'Infinite Suburbia': Peripheries Offer Better Options Than Urban Cores

A new book argues that the exurbs and suburbs remain the dominant, and fastest growing part of the U.S. housing market.

Much of this has been driven by migration patterns, according to Orange County Register's Joel Kotkin, author of "Infinite Suburbia". Increasingly, millennials are looking for single-family homes, with availability in short supply, causing their search to broaden to suburban areas. In 2016, core counties lost over 300,000 net domestic migrants while suburbs and exurbs gained approximately 250,000.

Those who wish to demean suburbia often claim that suburban living is more unhealthful than living closer to the urban core. But the County Health Rankings project reveals that residents in suburban metro counties enjoy lower rates of premature death (years of potential life lost before age 75) than those who live in other types of counties, including urban ones, and a better health-related quality of life.

Read more