Philadelphia, PA (Allegheny West)

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 Philadelphia, the Allegheny West neighborhood, has some outstanding things about the way it looks and its way of life that are worth highlighting.

Modes of Transportation

If your dream is to be able to ride your bike to work each day, look no further than this unique neighborhood. With 11.5% of residents in the Allegheny West neighborhood commuting on a bicycle to and from work daily, this neighborhood has more bicycle commuters than 99.8% of all neighborhoods in the U.S., according to NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis.

Also, our research revealed that more commuters here take the bus to work (25.0% 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.

Real Estate

If you love row houses and attached homes, you will probably really like the Allegheny West neighborhood. The ambiance, the charm, of row houses is something special. And in sheer abundance of row houses, this neighborhood truly stands out. The real estate here has a higher proportion of row houses and attached homes than nearly any neighborhood in America. In fact, 74.7% of the residential real estate here is classified as row houses and attached homes.

In addition, do you watch 'This Old House' on Public Television? Do you love the idea of fixing up a Colonial or Victorian era home, complete with the charm of yesteryear? Do you like to stroll or drive streets lined with gracious older residences? If you found yourself nodding yes to any of these questions, you are going to be interested in this unique neighborhood. The Allegheny West neighborhood stands out on a national scale for the sheer concentration of historic residences it contains: 62.7% of the residential real estate here was built from 1939 or earlier, some much earlier. This is a greater concentration of historic homes than 97.3% of the neighborhoods in the United States.

People

The Allegheny West neighborhood stands out for having an average per capita income lower than 99.2% of the neighborhoods in the United States. Also of note, 58.3% of the children in this area live in poverty; an extraordinarily high percentage compared to other neighborhoods in the nation. In a nation where approximately one in four children grows up in poverty, this neighborhood stands out for the depth of the problem manifested here.

In addition, single parenting is hard. But you don't have to tell the Allegheny West neighborhood about it; they already know. 18.0% of this neighborhood's households are run by single mothers, which is a higher concentration than NeighborhoodScout found in 95.7% of American neighborhoods. Further NeighborhoodScout research showed strong statistical correlations among high rates of children living in single parent households, and neighborhood crime, particularly violent crime, neighborhood poverty, and, importantly, the percentage of low weight births and rates of infant mortality.

Car Ownership

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 Allegheny West neighborhood have a highly unusual car ownership. 25.6% of the households in this neighborhood don't own a car at all. This is more carless households than NeighborhoodScout found in 96.4% of U.S. neighborhoods.