WHY DO SO MANY AMERICANS LIVE IN MOBILE HOMES?

An estimated 20 million Americans live in mobile homes, according to new Census figures. How did this become the cheap housing of choice for so many people? Mobile homes, also called trailers or manufactured houses, are often associated with poverty. To some extent, there is a connection as eight of the ten poorest US states are also among the top ten areas for mobile homes. But there are other reasons as well. ‘Not everyone who lives in a trailer park is poor’, says Charles Becker, a professor of economics at Duke University, and one of a handful of academics nationwide who has extensively studied the subject. For Michael Breeden, 27, picking a mobile - as opposed to a fixed - home a year ago was all about freedom. He wanted to be able to move in a few years, which can be difficult for traditional homeowners. For some people, the idea of being mobile is appealing. Even though mobile homes are not easy to move, the idea that you could pick up and leave, while keeping the same house, is attractive. For others, owning their own home, even a mobile home, is more attractive than renting a flat. Some mobile homes are very spacious, with two or three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a washer and dryer. All of this would not be available at the same price in a city flat. Public policies providing housing for the poor are very limited, which make it difficult for poorer people to afford cheap housing. This is actually why mobile homes initially became popular. Today, they are far more common in the US than anywhere else in the world.