Yakima, WA (West Valley Park)

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 West Valley Park neighborhood in Yakima are lower-middle income, making it a below average income neighborhood. NeighborhoodScout's research shows that this neighborhood has an income lower than 64.2% of U.S. neighborhoods. With 16.9% of the children here below the federal poverty line, this neighborhood has a higher rate of childhood poverty than 63.7% of U.S. neighborhoods.

A neighborhood is far different if it is dominated by enlisted military personnel rather than people who earn their living by farming. It is also different if most of the neighbors are clerical support or managers. What is wonderful is the sheer diversity of neighborhoods, allowing you to find the type that fits your lifestyle and aspirations.

In the West Valley Park neighborhood, 34.2% 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 29.3% of the residents employed. Other residents here are employed in clerical, assistant, and tech support occupations (20.2%), and 15.1% in manufacturing and laborer occupations.

Languages

The most common language spoken in the West Valley Park neighborhood is English, spoken by 69.5% of households. Some people also speak Spanish (28.5%).

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 West Valley Park neighborhood in Yakima, WA, residents most commonly identify their ethnicity or ancestry as Mexican (42.6%). There are also a number of people of German ancestry (11.2%), and residents who report Irish roots (8.3%), and some of the residents are also of English ancestry (5.8%), along with some French ancestry residents (1.9%), among others. In addition, 15.4% 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 West Valley Park neighborhood spend under 15 minutes commuting one-way to work (46.9% of working residents), one of the shortest commutes across America.

Here most residents (79.9%) 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 (14.9%) . In a neighborhood like this, as in most of the nation, many residents find owning a car useful for getting to work.