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 West neighborhood, has some outstanding things about the way it looks and its way of life that are worth highlighting.
Real Estate
The Van Nest West neighborhood is very densely populated compared to most U.S. neighborhoods. In fact, with 62,000 persons per square mile in the neighborhood, it is more packed with people than 98.9% 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 West neighborhood is one of the most walkable neighborhoods in America.
In addition, three-deckers, duplexes, old Victorian homes cut up into apartments. Independent stores on the corner selling pizza. These are some of the hallmarks of neighborhoods with lots of small 2, 3, and 4 unit apartment buildings. The Van Nest West neighborhood really stands out in this regard, however, as it is dominated by such small apartment buildings more than nearly any other neighborhood in America. This is a stunning visual and lifestyle example of this type of neighborhood. In fact, 50.6% of the real estate here are small 2, 3, or 4 unit apartment buildings, which is a higher proportion than found in 98.4% of America's neighborhoods.
Furthermore, renter-occupied real estate is dominant in the Van Nest West neighborhood. The percentage of rental real estate here, according to exclusive NeighborhoodScout analysis, is 89.3%, which is higher than 96.6% 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.
Also of note, 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 West neighborhood stands out on a national scale for the sheer concentration of historic residences it contains: 67.0% of the residential real estate here was built from 1939 or earlier, some much earlier. This is a greater concentration of historic homes than 98.0% of the neighborhoods in the United States.
Modes of Transportation
More people ride the bus in this neighborhood each day to get to work than 98.8% of U.S. neighborhoods.
Also, in the Van Nest West neighborhood, 27.5% of people ride the train to work each day. This is a very high percentage compared to most places. In fact, NeighborhoodScout's analysis reveals that this is a higher level of train ridership than in 98.0% of the neighborhoods in America.
Diversity
Did you know that the Van Nest West neighborhood has more Dominican and Arab ancestry people living in it than nearly any neighborhood in America? It's true! In fact, 29.9% of this neighborhood's residents have Dominican ancestry and 9.2% have Arab ancestry.
Van Nest West is also pretty special linguistically. Significantly, 6.4% 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 99.0% of the neighborhoods in America.
