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Real Estate Prices & Overview

Waterfront median real estate price is $1,603,249, which is more expensive than 94.7% of the neighborhoods in Massachusetts and 97.1% of the neighborhoods in the U.S.

The average rental price in Waterfront is currently $6,343, based on NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis. The average rental cost in this neighborhood is higher than 98.4% of the neighborhoods in Massachusetts.

Waterfront is a densely urban neighborhood (based on population density) located in Boston, Massachusetts. This is a coastal neighborhood (i.e., is on the ocean, a bay, or inlet).

Waterfront 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 Waterfront neighborhood are established but not old, having been built between 1970 and 1999. A number of residences were also built between 1940 and 1969.

Waterfront has a 15.7% vacancy rate, which is well above average compared to other U.S. neighborhoods (higher than 79.5% of American neighborhoods). A relatively large percentage of housing here is seasonally occupied (15.7%), which can occur in some markets dominated by colleges or vacation homes. If you live here year round, you will find many of the homes or apartments are empty for all or a portion of the year.

Notable & Unique Neighborhood Characteristics

When you see a neighborhood for the first time, the most important thing is often the way it looks, like its homes and its setting. Some places look the same, but they only reveal their true character after living in them for a while because they contain a unique mix of occupational or cultural groups. This neighborhood is very unique in some important ways, according to NeighborhoodScout's exclusive exploration and analysis.

Real Estate

If you like crowded places, then you will probably enjoy the the Waterfront neighborhood. According to NeighborhoodScout's exclusive data analysis, this neighborhood is more densely populated than 95.7% of neighborhoods in the U.S., with 23,264 people per square mile living here. Do you like a coastal setting? If so, this neighborhood may be to your liking. The Waterfront neighborhood is on the ocean, a bay, or inlet. Often such coastal places have amenities and recreational activities on the waterfront that are attractive to residents and visitors alike. In addition to being coastal, Waterfront is a very nautical neighborhood, meaning that it is somewhat historic, walkable, densely populated and on the water. This gives the neighborhood a very nautical feel, with some seaside and shipping feel, which some may really enjoy the sights and sounds of.

In addition, one of the really unique and interesting things about the look and setting of the Waterfront neighborhood is that it is almost entirely dominated by large apartment buildings, such as apartment complexes or high-rise apartments. 95.1% of the residential real estate here is classified as such. This puts this neighborhood on the map as having a higher proportion of large apartment buildings than 99.0% of all neighborhoods in America.

Furthermore, the Waterfront neighborhood is very unique in that it has one of the highest proportions of one, two, or no bedroom real estate of any neighborhood in America. Most neighborhoods have a mixture of home or apartment sizes from small to large, but here the concentration of studios and other small living spaces is at near-record heights. With 88.2% of the real estate here of this small size, this most assuredly is a notable feature that makes this neighborhood unique, along with just a handful of other neighborhoods in the U.S. that share this characteristic.

People

In a nation where 1 out of every 4 children lives in poverty, the Waterfront neighborhood stands out as being ranked among the lowest 0.0% of neighborhoods affected by this global issue.

In addition, do you like to read, write, and learn? Are you curious about the world? If so, this neighborhood may be a good fit for you. NeighborhoodScout's research revealed that a full 90.3% of the adults living in the Waterfront neighborhood have earned at least a bachelor's degree. This is a higher rate than NeighborhoodScout found in 99.7% of U.S. neighborhoods. In this way, this neighborhood truly stands out.

Also, think about the people you know personally. How many of them would purchase box seats to opening night at the symphony? How many of them regularly attend gallery openings, or are the first to reserve tickets to opening night at the ballet? If they're like most of us, they don't do any of these things. But if you're among an exclusive crowd of wealthy and refined patrons of the arts, then you'll feel right at home in the Waterfront neighborhood: a neighborhood in which more "urban sophisticates" live than 98.6% of neighborhoods across the U.S. Here, your neighbors are defined as having urbane tastes in literature, music, live theatre and the arts. They are wealthy, educated, travel in style, and live a big city lifestyle whether or not they live in or near a big city. In addition to being an excellent choice for urban sophisticates, this neighborhood is also a very good choice for active retirees.

Occupations

Executives, managers and professionals make up 82.9% of the workforce in the Waterfront neighborhood which, according to NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis, is a higher proportion of such high-level people than is found in 99.5% of the neighborhoods in America. For this reason, this neighborhood really stands out as unique.

Modes of Transportation

In the Waterfront neighborhood, walking to work is a real option for many. In fact, NeighborhoodScout's exclusive research reveals walking to and from work is the chosen way to commute for 33.2% of residents here. This is a higher proportion of walking commuters than we found in 99.3% of American neighborhoods. Get ready to put on your walking shoes if you move here!

Also, in the Waterfront neighborhood, many people's commute means walking from the bedroom to the home office. NeighborhoodScout's analysis found that 30.6% of residents worked from home. This may not seem like a large number, but Scout's research shows that this is a higher percentage of people working from home than 97.2% of the neighborhoods in America. Often people who work from home are engaged in the creative or technological economy, such as is found in areas around Boston, and in Silicon Valley. Other times, people may be engaged in other businesses like trading stocks from home, or running a small beauty salon.

Finally, if you like to ride the train to work, this neighborhood may be for you. NeighborhoodScout's research revealed that 13.8% of the Waterfront neighborhood's commuters ride the train to and from work each day, which is more than we found in 96.2% of America's neighborhoods.

Diversity

Did you know that the Waterfront neighborhood has more Eastern European and Armenian ancestry people living in it than nearly any neighborhood in America? It's true! In fact, 3.5% of this neighborhood's residents have Eastern European ancestry and 1.2% have Armenian ancestry.

The Neighbors

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 Waterfront neighborhood in Boston are wealthy, making it among the 15% highest income neighborhoods in America. NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis reveals that this neighborhood has a higher income than 88.5% of the neighborhoods in America. 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.

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 Waterfront neighborhood, 82.9% 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 13.2% of the residents employed. Other residents here are employed in government jobs, whether they are in local, state, or federal positions (8.8%), and 3.9% in clerical, assistant, and tech support occupations.

Languages

The most common language spoken in the Waterfront neighborhood is English, spoken by 91.6% of households. Some people also speak Chinese (3.4%).

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 Waterfront neighborhood in Boston, MA, residents most commonly identify their ethnicity or ancestry as Irish (21.4%). There are also a number of people of English ancestry (12.5%), and residents who report Italian roots (10.8%), and some of the residents are also of German ancestry (8.5%), along with some Polish ancestry residents (7.7%), among others. In addition, 18.9% of the residents of this neighborhood were born in another country.

Getting to Work

Even if your neighborhood is walkable, you may still have to drive to your place of work. Some neighborhoods are located where many can get to work in just a few minutes, while others are located such that most residents have a long and arduous commute. The greatest number of commuters in Waterfront neighborhood spend between 15 and 30 minutes commuting one-way to work (30.8% of working residents), which is shorter than the time spent commuting to work for most Americans.

Here most residents (33.2%) hop out the door and walk to work to get to work. In addition, quite a number also drive alone in a private automobile to get to work (21.2%) and 13.8% of residents also take the train for their daily commute. This is a special neighborhood for the number of people who walk to work. Combining exercise, low cost, and reduced pollution, plus the chance to see your neighbors, walking to work is fairly uncommon in America but likely to increase as people try to reduce their dependence on automobiles, and this neighborhood offers that opportunity today.


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