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Real Estate Prices & Overview

West Fens median real estate price is $864,505, which is more expensive than 75.5% of the neighborhoods in Massachusetts and 89.2% of the neighborhoods in the U.S.

The average rental price in West Fens is currently $4,495, based on NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis. The average rental cost in this neighborhood is higher than 86.1% of the neighborhoods in Massachusetts.

West Fens is a densely urban neighborhood (based on population density) located in Boston, Massachusetts.

West Fens real estate is primarily made up of small (studio to two bedroom) to medium sized (three or four bedroom) apartment complexes/high-rise apartments and small apartment buildings. Most of the residential real estate is renter occupied. Many of the residences in the West Fens neighborhood are relatively historic, built no later than 1939, and in some cases, quite a bit earlier. A number of residences were also built between 1940 and 1969.

Home and apartment vacancy rates are 6.5% in West Fens. NeighborhoodScout analysis shows that this rate is lower than 56.9% of the neighborhoods in the nation, approximately near the middle range for vacancies.

Notable & Unique Neighborhood Characteristics

When you see a neighborhood for the first time, the most important thing is often the way it looks, like its homes and its setting. Some places look the same, but they only reveal their true character after living in them for a while because they contain a unique mix of occupational or cultural groups. This neighborhood is very unique in some important ways, according to NeighborhoodScout's exclusive exploration and analysis.

Modes of Transportation

More people in West Fens choose to walk to work each day (51.4%) 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.

Also, in the West Fens neighborhood, 10.6% 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 95.2% of the neighborhoods in America.

Real Estate

The real estate in the West Fens neighborhood really stands out in the way it looks for a unique reason: this neighborhood has a higher proportion of apartment complexes or high-rise apartments than nearly every neighborhood in the country. Most neighborhoods are a mixture of real estate and housing types, but here it is almost entirely dominated by big apartment buildings and complexes. In fact, 98.2% of the real estate here is classified as apartment complexes or high-rise apartments, which is more than is found in 99.7% of American neighborhoods.

In addition, what you'll find when you visit or move to this neighborhood is one of the most crowded neighborhoods in all of America. With an incredible 85,853 people per square mile, it is more densely populated than 99.5% of America's neighborhoods. Even if you drive or take transit to your place of employment, many people enjoy being able to walk in their neighborhood. What many people don't realize is that most of America's premier vacation locations are also very walkable. The West Fens neighborhood is among the top 5% of American neighborhoods in terms of walkability.

Furthermore, the West Fens 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 91.3% 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.

Also of note, 87.4% of the real estate in the West Fens neighborhood is occupied by renters, which is nearly the highest rate of renter occupancy of any neighborhood in America.

Finally, if you find historic homes and neighborhoods attractive, you love the details, the history, and the charm, then you are sure to be interested in this neighborhood. With 57.1% of the residential real estate in the West Fens neighborhood built no later than 1939, and some built considerably earlier, this neighborhood has a greater concentration of historic residences than 95.8% of all neighborhoods in America. In this regard, this neighborhood truly stands out as special.

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 West Fens neighborhood have a highly unusual car ownership. 66.1% of the households in this neighborhood don't own a car at all. This is more carless households than NeighborhoodScout found in 99.5% of U.S. neighborhoods.

People

If knowledge is power, then imagine the cumulative power of one neighborhood where many of the adults have earned an advanced degree, such as a Masters, law degree, medical degree, or even a Ph.D. This is certainly the case in the West Fens neighborhood, where 49.3% have earned an advanced degree. Compare that to the average neighborhood in America, where just 13.4% of adults have completed a post-graduate degree, and you can see why this neighborhood is a stand out. In fact, this neighborhood has a higher rate of adults with an advanced degree than 99.1% of the neighborhoods in America.

In addition, one of the most interesting things about the West Fens neighborhood is that it has a greater concentration of residents who live alone than most all neighborhoods in America. With 56.6% 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 98.1% of the neighborhoods in America.

