Wilmerding) Penn-Trafford (Trafford, Level Green & others)
Norwin (Irwin, North Huntington & others but they are in Westmorland County and would be a futher drive).
There's tons to tell you...if you have any questions I'd be happy to help since I've been through it myself with three young daughters. Feel free to email me!! Best of luck, and Welcome to the neighborhood!!! :-)