Parksley is a tiny coastal town (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of Virginia. With a population of 809 people and just one neighborhood, Parksley is the 305th largest community in Virginia. Much of the housing stock in Parksley was built prior to World War II, making it one of the older and more historic towns in the country.
Because occupations involving physical labor dominate the local economy, Parksley is generally considered to be a blue-collar town. 53.70% of the Parksley workforce is employed in blue-collar occupations, compared to the national average of 27.7%. Overall, Parksley is a town of production and manufacturing workers, construction workers and builders, and sales and office workers. There are especially a lot of people living in Parksley who work in sales jobs (10.68%), farm management occupations (7.95%), and office and administrative support (6.58%).
Parksley 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. Such areas are often places that visitors and locals go for waterfront activities or taking in the scenery.
As is often the case in a small town, Parksley doesn't have a public transportation system that people use for their commute.
The percentage of people in Parksley who are college-educated is somewhat higher than the average US community of 21.84%: 26.56% of adults in Parksley have at least a bachelor's degree.
The per capita income in Parksley in 2022 was $32,456, which is middle income relative to Virginia and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $129,824 for a family of four. However, Parksley contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.
Parksley is an extremely ethnically-diverse town. The people who call Parksley home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Parksley residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Parksley also has a sizeable Hispanic population (people of Hispanic origin can be of any race). People of Hispanic or Latino origin account for 13.87% of the town’s residents. Important ancestries of people in Parksley include Haitian, English, African, Irish, and Scandinavian.
Parksley also has a high percentage of its population that was born in another country: 26.57%.
The most common language spoken in Parksley is English. Other important languages spoken here include French and Spanish.
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 NeighborhoodScout's exclusive exploration and analysis.
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.
Did you know that the neighborhood has more Haitian ancestry people living in it than nearly any neighborhood in America? It's true! In fact, 6.1% of this neighborhood's residents have Haitian ancestry.
is also pretty special linguistically. Significantly, 9.4% of its residents five years old and above primarily speak French at home. While this may seem like a small percentage, it is higher than 99.0% 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 neighborhood in Parksley are lower-middle income, making it a below average income neighborhood. NeighborhoodScout's research shows that this neighborhood has an income lower than 68.5% of U.S. neighborhoods. With 18.2% of the children here below the federal poverty line, this neighborhood has a higher rate of childhood poverty than 65.8% of U.S. neighborhoods.
The old saying "you are what you eat" is true. But it is also true that you are what you do for a living. The types of occupations your neighbors have shape their character, and together as a group, their collective occupations shape the culture of a place.
In the neighborhood, 39.7% of the working population is employed in manufacturing and laborer occupations. The second most important occupational group in this neighborhood is executive, management, and professional occupations, with 22.6% of the residents employed. Other residents here are employed in sales and service jobs, from major sales accounts, to working in fast food restaurants (19.3%), and 15.3% in clerical, assistant, and tech support occupations.
The languages spoken by people in this neighborhood are diverse. These are tabulated as the languages people preferentially speak when they are at home with their families. The most common language spoken in the neighborhood is English, spoken by 86.8% of households. Other important languages spoken here include French and Spanish.
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 Parksley, VA, residents most commonly identify their ethnicity or ancestry as Haitian (6.1%). There are also a number of people of Mexican ancestry (5.4%), and residents who report English roots (5.0%), and some of the residents are also of Irish ancestry (2.8%). In addition, 11.3% of the residents of this neighborhood were born in another country.
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 under 15 minutes commuting one-way to work (44.4% of working residents), one of the shortest commutes across America.
Here most residents (83.9%) 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 (8.5%) . In a neighborhood like this, as in most of the nation, many residents find owning a car useful for getting to work.