West Central median real estate price is $139,035, which is less expensive than 81.5% of Iowa neighborhoods and 90.0% of all U.S. neighborhoods.
The average rental price in West Central is currently $1,272, based on NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis. The average rental cost in this neighborhood is higher than 64.6% of the neighborhoods in Iowa.
West Central is an urban neighborhood (based on population density) located in Waterloo, Iowa.
West Central real estate is primarily made up of medium sized (three or four bedroom) to small (studio to two bedroom) single-family homes and small apartment buildings. Most of the residential real estate is owner occupied. Many of the residences in the West Central neighborhood are older, well-established, built between 1940 and 1969. A number of residences were also built before 1940.
Real estate vacancies in West Central are 3.7%, which is lower than one will find in 74.3% of American neighborhoods. Demand for real estate in West Central is above average for the U.S., and may signal some demand for either price increases or new construction of residential product for this neighborhood.
Many things matter about a neighborhood, but the first thing most people notice is the way a neighborhood looks and its particular character. For example, one might notice whether the buildings all date from a certain time period or whether shop signs are in multiple languages. This particular neighborhood in Waterloo, the West Central neighborhood, has some outstanding things about the way it looks and its way of life that are worth highlighting.
Whether walking, biking, riding, or driving, the length of one's commute is an important factor for one's quality of life. The West Central neighborhood stands out for its commute length, according to NeighborhoodScout's analysis. Long commutes can be brutal. They take time, money, and energy, leaving less of you for yourself and your family. The residents of the West Central neighborhood unfortunately have the distinction of having, on average, a longer commute than most any neighborhood in America. 13.3% of commuters here travel more than one hour just one-way to work. That is more than two hours per day. This percentage with two-hour + round-trip commutes is higher than NeighborhoodScout found in 98.0% of all neighborhoods in America.
One of the really interesting characteristics about the West Central neighborhood is that, according to NeighborhoodScout's exclusive research, it is an excellent choice in which to reside for college students. Due to its popularity among college students who already choose to live here, its walkability, and its above average safety from crime, the neighborhood is ideal for prospective or already-enrolled college students. Between semesters and during school breaks, you'll notice that the excitement here fluctuates with the college seasons. Despite the excitement however, parents of college-age children can rest easy knowing that this neighborhood has an above average safety rating. For each of these reasons, the neighborhood is rated among the top 4.6% of college-friendly places to live in the state of Iowa.
Did you know that the West Central neighborhood has more Yugoslav and Czechoslovakian ancestry people living in it than nearly any neighborhood in America? It's true! In fact, 1.3% of this neighborhood's residents have Yugoslav ancestry and 1.1% have Czechoslovakian ancestry.
How wealthy a neighborhood is, from very wealthy, to middle income, to low income is very formative with regard to the personality and character of a neighborhood. Equally important is the rate of people, particularly children, who live below the federal poverty line. In some wealthy gated communities, the areas immediately surrounding can have high rates of childhood poverty, which indicates other social issues. NeighborhoodScout's analysis reveals both aspects of income and poverty for this neighborhood.
The neighbors in the West Central neighborhood in Waterloo are lower-middle income, making it a below average income neighborhood. NeighborhoodScout's research shows that this neighborhood has an income lower than 80.2% of U.S. neighborhoods. With 25.8% of the children here below the federal poverty line, this neighborhood has a higher rate of childhood poverty than 77.2% of U.S. neighborhoods.
A neighborhood is far different if it is dominated by enlisted military personnel rather than people who earn their living by farming. It is also different if most of the neighbors are clerical support or managers. What is wonderful is the sheer diversity of neighborhoods, allowing you to find the type that fits your lifestyle and aspirations.
In the West Central neighborhood, 35.9% of the working population is employed in sales and service jobs, from major sales accounts, to working in fast food restaurants. The second most important occupational group in this neighborhood is executive, management, and professional occupations, with 27.8% of the residents employed. Other residents here are employed in manufacturing and laborer occupations (25.1%), and 11.1% in clerical, assistant, and tech support occupations.
The most common language spoken in the West Central neighborhood is English, spoken by 79.9% of households. Some people also speak Spanish (9.6%).
Culture is shared learned behavior. We learn it from our parents, their parents, our houses of worship, and much of our culture – our learned behavior – comes from our ancestors. That is why ancestry and ethnicity can be so interesting and important to understand: places with concentrations of people of one or more ancestries often express those shared learned behaviors and this gives each neighborhood its own culture. Even different neighborhoods in the same city can have drastically different cultures.
In the West Central neighborhood in Waterloo, IA, residents most commonly identify their ethnicity or ancestry as German (20.2%). There are also a number of people of Mexican ancestry (12.5%), and residents who report Irish roots (9.9%), and some of the residents are also of Asian ancestry (7.5%), along with some English ancestry residents (5.3%), among others.
How you get to work – car, bus, train or other means – and how much of your day it takes to do so is a large quality of life and financial issue. Especially with gasoline prices rising and expected to continue doing so, the length and means of one's commute can be a financial burden. Some neighborhoods are physically located so that many residents have to drive in their own car, others are set up so many walk to work, or can take a train, bus, or bike. The greatest number of commuters in West Central neighborhood spend under 15 minutes commuting one-way to work (47.7% of working residents), one of the shortest commutes across America. However, there is also a significant group of residents (13.3%) who commute over an hour in each direction.
Here most residents (76.6%) drive alone in a private automobile to get to work. In addition, quite a number also carpool with coworkers, friends, or neighbors to get to work (15.3%) . In a neighborhood like this, as in most of the nation, many residents find owning a car useful for getting to work.