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Real Estate Prices & Overview

Harvard Square / Harvard University median real estate price is $1,768,377, which is more expensive than 93.6% of the neighborhoods in Massachusetts and 96.5% of the neighborhoods in the U.S.

The average rental price in Harvard Square / Harvard University is currently $4,710, based on NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis. The average rental cost in this neighborhood is higher than 86.3% of the neighborhoods in Massachusetts.

Harvard Square / Harvard University is a densely urban neighborhood (based on population density) located in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Harvard Square / Harvard University 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 Harvard Square / Harvard University 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 1940 and 1969.

Harvard Square / Harvard University has a 14.6% vacancy rate, which is well above average compared to other U.S. neighborhoods (higher than 77.0% 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.

Notable & Unique Neighborhood Characteristics

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.

People

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

In addition, if knowledge is power, then imagine the cumulative power of one neighborhood where many of the adults have earned an advanced degree, such as a Masters, law degree, medical degree, or even a Ph.D. This is certainly the case in the Harvard Square / Harvard University neighborhood, where 54.6% have earned an advanced degree. Compare that to the average neighborhood in America, where just 13.4% of adults have completed a post-graduate degree, and you can see why this neighborhood is a stand out. In fact, this neighborhood has a higher rate of adults with an advanced degree than 99.6% of the neighborhoods in America.

Modes of Transportation

More people in Harvard Square / Harvard University choose to walk to work each day (33.1%) 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.

Also, if your dream is to be able to ride your bike to work each day, look no further than this unique neighborhood. With 7.2% of residents in the Harvard Square / Harvard University neighborhood commuting on a bicycle to and from work daily, this neighborhood has more bicycle commuters than 99.1% of all neighborhoods in the U.S., according to NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis.

Finally, if you like to ride the train to work, this neighborhood may be for you. NeighborhoodScout's research revealed that 12.5% of the Harvard Square / Harvard University neighborhood's commuters ride the train to and from work each day, which is more than we found in 95.8% of America's neighborhoods.

Real Estate

If you like crowded places, then you will probably enjoy the the Harvard Square / Harvard University neighborhood. According to NeighborhoodScout's exclusive data analysis, this neighborhood is more densely populated than 96.5% of neighborhoods in the U.S., with 27,225 people per square mile living here. Even if you drive or take transit to your place of employment, many people enjoy being able to walk in their neighborhood. What many people don't realize is that most of America's premier vacation locations are also very walkable. The Harvard Square / Harvard University neighborhood is among the top 5% of American neighborhoods in terms of walkability.

In addition, 86.8% of the real estate in the Harvard Square / Harvard University neighborhood is occupied by renters, which is nearly the highest rate of renter occupancy of any neighborhood 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 Harvard Square / Harvard University neighborhood stands out on a national scale for the sheer concentration of historic residences it contains: 71.9% of the residential real estate here was built from 1939 or earlier, some much earlier. This is a greater concentration of historic homes than 98.9% of the neighborhoods in the United States.

Car Ownership

American households most often have a car, and regularly they have two or three. But households in the Harvard Square / Harvard University neighborhood buck this trend. 33.4% of the households in this neighborhood don't own a car at all. This is more carless households than NeighborhoodScout found in 97.5% of U.S. neighborhoods.

Occupations

The Harvard Square / Harvard University neighborhood has a higher proportion of its residents employed as executives, managers and professionals than 96.6% of the neighborhoods in America. In fact, 72.2% of the employed people here make a living as an executive, a manager, or other professional. With such a high concentration, this truly shapes the character of this neighborhood, and to a large degree defines what this neighborhood is about.

Migration / Stability

The freedom of moving to new places versus the comfort of home. How much and how often people move not only can create diverse and worldly neighborhoods, but simultaneously it can produce a loss of intimacy with one's surroundings and a lack of connectedness to one's neighbors. NeighborhoodScout's exclusive research has identified this neighborhood as unique with regard to the transience of its populace. In the Harvard Square / Harvard University neighborhood, a greater proportion of the residents living here today did not live here five years ago than is found in 97.8% 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 Harvard Square / Harvard University neighborhood has more Armenian and Greek ancestry people living in it than nearly any neighborhood in America? It's true! In fact, 0.7% of this neighborhood's residents have Armenian ancestry and 1.9% have Greek ancestry.

Harvard Square / Harvard University is also pretty special linguistically. Significantly, 7.0% 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 96.6% of the neighborhoods in America.

The Neighbors

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 Harvard Square / Harvard University neighborhood in Cambridge are upper-middle income, making it an above average income neighborhood. NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis reveals that this neighborhood has a higher income than 72.1% 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.

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 Harvard Square / Harvard University neighborhood, 72.2% 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 15.9% of the residents employed. Other residents here are employed in clerical, assistant, and tech support occupations (7.0%), and 4.9% in manufacturing and laborer 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 Harvard Square / Harvard University neighborhood is English, spoken by 66.5% of households. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish, Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese.

Ethnicity / Ancestry

Boston's Beacon Hill blue-blood streets, Brooklyn's Orthodox Jewish enclaves, Los Angeles' Persian neighborhoods. Each has its own culture derived primarily from the ancestries and culture of the residents who call these neighborhoods home. Likewise, each neighborhood in America has its own culture – some more unique than others – based on lifestyle, occupations, the types of households – and importantly – on the ethnicities and ancestries of the people who live in the neighborhood. Understanding where people came from, who their grandparents or great-grandparents were, can help you understand how a neighborhood is today.

In the Harvard Square / Harvard University neighborhood in Cambridge, MA, residents most commonly identify their ethnicity or ancestry as Asian (23.2%). There are also a number of people of German ancestry (8.1%), and residents who report English roots (7.7%), and some of the residents are also of Irish ancestry (5.4%), along with some Italian ancestry residents (4.7%), among others. In addition, 27.0% 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 Harvard Square / Harvard University neighborhood spend under 15 minutes commuting one-way to work (35.2% of working residents), one of the shortest commutes across America.

Here most residents (33.1%) 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 (16.7%) and 12.5% 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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