New Bedford, MA (Upper River Mill)

The way a neighborhood looks and feels when you walk or drive around it, from its setting, its buildings, and its flavor, can make all the difference. This neighborhood has some really cool things about the way it looks and feels as revealed by NeighborhoodScout's exclusive research. This might include anything from the housing stock to the types of households living here to how people get around.

Real Estate

If you like crowded places, then you will probably enjoy the the Upper River Mill neighborhood. According to NeighborhoodScout's exclusive data analysis, this neighborhood is more densely populated than 95.3% of neighborhoods in the U.S., with 21,737 people per square mile living here. 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 Upper River Mill neighborhood is one of the most walkable neighborhoods in America. Do you like a coastal setting? If so, this neighborhood may be to your liking. The Upper River Mill neighborhood is on the ocean, a bay, or inlet. Often such coastal places have amenities and recreational activities on the waterfront that are attractive to residents and visitors alike. In addition to being coastal, Upper River Mill is a very nautical neighborhood, meaning that it is somewhat historic, walkable, densely populated and on the water. This gives the neighborhood a very nautical feel, with some seaside and shipping feel, which some may really enjoy the sights and sounds of.

In addition, 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 Upper River Mill 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 55.1% of the real estate here is made up of such dwellings, which is higher than 98.9% of all U.S. neighborhoods.

Furthermore, renter-occupied real estate is dominant in the Upper River Mill neighborhood. The percentage of rental real estate here, according to exclusive NeighborhoodScout analysis, is 93.8%, which is higher than 97.7% 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 Upper River Mill neighborhood stands out on a national scale for the sheer concentration of historic residences it contains: 84.7% of the residential real estate here was built from 1939 or earlier, some much earlier. This is a greater concentration of historic homes than 99.8% of the neighborhoods in the United States.

Modes of Transportation

In the Upper River Mill neighborhood, carpooling is still a popular way to get to and from work. NeighborhoodScout's analysis reveals that 40.9% of commuters carpool here, which is more than in 99.8% of all U.S. neighborhoods.

Occupations

NeighborhoodScout's exclusive research identifies the Upper River Mill neighborhood as having one of the highest concentrations of people employed in manufacturing or as laborers of any neighborhood in America. In fact, despite the loss of manufacturing jobs nationally, this neighborhood has 47.7% of its working residents employed in such fields, which is a higher proportion than 98.3% of American neighborhoods.

People

One of the unique characteristics of the Upper River Mill neighborhood revealed by analysis is that the per capita income of residents here is lower than that found in 98.1% of the neighborhoods in America. Also of note, 59.8% of the children in this area live in poverty; an extraordinarily high percentage compared to other neighborhoods in the nation. In a nation where approximately one in four children grows up in poverty, this neighborhood stands out for the depth of the problem manifested here.

In addition, the Upper River Mill neighborhood is unique for having just 6.2% of adults here having earned a bachelor's degree. This is a lower rate of college graduates than NeighborhoodScout found in 96.1% of America's neighborhoods.

Car Ownership

Most American households own a car or other vehicle. Many own two cars or perhaps three. In the United States, it is useful to have an automobile not only for commuting, but also for shopping and getting to other services one needs. But NeighborhoodScout's analysis revealed that households in the Upper River Mill neighborhood have a highly unusual car ownership. 19.1% of the households in this neighborhood don't own a car at all. This is more carless households than NeighborhoodScout found in 95.0% of U.S. neighborhoods.