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 New Bedford, the Acushnet Ave - Belleville Road neighborhood, has some outstanding things about the way it looks and its way of life that are worth highlighting.
Real Estate
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 Acushnet Ave - Belleville Road neighborhood is one of the most walkable neighborhoods in America. Acushnet Ave - Belleville Road is a neighborhood that is on the ocean, a bay, or inlet. Many times, such places have amenities that bring locals and visitors to the waterfront for recreational activities or to check out the scenery. In some densely populated areas that are less financially well-off, the neighborhood waterfront can be relatively industrial and less open to recreation. In addition to being coastal, Acushnet Ave - Belleville Road 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, 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 Acushnet Ave - Belleville Road 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 59.4% of the real estate here is made up of such dwellings, which is higher than 99.2% of all U.S. neighborhoods.
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 Acushnet Ave - Belleville Road neighborhood stands out on a national scale for the sheer concentration of historic residences it contains: 74.7% of the residential real estate here was built from 1939 or earlier, some much earlier. This is a greater concentration of historic homes than 99.2% of the neighborhoods in the United States.
People
Single parenting is hard. But you don't have to tell the Acushnet Ave - Belleville Road neighborhood about it; they already know. 18.4% of this neighborhood's households are run by single mothers, which is a higher concentration than NeighborhoodScout found in 96.0% of American neighborhoods. Further NeighborhoodScout research showed strong statistical correlations among high rates of children living in single parent households, and neighborhood crime, particularly violent crime, neighborhood poverty, and, importantly, the percentage of low weight births and rates of infant mortality.
Diversity
Did you know that the Acushnet Ave - Belleville Road neighborhood has more Portuguese and French ancestry people living in it than nearly any neighborhood in America? It's true! In fact, 43.0% of this neighborhood's residents have Portuguese ancestry and 14.9% have French ancestry.
Acushnet Ave - Belleville Road is also pretty special linguistically. Significantly, 33.2% 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 100.0% of the neighborhoods in America.
