Lower West Side median real estate price is $434,846, which is more expensive than 37.2% of the neighborhoods in New York and 62.2% of the neighborhoods in the U.S.
The average rental price in Lower West Side is currently $1,173, based on NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis. Rents here are currently lower in price than 95.2% of New York neighborhoods.
Lower West Side is a densely urban neighborhood (based on population density) located in Buffalo, New York.
Lower West Side real estate is primarily made up of small (studio to two bedroom) to medium sized (three or four bedroom) small apartment buildings and apartment complexes/high-rise apartments. Most of the residential real estate is renter occupied. Many of the residences in the Lower West Side 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 8.6% in Lower West Side. NeighborhoodScout analysis shows that this rate is lower than 44.8% of the neighborhoods in the nation, approximately near the middle range for vacancies.
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.
People
The Lower West Side neighborhood stands out for having an average per capita income lower than 99.0% of the neighborhoods in the United States. Also of note, 80.3% 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, single parenting is hard. But you don't have to tell the Lower West Side neighborhood about it; they already know. 19.7% of this neighborhood's households are run by single mothers, which is a higher concentration than NeighborhoodScout found in 96.8% of American neighborhoods. Further NeighborhoodScout research showed strong statistical correlations among high rates of children living in single parent households, and neighborhood crime, particularly violent crime, neighborhood poverty, and, importantly, the percentage of low weight births and rates of infant mortality.
Real Estate
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 Lower West Side 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, 41.3% of the real estate here are small 2, 3, or 4 unit apartment buildings, which is a higher proportion than found in 97.3% of America's neighborhoods.
In addition, 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 Lower West Side neighborhood is one of the most walkable neighborhoods in America.
Furthermore, renter-occupied real estate is dominant in the Lower West Side neighborhood. The percentage of rental real estate here, according to exclusive NeighborhoodScout analysis, is 87.2%, which is higher than 96.0% 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.
Occupations
From major sales accounts to fast-food workers, sales and service employees are often the backbone of the local economy. In the Lower West Side neighborhood, they truly stand out. NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis identifies this neighborhood as having a higher percentage of sales and service workers than 96.2% of all American neighborhoods.
Modes of Transportation
In the Lower West Side neighborhood, walking to work is a real option for many. In fact, NeighborhoodScout's exclusive research reveals walking to and from work is the chosen way to commute for 11.1% of residents here. This is a higher proportion of walking commuters than we found in 95.4% of American neighborhoods. Get ready to put on your walking shoes if you move here!
Diversity
Did you know that the Lower West Side neighborhood has more Puerto Rican and Arab ancestry people living in it than nearly any neighborhood in America? It's true! In fact, 55.6% of this neighborhood's residents have Puerto Rican ancestry and 3.6% have Arab ancestry.
Lower West Side is also pretty special linguistically. Significantly, 3.6% of its residents five years old and above primarily speak African languages at home. While this may seem like a small percentage, it is higher than 97.7% of the neighborhoods in America.
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 Lower West Side neighborhood in Buffalo are low income, making it among the lowest income neighborhoods in America. NeighborhoodScout's research shows that this neighborhood has an income lower than 99.0% of U.S. neighborhoods. With 80.3% of the children here below the federal poverty line, this neighborhood has a higher rate of childhood poverty than 99.4% of U.S. neighborhoods.
A neighborhood is far different if it is dominated by enlisted military personnel rather than people who earn their living by farming. It is also different if most of the neighbors are clerical support or managers. What is wonderful is the sheer diversity of neighborhoods, allowing you to find the type that fits your lifestyle and aspirations.
In the Lower West Side neighborhood, 39.6% of the working population is employed in sales and service jobs, from major sales accounts, to working in fast food restaurants. The second most important occupational group in this neighborhood is executive, management, and professional occupations, with 28.0% of the residents employed. Other residents here are employed in manufacturing and laborer occupations (22.7%), and 9.7% in clerical, assistant, and tech support 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 Lower West Side neighborhood is Spanish, spoken by 43.4% of households. Other important languages spoken here include English, African languages and Arabic.
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 Lower West Side neighborhood in Buffalo, NY, residents most commonly identify their ethnicity or ancestry as Puerto Rican (55.6%). There are also a number of people of Sub-Saharan African ancestry (10.2%), and residents who report Italian roots (6.1%), and some of the residents are also of Irish ancestry (4.3%), along with some Asian ancestry residents (4.0%), among others. In addition, 14.5% of the residents of this neighborhood were born in another country.
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 Lower West Side neighborhood spend between 15 and 30 minutes commuting one-way to work (41.3% of working residents), which is shorter than the time spent commuting to work for most Americans.
Here most residents (62.6%) drive alone in a private automobile to get to work. In addition, quite a number also carpool with coworkers, friends, or neighbors to get to work (11.4%) and 11.1% of residents also hop out the door and walk to work for their daily commute. In a neighborhood like this, as in most of the nation, many residents find owning a car useful for getting to work.
