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Housing Quality: <br />Quality is a crucial characteristic of the housing stock that oftentimes determines the marketability and <br />affordability of a home. However, there are few measures of housing quality available for analysis within <br />Ramsey. One factor that plays a role in the overall quality of housing is age. The following chart indicates <br />the proportion of houses built in each decade since the 1970s. <br />Figure 4: Age of Housing Stock, By Decade <br />❑ Before 1970 <br />© 1970s <br />❑ 1980s <br />❑ 1990s <br />• 2000s <br />Source: Anoka County Property Tax Data, November 2007 <br />About one -third of the housing in Ramsey was built in the 1970s or before. This suggests that some areas of <br />the city are aging. The housing that was built before 1970 is scattered throughout the City, and lies on land <br />that is unplatted or is part of the registered land survey conducted by Anoka County. Figure 5 provides a <br />spatial representation of the older housing stock in Ramsey. Prior to 1970, there were no substantial <br />subdivisions within the City limits. Between 1970 and 1980, many large -lot neighborhoods were developed, <br />and the houses in these areas rely on septic systems and private wells. <br />Homes over 30 years of age require some level of maintenance and repair as well as modernization to remain <br />positively valued. One of the most significant issues associated with neighborhood decline is the deferred <br />maintenance of homes and street appeal or lack of modernization of the older housing stock. <br />