James Madison University median real estate price is $402,828, which is more expensive than 51.1% of the neighborhoods in Virginia and 58.4% of the neighborhoods in the U.S.
Average rental prices in the James Madison University neighborhood are currently unreported, based on NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis.
James Madison University is a densely urban neighborhood (based on population density) located in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
James Madison University real estate is primarily made up of medium sized (three or four bedroom) to large (four, five or more bedroom) single-family homes. Most of the residential real estate is renter occupied. Many of the residences in the James Madison University neighborhood are older, well-established, built between 1940 and 1969. A number of residences were also built before 1940.
In James Madison University, the current vacancy rate is 0.0%, which is a lower rate of vacancies than 100.0% of all neighborhoods in the U.S. This means that the housing supply in James Madison University is very tight compared to the demand for property here.
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 Harrisonburg, the James Madison University neighborhood, has some outstanding things about the way it looks and its way of life that are worth highlighting.
Real Estate
98.7% of the real estate in the James Madison University neighborhood is occupied by renters, which is nearly the highest rate of renter occupancy of any neighborhood in America. This neighborhood has the distinction of having one of the lowest real estate vacancy rates of any neighborhood in America. With just 0.0% of the real estate vacant, this indicates an exceptionally strong demand for real estate in the James Madison University neighborhood, and/or an issue with creating enough supply for the demand. This could have the effect of increasing real estate prices, increasing supply to meet demand, or both.
In addition, most neighborhoods have a mixture of ages of homes in them, from new to old, but this neighborhood stands out due to its concentration of residential real estate built in one time frame: from 1940 through 1969, generally considered older, well-established homes. This was a busy time in America for home construction. After the end of World War II, as GIs came home, bought newly built homes on the edges of cities with the help of the GI Bill, and began their families. This housing era generally coincides with the 'Baby Boom' generation (1945 - 1964), and many baby boomers grew up in homes built in this era. But what is so interesting about the James Madison University neighborhood, is that an incredible 85.2% of the homes here were built in this era. So when you walk its streets or drive through, this neighborhood has a look and feel that harkens to that era in American life, a very important slice of Americana.
Furthermore, some neighborhoods are made up of apartments. Some consist of row houses, and most - by far - consist of a mixture of housing types. But the James Madison University neighborhood stands out due to the total dominance of detached, single-family homes here. There are nearly no other types of residential real estate in the neighborhood. In fact, this neighborhood has a higher proportion of single-family homes in its real estate stock than 98.7% of all American neighborhoods.
People
Of note is NeighborhoodScout's research finding that the James Madison University neighborhood has some of the lowest rates of children living in poverty of any neighborhood in the United States. In a nation where approximately 1 in 4 children are living in poverty, the James Madison University community truly stands out from the rest in this regard.
In addition, one of the really interesting characteristics about the James Madison University neighborhood is that, according to NeighborhoodScout's exclusive research, it is an excellent choice in which to reside for college students. Due to its popularity among college students who already choose to live here, its walkability, and its above average safety from crime, the neighborhood is ideal for prospective or already-enrolled college students. Between semesters and during school breaks, you'll notice that the excitement here fluctuates with the college seasons. Despite the excitement however, parents of college-age children can rest easy knowing that this neighborhood has an above average safety rating. For each of these reasons, the neighborhood is rated among the top 0.0% of college-friendly places to live in the state of Virginia. In addition to being an excellent choice for college students, this neighborhood is also a very good choice for urban sophisticates.
Also, an extraordinary 98.7% of the residents of the James Madison University neighborhood are currently enrolled in college. This is such a large part of life in this neighborhood that the neighborhood changes a great deal with the change of semesters and is far quieter during the summer when many students are away.
Occupations
There are more people living in the James Madison University neighborhood employed as sales and service workers (31.3%) 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
More people in James Madison University choose to walk to work each day (39.1%) 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.
Migration / Stability
The freedom of moving to new places versus the comfort of home. How much and how often people move not only can create diverse and worldly neighborhoods, but simultaneously it can produce a loss of intimacy with one's surroundings and a lack of connectedness to one's neighbors. NeighborhoodScout's exclusive research has identified this neighborhood as unique with regard to the transience of its populace. In the James Madison University neighborhood, a greater proportion of the residents living here today did not live here five years ago than is found in 98.3% of U.S. Neighborhoods. This neighborhood, more than almost any other in America, has new residents from other areas.
Diversity
Did you know that the James Madison University neighborhood has more Italian ancestry people living in it than nearly any neighborhood in America? It's true! In fact, 17.8% of this neighborhood's residents have Italian ancestry.
There are two complementary measures for understanding the income of a neighborhood's residents: the average and the extremes. While a neighborhood may be relatively wealthy overall, it is equally important to understand the rate of people - particularly children - who are living at or below the federal poverty line, which is extremely low income. Some neighborhoods with a lower average income may actually have a lower childhood poverty rate than another with a higher average income, and this helps us understand the conditions and character of a neighborhood.
The neighbors in the James Madison University neighborhood in Harrisonburg are wealthy, making it among the 15% highest income neighborhoods in America. NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis reveals that this neighborhood has a higher income than 94.2% of the neighborhoods in America. In addition, 0.0% of the children seventeen and under living in this neighborhood are living below the federal poverty line, which is a lower rate of childhood poverty than is found in 100.0% of America's neighborhoods.
The old saying "you are what you eat" is true. But it is also true that you are what you do for a living. The types of occupations your neighbors have shape their character, and together as a group, their collective occupations shape the culture of a place.
In the James Madison University neighborhood, 68.7% 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 16.1% of the residents employed. Other residents here are employed in clerical, assistant, and tech support occupations (12.5%), and 2.7% in manufacturing and laborer occupations.
Languages
The most common language spoken in the James Madison University neighborhood is English, spoken by 89.7% of households. Some people also speak Spanish (4.1%).
Ethnicity / Ancestry
Culture is shared learned behavior. We learn it from our parents, their parents, our houses of worship, and much of our culture – our learned behavior – comes from our ancestors. That is why ancestry and ethnicity can be so interesting and important to understand: places with concentrations of people of one or more ancestries often express those shared learned behaviors and this gives each neighborhood its own culture. Even different neighborhoods in the same city can have drastically different cultures.
In the James Madison University neighborhood in Harrisonburg, VA, residents most commonly identify their ethnicity or ancestry as Irish (20.2%). There are also a number of people of German ancestry (19.9%), and residents who report Italian roots (17.8%), and some of the residents are also of English ancestry (10.8%), along with some Polish ancestry residents (6.2%), among others.
How you get to work – car, bus, train or other means – and how much of your day it takes to do so is a large quality of life and financial issue. Especially with gasoline prices rising and expected to continue doing so, the length and means of one's commute can be a financial burden. Some neighborhoods are physically located so that many residents have to drive in their own car, others are set up so many walk to work, or can take a train, bus, or bike. The greatest number of commuters in James Madison University neighborhood spend under 15 minutes commuting one-way to work (51.6% of working residents), one of the shortest commutes across America.
Here most residents (39.1%) 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 (23.1%) and 5.6% of residents also ride the bus 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.
