Neighborhood Report for Cambridge

Population

Rising population growth often signals a vibrant, growing community, leading to increased housing demand and potential for value appreciation. However, it's a double-edged sword; rapid growth might stretch local infrastructure and resources, possibly impacting the area's quality of life.

Household Composition

The makeup of households is a valuable insight for those seeking areas that resonate with family-oriented or child-friendly vibes.

Age Groups

Age information is helpful for those aiming to align their living environment with their lifestyle preferences—whether you’re drawn to the energy and vibrancy of younger communities or the tranquility and maturity of areas with an older demographic.

Racial/Ethnic Composition

This breakdown helps pinpoint areas that align with your desire for cultural homogeneity or diversity.

Education

Educational attainment percentages are for individuals aged 25 and older. Higher education levels in a community often correlate with increased civic engagement, safety, and prosperity.

Income Distribution

This section provides a detailed breakdown of household income levels in the area. Understanding a community's financial standing can reveal insights into its standard of living, economic diversity, and growth potential.

Occupancy Rates

Areas where most houses are owner-occupied (rather than rented) are more desirable because owners are more financially and emotionally invested in their properties and the community's well-being. High vacancy rates are a negative indicator, as they can signal that the area is in decline.

Age of Buildings

Reviewing the age of structures helps you understand the mix of modern and historic structures, anticipate the longevity of the infrastructure, and make informed investment decisions based on the area's growth and evolution.

Nearby Low-Income Housing

The availability of subsidized housing can influence neighborhood property values.

Main Types of Subsidized Housing:

• Public Housing: Government-owned, managed by local authorities, offering affordable rents to low-income residents.
• Project-Based Section 8: Private landlords provide reduced-rent apartments, subsidized by the government.
• Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC): Incentivizes private developers with tax credits to create below-market rent properties for low-income tenants. LIHTC does not directly subsidize rents.

In the table below, Properties refer to distinct parcels of land or buildings designated as low-income housing. Units are the individual housing units (such as apartments) within those properties.

Land Cover

Understanding a neighborhood's land cover helps you evaluate the aesthetic appeal, potential for recreational activities, and the balance of natural versus developed spaces.

Concise descriptions for each land cover category:

• Landscaped Areas: Developed open spaces consisting mostly of vegetation, such as parks, golf courses, and residential gardens.
• Residential Areas: Areas with a balanced mix of buildings and vegetation, such as single-family homes.
• Urban & Commercial: Highly developed zones, including apartment complexes and commercial/industrial buildings.
• Water Bodies: Open bodies of water like lakes, rivers, and ponds.
• Wooded Areas: Forests dominated by tall trees, either deciduous, evergreen, or mixed.
• Wild Vegetation: Areas with natural plant growth, including shrubs and herbaceous vegetation.
• Farms & Gardens: Agricultural lands used for crops or livestock, such as fields of corn, soybeans, or pastures for grazing.
• Marshes & Swamps: Wetlands either forested or grass-dominated.

Crime Indexes

Crime Indexes compare local safety to a national average set at 100. For example, a crime index of 200 means the area has double the national average crime rate. Remember, the national average includes quieter rural areas, so urban centers may naturally show higher indexes.

• Property crime involves private property, such as burglary and motor vehicle theft.
• Personal crime is characterized as a violent crime that results in physical, emotional, or psychological harm to the victim, such as assault and battery.

Fatal Car Accidents and DUIs

Government agencies release national fatal car accident data with a two-year delay. Extra caution is recommended in areas with higher accident frequencies.

You can see the exact location of fatal accidents on the map:

• Non-DUI Accidents: Fatal accidents where the driver was not under the influence.
• DUI Accidents: Fatal accidents where the driver was under the influence.

Drinking Water Quality

Clean drinking water is essential for good health. Under the Safe Drinking Water Act, water systems are required to meet strict safety regulations. Maptimum’s Water Health Score assesses water systems based on the following key factors:

• Population Served: Larger systems often have more resources and improved efficiency.
• Source: Groundwater (such as wells) is typically safer than surface water (like rivers) because it is naturally filtered through soil and rock, reducing the risk of contamination.
• Lead and Copper Levels: Lead and copper can enter drinking water from the corrosion of older pipes and plumbing. The 90th percentile of samples must meet EPA limits—0.015 mg/L for lead and 1.3 mg/L for copper.
• Health-Based Violations: These occur when contaminant levels (like Lead or Chlorine) exceed safe standards, or when treatment processes fail.
• Monitoring and Reporting Violations: Major violations where systems fail to properly monitor or report water quality.
• Unresolved Violations: Health-based or major violations that have not been resolved according to the latest reports.

