Your bedroom is the ideal spot to retire to at the end of the day. A bedroom community is an ideal spot to return to for many people all around the country. Continue reading to learn why bedroom communities, sometimes referred to as commuter towns, are a preferable choice for several certain working circumstances.
Bedroom Community
Bedroom communities, which are different from cities, are mostly residential and provide inhabitants with minimal shopping and other conveniences, but they often do not support their industries.
As opposed to singles or newlyweds without children, residents are often families with children whose parents travel to the city for employment.
In communities and cul-de-sacs, housing often consists of roomy single-family homes set on well-kept lawns. Typically, subdivisions—areas of residences constructed by a single developer—are used to combine homes.
What is a Bedroom Community?
A bedroom community is essentially a town that is sufficiently close to a major city for most of the citizens to commute to the city for work and then return home to rest and get ready for the following day. They can also be situated outside of vacation towns where living there is prohibitively expensive for individuals who work there.
Bedroom communities are a terrific option for families who need space to expand out because they typically provide larger lots and acreage. Although they frequently contain basic amenities like grocery stores, hair salons, and restaurants, they rarely have the variety offered in a big city.
Many residents of bedroom villages are sick of city life. For some people, living conditions are uncomfortable because of small or nonexistent lots, a lack of housing options, and excessive pricing for both housing and other goods and services.
History of the Bedroom Community
As with most shifts in the housing market, several variables came together to create bedroom communities.
Families expanded rapidly following World War II as troops came home, got married, and had children. The Baby Boomers, who were born between 1946 and 1964, numbered 76 million in the United States- a generation that, up to the millennial generation, was the biggest in American history. Due to the tremendous increase in families, city life became even more congested. Families then started looking for safe havens away from the city’s commotion, crime, and noise.
A bedroom community is a type of residential area where individuals spend most of their time sleeping while their professional and social lives take place in a nearby big city or metropolitan area. This requirement for extra space gave rise to what is now known as a bedroom community.
The development of the vehicle in the early 20th century was another element in the development of bedroom communities. Automobile ownership increased dramatically in the decade that followed the war. By 1955, there were approximately 52 million registered automobiles, up from 25 million in 1945. The majority of these were pre-war creations. People were able to relocate from cities to more rural locations while keeping their city employment, which transformed American life.
Then, 41,000 miles of interstate highways were to be funded with $26 billion by the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956. These roads had to have four lanes, and they couldn’t have intersections; they had to have overpasses and underpasses. They made traveling from bedroom areas to the city viable in a way that it had never been able previously because they were made for high-speed driving.
What Distinguishes a Bedroom Community from a Suburb?
These two names can sometimes be used interchangeably, however, there are slight variations.
Consider a “bedroom community” as a location’s purpose: Its principal function is to provide individuals with a place to reside (and sleep!) before they travel to another region to work. The name “bedroom community” derives from the purpose it indicates, just as a “college town” serves primarily to house college students and a “resort town” serves primarily to accommodate seasonal tourists.
Although individuals frequently commute from the suburbs where they live to larger cities, there is frequently no clear boundary between the major hub and the larger area; this is a form of urban sprawl. On the other side, bedroom communities are typical quite a distance from a city and have little else in between.
Size is another distinction between bedroom communities and suburbs. Bedroom communities frequently emerge to accommodate people working in much smaller places, in contrast to suburbs, which are typically a natural sprawl from a major metropolis (think Los Angeles or Chicago).
Similar to Savannah, Georgia, residences downtown are expensive and difficult to find, yet the hospitality business there prospers. Many locals commute to Savannah for employment, while they reside in Pooler, Georgia, 15 miles to the northwest. Highlands, New Jersey, a bedroom community close to New York City, plays a similar function: most residents commute into the city each day for work and return to Highlands each evening.
Benefits of a Bedroom Community
Although bedroom communities have expanded since they were first developed in the years following World War II, their main purpose is still to provide residents with a place to return to after finishing their work in the city. And settling into a bedroom community still has a lot of advantages.
