AreaVibes is a

data analytics Analytics is the systematic computational analysis of data or statistics. It is used for the discovery, interpretation, and communication of meaningful patterns in data. It also entails applying data patterns toward effective decision-making. It ...

and

real estate Real estate is property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this (also) an item of real property, (more genera ...

company based in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

, which provides clients with

demographic data Demography () is the statistical study of populations, especially human beings. Demographic analysis examines and measures the dimensions and dynamics of populations; it can cover whole societies or groups defined by criteria such as ...

and analysis focused on real estate in American and Canadian cities.

Background

The online data collector Datanyze states that AreaVibes was founded in 2009 by Canadian entrepreneur Jon Russo. The

Government of Canada The government of Canada (french: gouvernement du Canada) is the body responsible for the federal administration of Canada. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown is the corporation sole, assuming distinct roles: the executive, as the ''Crown-i ...

corporate registry states more specifically that AreaVibes was incorporated 4 November 2009. AreaVibes states that their aggregate data "takes into account dozens of characteristics in seven different categories including nearby amenities, cost of living, crime rates, employment, schools, housing and user ratings." The methodology employed by AreaVibes is publicly available on the company website. In 2020, it was revealed that AreaVibes outsources

content writing services Content writing services (also known as online content writing services and content marketing services) is a category of work that first surfaced in the early 1990s, due to an exponential rise in online activities.NBC News (2016)"This Is What the ...

from Las Vegas-based

search engine optimization Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the quality and quantity of website traffic to a website or a web page from search engines. SEO targets unpaid traffic (known as "natural" or "organic" results) rather than dire ...

company TextBroker.

Data

Crime

AreaVibes online methodology states that crime data is taken from FBI

Uniform Crime Reports The Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program compiles official data on crime in the United States, published by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). UCR is "a nationwide, cooperative statistical effort of nearly 18,000 city, university and c ...

and from

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; french: Statistique Canada), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and cultu ...

. In 2021,

Business Insider ''Insider'', previously named ''Business Insider'' (''BI''), is an American financial and business news website founded in 2007. Since 2015, a majority stake in ''Business Insider''s parent company Insider Inc. has been owned by the German publ ...

stated that "AreaVibes is a useful resource for learning more about the crime rates in your zip code... AreaVibes also categorizes how much of reported crime falls under either violent crime or property crime, then breaks it down into smaller categories such as assault, burglary, and vehicle theft." In a comparison of various crime reporting websites published in

the News & Observer ''The News & Observer'' is an American regional daily newspaper that serves the greater Triangle area based in Raleigh, North Carolina. The paper is the largest in circulation in the state (second is the ''Charlotte Observer''). The paper has bee ...

, journalist Bob Wilson stated "one site that struck me as more reliable than others is AreaVibes.com." Other publications, however, have criticized and questioned AreaVibes crime data; for example, in 2017, the

Farmville Herald ''The Farmville Herald'' is a semi-weekly newspaper in Farmville, Virginia, United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily locat ...

argued that AreaVibes crime rankings "ignore the uniqueness of each locale." In 2021, the

Great Falls Tribune The ''Great Falls Tribune'' is a daily morning newspaper printed in Helena, Montana. It is one of Montana's largest newspaper companies. History The first edition of the newspaper then called the ''Weekly Tribune'' was printed on May 14, 1885 ...

stated that AreaVibes' crime data "is inaccurate and some of its sourcing is suspect."

Livability score

AreaVibes employs the term "livability score" as a way to rank various cities, towns, and neighborhoods. While reporting for the

Belleville News-Democrat The ''Belleville News-Democrat'' is a daily newspaper in Belleville, Illinois. Focusing on news that is local to the area of southwestern Illinois, it has been published under various names for 150 years. As of 2009, it is published by The McCl ...

in 2014, Mark Hodapp stated that AreaVibes "created the scoring system using a unique algorithm" and that the livability score is "designed to help people find the best places to live." According to a statement posted on the AreaVibes website, the company explains that their Livability Score "is a score out of 100... designed to help people quickly and easily evaluate the quality of an area... ndconsists of 7 different categories and dozens of data points across multiple data sets."

In publications

Data reported by AreaVibes has been referenced in a number of popular news publications such as

the Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...

and

, as well as in municipal newspapers such as the

and

the Beaumont Enterprise ''The Beaumont Enterprise'' is a newspaper of Hearst Communications, headquartered in Beaumont, Texas. It has been in operation since 1880. In addition to BeaumontEnterprise.com and the daily newspaper, ''The Enterprise'' produces several weeklie ...

. As of 2022, the academic database

ProQuest ProQuest LLC is an Ann Arbor, Michigan-based global information-content and technology company, founded in 1938 as University Microfilms by Eugene B. Power. ProQuest is known for its applications and information services for libraries, provid ...

lists 113 scholarly sources that reference AreaVibes; for example, in 2018, AreaVibes demographic data on

Borough Park, Brooklyn Borough Park (also spelled Boro Park) is a neighborhood in the southwestern part of the borough of Brooklyn, in New York City. The neighborhood is bordered by Bensonhurst to the south, Dyker Heights to the southwest, Sunset Park to the west, ...

was cited in an article published in the academic journal ''Contemporary Jewry''.

References

External links

* {{Official website, https://www.areavibes.com/ Companies based in Toronto Online real estate databases Real estate valuation Canadian companies established in 2009 Real estate companies established in 2009 Internet properties established in 2010 2009 establishments in Ontario Canadian real estate websites