The 1980 Census data gives us the following information about Neighborhood 29, which is Arlington Forest.

As of April 1, 1980, there was a population in the Forest of 2,257 persons of whom 19.1% were under 15 years old and 14% were 65 and over. The median age was 34.8 years.

Of the 837 households surveyed, 14.7% consisted of one person and 2.4% had six or more. There are 679 families of which 87% were maintained by a married couple, 11.2% by a female house- holder and 2.8% by a male householder with no spouses present. There were 295 families with childeren under 18.

There were 654 persons living in the Forest aged 3 and over enrolled in school, from nursery school through college. Those in college included only those students actually living in the neighborhood while attending school. Of persons 16-19 years old residing in the Forst, 3.2% were not enrolled in schools and were not high school graduates. Of residents 25 years old and over, 92.7% graduated from high school and 41.4% completed four years of college.

Veterans numbered 22.8% of the civilian population over 16 and among the male civilians numbered 47.1%.

Of the working residents leaving the home for employment, 53.3% drove alone to work, 18.2% rode in carpools, and 20.4% used public transit. It will be interesting to compare these figures with the new census since Balllston Metro is within walking distance.

The labor force counted 70.6% of all residents 16 years and over; the unemployment rate was 1.9%. Of the 1128 people employed for pay, 59.3% worked for wages or salary for private companies, businesses, or individuals, while 37.9% held local, state, or federal government jobs. The self-employed represented 2.8%

The median income in 1979 of households was $32,511 which means that half had incomes below and half above this figure. Households with incomes less than $7500 were 5.3%. In 1979, the poverty level for a four-person family was $7412. There were 53 persons below that level at that time.

There were 850 housing units in this neighborhood which comprised 1.1% of the 75,182 housing units in the County. Of the 837 year-round occupied units, 679 or 81.1% were owner occupied and 158 or 18.9% were renter occupied. At that time there were 13 vacant units with a rental vacancy rate of 1.9% but noc homeowner vacancy. Sixty per-cent of all householders lived in their units 10 years or more. Forty-eight per-cent of the renters moved into their units in the 15 months before the census.

The census found that 16.5% of the housing units were built before 1940 and .75 in 1970 or later. Houses with three bedrooms represented 93.3% of the total. All houses had a minimum of two.

Utility gas was used by 69.5% of the households for heating, by 64.8% for cooking, and by 92.7% for water heating. Data on heating systems indicate that 99.1% had central heating systems and 90.6% had central air-conditioning.

Financial data for the Forest show that the median value for specified owner-occupied homes was $87,700 as compared to $92,000 for the County as a whole. The median contract rent paid for rental units in the Forest was $405 per month compared to $292 for the County.

Mortgaged properties numbered 56.2% and non-mortgaged 43.8%. Selected monthly owner housing costs are the sum of mortgage payments, real estate taxes, property insurance, and utilities. The median selected-monthly-owner housing costs for units with a mortgage were $424 and for units not mortgaged, $175. Median gross rent was $501 which counts contract rent and the estimated average monthly cost of fuel and water.

To keep the high standards of community quality which we enjoy, we hope that each resident will endorse the following housing and maintenance goals.

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