4 Demographics

Figure 6: Percentage of Land Use Classes

4.1. THE SITE, SURROUNDING CENSUS BLOCK GROUPS, AND AUSTIN

Because the development site intersects with four Census Block Groups, the exact number of people within the bounds of the study area is difficult to determine. When collecting data from the American Community Survey’s 2016 dataset, data from was pulled for both the Block Groups 1 and 2 in each of the Census Tracts 18.42 and 18.56. In those Census Block Groups, there are 18,354 people residing in the local block group area. An exact estimation is impossible without conducting a census within the boundaries of the study site. The site population density is low in comparison to the rest of Austin. As shown in Figure 7, the average population density ranges between 0 and 4,900 people. However, along the Western periphery of the study there are clearly denser pockets of development, where large scale developments have been built.

Figure 7: Population Density of the Site

Although we cannot get an accurate population count because the Census Block Groups are split within the site boundary, we can review the pace at which Austin is growing. However, the total population of the site is approximately 18, 354, while the population of Austin the total population is 907, 779. This means that the site contains about 2% of the overall population of Austin. Considering that Austin has grown 28% (186,033 persons added) between 2000 and 2012 the site should be expected to change substantially in the near to medium term future. Table 3 shows that Austin is growing at a remarkable rate.

4.2. PATTERNS OF DEMOGRAPHIC DIFFERENCE

Generally speaking, the age demographics distributed within the local block groups are roughly similar to age demographics in the rest of Austin. Racially, however, the distribution of site is different than the rest of Austin. Table 4 shows the distribution of races in Austin as of 2016.

Concerning racial distribution, the population of Austin is 75.9% white. The Census Block Groups sur- rounding our site is 64.3% white. Austin’s African American population is only 7.6% while the Census Block Groups around the Wells Branch site is 16.8% African American. Any urbanization proposal that may be on the site in the future may affect this balance, damaging not only the population distribution but also the networks and social cohesion resulting from the population currently distributed.

City 2012 Population Largest Cities Rank 2000-2012 Percent Growth

Charlotte, NC 775,208 17 43%

Austin, TX 842,595 11 28% San Antonio, TX 1,383,194 7 21%

Denver, CO 634,265 23 14% Nashville, TN 623,255 25 14% Portland, OR 603,650 28 14% Houston, TX 2,161,686 4 11% San Jose, CA 982,783 10 10%

Table 3: Austin's Growth Rate

Race Study Site Austin

White Alone 64.30% 75.90% Black 16.80% 7.60% American Indian or

Alaskan Native .20% .40% Asian 9.30% 6.80% Some Other Race 6.40% 6.10% Two or More Races 3.10% 3.20% Total 100% 100%

Table 4: Racial Breakdown of the Site

It is interesting to notice that the Median Household Income for the local Census Block Group area is $66,708, while in Austin is $60,939. Despite the higher than average income of the larger site area, 76.1% of the owners occupy their houses. This is a high percentage if we compare the 45.3% of Austin owners that occupy their houses. This tenure statistic can give us an idea of the lifestyle of the inhabitants, their ideas, and even some feature as their personalities as a group. Though we cannot deduce how they may react to a densification proposal, we know that their strong level of homeownership may indicate a pattern of land use change unfamiliar to them. This may give us information on how to approach future proposals.

The following values reflect the Ratio of Income Poverty Level. A key aspect of this chart is that although Austin seems to be doing better than the Census Block Group area, generally; 37.20% of the population in the larger block group is under the ratio of 2.00. While 33.80% of The City of Austin is under the ratio of 2.00, we can see that there is a much greater percentage of people doing poorly. Specifically, 16.70% of Austin population live like that while only 9.70% of the study site does. The above is important because we can