I have just recently discovered PRIZM Neighborhood Types, a real estate concept for identifying neighborhoods by demographics, usually three or four different groups per ZIP code. The idea is snappy name (think “Urban Achievers” and that’s a very low-key designation) and a quick demographic stereotype (that one is “Mid-level, White-collar urban couples”). A quick rundown of some Sacto neighborhoods gives us a quick lesson on our own backyard:

95819 (the closest one to my house):

• Urban Achievers - Mid-Level, White-Collar Urban Couples - 58.68%
• Young Literati - Upscale Urban Singles & Couples - 14.09%
• Money & Brains - Sophisticated Urban Fringe Couples - 10% (What does this mean? Tattoo parlor entrepreneurs? Couples who run their own, ahem, internet photography businesses?)

95816:

• Single City Blues - Multicultural Urban Singles - 65.25% (Does this mean a multicultural population, as in different cultures? Or did they just drive by and see lots of Peter Tosh and Dalai Lama posters and make a pretty safe guess.)
• Urban Achievers - Mid-Level, White-Collar Urban Couples - 15.57%
• Bohemian Mix - Bohemian Singles & Couples - 15.39%

95864:

• Money & Brains - Sophisticated Urban Fringe Couples - 33.01%
• Urban Achievers - Mid-Level, White-Collar Urban Couples - 27.93%
• Towns & Gowns - College Town Singles - 12.62%
• Blue Blood Estates - Elite Super-Rich Families - 11.01%

We all knew about the “Elite Super-Rich Families” of Arden Park, but who knew they were being run out of town by the coeds? Watch your back, Elite Super-Rich Families of 95864.

Check out the demographics yourself.