Western is a tiny village located in the state of Nebraska. With a population of 224 people and just one neighborhood, Western is the 201st largest community in Nebraska. Much of the housing stock in Western was built prior to World War II, making it one of the older and more historic villages in the country.
Unlike some villages where white-collar or blue-collar occupations dominate the local economy, Western is neither predominantly one nor the other. Instead, it has a mixed workforce of both white- and blue-collar jobs. Overall, Western is a village of sales and office workers, managers, and service providers. There are especially a lot of people living in Western who work in sales jobs (21.43%), business and financial occupations (10.32%), and personal care services (7.94%).
Western is a good choice for families with children because of several factors. Many other families with children live here, making it a place where both parents and children are more likely to develop social ties with other families. The village’s good public school district and large population of college-educated adults provide an environment conducive to academic success. Many people own their own single-family homes, providing areas for children to play and stability in the community. Finally, Western’s overall crime rate ranks among the lowest in the country, making it one of the safest places to raise a family.
It is a fairly quiet village because there are relatively few of those groups of people who have a tendency to be noisy. (Children, for example, often can't help themselves from being noisy, and being parents ourselves, we know!) Western has relatively few families with children living at home, and is quieter because of it. Renters and college students, for their own reasons, can also be noisy. Western has few renters and college students. But the biggest reason it is quieter in Western than in most places in America, is that there are just simply fewer people living here. If you think trees make good neighbors, Western may be for you.
One downside of living in Western, however, is that residents on average have to contend with a long commute, spending on average 32.70 minutes every day commuting to work.
As is often the case in a small village, Western doesn't have a public transportation system that people use for their commute.
The overall education level of Western is somewhat higher than in the average US city of 21.84%: 28.40% of adults 25 and older in the village have at least a bachelor's degree.
The per capita income in Western in 2022 was $36,660, which is middle income relative to Nebraska and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $146,640 for a family of four. However, Western contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.
Western is a somewhat ethnically-diverse village. The people who call Western home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Western residents report their race to be White, followed by Native Hawaiian. Important ancestries of people in Western include German, Irish, Czech, English, and Danish.
The most common language spoken in Western is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Italian.
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 Western, the neighborhood, has some outstanding things about the way it looks and its way of life that are worth highlighting.
This neighborhood has wide open spaces, few people, and lots of space to stretch out. If you like locations that fit that description, you may like this neighborhood. Based on NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis, with only 4 people per square mile living here, this neighborhood is less crowded than 98.4% of America.
One of the really interesting characteristics about the 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 3.4% of college-friendly places to live in the state of Nebraska.
Most American households own a car or other vehicle. Many own two cars or perhaps three. In the United States, it is useful to have an automobile not only for commuting, but also for shopping and getting to other services one needs. But NeighborhoodScout's analysis revealed that households in the neighborhood have a highly unusual car ownership. Residents of this neighborhood must really love automobiles. NeighborhoodScout's Analysis reveals that 34.4% of the households here have four, five, or more cars. That is more cars per household than in 95.7% of the neighborhoods in the nation.
Did you know that the neighborhood has more Czechoslovakian ancestry people living in it than nearly any neighborhood in America? It's true! In fact, 1.1% of this neighborhood's residents have Czechoslovakian ancestry.
Do you like to be surrounded by people from all over the country or world, with different perspectives and life experiences? Or do you instead prefer to be in a neighborhood where most residents have lived there for a long time, creating a sense of cohesiveness? NeighborhoodScout's analysis reveals that this neighborhood stands out among American neighborhoods for the uniqueness of the mobility of its residents. More residents of the neighborhood live here today that also were living in this same neighborhood five years ago than is found in 96.4% of U.S. neighborhoods. This neighborhood is really made up of people who know each other, don't move often, and have lived here in this very neighborhood for quite a while.
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 neighborhood in Western are middle-income, making it a moderate income neighborhood. NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis reveals that this neighborhood has a higher income than 54.9% of the neighborhoods in America. In addition, 2.4% 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 73.2% of America's neighborhoods.
What we choose to do for a living reflects who we are. Each neighborhood has a different mix of occupations represented, and together these tell you about the neighborhood and help you understand if this neighborhood may fit your lifestyle.
In the neighborhood, 51.2% of the working population is employed in executive, management, and professional occupations. The second most important occupational group in this neighborhood is manufacturing and laborer occupations, with 16.7% of the residents employed. Other residents here are employed in sales and service jobs, from major sales accounts, to working in fast food restaurants (15.8%), and 13.7% in clerical, assistant, and tech support occupations.
The most common language spoken in the neighborhood is English, spoken by 94.9% of households. Some people also speak Spanish (3.3%).
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 neighborhood in Western, NE, residents most commonly identify their ethnicity or ancestry as German (30.6%). There are also a number of people of English ancestry (9.0%), and residents who report Irish roots (5.8%), and some of the residents are also of Mexican ancestry (3.2%), along with some French ancestry residents (2.4%), 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 neighborhood spend between 30 and 45 minutes commuting one-way to work (34.5% of working residents), which is at or a bit above the average length of a commute across all U.S. neighborhoods.
Here most residents (83.4%) drive alone in a private automobile to get to work. In addition, quite a number also carpool with coworkers, friends, or neighbors to get to work (8.0%) and 5.1% of residents also hop out the door and walk to work for their daily commute. In a neighborhood like this, as in most of the nation, many residents find owning a car useful for getting to work.