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.
Affordable housing would be more possible in cities if their building codes weren’t so heavily calcified by landlords and NIMBYs 40 years ago. Still, it’s good that all these small towns are seeing a resurgence in both population and cultural change, even if their original occupants hate it.
Yeah who cares about non-flammable materials and ADA access. Gimme my cheap cracker box!
its parking minimums that do the most damage to housing. Car companies fucking with everything in this country
Damn city folk ruining the countryside tellyahwat
Dang ol’, man, lemme tell ya, man, people out there leavin’ the big ol’ cities, man, talkin’ ‘bout, “Oh, rent’s too high, man,” movin’ on out to them little towns, man, just messin’ it all up, you know what I’m sayin’? Dang ol’ cost of livin’, man, all like, “Can’t afford nothin’, gotta move,” man, but then they get out there, man, and they start bringin’ the dang ol’ city prices with ‘em, man, like, dang ol’ rent goin’ up, man, property taxes, man, folks been livin’ there, man, just gettin’ priced out their own dang hometown, man.
Talkin’ ‘bout, “Oh, I want a simpler life,” man, but then they go out there bringin’ their fancy coffees, man, their brunch spots, man, dang ol’ kale smoothies, man, buildin’ condos where the ol’ hardware store used to be, man, just runnin’ out all the mom-and-pop shops, man. Dang ol’ downtown, man, lookin’ like a dang ol’ mini city now, man, folks don’t even wave at each other no more, man, just starin’ at their phones, man, all disconnected, man.
And then, man, you got them city folks, man, complainin’ ‘bout how the small town don’t got Uber, man, or dang ol’ same-day delivery, man, but they don’t even stop to think, man, they the reason it’s all changin’, man, dang ol’ civilization just eatin’ itself, man, like a dang ol’ snake eatin’ its own tail, man. I tell ya what, man, dang ol’ vicious cycle, man, ain’t no way to fix it, man, just gotta sit back and watch it all unfold, man.
Boomhauer, I didn’t understand a word you just said. Damn government…
These isolated communities also doom the residents and more importantly their children to a life chained to car ownership.
That was already a thing for them in Texas. They’re arguably much less isolated now but either way everyone still needs a car.
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.
