History Main / Suburbia

* '''The gated community'''. The entrance to this posh neighborhood of beautifully-landscaped {{Big Fancy House}}s and luxury cars is restricted to residents, mail and [[{{Courier}} delivery people]], cops, and visitors, with a guard booth at the road in and out. More likely than thr other suburbs to have servants. Often shares the conservatism of Midwestern suburbs, with the residents of the community hoping to create a idyllic life for themselves, just like in those [[TheFifties Fifties]] {{sitcom}}s, free from "[[LowerClassLout those people]]" outside. There's also a big element of [[SlobsVersusSnobs snobbery and class warfare]] -- these people ''bought'' their way into Sunnyside Estates, thank you very much.

* '''[[EverytownAmerica The Midwest]]''' in FlyoverCountry which is more rural or depicts small cities. [[MoralGuardians Family Values]] often abound. Frequent forays into the QuirkyTown, which may be the TownWithADarkSecret. More modest income and less educated than their coastal brethren, more likely to be working-class and somewhat more likely to be conservative. Often, these portrayals stray far from real life and enjoy an undercurrent of hypocrisy (the respectable church-goers are all sleeping with each other or binge-drinking), partly to add color, but mostly because the Midwest is just slightly less alien than Mars to most of the folks who write TV[[note]]That said, it isn't [[TruthInTelevision always inaccurate...[[/note]].

* '''[[EverytownAmerica The Midwest]]''' in FlyoverCountry which is more rural or depicts small cities. [[MoralGuardians Family Values]] often abound. Frequent forays into the QuirkyTown, which may be the TownWithADarkSecret. More modest income and less educated than their coastal brethren, more likely to be working-class and somewhat more likely to be conservative. Often, these portrayals stray far from real life and enjoy an undercurrent of hypocrisy (the respectable church-goers are all sleeping with each other or binge-drinking), partly to add color, but mostly because the Midwest is just slightly less alien than Mars to most of the folks who write TV[[note]]That said, it isn't [[TruthInTelevision always inaccurate...[[\note]].

* '''[[EverytownAmerica The Midwest]]''' in FlyoverCountry which is more rural or depicts small cities. [[MoralGuardians Family Values]] often abound. Frequent forays into the QuirkyTown, which may be the TownWithADarkSecret. More modest income and less educated than their coastal brethren, more likely to be working-class and somewhat more likely to be conservative. Often, these portrayals stray far from real life and enjoy an undercurrent of hypocrisy (the respectable church-goers are all sleeping with each other or binge-drinking), partly to add color, but mostly because the Midwest is just slightly less alien than Mars to most of the folks who write TV.

* The first district of ''VideoGame/CriminalCaseTheConspiracy'', Fairview, takes place in a stereotypical middle-class suburbia at the very edge of Grimsborough, brimming with identical-looking homes and {{Nosy Neighbor}}s. Unfortunately, the neighbor is far from tranquil during the player's visit due to the presence of a SerialKiller terrorizing it.

The place where the DomCom usually lives, a homogeneous "bedroom community" of single family homes. Unlike many old inner city neighborhoods, which grew organically in a "hodge-podge" way, the suburbs are often newly built all at once by a housing MegaCorp using a generic street plan. Most of the residents are families or couples and, due to zoning regulations that make apartments impermissible, there are few lower-income residents. People live in houses that, while not exactly palatial, are still a lot bigger than those available downtown for a similar price.

In RealLife, the "Father of Suburbia" in the US is real estate developer UsefulNotes/WilliamLevitt. He introduced the idea of planned suburban communities with strict rules on the look and style. Levitt built Levittown, a suburb outside New York City built on a former potato farm. Every house was quickly built using an assembly-line-style system, using 27 steps and the same floor plans. Newly-returned soldiers from WWII got loans from the government to buy the houses; thanks to these subsidies, even working-class families could get their own home. With the peace and prosperity, the Baby Boom, a big surge of births, took place. Until Levittown, these new families had been cramped in downtown apartments or in improvised housing, like metal Quonset huts turned into dwellings. Levitt made churches, schools and malls the centerpieces of his planned communities.

In RealLife, the "Father of Suburbia" in the US is real estate developer UsefulNotes/WilliamLevitt. He introduced the idea of planned suburban communities with strict rules on the look and style. Levitt built Levittown, a suburb outside New York City built on a former potato farm. Every house was quickly built using an assembly-line-style system, using 27 steps and the same floor plans. Newly-returned soldiers from WWII got loans from the government to buy the houses; thanks to these subsidies, even working-class families could get their own home. With the peace and prosperity, the Baby Boom, a big surge of births, took place.

Until Levittown, these new families had been cramped in downtown apartments or in improvised housing, like metal Quonset huts turned into dwellings. Levitt made churches, schools and malls the centerpieces of his planned communities.

In RealLife, the "Father of Suburbia" in the US is real estate developer UsefulNotes/WilliamLevitt. He introduced the idea of planned suburban communities with strict rules on the look and style.

