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 Chelsea, the Broadway neighborhood, has some outstanding things about the way it looks and its way of life that are worth highlighting.
Real Estate
The Broadway neighborhood is very densely populated compared to most U.S. neighborhoods. In fact, with 43,936 persons per square mile in the neighborhood, it is more packed with people than 98.1% 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 Broadway 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 Broadway 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, 51.0% of the real estate here are small 2, 3, or 4 unit apartment buildings, which is a higher proportion than found in 98.5% of America's neighborhoods.
Furthermore, renter-occupied real estate is dominant in the Broadway neighborhood. The percentage of rental real estate here, according to exclusive NeighborhoodScout analysis, is 84.6%, which is higher than 95.2% 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 Broadway neighborhood stands out on a national scale for the sheer concentration of historic residences it contains: 57.7% of the residential real estate here was built from 1939 or earlier, some much earlier. This is a greater concentration of historic homes than 95.9% of the neighborhoods in the United States.
Occupations
There are more people living in the Broadway neighborhood employed as sales and service workers (58.9%) than almost any neighborhood in the country. From fast-food service workers to major sales accounts, sales and service workers make up the largest proportion of our national employment picture. But despite that size and importance nationally, this neighborhood still stands out as unique due to the dominance of people living here who work in such occupations.
Modes of Transportation
Our research revealed that more commuters here take the bus to work (13.6% ride the bus) than 96.8% of all American neighborhoods. If you like the idea of leaving your car and home and hopping the bus to work, this might be a good neighborhood for you to consider.
Also, more people in Broadway choose to walk to work each day (11.5%) than almost any neighborhood in America. If you are attracted to the idea of being able to walk to work, this neighborhood could be a good choice.
Diversity
Did you know that the Broadway neighborhood has more Dominican and Puerto Rican ancestry people living in it than nearly any neighborhood in America? It's true! In fact, 11.8% of this neighborhood's residents have Dominican ancestry and 12.9% have Puerto Rican ancestry.
Broadway is also pretty special linguistically. Significantly, 1.3% of its residents five years old and above primarily speak Mon-Khmer, which is the dominant language of Cambodia, at home. While this may seem like a small percentage, it is higher than 99.1% of the neighborhoods in America.
