What Is a Bedroom Community? The Ins and Outs of These Sleepy Towns

What is a bedroom community?

A bedroom community is essentially a town that is close enough to a major city that most of the community’s residents work in the city and return home to sleep and prepare for the next day. They are also found outside of resort areas where high-end, luxury home price tags preclude those working in the resort area from living there.

Bedroom communities generally offer larger lots and acreage, making them a great choice for families that need space to spread out. They usually have basic shopping and conveniences, such as grocery stores, hair salons, and restaurants, but they definitely won’t have the variety found in a large city.

Many people who move to bedroom communities are tired of living in town. Small or nonexistent lots, limited housing options, and high prices of both housing and goods and services add up to an unpleasant living experience.

Most people making the move to a bedroom community typically prefer a bigger lot and more space, and in some cases, a couple of acres. For those with children or pets, having space to spread out or be outside is a huge consideration. This is why many first-time homebuyers and families choose bedroom communities as their home base, as it allows them to relax and recharge.

Bedroom communities: A history

As with most changes in the housing market, many factors converged to pave the way (pun intended — you’ll see in a minute) for bedroom communities.

After World War II, soldiers returned home, got married, and had kids, and families grew by leaps and bounds. Between 1946 and 1964, the U.S. saw 76 million new babies born—the Baby Boomers, a group that, until the millennials, was the largest generational group in American history.

This unprecedented growth of families made city life even more crowded. And families began to seek refuge away from the noise, crime, and crowdedness of the city.

This need for more space gave rise to what is known today as a bedroom community — a residential area where people spend most of their time sleeping, while their professional and social lives take place in a nearby major city or metropolitan area.

Another contributing factor to the creation of bedroom communities was the rise of the automobile in the 1900s. The decade after the war saw a boom in automobile ownership. The number of registered vehicles grew from 25 million in 1945 — most of which were built pre-war — to nearly 52 million by 1955. This revolutionized American life as people were able to move out of cities to more rural areas, while still maintaining their city jobs.

Then, the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 earmarked $26 billion to pay for 41,000 miles of interstate highways. These highways were required to be four lanes wide and use overpasses and underpasses instead of intersections. Designed for high-speed driving, they made the trip from bedroom communities to the city feasible in a way it hadn’t been before.

Is it a bedroom community or suburb?

The description of a bedroom community can be easily confused with that of a suburb, but they are actually quite different.

Many times the delineation between a city and a suburb is easy to miss. There is generally little open space between a city and its suburbs, leading to a barely noticeable transition. Suburbs are closer to the city and tend to have more employment opportunities than a bedroom community because of their own small businesses and industries. Depending on the size of a suburb, it may even employ people from the neighboring bedroom community.

Bedroom communities, on the other hand, tend to be clearly separate from the city and its suburbs. And there may even be undeveloped areas between them.

Bedroom communities are generally composed of privately owned and developed areas that are overwhelmingly residential. Planned neighborhoods and gated communities are likely to be the predominant real estate. Many of these areas can come with a homeowners association and community amenities, like a pool, gym, or play area.

As bedroom communities grow, however, many homeowners will begin to shift their businesses closer to home, bringing their shops and services to the community. In fact, they set up stores near their houses. It’s not uncommon to see a Walmart or a Starbucks pop up, either. These conveniences, while … convenient, can begin to shift the area from a bedroom community to more of a suburb or city in its own right. Because of this, the line between bedroom community and suburb is frequently blurred.

Benefits of a bedroom community

Bedroom communities have grown since their establishment in the years after WWII, but their primary function is still to give people a place to go home to after their work in the city is done. And there are still many benefits to setting down roots in a bedroom community.

• Better schools: City schools have a tendency to become crowded and, many times, it’s expensive to live where the good schools are or to send your kid to a private school. Bedroom communities generally have good schools that don’t require breaking the bank. For instance, Waunakee, Wisconsin, schools are generally rated higher than the schools in Madison, Wisconsin.
• Peace and quiet: A bedroom community allows you to escape the city noise. Sirens, traffic, construction, and loud people —  all hallmarks of city life — are significantly reduced in a bedroom community.
• Larger homes and lots: Bedroom communities have more space to spread out, so homes can be larger. And most even come with a yard where you can relax on the weekends! With plenty of room for your kids and pets, this is a huge perk of moving out of the city.

As a comparison, $450,000 in Raleigh, North Carolina, will get you a beautiful three-bedroom, two-bathroom house with a nice-sized backyard. But in Fayetteville, one of Raleigh’s bedroom communities, you can find a three-bedroom, two-bathroom house sitting on a large plot of land for $300,000 — and there’s even the possibility of lake frontage. Or if you’re in the market for a larger home, a six-bedroom, four-bathroom house is in the same price range.

• Less crime: Crime in bedroom communities is generally lower than in their neighboring metro area. For example, Tiburon, California, has a crime rating of A+ as opposed to San Francisco’s F. Boston’s crime rating is an F, whereas Quincy, Massachusetts, earns a C. In Idaho, Boise’s grade is a B+, and its bedroom community, Star, has an A+.
• Guaranteed parking: No more circling the block, moving your car for street cleaning, or walking a mile from your parking spot to your house. Along with the other benefits of a bedroom community, lots of homes come with a driveway and garage, so you’re always guaranteed the best spot.

Drawbacks

• Higher commuting costs: When you live in the city where you work, commuting can be as simple as hopping on the subway, walking around the corner, or driving a few miles. But living in a bedroom community almost guarantees a longer commute, upward of an hour or more. This leads to more fuel costs if you’re driving.

If the bedroom community does have public transportation, you’ll be on it longer, meaning higher ticket costs and more time away from home. You can use a commute calculator to figure out the cost of driving to and from work.

• Fewer things to do: Since people who live in bedroom communities tend to spend most of their time there sleeping, it’s not really a bustling center for entertainment. The lack of entertainment options can lead to weekend boredom and trips to the city for a social life.
• Fewer connections: Less established than suburbs, bedroom communities often lack the neighborhood connection you’ll find in more rooted communities. Since most people come home only to sleep, there’s not a lot of interaction. Bedroom communities also typically have less in the way of neighborhood events and local meeting places than a larger city.
• Less access to goods and services: This means you may have to travel far for some essentials. In contrast, if you live in an inner city, you wouldn’t have to go so far. While there are basic conveniences in a bedroom community, there isn’t usually a lot of variety.

Is a bedroom community right for you?

The rise of remote work has prompted many to leave the hustle and bustle of city life in favor of more space and a slower pace. This growing exodus has breathed new life into bedroom communities, transforming them into vibrant, desirable neighborhoods. People are drawn to these areas for the peace and quiet they offer, along with more space for outdoor activities and relaxed lifestyle.

If you’re looking for a respite from city life where you can spread out and raise a family — or perhaps a place to slow down as you move up in house or move into retirement, then a bedroom community might be the perfect place to call home. Connect with a top-performing real estate agent to find the best neighborhoods in your preferred area.

Header Image Source: (Alexander Cifuentes / Unsplash)