St. James is a somewhat small coastal town (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of North Carolina. With a population of 7,443 people and just one neighborhood, St. James is the 133rd largest community in North Carolina. There's nothing like the smell of a brand new house, and in St. James, you'll find that a large proportion of houses were recently built. New growth in residential real estate is an indication that people are choosing to move to St. James, and putting down their money on brand new construction. St. James’s real estate is, on average, some of the newest in the nation. St. James does seem to be experiencing an influx of affluent people, because the median household income is $113,670.00.
St. James home prices are not only among the most expensive in North Carolina, but St. James real estate also consistently ranks among the most expensive in America.
St. James is a decidedly white-collar town, with fully 91.21% of the workforce employed in white-collar jobs, well above the national average. Overall, St. James is a town of professionals, managers, and sales and office workers. There are especially a lot of people living in St. James who work in management occupations (22.11%), sales jobs (12.19%), and teaching (11.75%).
Also of interest is that St. James has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.
Of important note, St. James is also a town of artists. St. James has more artists, designers and people working in media than 90% of the communities in America. This concentration of artists helps shape St. James’s character.
A relatively large number of people in St. James telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 30.66% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.
In addition, St. James is home to many people who could be described as "urban sophisticates". Urban sophisticates are educated, wealthy, executives and professionals, who have urbane tastes in books, food, and travel, whether they actually live in a big city, or choose to reside in a small town. In big or medium-sized cities, urban sophisticates tend to frequent art institutions such as opera, symphonies, ballet, live theatre, and museums.
It is a fairly quiet town because there are relatively few of those groups of people who have a tendency to be noisy. (Children, for example, often can't help themselves from being noisy, and being parents ourselves, we know!) St. James has relatively few families with children living at home, and is quieter because of it. Renters and college students, for their own reasons, can also be noisy. St. James has few renters and college students. But the biggest reason it is quieter in St. James than in most places in America, is that there are just simply fewer people living here. If you think trees make good neighbors, St. James may be for you.
St. James is also nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Quite often, nautical areas such as these attract visitors and locals who come to enjoy the scenery and various waterfront activities.
One downside of living in St. James, however, is that residents on average have to contend with a long commute, spending on average 39.37 minutes every day commuting to work. However, local public transit is widely used. For those who would prefer to avoid driving entirely and leave their car at home, it may be an option to use the transit instead.
Despite being a small town, St. James has a lot of people using a ferryboat to get to and from work every day. Most of these people on a ferryboat are using it to get to good jobs in other cities.
If knowledge is power, St. James is a pretty powerful place. 65.70% of the adults in St. James have earned a 4-year college degree, masters degree, MD, law degree, or even PhD. Compare that to the national average of 21.84% for all cities and towns.
The per capita income in St. James in 2022 was $82,598, which is wealthy relative to North Carolina and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $330,392 for a family of four.
The people who call St. James home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of St. James residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in St. James include German, Irish, English, Italian, and Polish.
The most common language spoken in St. James is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Scandinavian languages.
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 St. James, the neighborhood, has some outstanding things about the way it looks and its way of life that are worth highlighting.
Do you like a coastal setting? If so, this neighborhood may be to your liking. The neighborhood is on the ocean, a bay, or inlet. Often such coastal places have amenities and recreational activities on the waterfront that are attractive to residents and visitors alike. In addition to being coastal, is a very nautical neighborhood, meaning that it is somewhat historic, walkable, densely populated and on the water. This gives the neighborhood a very nautical feel, with some seaside and shipping feel, which some may really enjoy the sights and sounds of. One of the notable things about is that it is one of the quietest neighborhoods in America, according to NeighborhoodScout'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, if you like the look and ambience of new homes and newly built neighborhoods, you will love the neighborhood. A whopping 73.1% of the homes and other residential real estate here were built after 1999, which is a higher proportion of new homes then you will find in 96.1% of the neighborhoods in the U.S. Everything here just feels new.
If you like to ride a ferry to work, this neighborhood may be for you. NeighborhoodScout's research revealed that 7.6% of the neighborhood's commuters ride a ferry to and from work each day, which is more than we found in 99.9% of America's neighborhoods.
Astoundingly, NeighborhoodScout's research reveals that this single neighborhood has a higher concentration of married couples living here than 99.1% of all U.S. neighborhoods. Whether they have school-aged children or not, married couples are the rule in the neighborhood. If you are a married couple, you may find many people here with a similar lifestyle, and perhaps common interests. But if you are single, you might not find many other singles here.
In addition, if you are planning to retire in North Carolina, this neighborhood should be on your must-see list. For many reasons, may be considered a retiree's dream neighborhood. According to NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis and metrics, it's peaceful and quiet, has above average safety from crime compared to other neighborhoods in North Carolina, while also offering a diverse range of housing options. This, along with the vibrant mix of very educated seniors and other age groups who choose to live here, makes the neighborhood more retiree-friendly than 97.0% of neighborhoods in NC. If a North Carolina retirement is in your future, this neighborhood should be one of the places you visit.
Regardless of the means by which residents commute, this neighborhood has a length of commute that is notable. Long commutes can be brutal. They take time, money, and energy, leaving less of you for yourself and your family. The residents of the neighborhood unfortunately have the distinction of having, on average, a longer commute than most any neighborhood in America. 16.9% of commuters here travel more than one hour just one-way to work. That is more than two hours per day. This percentage with two-hour + round-trip commutes is higher than NeighborhoodScout found in 99.1% of all neighborhoods in America.
Did you know that the neighborhood has more Scots-Irish and French Canadian ancestry people living in it than nearly any neighborhood in America? It's true! In fact, 3.5% of this neighborhood's residents have Scots-Irish ancestry and 2.7% have French Canadian ancestry.
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 neighborhood in St. James are upper-middle income, making it an above average income neighborhood. NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis reveals that this neighborhood has a higher income than 74.3% of the neighborhoods in America. With 18.3% of the children here below the federal poverty line, this neighborhood has a higher rate of childhood poverty than 66.8% 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 neighborhood, 57.0% 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 16.5% of the residents employed. Other residents here are employed in sales and service jobs, from major sales accounts, to working in fast food restaurants (15.1%), and 11.3% in clerical, assistant, and tech support occupations.
The most common language spoken in the neighborhood is English, spoken by 93.0% of households. Some people also speak Spanish (4.5%).
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 neighborhood in St. James, NC, residents most commonly identify their ethnicity or ancestry as German (20.7%). There are also a number of people of Irish ancestry (20.1%), and residents who report English roots (16.3%), and some of the residents are also of Italian ancestry (8.0%), along with some Scots-Irish ancestry residents (3.5%), among others.
Even if your neighborhood is walkable, you may still have to drive to your place of work. Some neighborhoods are located where many can get to work in just a few minutes, while others are located such that most residents have a long and arduous commute. The greatest number of commuters in neighborhood spend between 15 and 30 minutes commuting one-way to work (32.2% of working residents), which is shorter than the time spent commuting to work for most Americans. However, there is also a significant group of residents (16.9%) who commute over an hour in each direction.
Here most residents (54.0%) 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 (15.3%) and 7.6% of residents also ride a ferry for their daily commute. In a neighborhood like this, as in most of the nation, many residents find owning a car useful for getting to work.