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Editorial: Room to grow
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More from OpinionDespite all the talk of smart growth and higher-density housing, Americans love their single-family dwellings. Almost 63 percent live in one.
And, it seems, the bigger the better. In 1990, one in six American homes had at least four bedrooms. Now it's one in five, and homes with five or more bedrooms are the fastest-growing category. This despite the fact, since 1990 the number of people in the average household has shrunk to 2.6. All of this comes courtesy of the U.S. Census Bureau's latest survey of what Americans are living in.
The next-most-popular dwelling, housing 12 percent of us, is an apartment house with 10 or more units. The city where apartments are most popular Miami Beach, Fla., with 75 percent. New York City, was second, with just over 54 percent of its people apartment dwellers.
In third place are mobile homes housing 6.5 percent of us.
Despite the fact that townhouses are blanketing the landscape, only 5.8 percent live in them. The highest percentage of townhouse dwellers are in the mid-Atlantic.
Some speculate that the extra rooms in newer single-family houses are being used as home offices, media rooms or dens. But here's one possible explanation: Maybe the reason our houses are getting bigger is that we're getting bigger. Just a thought.
Posted by msavalla on May 31, 2007 at 8:01 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Did anyone read this article before publishing it? What explanation is there for the mundane ending? What is the intellectual redeeming value of such a stupid question. I am continually frustrated by the juvenile quality of these editorials.
Posted by clukicker on May 31, 2007 at 8:58 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Do 63% of Americans live in single-family homes because that’s what they prefer or because there are no other viable alternatives? I mean, if someone wanted to buy a nice loft in Ventura County, where would they buy? The options are limited, particularly if you wanted to live above commercial/retail space so that you could walk downstairs and have coffee, lunch or a drink.
Secondly, perhaps another reason why Americans are buying such big homes is because due to the lack of affordability, 1-2 or even 3 families live in single-family homes in order to afford it.
If we want to continue preserving our Hillsides, Ag Land and other sensitive environmental resources, Smart Growth is a viable alternative to Urban Sprawl. Ventura is a good case study to keep an eye on.
Posted by Franbill on May 31, 2007 at 12:29 p.m. (Suggest removal)
It looks like it is a hybrid article of demographics and obesity, with a subliminal message. The "Hummer" mentality - that is the reason Americans keep buying big homes. Bigger is always better. Bigger means you have arrived, your ship has come in and you own a huge slice of the American Dream. Austerity, simplicity and humility are almost extinct in a country that has every indication of imploding under its own weight.
Posted by ed.fitzhenry on May 31, 2007 at 1:30 p.m. (Suggest removal)
In California, only roughly 20% of the poulation can afford a median priced home. This means that those who don't own a house already are forced to rent. What exactly was the point of this commentary? 50% OF WHAT IS SAID IS MEANINGLESS, THE OTHER 50% IS POINTLESS. 100% IS PRETTY MUCH WORTHLESS.
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