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Real Estate Prices & Overview

Davis Square median real estate price is $1,631,548, which is more expensive than 93.7% of the neighborhoods in Massachusetts and 96.6% of the neighborhoods in the U.S.

The average rental price in Davis Square is currently $5,044, based on NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis. The average rental cost in this neighborhood is higher than 93.3% of the neighborhoods in Massachusetts.

Davis Square is a densely urban neighborhood (based on population density) located in Somerville, Massachusetts.

Davis Square 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 occupied by a mixture of owners and renters. Many of the residences in the Davis Square 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.

Davis Square has a 10.9% vacancy rate, which is well above average compared to other U.S. neighborhoods (higher than 67.8% of American neighborhoods). Most vacant housing here is vacant year round. This could either signal that there is a weak demand for real estate in the neighborhood or that large amount of new housing has been built and not yet occupied. Either way, if you live here, you may find many of the homes or apartments are empty.

Notable & Unique Neighborhood Characteristics

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 Somerville, the Davis Square 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 Davis Square 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 Davis Square community truly stands out from the rest in this regard.

In addition, the first thing that you'll notice if you moved to this neighborhood is that an astounding 3.2% of the households are same sex couples. According to NeighborhoodScout's analysis, this is a higher proportion of same sex households than in 99.3% of the neighborhoods in America. This is one indicator that this neighborhood is likely a gay-friendly neighborhood. So if you are looking for such a neighborhood, the Davis Square neighborhood should definitely be on your list of places to consider.

Also, if you're a regular supporter of the arts and enjoy outings to the theatre, weekend boutique-ing, or even a finely aged wine with dinner, than you're in good company with the people of the Davis Square neighborhood. This neighborhood is uniquely immersed with more "urban sophisticates" than 99.0% of neighborhoods across the country. The people here truly stand out as a class among their own. They are an exclusive community characterized by refined tastes, cultural inclinations, and the means to live well. Urban sophisticates live a big city lifestyle, whether or not they live in or near a big city. They are educated executives or managers by week, and serial patrons of the arts by weekend. If this lifestyle pertains to you, than you'll certainly feel right at home in the Davis Square neighborhood. In addition to being an excellent choice for urban sophisticates, this neighborhood is also a very good choice for young, single professionals.

Finally, 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 Davis Square neighborhood, where 44.4% 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 98.1% of the neighborhoods in America.

Real Estate

Corner bodegas, stores on the first floor and apartments above, former grand Victorian residences converted into apartments, three-deckers built shoulder-to-shoulder, duplexes. Such building types define the real estate of neighborhoods dominated by small 2, 3, and 4 unit apartment buildings. Many are in older core neighborhoods of Eastern and Midwestern cities, or historic town centers in their hinterlands. If you wax romantic about the look and feel of such neighborhoods, with fresh pizza, falafel and an independent florist at the corner, then you might find the Davis Square neighborhood worth a close look. This neighborhood is an absolutely outstanding example of the dominance of small 2, 3, and 4 unit apartment buildings compared to neighborhoods across the nation, as they make up a substantial portion of this neighborhood's real estate stock. In fact, no less than 70.4% of the real estate here is made up of such dwellings, which is higher than 99.7% of all U.S. neighborhoods.

In addition, 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 Davis Square neighborhood is among the top 5% of American neighborhoods in terms of walkability.

Furthermore, 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 64.6% of the residential real estate in the Davis Square neighborhood built no later than 1939, and some built considerably earlier, this neighborhood has a greater concentration of historic residences than 97.7% of all neighborhoods in America. In this regard, this neighborhood truly stands out as special.

Occupations

The Davis Square neighborhood has a higher proportion of its residents employed as executives, managers and professionals than 99.3% of the neighborhoods in America. In fact, 82.2% of the employed people here make a living as an executive, a manager, or other professional. With such a high concentration, this truly shapes the character of this neighborhood, and to a large degree defines what this neighborhood is about.

Modes of Transportation

In the Davis Square neighborhood, many people's commute means walking from the bedroom to the home office. NeighborhoodScout's analysis found that 44.3% of residents worked from home. This may not seem like a large number, but Scout's research shows that this is a higher percentage of people working from home than 99.2% of the neighborhoods in America. Often people who work from home are engaged in the creative or technological economy, such as is found in areas around Boston, and in Silicon Valley. Other times, people may be engaged in other businesses like trading stocks from home, or running a small beauty salon.

Also, in the Davis Square neighborhood, 23.5% 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 97.9% of the neighborhoods in America.

Finally, if your dream is to be able to ride your bike to work each day, look no further than this unique neighborhood. With 3.1% of residents in the Davis Square neighborhood commuting on a bicycle to and from work daily, this neighborhood has more bicycle commuters than 96.0% of all neighborhoods in the U.S., according to NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis.

Car Ownership

American households most often have a car, and regularly they have two or three. But households in the Davis Square neighborhood buck this trend. 23.7% of the households in this neighborhood don't own a car at all. This is more carless households than NeighborhoodScout found in 96.0% of U.S. neighborhoods.

Diversity

Did you know that the Davis Square neighborhood has more Portuguese and Canadian ancestry people living in it than nearly any neighborhood in America? It's true! In fact, 3.8% of this neighborhood's residents have Portuguese ancestry and 1.5% have Canadian ancestry.

Davis Square is also pretty special linguistically. Significantly, 1.2% of its residents five years old and above primarily speak Greek at home. While this may seem like a small percentage, it is higher than 97.6% 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 Davis Square neighborhood in Somerville 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 94.8% 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 Davis Square neighborhood, 82.2% of the working population is employed in executive, management, and professional occupations. The second most important occupational group in this neighborhood is sales and service jobs, from major sales accounts, to working in fast food restaurants, with 8.3% of the residents employed. Other residents here are employed in manufacturing and laborer occupations (4.9%), and 4.6% in clerical, assistant, and tech support occupations.

Languages

The most common language spoken in the Davis Square neighborhood is English, spoken by 85.3% of households. Some people also speak Polish (4.3%).

Ethnicity / Ancestry

Boston's Beacon Hill blue-blood streets, Brooklyn's Orthodox Jewish enclaves, Los Angeles' Persian neighborhoods. Each has its own culture derived primarily from the ancestries and culture of the residents who call these neighborhoods home. Likewise, each neighborhood in America has its own culture – some more unique than others – based on lifestyle, occupations, the types of households – and importantly – on the ethnicities and ancestries of the people who live in the neighborhood. Understanding where people came from, who their grandparents or great-grandparents were, can help you understand how a neighborhood is today.

In the Davis Square neighborhood in Somerville, MA, residents most commonly identify their ethnicity or ancestry as Irish (22.2%). There are also a number of people of Italian ancestry (15.0%), and residents who report German roots (10.4%), and some of the residents are also of English ancestry (9.6%), along with some Polish ancestry residents (6.1%), among others. In addition, 15.2% 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 Davis Square neighborhood spend between 15 and 30 minutes commuting one-way to work (40.4% of working residents), which is shorter than the time spent commuting to work for most Americans.

Here most residents (23.5%) take the train to get to work. In addition, quite a number also drive alone in a private automobile to get to work (21.4%) . This neighborhood is distinguished by the high number of residents who take the train to work each day, which can be a very good way to get to work at a lower cost and with less pollution.

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