* '''[[EverytownAmerica The Midwest]]''' in FlyoverCountry which is more rural. [[MoralGuardians Family Values]] often abound. Frequent forays into the QuirkyTown, which may be the TownWithADarkSecret. More modest income and less educated than their coastal brethren, more likely to be working-class and somewhat more likely to be conservative. Often, these portrayals stray far from real life and enjoy an undercurrent of hypocrisy (the respectable church-goers are all sleeping with each other or binge-drinking), partly to add color, but mostly because the Midwest is just slightly less alien than Mars to most of the folks who write TV.

A deep well of satire and (often not very affectionate) parody, especially from disaffected youth. In the middle of the 20th century, the American intelligentsia were obsessed with attacking the actual and perceived shortcomings of suburbia. By the nineties, the idea of satirizing suburbia was so ingrained in American culture that it was itself satirized. The fact that we have an entire trope about this, StepfordSuburbia, speaks volumes about the way many Americans view the suburban lifestyle.

* '''The gated community'''. The entrance to this posh neighborhood of beautifully-landscaped
{{Big Fancy House}}s and luxury cars is restricted to residents, mail and [[{{Courier}} delivery people]], cops, and visitors, with a guard booth at the road in and out. More likely than thr other suburbs to have servants. Often shares the conservatism of Midwestern suburbs, with the residents of the community hoping to create a idyllic life for themselves, just like in those [[TheFifties Fifties]] {{sitcom}}s, free from "[[LowerClassLout those people]]" outside. There's also a big element of [[SlobsVersusSnobs snobbery and class warfare]] -- these people ''bought'' their way into Sunnyside Estates, thank you very much.

The place where the DomCom usually lives, a homogeneous "bedroom community" of single family homes. Unlike many old inner city neighborhoods, which grew organically, the suburbs are often newly built all at once by a housing MegaCorp. Most of the residents are families or couples and, due to zoning regulations that make apartments impermissible, there are few lower-income residents. People live in houses that, while not exactly palatial, are still a lot bigger than those available downtown for a similar price.

Most of the houses [[CutAndPasteSuburb look alike]], having been built according to the {{Mega Corp}}'s two or three plans as an efficiency measure. The Suburbs are designed around the car, with long distances to shops and services, so adults will mostly drive around. [[FreeRangeChildren Kids may bike around alone]] in this relatively safe community.

The place where the DomCom usually lives, a homogeneous "bedroom community" of single family homes. Most of the residents are families or couples and, due to zoning regulations that make apartments impermissible, there are few lower-income residents. People live in houses that, while not exactly palatial, are still a lot bigger than those available downtown for the same price. Most of the houses [[CutAndPasteSuburb look alike]], having been built according to the same two or three plans. The Suburbs are designed around the car, with long distances to shops and services, so adults will mostly drive around. [[FreeRangeChildren Kids may bike around alone]] in this relatively safe community.

* '''The Coastal Regions''', which is often on the outskirts of TheCity, because downtown houses are owned by BourgeoisBohemian executives and condos are too small for families. Coastal city suburbs are therefore not downtown, as houses there are too expensive. As well, these families want yards and lawns and they to be distant from the downsides of big city life (e.g., crime, the AddledAddict and TheAlcoholic). Most people are college educated, upper middle-class, and at least slightly liberal. If not set in California, then the Northeast (Washington D.C.) is readily available.

The place where the DomCom usually lives, a homogeneous "bedroom community" of single family homes. Most of the residents are families or couples and, due to zoning regulations that make apartments impermissible, there are few lower-income residents. People live in houses that, while not exactly palatial, are still a lot bigger than those available downtown for the same price. Most of the houses [[CutAndPasteSuburb look alike]], having been built according to the same two or three plans. The Suburbs are designed around the car, with long distances to shops and services, so adults will mostly drive. [[FreeRangeKids Kids may bike around]] this relatively safe community.

Instead of a Main Street with small stores and family restaurants like most small towns of EverytownAmerica, a suburb will have TheMall, be it a big, enclosed shopping center or a strip mall with a UsefulNotes/{{Walmart}} and national and multinational chain stores. You can walk or ride a bike to a few places, but not most of the important places like TheMall, so plots involving the availability of a car (such as the VerySpecialEpisode about the dangers of drunk driving) are possible.

Suburbia in TV has three distinct flavors:
* '''The Coastal Regions''', which is often on the outskirts of TheCity, because downtown houses are owned by BourgeoisBohemian executives. Coastal city suburbs are therefore not downtown, as houses are too expensive and these families want yards and to be distant from the downsides of big city life (e.g., the AddledAddict and TheAlcoholic). Most people are college educated, upper middle-class, and at least slightly liberal. If not California, then the Northeast (Washington D.C.) is readily available.

The place where the DomCom usually lives.

