South Campus Area median real estate price is $339,424, which is more expensive than 85.6% of the neighborhoods in Iowa and 49.3% of the neighborhoods in the U.S.
The average rental price in South Campus Area is currently $1,491, based on NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis. The average rental cost in this neighborhood is higher than 87.6% of the neighborhoods in Iowa.
South Campus Area is a densely urban neighborhood (based on population density) located in Ames, Iowa.
South Campus Area real estate is primarily made up of small (studio to two bedroom) to medium sized (three or four bedroom) apartment complexes/high-rise apartments and small apartment buildings. Most of the residential real estate is renter occupied. Many of the residences in the South Campus Area neighborhood are newer, built in 2000 or more recently. A number of residences were also built between 1970 and 1999.
Vacant apartments or homes are a major fact of life in South Campus Area. The current real estate vacancy rate here is 40.3%. This is higher than the rate of vacancies in 97.5% of all U.S. neighborhoods. In addition, most vacant housing here is vacant year round. This can sometimes be the case in neighborhoods dominated by new construction that is not yet occupied. But often neighborhoods with vacancy rates this high are places that can be plagued by a protracted vacancy problem. If you live here, you may find that a number of buildings in your neighborhood are actually empty.
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 Ames, the South Campus Area neighborhood, has some outstanding things about the way it looks and its way of life that are worth highlighting.
People
The South Campus Area neighborhood stands out for having an average per capita income lower than 99.8% of the neighborhoods in the United States. In a nation where 1 out of every 4 children lives in poverty, the South Campus Area neighborhood also stands out as being ranked among the lowest 0.0% of neighborhoods affected by this global issue.
In addition, an extraordinary 96.5% of the residents of the South Campus Area neighborhood are currently enrolled in college. This is such a large part of life in this neighborhood that the neighborhood changes a great deal with the change of semesters and is far quieter during the summer when many students are away.
Also, one of the really interesting characteristics about the South Campus Area 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 0.3% of college-friendly places to live in the state of Iowa.
Real Estate
Renter-occupied real estate is dominant in the South Campus Area neighborhood. The percentage of rental real estate here, according to exclusive NeighborhoodScout analysis, is 100.0%, which is higher than 99.3% of the neighborhoods in America. If you were to buy and live in the property you bought here, you would be almost alone in doing so. Vacant homes and apartments are a significant characteristic of this neighborhood. In fact, with 40.3% of the residential real estate vacant, the South Campus Area neighborhood claims the distinction of having a higher vacancy rate than 97.5% of the neighborhoods in America. This can either be because much of the property is seasonally occupied, like in many vacation areas, or that much of the real estate is more permanently abandoned.
In addition, the South Campus Area neighborhood is very densely populated compared to most U.S. neighborhoods. In fact, with 38,837 persons per square mile in the neighborhood, it is more packed with people than 97.8% of the nation's neighborhoods.
Furthermore, the real estate in the South Campus Area neighborhood really stands out in the way it looks for a unique reason: this neighborhood has a higher proportion of apartment complexes or high-rise apartments than nearly every neighborhood in the country. Most neighborhoods are a mixture of real estate and housing types, but here it is almost entirely dominated by big apartment buildings and complexes. In fact, 87.3% of the real estate here is classified as apartment complexes or high-rise apartments, which is more than is found in 97.8% of American neighborhoods.
Modes of Transportation
More people in South Campus Area choose to walk to work each day (32.1%) 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.
Occupations
From major sales accounts to fast-food workers, sales and service employees are often the backbone of the local economy. In the South Campus Area neighborhood, they truly stand out. NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis identifies this neighborhood as having a higher percentage of sales and service workers than 99.0% of all American neighborhoods.
Length of Commute
Regardless of the means by which residents commute, this neighborhood has a length of commute that is notable. Residents of the South Campus Area neighborhood have the pleasure of having one of the shortest commutes to work of any neighborhood in America. 66.7% of the residents have a commute time from home to work (one way) of less than fifteen minutes. This is a higher proportion of residents enjoying a short trip to work than NeighborhoodScout found in 97.9% of U.S. neighborhoods. Less time commuting means more time for other things in life.
Migration / Stability
Some neighborhoods have more internal cohesiveness than others. While other neighborhoods feel like a collection of strangers who just happen to live near each other. Sometimes this comes down to not only the personalities of the people in a place, but how long people have been together in that neighborhood. NeighborhoodScout's research has revealed some interesting things about the rootedness of people in the South Campus Area neighborhood. In the South Campus Area neighborhood, a greater proportion of the residents living here today did not live here five years ago than is found in 99.9% of U.S. Neighborhoods. This neighborhood, more than almost any other in America, has new residents from other areas.
Diversity
Did you know that the South Campus Area neighborhood has more Scottish and Czechoslovakian ancestry people living in it than nearly any neighborhood in America? It's true! In fact, 6.4% of this neighborhood's residents have Scottish ancestry and 0.7% have Czechoslovakian ancestry.
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 South Campus Area neighborhood in Ames are low income, making it among the lowest income neighborhoods in America. NeighborhoodScout's research shows that this neighborhood has an income lower than 99.8% of U.S. neighborhoods. 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.
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 South Campus Area neighborhood, 46.9% of the working population is employed in sales and service jobs, from major sales accounts, to working in fast food restaurants. The second most important occupational group in this neighborhood is executive, management, and professional occupations, with 23.2% of the residents employed. Other residents here are employed in clerical, assistant, and tech support occupations (15.9%), and 12.4% in manufacturing and laborer occupations.
Languages
The most common language spoken in the South Campus Area neighborhood is English, spoken by 97.1% of households.
Ethnicity / Ancestry
Culture is shared learned behavior. We learn it from our parents, their parents, our houses of worship, and much of our culture – our learned behavior – comes from our ancestors. That is why ancestry and ethnicity can be so interesting and important to understand: places with concentrations of people of one or more ancestries often express those shared learned behaviors and this gives each neighborhood its own culture. Even different neighborhoods in the same city can have drastically different cultures.
In the South Campus Area neighborhood in Ames, IA, residents most commonly identify their ethnicity or ancestry as German (32.4%). There are also a number of people of Irish ancestry (15.4%), and residents who report Scottish roots (6.4%), and some of the residents are also of Norwegian ancestry (5.8%), along with some English ancestry residents (4.3%), 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 South Campus Area neighborhood spend under 15 minutes commuting one-way to work (66.7% of working residents), one of the shortest commutes across America.
Here most residents (51.8%) drive alone in a private automobile to get to work. In addition, quite a number also hop out the door and walk to work to get to work (32.1%) . In a neighborhood like this, as in most of the nation, many residents find owning a car useful for getting to work.
