Monday, June 4, 2012
A look at the age of the population in the area.
How old are South Enders? The South End is considered by many a neighborhood of young adults, but statistically hews closer to family-filled Charlestown than the nearly childless Back Bay. A community's age counts for a lot. It helps the local government determine what types of services to offer in good times and where to cut back during a downturn. The numbers below were provided by the 2010 U.S. Census, except for the Boston neighborhood breakdowns, which were determined using the City of Boston's myNeighborhood Viewer tool, and represent approximations for each community.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Kids make or break a neighborhood, depending on who you ask. Here's a look at the number of households with school-aged children.
Almost everybody says they love children, but that tunes changes when topics like development and schools come into play. Almost every new development is scrutinized closely by cities and towns concerned about expanding their school populations and neighbors worried about noise. Is the South End a kid-friendly neighborhood? A a parent, do you find it welcoming to your children? As a childless adult, do you think the neighborhood goes a little too far in accomodating kids? Below is a chart comparing the percentage of households with kids under 18 in communities in Boston and across the region. The statewide average is 28.3 percent, and Boston comes in at 20.4 percent. The South End is well below both, Only 14.6 percent of households have …
Thursday, May 24, 2012
At 5.5 percent, the city's unemployment rate is below the 5.9 percent statewide rate.
The state's unemployment rate, already significantly lower than the national average, dropped again in April, according to figures released by the state's Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development. The April rate is 5.9 percent, down half a percentage point from March's 6.4 percent mark. Massachusetts gained nearly 19,000 jobs in that time. Most cities and towns in the state experienced drops in their local unemployment numbers, released Tuesday by Workforce Development. Some locations, like Cambridge and Arlington, are well below 4 percent, while others, like Chelsea and Revere, remain mired at 7 percent or higher. Boston numbers are not broken out by neighborhood, but the city as a whole held steady at 5.5 percent. That …
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Do you rent in the South End? Would you buy a home in the neighborhood or move away?
After three decades of government policy aimed at home ownership and a fearsome housing market crash in 2007-2008, renting has become a more realistic option for many individuals and families. In some places, like Boston, Cambridge, Somerville and Chelsea, this is more of the same. In other, more suburban locations, home, condo and apartment rentals are community-wide controversies. At approximately 61 percent, the South End has a lower percentage of renters than Boston in general. Still, far more than half of the livable units in the neighborhood are filled with people who do not own the property. The following chart shows the number of occupied housing units and the percentage of rentals vs. owner-occupied units in each community. The …
Amy
10:26 am on Friday, June 1, 2012
The South End would be more kid-friendly if the neighborhood schools were available to the families living here. Right now, the lottery system noes not promise access to the schools in our neighborhood. If you'd like to provide your input on the school lottery, BPS is conducting a survey: www.bostonpublicschools.org/choice more ›