A surge in home prices over the past several years is pushing homebuyers further out from city centers with big implications for America's small towns.

Summary

Rural areas across the U.S. are transforming as affordable housing shortages push people further from urban centers.

Celina, Texas, leads this trend, experiencing a 27% population surge in 2023 alone. It grew from 7,000 residents a decade ago to over 43,000, as reported by the Census.

Lower housing costs and available land attract newcomers, but rapid growth is replacing farmland and small-town traditions with dense developments and chain stores.

While some welcome affordable lifestyles and opportunities, others face rising costs, loss of community, and strained infrastructure.

  • JoshuaFalken@lemmy.world
    184·
    27 days ago

    These isolated communities also doom the residents and more importantly their children to a life chained to car ownership.

    • CmdrShepard42@lemm.ee
      6·
      26 days ago

      That was already a thing for them in Texas. They’re arguably much less isolated now but either way everyone still needs a car.

      • JoshuaFalken@lemmy.world
        6·
        26 days ago

        That’s certainly true of most everywhere in America.

        I would suggest that instead of running yet another highway through a city centre, the money be spent on buses, or something cheaper than roads - tram lines. Trams could connect these island-esque neighbourhoods and be a boon to the young and the old alike.

        Even in a place like Texas, transit could alleviate that feeling that everyone still needs a car.