Bellevue Ranch is a residential neighborhood in northern Merced. The neighborhood was entirely unremarkable until the early 2000s when it began to be developed by Crosswinds Communities (Miller). Between then and now, the 1365 acre area has been transformed into a modern, clean, village style neighborhood. But, how high-quality is the neighborhood? First, the criteria: A good neighborhood means a good location. It must be centrally located in order to provide access to goods and services. A good neighborhood needs to be quiet, or at least not intrusively loud. This criteria is colored by my own experiences, but a neighborhood with constant noise makes focus and rest difficult. A good neighborhood must be safe. And finally, a good neighborhood must be reasonably priced, otherwise other attributes don’t even matter. When considering these criteria,…show more content… There are approximately 5 murders, 34 rapes, 103 robberies, and 398 aggravated assaults per year in Merced.” (Crime Statistics for The 100 Most Dangerous Cities in California). However, these statistics apply to Merced as a whole, not Bellevue Ranch. The North Eastern area of Merced, where Bellevue Ranch is situated, is considered the safest area of the city by the public and the data suggests that the North is indeed the safest area (Crimegrade.org). The clean, well-maintained look of the neighborhood reinforces this idea of safety. According to neigborhoodscout.com, Bellevue Ranch is the third safest neighborhood in Merced, behind only Bear Creek/Tuttle and Lingard, both of which are outside the city limits (2024). Thus, Bellevue Ranch is the safest neighborhood in the City of Merced. The final criterion for this neighborhood is a concern for every home buyer: pricing. No matter how safe, serene, and well-placed a neighborhood is, none of that matters if a buyer is unable to afford a house in the area. This is also another criterion in which Bellevue Ranch succeeds, but only in
