Washington, DC (Penn Branch)

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 Washington, the Penn Branch neighborhood, has some outstanding things about the way it looks and its way of life that are worth highlighting.

People

Of note is NeighborhoodScout's research finding that the Penn Branch 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 Penn Branch community truly stands out from the rest in this regard.

In addition, 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 Penn Branch neighborhood, where 36.5% have earned an advanced degree. Compare that to the average neighborhood in America, where just 14.1% 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 95.3% of the neighborhoods in America.

Occupations

The government often provides some of the more stable jobs in the economy. From local, to state, to federal government workers, the government can also be a major employer. What NeighborhoodScout's analysis revealed, is that the Penn Branch neighborhood in particular stands out when compared nationally for the proportion of its working residents who are employed by the government. At 27.7% of its workforce, this neighborhood has a greater concentration of government workers than 99.8% of U.S. neighborhoods.

Furthermore, executives, managers and professionals make up 76.2% of the workforce in the Penn Branch neighborhood which, according to NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis, is a higher proportion of such high-level people than is found in 97.8% of the neighborhoods in America. For this reason, this neighborhood really stands out as unique.

Modes of Transportation

A unique way of commuting is simply not to. And in the Penn Branch neighborhood, analysis shows that 45.1% of the residents work from home, avoiding a commute altogether. This may not seem like a large number, but it is a higher proportion of people working from home than is found in 99.3% of the neighborhoods in the United States. One thing NeighborhoodScout's research reveals is that the wealthier and/or more isolated the neighborhood, the greater the proportion of residents who choose to work from home.

Also, if your dream is to be able to ride your bike to work each day, look no further than this unique neighborhood. With 2.8% of residents in the Penn Branch neighborhood commuting on a bicycle to and from work daily, this neighborhood has more bicycle commuters than 95.4% of all neighborhoods in the U.S., according to NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis.

Real Estate

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 Penn Branch neighborhood, is that an incredible 84.5% 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.