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 Bronx, the Van Nest Ave / Garfield St neighborhood, has some outstanding things about the way it looks and its way of life that are worth highlighting.
Real Estate
Corner bodegas, stores on the first floor and apartments above, former grand Victorian residences converted into apartments, three-deckers built shoulder-to-shoulder, duplexes. Such building types define the real estate of neighborhoods dominated by small 2, 3, and 4 unit apartment buildings. Many are in older core neighborhoods of Eastern and Midwestern cities, or historic town centers in their hinterlands. If you wax romantic about the look and feel of such neighborhoods, with fresh pizza, falafel and an independent florist at the corner, then you might find the Van Nest Ave / Garfield St neighborhood worth a close look. This neighborhood is an absolutely outstanding example of the dominance of small 2, 3, and 4 unit apartment buildings compared to neighborhoods across the nation, as they make up a substantial portion of this neighborhood's real estate stock. In fact, no less than 73.1% of the real estate here is made up of such dwellings, which is higher than 99.8% of all U.S. neighborhoods.
In addition, the Van Nest Ave / Garfield St neighborhood is very densely populated compared to most U.S. neighborhoods. In fact, with 49,504 persons per square mile in the neighborhood, it is more packed with people than 98.4% of the nation's neighborhoods. 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 Van Nest Ave / Garfield St neighborhood is one of the most walkable neighborhoods in America.
Furthermore, 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 Van Nest Ave / Garfield St neighborhood stands out on a national scale for the sheer concentration of historic residences it contains: 60.1% of the residential real estate here was built from 1939 or earlier, some much earlier. This is a greater concentration of historic homes than 96.5% of the neighborhoods in the United States.
Modes of Transportation
If you like to ride the train to work, this neighborhood may be for you. NeighborhoodScout's research revealed that 40.2% of the Van Nest Ave / Garfield St neighborhood's commuters ride the train to and from work each day, which is more than we found in 98.8% of America's neighborhoods.
Also, more people ride the bus in this neighborhood each day to get to work than 96.4% of U.S. neighborhoods.
Car Ownership
American households most often have a car, and regularly they have two or three. But households in the Van Nest Ave / Garfield St neighborhood buck this trend. 25.8% of the households in this neighborhood don't own a car at all. This is more carless households than NeighborhoodScout found in 96.5% of U.S. neighborhoods.
Diversity
Did you know that the Van Nest Ave / Garfield St neighborhood has more Dominican and Arab ancestry people living in it than nearly any neighborhood in America? It's true! In fact, 24.7% of this neighborhood's residents have Dominican ancestry and 8.4% have Arab ancestry.
Van Nest Ave / Garfield St is also pretty special linguistically. Significantly, 7.6% of its residents five years old and above primarily speak Arabic at home. While this may seem like a small percentage, it is higher than 99.3% of the neighborhoods in America.
