What’s a commuter city?

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Commuter cities, also called exurbs or bedroom communities, are a phenomenon of the development of high-speed highways, extensive public transportation systems, urban decay, high population rates in cities, and various other factors. They are, in essence, an expression of people’s desire to live somewhere other than where they work, which is often motivated by a desire to live in areas with less crime, better school districts, and bigger homes at cheaper prices. They are often built some distance, sometimes more than 100 miles away from a central place of business, often a city, by and for most residents.

Commuter cities may start as an area on the edge of a suburb, usually in rural areas. A single housing project, with perhaps only 100 houses, could define what is called an exurb. Since housing in the area is still minimal, the exurb may not really be a “city” as such and may have minimal access to various businesses such as grocery stores, doctors’ offices and the like, as well as only a small number of public schools.

As the exurb begins to grow, more housing developments are built and the exurb evolves into a city with public resources such as police departments, schools, and various commercial enterprises. The available space tends to allow for the construction of homes much larger than those that can exist in crowded urban environments or heavily developed suburbs. Such homes, which are sometimes nicknamed “Mcmansions,” may be preferred by some people to housing available in urban areas, and may still be less expensive than those that might be bought or rented in urban areas.

For a commuter city to survive, grow, and thrive, it needs quick access to high-speed highways or public transportation such as bullet trains. Commuter towns may spring up along relatively rural areas adjacent to a highway to provide less expensive housing. As commuter cities grow, they may also become too large, too expensive, or exhibit higher crime levels. When this occurs, cities may be built further away from a central workplace, but still with quick access to a highway or expressway.

The commuter city can quickly become less populous if major employers in an urban area experience recessions. This was demonstrated by the case of numerous employees of the dot com industry in California’s Silicon Valley. As Silicon Valley regrouped and re-established itself, commuter towns became more populous again, even as home values ​​declined.

Also, as commuter cities grow, there are several problems. With many of the homes occupied by families, the children can easily become key lockout children, or stay in nursery after school. Commuting can get expensive and contributes to pollution when people take long car journeys alone. A one-way commute that takes several hours can turn an eight-hour workday into a twelve-hour workday. Highways become more congested with commuters, leading to a more frequent need for repairs, modifications, and longer commutes as traffic increases.
Some people look for work in fairly large commuter cities, but the pay is often not commensurate with living expenses. In-demand businesses, such as Big Box stores, tend not to pay enough for people living in a commuter city unless they have other sources of income, such as the income of a commuter spouse or partner. Higher resource consumption leads to higher taxes, to support public services, law enforcement, hospitals and community growth, raising the cost of living and making it difficult for people to conceptualize escape from the lifestyle of the commuting.

On the other hand, the commute city can still be preferable to city living, especially when neighborhoods have good schools, great homes, and low crime rates. People may feel safer living in commuter cities and are willing to sacrifice the extra hours of the day to commute. This is often seen as an improvement in quality of life, which for many is worth the price of a daily commute to work.

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