San Rafael, CA (Canal)

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.

Real Estate

Renter-occupied real estate is dominant in the Canal neighborhood. The percentage of rental real estate here, according to exclusive NeighborhoodScout analysis, is 92.3%, which is higher than 97.4% 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. With a real estate vacancy rate of only 0.0%, the Canal neighborhood has a lower vacancy rate than 100.0% of U.S. neighborhoods, a very elite group. Such a low vacancy rate may indicate very strong real estate demand in the neighborhood combined with some impediments to increasing supply, such as zoning or existing density of development, among other potential reasons.

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 71,196 people per square mile, it is more densely populated than 99.2% of America's neighborhoods.

Furthermore, the Canal 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 87.1% 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.

Modes of Transportation

Our research shows that more people carpool to work here in the Canal (48.9%) than in 99.9% of the neighborhoods in America.

Also, our research revealed that more commuters here take the bus to work (24.0% ride the bus) than 99.4% 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.

Finally, would you like to be able to ride your bike to work? If you are attracted to the idea of getting a little exercise of the two-wheeled type while reducing your carbon footprint, bicycling to work might be the answer. But which neighborhood you live in can make this either impossible, or alternatively, a great and realistic option. NeighborhoodScout's analysis revealed that the Canal neighborhood is a fantastic option for bicycle commuters, as 6.6% of commuters here do ride their bikes to and from work on a daily basis. This is a higher amount than we found in 99.0% of the neighborhoods in America.

Occupations

NeighborhoodScout's exclusive research identifies the Canal 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 52.3% of its working residents employed in such fields, which is a higher proportion than 99.4% of American neighborhoods.

People

The Canal neighborhood is unique for having just 6.7% of adults here having earned a bachelor's degree. This is a lower rate of college graduates than NeighborhoodScout found in 96.2% of America's neighborhoods.