In urban areas having a car can be more expensive and burdensome, especially to those who have committed to apartment living. Traffic is a mess, parking is worse, and just the thought of traveling across town via bus, train, and/or foot to buy toilet paper can cause a massive headache.
Have you ever wondered how your apartment living area compares to other areas in terms of walkable conveniences? Walkscore.com attempts to quantify these comparisons and provides a score of your apartment living area based on the types of businesses and amenities nearby. You are even able to view your whole city’s walk score and compare it to other cities regionally and nationally. Some of the amenities walkscore.com ranks are coffee shops, grocery stores, schools, and banking franchises.
We thought it was interesting that coffee was a rank-able component of the search. Newsweek magazine actually has named this phenomenon, “The Starbucks Effect”. According to some real estate agents, areas with a Starbucks planned are considered viable building sites. The presence of a coffee shop has seemingly become sort of a cultural currency that helps to determine the value of neighborhoods. What does this mean for apartment living? Coffee shops are a great meeting place. They serve as a communal nexus that spawns creativity and lively conversation within a neighborhood. Because there are so many, the scenes that are often offered are very neighborhood centric. The shop may serve as a regular stop for workers in the area, college students between classes, and stay-at-home mothers who need a mid afternoon coffee buzz. If street life and a sense of community are crucial factors for deciding where to live, you may want to consider the coffee shop presence in the area as an element in your search.
Need to find an apartment in proximity to the amenities and conveniences that benefit your life? We’ll help you search for Dallas apartments, Phoenix apartments, Austin apartments, Seattle apartments, and other apartments in your city.
