Columbia Rd / Dorchester Ave median real estate price is $1,090,904, which is more expensive than 81.7% of the neighborhoods in Massachusetts and 91.6% of the neighborhoods in the U.S.
The average rental price in Columbia Rd / Dorchester Ave is currently $3,948, based on NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis. The average rental cost in this neighborhood is higher than 70.1% of the neighborhoods in Massachusetts.
Columbia Rd / Dorchester Ave is a densely urban neighborhood (based on population density) located in Boston, Massachusetts.
Columbia Rd / Dorchester Ave real estate is primarily made up of small (studio to two bedroom) to medium sized (three or four bedroom) small apartment buildings and apartment complexes/high-rise apartments. Most of the residential real estate is renter occupied. Many of the residences in the Columbia Rd / Dorchester Ave neighborhood are relatively historic, built no later than 1939, and in some cases, quite a bit earlier. A number of residences were also built between 2000 and the present.
Columbia Rd / Dorchester Ave has a 12.5% vacancy rate, which is well above average compared to other U.S. neighborhoods (higher than 71.2% 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.
The way a neighborhood looks and feels when you walk or drive around it, from its setting, its buildings, and its flavor, can make all the difference. This neighborhood has some really cool things about the way it looks and feels as revealed by NeighborhoodScout's exclusive research. This might include anything from the housing stock to the types of households living here to how people get around.
Real Estate
Corner bodegas, stores on the first floor and apartments above, former grand Victorian residences converted into apartments, three-deckers built shoulder-to-shoulder, duplexes. Such building types define the real estate of neighborhoods dominated by small 2, 3, and 4 unit apartment buildings. Many are in older core neighborhoods of Eastern and Midwestern cities, or historic town centers in their hinterlands. If you wax romantic about the look and feel of such neighborhoods, with fresh pizza, falafel and an independent florist at the corner, then you might find the Columbia Rd / Dorchester Ave neighborhood worth a close look. This neighborhood is an absolutely outstanding example of the dominance of small 2, 3, and 4 unit apartment buildings compared to neighborhoods across the nation, as they make up a substantial portion of this neighborhood's real estate stock. In fact, no less than 64.6% of the real estate here is made up of such dwellings, which is higher than 99.5% of all U.S. neighborhoods.
In addition, being a walkable neighborhood can help increase property values for the simple reason that people enjoy it and value it. To put it plainly, despite our love affair with the automobile, American's enjoy taking to the streets, sidewalks, paths, and courtyards of a place to get a coffee, relax, and take in the sights and sounds. And, according to NeighborhoodScout's exclusive and first quantitative walkable score index, the Columbia Rd / Dorchester Ave neighborhood is one of the most walkable neighborhoods in America.
Furthermore, 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 Columbia Rd / Dorchester Ave neighborhood stands out on a national scale for the sheer concentration of historic residences it contains: 71.5% of the residential real estate here was built from 1939 or earlier, some much earlier. This is a greater concentration of historic homes than 98.8% of the neighborhoods in the United States.
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 5.2% of residents in the Columbia Rd / Dorchester Ave neighborhood commuting on a bicycle to and from work daily, this neighborhood has more bicycle commuters than 98.3% of all neighborhoods in the U.S., according to NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis.
Also, if you like to ride the train to work, this neighborhood may be for you. NeighborhoodScout's research revealed that 26.0% of the Columbia Rd / Dorchester Ave neighborhood's commuters ride the train to and from work each day, which is more than we found in 97.8% of America's neighborhoods.
Finally, more people ride the bus in this neighborhood each day to get to work than 96.2% of U.S. neighborhoods.
People
Columbia Rd / Dorchester Ave has the amazing distinction of housing more same sex couples living together than 97.3% of neighborhoods in the U.S. If you are seeking such a neighborhood, NeighborhoodScout's analysis shows that this is one place that you should consider.
Diversity
Did you know that the Columbia Rd / Dorchester Ave neighborhood has more French Canadian and Irish ancestry people living in it than nearly any neighborhood in America? It's true! In fact, 3.0% of this neighborhood's residents have French Canadian ancestry and 21.8% have Irish ancestry.
Columbia Rd / Dorchester Ave is also pretty special linguistically. Significantly, 6.2% of its residents five years old and above primarily speak Portuguese at home. While this may seem like a small percentage, it is higher than 99.4% of the neighborhoods in America.
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 Columbia Rd / Dorchester Ave neighborhood in Boston are middle-income, making it a moderate income neighborhood. NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis reveals that this neighborhood has a higher income than 58.4% of the neighborhoods in America. With 10.5% of the children here below the federal poverty line, this neighborhood has a higher rate of childhood poverty than 50.5% 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 Columbia Rd / Dorchester Ave neighborhood, 61.5% 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 20.0% of the residents employed. Other residents here are employed in manufacturing and laborer occupations (10.0%), and 8.5% 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 Columbia Rd / Dorchester Ave neighborhood is English, spoken by 69.5% of households. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish, Portuguese, Polish and Chinese.
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 Columbia Rd / Dorchester Ave neighborhood in Boston, MA, residents most commonly identify their ethnicity or ancestry as Irish (21.8%). There are also a number of people of Asian ancestry (7.4%), and residents who report Italian roots (6.9%), and some of the residents are also of Polish ancestry (6.6%), along with some Sub-Saharan African ancestry residents (5.4%), among others. In addition, 23.3% 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 Columbia Rd / Dorchester Ave neighborhood spend between 15 and 30 minutes commuting one-way to work (34.1% of working residents), which is shorter than the time spent commuting to work for most Americans.
Here most residents (31.6%) drive alone in a private automobile to get to work. In addition, quite a number also take the train to get to work (26.0%) and 12.4% 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.
