Americans Move to Cities

Census and housing data reveal that young Americans are moving into cities, rather than settling in the suburbs.

Following World War Two, American families flocked to the suburbs giving rise to housing developments, cookie-cutter houses, shopping malls, and white picket fences. Now, 60 years later, Americans are reversing the trend to return to life in the city.

Census statistics for March reveal that single-family home sales have decreased 13.3% since March of last year. Meanwhile, metropolitan areas are growing at faster rates than the other areas in the country. Cities like Seattle, Washington, and Austin Texas, have experienced an influx of young Americans. The majority (62%) of the millennial generation prefers the life of the city to the suburbs where many were raised. These young Americans are attracted to social hangouts and shorter commutes which decreases automobile usage.

To accommodate the migrating young Americans, apartment buildings have been in high demand. Over 40% of current construction projects are apartment buildings. This contrasts with the 1.7 million single-family homes that had started construction in 2005 alone. Due mostly to the recession caused by overspeculation in the housing market, that number shrunk to just 300,000 in 2013.