#1. Better Schools
City schools sometimes fill up quickly, and sending your child to a private school or living close to a good school might be pricey. Bedroom communities typically have excellent schools that don’t cost an arm and a leg. For instance, Waunakee schools in Wisconsin are rated higher than Madison schools.
A garage or driveway ensures parking
No more walking a mile from your parking space to your house, round the block, or moving your car for street cleaning. Along with the numerous advantages of a bedroom community, you are always guaranteed the greatest space because many homes include a driveway and garage.
#2. A bedroom community lets you escape the bustle of the city
In a bedroom town, the sirens, traffic, construction, and loud people that are typical of city life are much diminished.
Homes and lots can be bigger since bedroom communities have more area to expand out. The majority of them even have a yard where you may unwind on the weekends! This is a major benefit to relocating outside of the city, with lots of space for your children and dogs. In contrast, $450,000 will bring you a lovely three-bedroom, three-bathroom home in Raleigh, North Carolina, with a sizable backyard. For just $30,000 more, though, you may purchase a three-bedroom, two-bathroom, 2.5-bathroom home on 50+ acres in Fayetteville, one of Raleigh’s bedroom communities, with the potential for lake frontage. Alternatively, a six-bedroom, four-bathroom house is within the same price range if you’re looking for a bigger house.
#3. Less crime
Compared to the nearby metro region, crime in bedroom communities is typically lower. Tiburon, California, for instance, has an A+ crime rating compared to San Francisco’s F. Boston receives an F for crime, while Quincy, Massachusetts, receives a C. In Idaho, Boise receives a B, but Star, a suburb, receives an A+.
Drawbacks
#1. Cost of commuting
If you reside in the same city as your workplace, getting to work can be as easy as taking the train, walking a little distance, or taking a short drive. But a long journey of up to an hour or more is nearly a given for people who live in bedroom communities. If you drive, as a result, your gasoline prices increase. If the bedroom community has public transit, you’ll spend more time on it, which will result in more expensive tickets and more time spent away from home. To calculate the expense of driving to and from work, utilize a commute calculator.
#2. Less to do
Since residents of bedroom villages typically spend most of their time sleeping, there isn’t much of an entertainment scene there. The absence of recreational activities may cause weekend ennui and excursions to urban areas for a social life.
#3. Fewer connections
Because they are less established than suburbs, bedroom communities frequently lack the sense of community you would find in places that are more deeply founded. There isn’t much interaction because most people merely return home to sleep. Compared to a larger metropolis, bedroom communities often offer fewer opportunities for local gatherings and events.
#4. Less availability of goods and services
Weaver claims that many bedroom communities “don’t have a town, but you have a ZIP code, and that’s about all. A con is the reality that you have to travel for goods and services when you wouldn’t have to if you lived in the inner city. Basic comforts are there, although there is typically not much variation.
What is the Future For Bedroom Communities?
According to Ed McMahon, Senior Resident Fellow for Sustainable Development at the Land Use Institute, bedroom communities will remain sustainable as our population grows, but with a twist.
Future suburbs will be different, he believes, with fewer single-purpose bedroom communities on the outskirts of the suburbs and more being built closer to cities. McMahon attributes this to three factors: rising gasoline prices, a shift away from households with school-age children, and a growing demand for walkable settings in walkable communities.
Conclusion
Many people have fled the city seeking more space and a calmer pace as remote work has become more common. The exodus presents a chance for bedroom communities to profit from the fact that residents frequently stay in those areas for purposes other than sleeping.
A dependable professional can assist you in finding the ideal bedroom community if you’re seeking a break from city life where you may spread out and raise a family, or perhaps a place to slow down as you move up in the house or into retirement.
Bedroom Community FAQs
Where did the term bedroom community originate?
The term “bedroom community,” which is also used for commuter towns in the northeastern United States, originated in Canada. It is well-known for having residents who typically commute to work in another city from where they live.
What does quiet bedroom community mean?
A bedroom community lets you escape the bustle of the city. Sirens, traffic, construction, and raucous people are all greatly diminished in a bedroom community. larger residences and lots Homes might be larger in bedroom communities since there is a greater area for expansion.
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