What do we mean by a neighborhood?
Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ® uses the official government designation for neighborhoods - the census tract.
Census tracts are small, relatively permanent subdivisions of a county that are defined by the U.S. Census Bureau in conjunction with local authorities all across the country to define real neighborhoods that are bounded to contain areas with homogeneous population characteristics (including economic status, lifestyle, and living conditions). Census tracts usually have 4,000 persons, but can range between 1,500 and 8,000 persons. This is the most fine-grained area for which detailed information is made available from the government, to protect the individual privacy of each of us. Because census tracts are based on population, they vary in size depending on the density of settlement. In urban areas, they are small, and in rural areas they can cover an entire small town or even a few small towns in very rural areas.
Since census tracts are subdivisions of a county, we did a spatial overlay of the census tracts onto city and town boundaries using a geographic information system to properly assign each census tract to its appropriate city or town. Then we named each census tract to the local colloquially recognized neighborhood name for that spot (e.g., Boston, MA (Dorchester). If there was not a name available, we named the census tract by the largest street intersection in the census tract (e.g., Worcester, MA (Lincoln St/Plantation St)
Why we don't use Zip Codes as neighborhoods
Zip codes were developed by the Postal Service for the purpose of delivering mail, but were never intended to define coherent neighborhoods. In addition, Zip Codes can have as many as 10 distinctly different census tracts contained within them. When distinct census tracts are blended together in a single Zip Code, the data reflects their average conditions and often gives a false sense of the area. The result is that potentially great matching neighborhoods can be missed, and erroneous matches can also be produced and delivered to you.
Using census tracts makes great matches possible, and helps people find the areas that are best for them and their families. Because we are committed to providing the highest possible quality and finding the neighborhoods that best meet your criteria, we use census tracts. And, as always, we show you the actual street map of the neighborhood so you know exactly where your best matching neighborhood is located.
What is a Condition Alert?
A condition alert is a condition in the neighborhood that triggers an alert. Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ contains condition alerts to highlight conditions that are extreme, whether good or bad. This helps answer crucial questions about the state of the neighborhood being evaluated, such as:
What are the risks of violent crime here?
Is the risk of home break-ins or other property crimes increasing?
Does real estate here hold its value?
Are the trends in local vacancies or unemployment concerning?
...and dozens more.
Information at a glance that you need to know to invest, appraise or finance a property.
Little Lake median real estate price is $336,805, which is more expensive than 62.0% of the neighborhoods in Michigan and 42.7% of the neighborhoods in the U.S.
The average rental price in Little Lake is currently $1,471, based on Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ's exclusive analysis. Rents here are currently lower in price than 61.8% of Michigan neighborhoods.
Little Lake is a remote neighborhood (based on population density) located in Gwinn, Michigan.
Little Lake real estate is primarily made up of small (studio to two bedroom) to medium sized (three or four bedroom) single-family homes and mobile homes. Most of the residential real estate is owner occupied. Many of the residences in the Little Lake 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 Little Lake. The current real estate vacancy rate here is 43.4%. This is higher than the rate of vacancies in 98.1% of all U.S. neighborhoods. A relatively large percentage of housing here is seasonally occupied (38.8%). This can occur in vacation areas, and occasionally it is also found in neighborhoods that are primarily filled with college students, as some apartments could be vacant when school is not in session. If you live here year round, you may find that a number of buildings in your neighborhood are actually empty.
Notable & Unique Neighborhood Characteristics
When you see a neighborhood for the first time, the most important thing is often the way it looks, like its homes and its setting. Some places look the same, but they only reveal their true character after living in them for a while because they contain a unique mix of occupational or cultural groups. This neighborhood is very unique in some important ways, according to Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ's exclusive exploration and analysis.
Real Estate
Unpopulated, and rural, the Little Lake neighborhood is one of the least crowded neighborhoods in all of America. If you like open space, no traffic, and lots of room, this neighborhood may be just what you are looking for. According to Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ's leading research, this neighborhood is less densely populated than 98.3% of the neighborhoods in America. One of the notable things about Little Lake is that it is one of the quietest neighborhoods in America, according to Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ's exclusive analysis and quantitative rating of quietness. When you are here, you will find it to be very quiet. If quiet and peaceful are your cup of tea, you may have found a great place for you.