People live in houses that, while not exactly palatial, are still a lot bigger than they ought to be. Most of the houses [[CutAndPasteSuburb look alike]], having been built according to the same two or three plans. Instead of a Main Street with small stores and family restaurants like most small towns of EverytownAmerica, a suburb will have TheMall, be it a big, enclosed shopping center or a strip mall with a UsefulNotes/{{Walmart}} and national and multinational chain stores. You can walk or ride a bike to a few places, but not most of the important places like TheMall, so plots involving the availability of a car (such as the VerySpecialEpisode about the dangers of drunk driving) are possible.

* '''The Coastal Regions''', which is on the outskirts of TheCity, and people have yards. Most people are college educated, upper middle-class, and at least slightly liberal. If not California, then the Northeast is readily available.
* '''[[EverytownAmerica The Midwest]]''', which is more rural. [[MoralGuardians Family Values]] often abound. Frequent forays into the QuirkyTown and the TownWithADarkSecret. More modest income and less educated than their coastal brethren, more likely to be working-class and somewhat more likely to be conservative. Often, these portrayals stray far from real life and enjoy an undercurrent of hypocrisy (the respectable church-goers are all sleeping with each other or binge-drinking), partly to add color, but mostly because the Midwest is just slightly less alien than Mars to most of the folks who write TV.

{{Big Fancy House}}s and luxury cars is restricted to residents, mail and [[{{Courier}} delivery people]], cops, and visitors, with a guard booth at the road in and out. Often shares the conservatism of Midwestern suburbs, with the residents of the community hoping to create a idyllic life for themselves, just like in those [[TheFifties Fifties]] {{sitcom}}s, free from "[[LowerClassLout those people]]" outside. There's also a big element of [[SlobsVersusSnobs snobbery and class warfare]] -- these people ''bought'' their way into Sunnyside Estates, thank you very much.

{{BigFancyHouse}}s and luxury cars is restricted to residents, mail and [[{{TheCourier}} delivery people]], cops, and visitors, with a guard booth at the road in and out. Often shares the conservatism of Midwestern suburbs, with the residents of the community hoping to create a idyllic life for themselves, just like in those [[TheFifties Fifties]] {{sitcom}}s, free from "[[LowerClassLout those people]]" outside. There's also a big element of [[SlobsVersusSnobs snobbery and class warfare]] -- these people ''bought'' their way into Sunnyside Estates, thank you very much.

{{BigHouse}}s and luxury cars is restricted to residents, mail and [[TheCourier delivery people]], cops, and visitors, with a guard booth at the road in and out. Often shares the conservatism of Midwestern suburbs, with the residents of the community hoping to create a idyllic life for themselves, just like in those [[TheFifties Fifties]] {{sitcom}}s, free from "[[LowerClassLout those people]]" outside. There's also a big element of [[SlobsVersusSnobs snobbery and class warfare]] -- these people ''bought'' their way into Sunnyside Estates, thank you very much.

* '''[[EverytownAmerica The Midwest]]''', which is more rural. [[MoralGuardians Family Values]] often abound. Frequent forays into the QuirkyTown and the TownWithADarkSecret. More modest income and less educated than their coastal brethren, more likely to be working-class and somewhat more likely to be conservative. Often, these portrayals stray far from real life and enjoy an undercurrent of hypocrisy (the respectable church-goers are all sleeping with each other), partly to add color, but mostly because the Midwest is just slightly less alien than Mars to most of the folks who write TV.
* '''The gated community'''. The entrance to this posh neighborhood of beautifully-landscaped {{BigHouse}}s and luxury cars is restricted to residents, mail and [[TheCourier delivery people]], cops, and visitors, with a guard booth at the road in and out. Often shares the conservatism of Midwestern suburbs, with the residents of the community hoping to create a idyllic life for themselves, just like in those [[TheFifties Fifties]] {{sitcom}}s, free from "[[LowerClassLout those people]]" outside. There's also a big element of [[SlobsVersusSnobs snobbery and class warfare]] -- these people ''bought'' their way into Sunnyside Estates, thank you very much.

* '''The Coastal Regions''', which is essentially TheCity, except that people have yards. Most people are college educated, middle-class, and at least slightly liberal. If not California, then the Northeast is readily available.
* '''[[EverytownAmerica The Midwest]]''', which is more rural. [[MoralGuardians Family Values]] often abound. Frequent forays into the QuirkyTown and the TownWithADarkSecret. Poorer and less educated than their coastal brethren, and somewhat more likely to be conservative. Often, these portrayals stray far from real life and enjoy an undercurrent of hypocrisy (the respectable church-goers are all sleeping with each other), partly to add color, but mostly because the Midwest is just slightly less alien than Mars to most of the folks who write TV.
* '''The gated community'''. The entrance to this posh neighborhood of {{BigHouse}}s is restricted to residents, mail and delivery men, cops, and visitors, with a guard booth at the road in and out. Often shares the conservatism of Midwestern suburbs, with the residents of the community hoping to create a idyllic life for themselves, just like in those [[TheFifties Fifties]] {{sitcom}}s, free from "[[LowerClassLout those people]]" outside. There's also a big element of [[SlobsVersusSnobs snobbery and class warfare]] -- these people ''bought'' their way into Sunnyside Estates, thank you very much.