Westside / Oak-Wood-Forest median real estate price is $407,397, which is more expensive than 91.3% of the neighborhoods in Iowa and 56.2% of the neighborhoods in the U.S.
The average rental price in Westside / Oak-Wood-Forest is currently $1,494, based on NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis. The average rental cost in this neighborhood is higher than 84.2% of the neighborhoods in Iowa.
Westside / Oak-Wood-Forest is an urban neighborhood (based on population density) located in Ames, Iowa.
Westside / Oak-Wood-Forest 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 single-family homes. Most of the residential real estate is renter occupied. Many of the residences in the Westside / Oak-Wood-Forest neighborhood are established but not old, having been built between 1970 and 1999. A number of residences were also built between 2000 and the present.
Westside / Oak-Wood-Forest has a 12.0% vacancy rate, which is well above average compared to other U.S. neighborhoods (higher than 69.4% 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.
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 Westside / Oak-Wood-Forest neighborhood, has some outstanding things about the way it looks and its way of life that are worth highlighting.
People
An extraordinary 51.2% of the residents of the Westside / Oak-Wood-Forest 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.
In addition, one of the really interesting characteristics about the Westside / Oak-Wood-Forest 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 1.2% of college-friendly places to live in the state of Iowa. In addition to being an excellent choice for college students, this neighborhood is also a very good choice for young, single professionals.
Also, the Westside / Oak-Wood-Forest neighborhood stands out for having an average per capita income lower than 98.0% of the neighborhoods in the United States.
Modes of Transportation
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 Westside / Oak-Wood-Forest neighborhood is a fantastic option for bicycle commuters, as 6.1% of commuters here do ride their bikes to and from work on a daily basis. This is a higher amount than we found in 98.8% of the neighborhoods in America.
Also, more people in Westside / Oak-Wood-Forest choose to walk to work each day (13.4%) 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.
Finally, more people ride the bus in this neighborhood each day to get to work than 96.5% of U.S. neighborhoods.
Length of Commute
Whether walking, biking, riding, or driving, the length of one's commute is an important factor for one's quality of life. The Westside / Oak-Wood-Forest neighborhood stands out for its commute length, according to NeighborhoodScout's analysis. Residents of the Westside / Oak-Wood-Forest neighborhood have the pleasure of having one of the shortest commutes to work of any neighborhood in America. 61.9% 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 96.7% of U.S. neighborhoods. Less time commuting means more time for other things in life.
Real Estate
Renter-occupied real estate is dominant in the Westside / Oak-Wood-Forest neighborhood. The percentage of rental real estate here, according to exclusive NeighborhoodScout analysis, is 84.2%, which is higher than 95.1% 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.
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 Westside / Oak-Wood-Forest neighborhood. In the Westside / Oak-Wood-Forest neighborhood, a greater proportion of the residents living here today did not live here five years ago than is found in 99.3% 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 Westside / Oak-Wood-Forest neighborhood has more British ancestry people living in it than nearly any neighborhood in America? It's true! In fact, 2.4% of this neighborhood's residents have British ancestry.
Westside / Oak-Wood-Forest is also pretty special linguistically. Significantly, 6.5% of its residents five years old and above primarily speak Chinese at home. While this may seem like a small percentage, it is higher than 96.3% of the neighborhoods in America.
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 Westside / Oak-Wood-Forest 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 98.0% of U.S. neighborhoods. With 12.7% of the children here below the federal poverty line, this neighborhood has a higher rate of childhood poverty than 55.5% of U.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 Westside / Oak-Wood-Forest neighborhood, 59.1% 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 16.5% of the residents employed. Other residents here are employed in manufacturing and laborer occupations (14.5%), and 8.2% in clerical, assistant, and tech support occupations.
Languages
The languages spoken by people in this neighborhood are diverse. These are tabulated as the languages people preferentially speak when they are at home with their families. The most common language spoken in the Westside / Oak-Wood-Forest neighborhood is English, spoken by 79.7% of households. Other important languages spoken here include Chinese and Spanish.
Ethnicity / Ancestry
Culture is the shared learned behavior of peoples. Undeniably, different ethnicities and ancestries have different cultural traditions, and as a result, neighborhoods with concentrations of residents of one or another ethnicities or ancestries will express those cultures. It is what makes the North End in Boston so fun to visit for the Italian restaurants, bakeries, culture, and charm, and similarly, why people enjoy visiting Chinatown in San Francisco.
In the Westside / Oak-Wood-Forest neighborhood in Ames, IA, residents most commonly identify their ethnicity or ancestry as German (30.5%). There are also a number of people of Asian ancestry (18.0%), and residents who report Irish roots (12.1%), and some of the residents are also of English ancestry (4.3%), along with some Norwegian ancestry residents (2.9%), among others. In addition, 18.7% of the residents of this neighborhood were born in another country.
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 Westside / Oak-Wood-Forest neighborhood spend under 15 minutes commuting one-way to work (61.9% of working residents), one of the shortest commutes across America.
Here most residents (43.0%) 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 (13.4%) and 13.1% of residents also ride the bus 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.