Occupations

Executives, managers and professionals make up 79.6% of the workforce in the West Fens neighborhood which, according to NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis, is a higher proportion of such high-level people than is found in 99.0% of the neighborhoods in America. For this reason, this neighborhood really stands out as unique.

Diversity

Did you know that the West Fens neighborhood has more Finnish and Romanian ancestry people living in it than nearly any neighborhood in America? It's true! In fact, 2.7% of this neighborhood's residents have Finnish ancestry and 1.3% have Romanian ancestry.

West Fens is also pretty special linguistically. Significantly, 1.7% of its residents five years old and above primarily speak Russian at home. While this may seem like a small percentage, it is higher than 98.1% of the neighborhoods in America.

The Neighbors

How wealthy a neighborhood is, from very wealthy, to middle income, to low income is very formative with regard to the personality and character of a neighborhood. Equally important is the rate of people, particularly children, who live below the federal poverty line. In some wealthy gated communities, the areas immediately surrounding can have high rates of childhood poverty, which indicates other social issues. NeighborhoodScout's analysis reveals both aspects of income and poverty for this neighborhood.

The neighbors in the West Fens neighborhood in Boston are middle-income, making it a moderate income neighborhood. NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis reveals that this neighborhood has a higher income than 54.0% of the neighborhoods in America. With 40.5% of the children here below the federal poverty line, this neighborhood has a higher rate of childhood poverty than 89.3% of U.S. neighborhoods.

What we choose to do for a living reflects who we are. Each neighborhood has a different mix of occupations represented, and together these tell you about the neighborhood and help you understand if this neighborhood may fit your lifestyle.

In the West Fens neighborhood, 79.6% of the working population is employed in executive, management, and professional occupations. The second most important occupational group in this neighborhood is clerical, assistant, and tech support occupations, with 9.5% of the residents employed. Other residents here are employed in sales and service jobs, from major sales accounts, to working in fast food restaurants (6.7%), and 4.2% in manufacturing and laborer occupations.

Languages

The languages spoken by people in this neighborhood are diverse. These are tabulated as the languages people preferentially speak when they are at home with their families. The most common language spoken in the West Fens neighborhood is English, spoken by 68.8% of households. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish, Chinese and Langs. of India.

Ethnicity / Ancestry

Culture is the shared learned behavior of peoples. Undeniably, different ethnicities and ancestries have different cultural traditions, and as a result, neighborhoods with concentrations of residents of one or another ethnicities or ancestries will express those cultures. It is what makes the North End in Boston so fun to visit for the Italian restaurants, bakeries, culture, and charm, and similarly, why people enjoy visiting Chinatown in San Francisco.

In the West Fens neighborhood in Boston, MA, residents most commonly identify their ethnicity or ancestry as Irish (17.9%). There are also a number of people of Asian ancestry (15.2%), and residents who report German roots (8.0%), and some of the residents are also of Polish ancestry (7.9%), along with some English ancestry residents (7.9%), among others. In addition, 28.0% of the residents of this neighborhood were born in another country.

Getting to Work

Even if your neighborhood is walkable, you may still have to drive to your place of work. Some neighborhoods are located where many can get to work in just a few minutes, while others are located such that most residents have a long and arduous commute. The greatest number of commuters in West Fens neighborhood spend between 15 and 30 minutes commuting one-way to work (40.2% of working residents), which is shorter than the time spent commuting to work for most Americans.

Here most residents (51.4%) hop out the door and walk to work to get to work. In addition, quite a number also drive alone in a private automobile to get to work (15.9%) and 10.6% of residents also take the train for their daily commute. This is a special neighborhood for the number of people who walk to work. Combining exercise, low cost, and reduced pollution, plus the chance to see your neighbors, walking to work is fairly uncommon in America but likely to increase as people try to reduce their dependence on automobiles, and this neighborhood offers that opportunity today.


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