Median real estate price in the Borough Center of State College is $408,398, which is more expensive than 73.6% of the neighborhoods in Pennsylvania and 55.0% of the neighborhoods in the U.S.
The average rental price in State College Borough Center is currently $1,675, based on NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis. Rents here are currently lower in price than 55.0% of Pennsylvania neighborhoods.
State College Borough Center is a densely urban neighborhood (based on population density) located in State College, Pennsylvania.
Real estate in the Borough Center of State College, PA 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 Borough Center neighborhood are established but not old, having been built between 1970 and 1999. A number of residences were also built between 1940 and 1969.
Vacant apartments or homes are a major fact of life in State College Borough Center. The current real estate vacancy rate here is 20.4%. This is higher than the rate of vacancies in 88.2% of all U.S. neighborhoods. In addition, most vacant housing here is vacant year round. This can sometimes be the case in neighborhoods dominated by new construction that is not yet occupied. But often neighborhoods with vacancy rates this high are places that can be plagued by a protracted vacancy problem. If you live here, you may find that a number of buildings in your neighborhood are actually empty.
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 State College, the Borough Center neighborhood, has some outstanding things about the way it looks and its way of life that are worth highlighting.
In the State College Borough Center 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 53.3% of residents here. This is a higher proportion of walking commuters than we found in 99.9% of American neighborhoods. Get ready to put on your walking shoes if you move here!
Also, if your dream is to be able to ride your bike to work each day, look no further than this unique neighborhood. With 3.3% of residents in the State College Borough Center neighborhood commuting on a bicycle to and from work daily, this neighborhood has more bicycle commuters than 96.4% of all neighborhoods in the U.S., according to NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis.
The State College Borough Center neighborhood stands out for having an average per capita income lower than 99.9% of the neighborhoods in the United States. Also of note, 66.7% of the children in this area live in poverty; an extraordinarily high percentage compared to other neighborhoods in the nation. In a nation where approximately one in four children grows up in poverty, this neighborhood stands out for the depth of the problem manifested here.
In addition, an extraordinary 69.4% of the residents of the State College Borough Center neighborhood are currently enrolled in college. This is such a large part of life in this neighborhood that the neighborhood changes a great deal with the change of semesters and is far quieter during the summer when many students are away.
Also, the types of households in a neighborhood can tell a lot about the character and lifestyle of those living here. NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis reveals that this neighborhood, above nearly every neighborhood in America, has a greater percentage of its residents living alone: 50.6%. This is a higher percent living alone than we found in 95.7% of all U.S. neighborhoods. Often residents who live alone are new arrivals to an area who are single, and often senior citizens who have lost a spouse.
Finally, the State College Borough Center neighborhood stands out within Pennsylvania for its college student friendly environment. NeighborhoodScout's analysis reveals that this neighborhood is home to a number of college students, is relatively walkable, and above average in safety. In combination, this makes it stand out for a good place for college students to consider. Because a number of college students live here, this neighborhood may be close to a college campus and offer certain amenities nearby geared towards the student body. While it's not an environment for everyone, ambitious scholars can enjoy seasonal excitement between semesters and school breaks, and parents can rest easy knowing that the area has an above average safety rating. For each of these reasons, the neighborhood is rated among the top 7.8% of college-friendly places to live in PA.
Regardless of the means by which residents commute, this neighborhood has a length of commute that is notable. Residents of the State College Borough Center neighborhood have the pleasure of having one of the shortest commutes to work of any neighborhood in America. 69.8% of the residents have a commute time from home to work (one way) of less than fifteen minutes. This is a higher proportion of residents enjoying a short trip to work than NeighborhoodScout found in 98.5% of U.S. neighborhoods. Less time commuting means more time for other things in life.
Renter-occupied real estate is dominant in the State College Borough Center neighborhood. The percentage of rental real estate here, according to exclusive NeighborhoodScout analysis, is 96.1%, which is higher than 98.3% of the neighborhoods in America. If you were to buy and live in the property you bought here, you would be almost alone in doing so.
In addition, one of the really unique and interesting things about the look and setting of the State College Borough Center neighborhood is that it is almost entirely dominated by large apartment buildings, such as apartment complexes or high-rise apartments. 90.1% 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 98.2% of all neighborhoods in America.
Furthermore, the State College Borough Center neighborhood is very densely populated compared to most U.S. neighborhoods. In fact, with 32,145 persons per square mile in the neighborhood, it is more packed with people than 97.2% of the nation's neighborhoods.
Also of note, the State College Borough Center 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 84.4% 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.
We Americans love our cars. Not only are they a necessity for most Americans due to the shape of our neighborhoods and the distances between where we live, work, shop, and go to school, but we also fancy them. As a result, most households in America have one, two, or three cars. But NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis shows that the State College Borough Center neighborhood has a highly unusual pattern of car ownership. 42.0% of the households in this neighborhood don't own a car at all. This is more carless households than NeighborhoodScout found in 98.2% of U.S. neighborhoods.
The State College Borough Center neighborhood stands out nationally for having a greater proportion of its residents active in the military than 97.5% of other U.S. neighborhoods. If you come here, you will notice military people active in their jobs, going to and from work, and in plain clothes out and about the neighborhood.
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 State College Borough Center neighborhood, a greater proportion of the residents living here today did not live here five years ago than is found in 99.4% of U.S. Neighborhoods. This neighborhood, more than almost any other in America, has new residents from other areas.
Did you know that the State College Borough Center neighborhood has more Russian and Irish ancestry people living in it than nearly any neighborhood in America? It's true! In fact, 4.7% of this neighborhood's residents have Russian ancestry and 23.3% have Irish ancestry.
State College Borough Center is also pretty special linguistically. Significantly, 1.2% of its residents five years old and above primarily speak Russian at home. While this may seem like a small percentage, it is higher than 97.0% of the neighborhoods in America.
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 Borough Center neighborhood in State College are low income, making it among the lowest income neighborhoods in America. NeighborhoodScout's research shows that this neighborhood has an income lower than 99.9% of U.S. neighborhoods. With 66.7% of the children here below the federal poverty line, this neighborhood has a higher rate of childhood poverty than 98.1% of U.S. neighborhoods.
What we choose to do for a living reflects who we are. Each neighborhood has a different mix of occupations represented, and together these tell you about the neighborhood and help you understand if this neighborhood may fit your lifestyle.
In the State College Borough Center neighborhood, 52.6% 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 26.7% of the residents employed. Other residents here are employed in clerical, assistant, and tech support occupations (14.2%), and 6.4% in manufacturing and laborer occupations.
Languages
The most common language spoken in the State College Borough Center neighborhood is English, spoken by 86.5% of households. Some people also speak Chinese (2.8%).
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 Borough Center neighborhood in State College, PA, residents most commonly identify their ethnicity or ancestry as Irish (23.3%). There are also a number of people of German ancestry (18.5%), and residents who report Italian roots (14.0%), and some of the residents are also of Polish ancestry (9.6%), along with some Russian ancestry residents (4.7%), among others. In addition, 11.2% of the residents of this neighborhood were born in another country.
How you get to work – car, bus, train or other means – and how much of your day it takes to do so is a large quality of life and financial issue. Especially with gasoline prices rising and expected to continue doing so, the length and means of one's commute can be a financial burden. Some neighborhoods are physically located so that many residents have to drive in their own car, others are set up so many walk to work, or can take a train, bus, or bike. The greatest number of commuters in State College Borough Center neighborhood spend under 15 minutes commuting one-way to work (69.8% of working residents), one of the shortest commutes across America.
Here most residents (53.3%) 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 (18.8%) and 5.9% of residents also ride the bus 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.
