Neighboroo.com - Neighborhood Trends + Maps

Moving anytime soon? If that’s your case, you might want to check out Neighboroo, a Google Map mash-up which aggregates demographic data, crime stats, climate, and the like. Data is taken from various sources, e.g. government departments, academic institutes, and researchers. To research a location, input an address, intersection, state, zipcode or landmark into the query box. Or simply click on the map. The map is color coded to give a general overview of a certain characteristic; green is desirable, red not so much. Other useful info included on the map: home prices, lifestyle, schools, safety, cost of living and health. If the info you want isn’t there, feel free to request it. If you’d like to contribute as a Guroo (an expert in national or local trends) you can sign up for Neighboroo’s upcoming service. Neighboroo is only available for the United States.

“A Neighboroo is someone who knows a lot about a neighborhood or a local area. They are the people you consult to find a new place to live, to figure out what are the "bad parts of town" or to find the "happening places".

This mash-up is pretty useful. It’s chalk full of detailed info. If you’ve ever wondered about your neighborhood demographics, or if you want to check out new areas, Neighboroo is the perfect tool. Students can use it for reports etc. Real estate agents might find it quite handy, as would house hunters.

How reliable are the stats? How often are they updated? Will more social features be introduced? More descriptions, input from people who live in an area etc?