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 Portland, the West Bayside neighborhood, has some outstanding things about the way it looks and its way of life that are worth highlighting.
Modes of Transportation
In the West Bayside neighborhood, walking to work is a real option for many. In fact, NeighborhoodScout's exclusive research reveals walking to and from work is the chosen way to commute for 24.5% of residents here. This is a higher proportion of walking commuters than we found in 98.7% of American neighborhoods. Get ready to put on your walking shoes if you move here!
Real Estate
The West Bayside neighborhood is very unique in that it has one of the highest proportions of one, two, or no bedroom real estate of any neighborhood in America. Most neighborhoods have a mixture of home or apartment sizes from small to large, but here the concentration of studios and other small living spaces is at near-record heights. With 90.5% of the real estate here of this small size, this most assuredly is a notable feature that makes this neighborhood unique, along with just a handful of other neighborhoods in the U.S. that share this characteristic.
In addition, being a walkable neighborhood can help increase property values for the simple reason that people enjoy it and value it. To put it plainly, despite our love affair with the automobile, American's enjoy taking to the streets, sidewalks, paths, and courtyards of a place to get a coffee, relax, and take in the sights and sounds. And, according to NeighborhoodScout's exclusive and first quantitative walkable score index, the West Bayside neighborhood is one of the most walkable neighborhoods in America.
Furthermore, one of the really unique and interesting things about the look and setting of the West Bayside neighborhood is that it is almost entirely dominated by large apartment buildings, such as apartment complexes or high-rise apartments. 72.1% of the residential real estate here is classified as such. This puts this neighborhood on the map as having a higher proportion of large apartment buildings than 95.4% of all neighborhoods in America.
Also of note, renter-occupied real estate is dominant in the West Bayside neighborhood. The percentage of rental real estate here, according to exclusive NeighborhoodScout analysis, is 85.2%, which is higher than 95.4% of the neighborhoods in America. If you were to buy and live in the property you bought here, you would be almost alone in doing so.
Finally, do you watch 'This Old House' on Public Television? Do you love the idea of fixing up a Colonial or Victorian era home, complete with the charm of yesteryear? Do you like to stroll or drive streets lined with gracious older residences? If you found yourself nodding yes to any of these questions, you are going to be interested in this unique neighborhood. The West Bayside neighborhood stands out on a national scale for the sheer concentration of historic residences it contains: 54.7% of the residential real estate here was built from 1939 or earlier, some much earlier. This is a greater concentration of historic homes than 95.1% of the neighborhoods in the United States.
People
One of the most interesting things about the West Bayside neighborhood is that it has a greater concentration of residents who live alone than most all neighborhoods in America. With 52.1% of the households here made up of people living alone, NeighborhoodScout's research reveals that this is a larger proportion of people living alone than in 96.7% of the neighborhoods in America.
In addition, the West Bayside neighborhood stands out within Maine for its college student friendly environment. NeighborhoodScout's analysis reveals that this neighborhood is home to a number of college students, is relatively walkable, and above average in safety. In combination, this makes it stand out for a good place for college students to consider. Because a number of college students live here, this neighborhood may be close to a college campus and offer certain amenities nearby geared towards the student body. While it's not an environment for everyone, ambitious scholars can enjoy seasonal excitement between semesters and school breaks, and parents can rest easy knowing that the area has an above average safety rating. For each of these reasons, the neighborhood is rated among the top 6.3% of college-friendly places to live in ME. In addition to being an excellent choice for college students, this neighborhood is also a very good choice for young, single professionals.
Diversity
Did you know that the West Bayside neighborhood has more Sub-Saharan African and Scottish ancestry people living in it than nearly any neighborhood in America? It's true! In fact, 17.0% of this neighborhood's residents have Sub-Saharan African ancestry and 6.1% have Scottish ancestry.
West Bayside is also pretty special linguistically. Significantly, 7.1% of its residents five years old and above primarily speak African languages at home. While this may seem like a small percentage, it is higher than 99.3% of the neighborhoods in America.
