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An Unsteady Future for New England's Suburbs

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An Unsteady Future for New England's Suburbs

The Atlantic,

5 min read
5 take-aways
Audio & text

What's inside?

As Americans flock to cities and warmer climates, once affluent New England suburbs are falling on hard times.

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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Innovative

Recommendation

As more and more Americans head for cities and the Sun Belt, wealthy suburbs in New England are facing a growing housing – and economic – crisis. The Atlantic’s Alana Semuels outlines the demographic, economic and social forces driving New Englanders from their quiet, suburban lives. She looks at the resulting challenges and explores some potential solutions. getAbstract recommends this article to demographers, city planners, real estate developers and house hunters looking to better understand where Americans are choosing to live in the 21st century.

Summary

Buying a home in an affluent New England suburb has been considered a marker of financial success ever since the post–World War II economic boom years. More recently, however, many Americans are turning their backs on these tranquil, leafy enclaves in Connecticut, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont and Maine. Wealthy New England suburbs are experiencing declining housing values and an inventory glut – a vastly different picture from the vibrant housing markets in nearby cities like New York and Boston.

Indeed, city living is growing in popularity. Many people now want to be...

About the Author

Alana Semuels is a staff writer for The Atlantic. She previously worked as a correspondent for the Los Angeles Times.

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