In addition, owner-occupied real estate dominates the Little Lake neighborhood. In fact, according to Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ research, the percentage of residential real estate occupied by its owner is higher here than in 98.8% of neighborhoods in America. Despite all of the residential real estate here in the Little Lake neighborhood, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ has discovered that much of it is vacant. In resort or second-home vacation areas, this naturally occurs because homes and apartments are seasonally occupied, and empty for a portion of the year. In non-vacation or resort areas, however, this can be an indicator of property abandonment or a weak real estate market. The vacancy rate here is 43.4%, which is higher than 98.1% of all U.S. neighborhoods.
People
Priests and therapists would like to think they know the secrets to a truly successful marriage, but according to Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ's research, the folks of the Little Lake neighborhood may actually hold the key. 73.8% of its residents are married, which is a higher percentage than is found in 98.6% of the neighborhoods in America.
In addition, if you're nearing retirement age, or in retirement, the Little Lake is an excellent choice for you to consider for top-quality retirement living. This neighborhood is rated by Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ as among the top 5.1% of retiree-friendly neighborhoods in Michigan, combining peace and quiet, safety from crime, and offering diverse housing options from which retirees can choose. Maybe it's because of these amenities that a large proportion of the residents here are college educated seniors, mixed with other age groups. For these and other reasons, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ identifies this neighborhood as a top-notch place to consider if you are thinking of or planning to retire in Michigan.
Car Ownership
Most American households own a car or other vehicle. Many own two cars or perhaps three. In the United States, it is useful to have an automobile not only for commuting, but also for shopping and getting to other services one needs. But Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ's analysis revealed that households in the Little Lake neighborhood have a highly unusual car ownership. Residents of this neighborhood must really love automobiles. Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ's Analysis reveals that 36.2% of the households here have four, five, or more cars. That is more cars per household than in 96.8% of the neighborhoods in the nation.
Modes of Transportation
While most Americans do drive to work alone each day, the Little Lake neighborhood stands out by having 88.6% of commuters doing so, which is a higher proportion of people driving alone to work than Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ found in 95.7% of all American neighborhoods.
Diversity
Did you know that the Little Lake neighborhood has more Finnish and Czechoslovakian ancestry people living in it than nearly any neighborhood in America? It's true! In fact, 11.6% of this neighborhood's residents have Finnish ancestry and 2.9% have Czechoslovakian ancestry.
Little Lake is also pretty special linguistically. Significantly, 7.7% of its residents five years old and above primarily speak Polish at home. While this may seem like a small percentage, it is higher than 96.7% of the neighborhoods in America.
The Neighbors
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. Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ's analysis reveals both aspects of income and poverty for this neighborhood.
The neighbors in the Little Lake neighborhood in Gwinn are middle-income, making it a moderate income neighborhood. Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ's exclusive analysis reveals that this neighborhood has a higher income than 49.0% of the neighborhoods in America. With 12.7% of the children here below the federal poverty line, this neighborhood has a higher rate of childhood poverty than 56.5% of U.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 Little Lake neighborhood, 38.9% of the working population is employed in executive, management, and professional occupations. The second most important occupational group in this neighborhood is manufacturing and laborer occupations, with 26.3% of the residents employed. Other residents here are employed in sales and service jobs, from major sales accounts, to working in fast food restaurants (21.7%), and 12.1% in clerical, assistant, and tech support occupations.
Languages
The most common language spoken in the Little Lake neighborhood is English, spoken by 98.6% of households. Some people also speak Polish (7.7%).
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 Little Lake neighborhood in Gwinn, MI, residents most commonly identify their ethnicity or ancestry as German (14.9%). There are also a number of people of English ancestry (14.6%), and residents who report Irish roots (13.1%), and some of the residents are also of Finnish ancestry (11.6%), along with some French ancestry residents (9.9%), among others.
Getting to Work
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 Little Lake neighborhood spend between 30 and 45 minutes commuting one-way to work (41.4% of working residents), which is at or a bit above the average length of a commute across all U.S. neighborhoods.
Here most residents (88.6%) drive alone in a private automobile to get to work. In addition, quite a number also carpool with coworkers, friends, or neighbors to get to work (7.3%) . In a neighborhood like this, as in most of the nation, many residents find owning a car useful for getting to work.
SCOUT’s patented match algorithm identifies the most similar neighborhoods to a subject location, and quantifies the similarity to the subject location. This allows analysts to identify the most similar neighborhoods in a local market area for appraisals, investments, and research.
The algorithm uses 273 neighborhood conditions, identifies the dominant dimensions underlying the conditions and calculates the similarity. This captures the true culture and character of locations, economic conditions, and trends.
The closer to 100% means the locations are nearly identical. 80% is a very good, but not excellent match, and so forth.
