Some towns are for living.
People sleep and eat there. But they work in a big city. They travel far to get to work. This can be a long trip. Do you live near a big city?
Some towns are mostly for living.
Most people in these towns sleep and eat there. But they work in a big city. Traveling to work is called commuting.
People often move to these towns to save money. It can cost a lot to live near work. In some places, people use trains to travel. In other places, people use cars. This can make the trip very long.
These towns help people find a place to call home.
A commuter town is a place where most people live. These towns do not have many big offices or factories. Instead, they are mostly for homes. People travel from these towns to work in a nearby city. This daily trip is called commuting.
Many things cause these towns to form. Often, it is too expensive to live near a job. People move to a smaller town to save money. In California, housing costs became very high. Many workers moved far away to find homes.
In some places, trains help build these towns. In Japan, train companies build new homes near their tracks. In the UK, railway companies once helped people move to new areas.
Living in a commuter town can change things. It can make house prices go up. This might make it hard for old residents to stay. Traveling to work can also be hard. A study found that long trips can make people feel anxious or unhappy.
A commuter town is a place where most people live. These towns have many homes but few big offices or factories. The people who live there travel to a nearby city for work. This daily trip is called commuting.
Some people call these places bedroom communities or dormitory towns. A town might be called an exurb if it is far from the city. Exurbs are often less crowded than the suburbs nearby.
Many things can cause a commuter town to form. Often, it is too expensive to live near a job. Workers may move to a different town to find lower costs. In California, housing costs reached very high levels. Many workers moved far away to find homes. In Tracy, California, over 80% of workers traveled to the San Francisco Bay Area.
History shows that different ways of travel build different towns. In the UK, railway companies helped create commuter towns. In the 1920s, the Metropolitan Railway helped people move to places like Harrow. In Japan, private railroads build new homes near their stations. They do this as part of their business model. This is different from North America, where most people use cars.
Changing economies can also change how towns work. In the 1980s, the steel industry collapsed in some areas. Steubenville, Ohio, and Weirton, West Virginia, used to be very independent. New roads made it easier to reach Pittsburgh. In 2013, Jefferson County, Ohio, became part of the Pittsburgh area. This shows how towns can link together over time.
Living in these towns can have many effects. Higher house prices can sometimes move old residents away. In the US, towns with few businesses may have higher taxes for residents. Traveling every day can also be a hard job. A 2014 study in the UK looked at how this affects people. It found that long commutes can make people feel anxious or unhappy.
A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential. It has many homes but lacks many commercial or industrial centers. Most people living there travel to a nearby city for their jobs. This daily trip is called commuting. Because people mainly sleep there, these places have many nicknames. In Canada and the northeastern United States, they are called "bedroom communities." In the United Kingdom, they are often called "dormitory towns."
Several factors can cause a commuter town to form. Often, workers cannot afford to live where they work. They seek residency in other towns with a lower cost of living. In California, the dot-com bubble and the housing bubble drove costs to historic highs. This forced workers in San Francisco to move to cities like Oakland, Burlingame, or San Mateo. In Tracy, California, over 80% of the workforce was employed in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Economic changes can also transform a town's identity. Steubenville, Ohio, and Weirton, West Virginia, once had independent regional identities. However, the steel industry collapsed in the 1980s. New roads like Steubenville Pike provided easier access to Pittsburgh. By 2013, Jefferson County, Ohio, was added to the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. This shows how changing industries can link towns to larger cities.
Transportation methods change how these towns are built. In the United Kingdom, railway companies helped create commuter towns to increase demand for their lines. In the 1920s, the Metropolitan Railway marketed "Metro-land" developments. This encouraged people to move from central London to suburbs like Harrow or villages in Buckinghamshire. In Japan, private railroads view real estate as a central part of their business. They develop new residential areas alongside their tracks and adjust schedules for convenience.
North American commuter towns are different because they rely almost exclusively on cars. This differs from the rail-focused models in Japan and the UK. Sometimes, towns are built before they have enough roads or trains. This leads to the development of new highways or light rail lines. These systems help the community become part of a larger conurbation, which is a cluster of cities and towns.
Living in a commuter town has many social and economic effects. If commuters are wealthy, they may raise local housing prices. This process is similar to gentrification and can displace long-time residents. In the United States, these towns often face tax issues. Because they have few businesses, they collect very little business tax. This means residents must pay higher property or income taxes to fund the town.
There are also impacts on personal wellbeing. A 2014 study by the British Office for National Statistics looked at commuters. It found that people who commute are more likely to feel anxious or dissatisfied. They may feel their daily activities lack meaning, even if they earn more money. These findings show that the daily journey to work affects more than just travel time.
Finally, we can look at the concept of the exurb. The term was coined by Auguste Comte Spectorsky in 1955. He used it to describe prosperous communities beyond the suburbs. Since 2006, a report by the Brookings Institution has used the term differently. Now, an exurb is an area beyond the suburbs that is less densely built. These areas often have large homes and depend heavily on motor vehicles. In Oregon, unique land use laws have used urban growth boundaries to manage this growth. These laws help protect agricultural and timber lands from urban sprawl.
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