Community Tapestry classifies U.S. neighborhoods into 65 segments based on their socioeconomic and demographic composition. Segmentation explains customer diversity, describes lifestyles and life-stages, and incorporates a wide range of data such as demographic, business, and market potential data.
The Greater Talossan Area generally consists of
64.9% Metro Renters
21.4% College Towns
3.6% Metropolitans
3.5% Laptops & Lattes
2.3% Social Security Set
2.1% Dorms to Diplomas
2.0% Trendsetters
Information on the primary demographic – Metro Renters
Metro Renters residents are young, well-educated singles beginning their professional careers in the United States’ largest cities such as New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Because their average monthly rent is about $900, Metro Renters residents sometimes live with a roommate. Three-fourths of households are either single-person (59 percent) or shared (16 percent). With a median age of 33.8 years, nearly one-third are in their twenties, and nearly one-fourth are in their thirties. Metro Renters residents are racially and ethnically diverse, with 70 percent white, 11 percent black, 11 percent Asian, and 4 percent of two or more races. Twelve percent of the population are of Hispanic origin.
Socioeconomic
Metro Renters residents have a median household income of $50,400 and rising, which is above the U.S. median. Income sources mainly include wages, interest/dividends, and self-employment income. Almost 60 percent work in professional and management occupations, with a majority in service industries. Their median net worth is $116,900. One-fourth of Metro Renters residents have a graduate degree and one-third have a bachelor’s degree, which makes this market one of the top five with this distinction. Another 22 percent attend college.
Residential
As the name Metro Renters implies, almost 80 percent of households pay rent, with a preference for living in high-rise apartments. Almost 90 percent of the housing stock are apartments, with 40 percent in high-rise buildings.
Preferences
Because they rent, home and hearth products are not the primary
expenditures for Metro Renters residents. They spend on themselves, buying ski and workout clothes, women’s designer jeans, and other merchandise from traditional stores or online. Favorite stores include Bloomingdale’s, Banana Republic, Lord & Taylor, Macy’s, and The Gap. Online destinations include barnesandnoble.com, priceline.com, and
amazon.com.
Metro Renters residents work out regularly in an exercise program, buy organic foods, and wear eyeglasses or soft contact lenses. They also play racquetball and tennis, practice yoga, ski, and jog. Other leisure activities include attending rock concerts and the movies and dancing. Metro Renters
residents also enjoy cooking with friends and drinking imported wines and beers. They shop at warehouse/club stores for groceries. Metro Renters residents read a wide variety of books including personal and business self-help, science fiction, and nonfiction. They also read airline and women’s fashion magazines. They listen to public, alternative, jazz, and classical radio. They are too busy to watch television, so they own only one set.
Surfing the Internet is an important part of Metro Renters lives. They go online to search for employment, listen to the radio, and order airline and concert tickets. Many purchase their PCs online. Laptop computers and Apple Power Macintoshes are the preferred hardware for Metro Renters residents. Always on the go, they bank by ATM or phone, own shares in mutual funds, and hold renter’s insurance policies. They search the Yellow Pages for employment agencies, restaurants, and theaters.
Information on the secondary demographic – College Towns
Demographic
With a median age of 24.3 years, this group is the third youngest of the Tapestry segments. Most residents of College Towns are between 18 and 34 years of age and live in single-person or shared households. One-quarter of households are married couples, most with no children. Neighborhoods are predominantly white; their race profile closely reflects the U.S profile.
Socioeconomic
Education is the key focus of College Towns residents. Approximately 42 percent of residents are enrolled in college, often the local college or university. Other residents are on the teaching and research staff; many continued to work at the college they attended. Naturally, College Towns residents are very well educated; 40 percent have either a bachelor’s or a graduate degree. Their median household income of $28,100 ranks among the nation’s lowest since most residents work only part-time. Working around their class schedules, they rank second to Tapestry’s Dorms to Diplomas segment for part-time employment; 52 percent work only part-time. Most of them are employed in the service industry and hold jobs on and off campus in education, library, and food preparation.
Residential
One-third of College Towns residents live on campus. Students who prefer off-campus housing live in low-income apartment rentals. Approximately one-quarter of the homes are owner occupied by town residents, married couples living in single-family houses. The median value of these homes is $120,000.
Preferences
College Towns residents prefer ready-made or easy to prepare meals and purchase ready-made pasta sauces, frozen pasta meals, pizza crusts, and peanut butter and jelly, usually at the most convenient grocery store. With their busy lifestyles, they frequently eat out or order in from fast-food restaurants, particularly McDonald’s, Taco Bell, and pizza outlets during the week, but many will cook at home over the weekend. They purchase books online and in stores. They hold student loans and bank in person or by phone. These computer-savvy students own laptop computers or expensive desktop PCs and the peripherals to match. Connection to the Internet is important to this segment; they go online to research school assignments, search for employment, and visit chat rooms. Keeping in touch is also important; they purchase cellular phones and accessories as well as prepaid calling cards.
New to living on their own, many College Towns residents purchase bedding, bath, and cooking products. They own few appliances—at a minimum, a microwave oven, a toaster, and an upright vacuum. Their lifestyle is very casual including sandals in the summer and athletic shoes in the winter. They rank high for participation in almost every outdoor sport and athletic activity.
College Towns residents attend rock concerts and college football games, play pool, go the movies, and go to bars. They also participate in public activities including fund-raising and volunteer work. They listen to contemporary hit radio, rock, and alternative music. They watch MTV and Comedy Central on cable television. They shop at discount stores but prefer to buy branded apparel at stores such as Old Navy and The Gap.
More information about the other groups can be found in the Tapestry handbook at
www.esri.com/library/brochures/pdfs/community-tapestry-handbook.pdf 
