Springfield, MA (Metro Center)

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 Springfield, the Metro Center neighborhood, has some outstanding things about the way it looks and its way of life that are worth highlighting.

People

The Metro Center neighborhood stands out for having an average per capita income lower than 99.7% of the neighborhoods in the United States. The Metro Center neighborhood also has a greater percentage of children living in poverty (80.8%) than found in 99.4% of all U.S. neighborhoods. Children living in poverty is one of the challenges facing America, and the world, and in this neighborhood in particular, the problem can be considered acute.

In addition, the types of households in a neighborhood can tell a lot about the character and lifestyle of those living here. NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis reveals that this neighborhood, above nearly every neighborhood in America, has a greater percentage of its residents living alone: 56.4%. This is a higher percent living alone than we found in 97.8% of all U.S. neighborhoods. Often residents who live alone are new arrivals to an area who are single, and often senior citizens who have lost a spouse.

Real Estate

94.2% of the real estate in the Metro Center neighborhood is occupied by renters, which is nearly the highest rate of renter occupancy of any neighborhood in America.

In addition, one of the really unique and interesting things about the look and setting of the Metro Center neighborhood is that it is almost entirely dominated by large apartment buildings, such as apartment complexes or high-rise apartments. 77.0% of the residential real estate here is classified as such. This puts this neighborhood on the map as having a higher proportion of large apartment buildings than 96.2% of all neighborhoods in America.

Furthermore, the Metro Center 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 83.2% 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.

Car Ownership

American households most often have a car, and regularly they have two or three. But households in the Metro Center neighborhood buck this trend. 36.0% of the households in this neighborhood don't own a car at all. This is more carless households than NeighborhoodScout found in 97.7% of U.S. neighborhoods.

Modes of Transportation

More people in Metro Center choose to walk to work each day (16.2%) 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.

Also, our research revealed that more commuters here take the bus to work (12.6% ride the bus) than 96.7% 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 Metro Center neighborhood is a fantastic option for bicycle commuters, as 2.9% of commuters here do ride their bikes to and from work on a daily basis. This is a higher amount than we found in 95.5% of the neighborhoods in America.