Remember, water systems often cover entire cities or regions, so moving within the same area may not significantly change your water quality.

Air Quality

Air quality directly impacts health, with pollution linked to multiple health concerns. Air quality can vary within a day and seasonally. Our analysis uses hourly data from the past 365 days, highlighting the percentage of time the Air Quality Index (AQI) and specific pollutants were in the dangerous range.

Hazardous Waste Sites

Hazardous waste sites near your home can pollute air, soil, and water, posing health risks like respiratory issues, contaminated drinking water, and long-term exposure to hazardous chemicals. Even compliant facilities, when densely clustered, can create cumulative environmental impacts that affect quality of life and property values.

We consider a facility high-risk based on a combination of the following criteria:

• Active: Facilities with ongoing operations have a higher likelihood of environmental contamination.
• Transport: Involvement in waste transport raises the risk of accidents or spills.
• High Output: Large Quantity Generators (LQG) produce significant amounts of waste, posing greater risks.
• TSDFs: Treatment, Storage, and Disposal Facilities (TSDFs) handle hazardous waste, with a high potential for leaks and spills.
• History of Violations: Past violations of EPA or state regulations indicate a higher risk of non-compliance and incidents.

Noise Pollution

A Soundscore™ rating, ranging from 50 (indicating high noise levels) to 100 (signifying low noise levels), measures the environmental noise of a location, providing a quantifiable insight into the auditory environment you can expect.

Earthquake Risk

This section utilizes Peak Ground Acceleration (PGA) data from the US Geological Survey (USGS) to forecast the maximum potential earthquake intensity and damage with a 2% probability of being exceeded in the area over the next 50 years, providing valuable insights into seismic risks.

Flood Risk

The flood risk data, sourced from FEMA, assess the likelihood and potential impacts of flooding by considering various factors including flood frequency, proximity to water bodies, and property characteristics like elevation and rebuilding costs.

On the map, areas are designated as high risk or moderate risk:

• High Risk: Classified as Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHA), these regions face a 1% annual chance of flooding (equivalent to a 26% chance over a 30-year period, or a 100-year flood risk). In these areas, purchasing flood insurance is mandatory.
• Moderate Risk: These zones have a 0.2% annual chance of flooding (equivalent to a 6% chance within a 30-year timeframe, or a 500-year flood risk). Flood insurance is recommended here. Such areas may transition to high-risk in the future due to factors like urban development or environmental changes.

Walkability and Bikeability

The Walk Score, ranging from 0 to 100, gauges an address's accessibility on foot—the higher the score, the easier it is to accomplish daily errands without a car.

Similarly, the Bike Score evaluates an area's suitability for cycling based on infrastructure, topography, proximity to key destinations, road connectivity, and the cycling community's presence.

Dating and Marriage Outlook

Gain insights into the area's potential for connections, dating, and finding life partners. This section explores the social landscape, highlighting marital status for residents 15 years and older and detailing the female-to-male ratio for those aged 20 to 44. A ratio above 1 indicates more women than men, suggesting enhanced dating prospects for men, and vice versa.

Pet Friendliness

Pets, especially dogs, provide a great way for locals to interact and build connections. If you have pets, you'll likely enjoy living in an area with a high percentage of fellow pet owners.

Voting Patterns

Living in a community that shares your values can be important. Our detailed analysis of Presidential Election results at the precinct level—the most granular unit for voting data—allows you to understand the political tendencies of the area.

On the map, the precicits that intersect with your selected area, along with their vote count in the 2020 election, are presented:

• Solid Democratic: Precincts where the Democratic margin (percentage voting for the Democratic candidate minus the percentage voting for the Republican candidate) exceeds 15%.
• Leaning Democratic: Precincts where the Democratic margin is between 5% and 15%.
• Balanced: Precincts where the democrat margin is between -5% and 5%.
• Leaning Republican: Precincts where the Republican margin is between 5% and 15%.
• Solid Republican: Precincts where the Republican margin exceeds 15%.

Ideological Leanings

Gain deeper insights into the social fabric of the neighborhood with data on self-reported ideological leanings, sourced from MRI-Simmons surveys.

Value Appreciation Forecast

Our forecast uses the latest area-specific trends and market activities to offer a strategic overview of expected growth across the overall area, rather than for individual homes.

Rental Viability Analysis

Gain insights into median rent and the rent-to-value ratio to identify promising rental investment opportunities. The 1% rule suggests a property is viable if the monthly rent is at least 1% of its value. Note that using area medians may skew this figure, especially if low-end homes dominate the rental market. Despite this, the ratio is a useful initial indicator for further exploration of rental investments.