Breakdown of Этот квартал находится недалеко от трассы.
этот
this [f: эта, n: это]
недалеко
not far, nearby
от
from
находиться
to be located
Questions & Answers about Этот квартал находится недалеко от трассы.
Why do we use the verb находится here instead of just saying Этот квартал недалеко от трассы?
You actually can just drop the verb! Saying Этот квартал недалеко от трассы is perfectly correct and very common in everyday speech. Adding находится (which literally means "finds itself", but is used to mean "is located" or "is situated") just makes the sentence a bit more formal or descriptive.
Why does the word трасса change to трассы?
It changes because of the preposition от (from), which always requires the genitive case. Because трасса (route or highway) is a feminine noun ending in -а, its ending changes to -ы in the genitive case.
Can I skip the word от and just say недалеко трассы?
No, you always need от here. Just like in English you say "not far from", in Russian you must use the pair недалеко от before stating the location.
Does квартал mean a whole neighborhood or just a single city block?
It can mean both! It technically refers to a single city block (a residential or commercial area enclosed by four intersecting streets), but in everyday speech, people often use it more broadly to refer to their immediate neighborhood.