Western suburbs are becoming more like big cities, and because of it, suburban living is growing richer and more sophisticated.

Sunset has chronicled the Western suburban lifestyle for more than three-quarters of a century now, watching trends come and go. We’re not oblivious to the criticisms of suburbs — that they’ve promoted urban sprawl and increased traffic, that they’re architecturally uninspired and culturally homogenized — but we’ve always maintained that suburban life is essentially the good life. And most people agree: They’ve voted with their wheels. Since 1950, more than 90 percent of all growth in U.S. metropolitan areas has happened in the burbs.

For this story, Sunset looked closely at that growth, focusing on the suburbs of the West and how they’re changing. What we see are suburbs becoming more diverse, more interesting, more neighborly, and more like complete communities instead of just bedrooms — in short, taking on the best qualities of larger cities. The principles of New Urbanism — the now 20-year-old philosophy that promotes the collection of homes, offices, shops, and recreation into compact, pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods served by transit — are taking root.

Amanda Koster
Friends gather in Hillsboro, Oregon’s Orenco Station.

Here are some of the forces that are reshaping suburban life:

Urban density, thanks to skyrocketing land costs, has reached the once wide-open West. Ten of the 15 most densely populated urbanized areas in America are here, led by the Los Angeles metro area (7,068 people per square mile; New York City’s metro area has 5,309). New subdivisions are shoehorning 7 to 9 single-family houses or even 10 to 12 townhouses onto 1 acre. Traditional front and backyards are being sacrificed; they’re getting ever smaller. Instead, new developments are providing lavish common spaces. Outdoor living is gravitating from private retreat to shared property, so we’re getting to know our neighbors again.

Erik Rank
Denver’s Stapleton reinterprets the traditional American town.

And forget homogeneous. The burbs are becoming ethnic stews, attracting immigrants in greater numbers than big cities are. As Joel Kotkin, Los Angeles–based author of The City: A Global History, observes, “The best ethnic food in L.A. is in the suburban strip malls.” This diversity enriches our cultural life, and at a deeper level it might even point toward an American future less fractured by race.

Some problems, of course, continue to plague suburbs as well as cities — and many of them are the same problems. Unaffordability tops the list. In October, the median price of a single-family home in King County, Washington (where Seattle is situated), was $390K, and a real estate analyst dryly noted that buying this home now requires nearly 150 percent of the local median family income. (Shocking news to Northwesterners, but the source of rueful humor to many Californians who can’t buy a garage for that amount.)

Increasingly, we’re trying to outrun the price spiral by fleeing to exurbs 50 to 100 miles away, trying to stay connected to the world through a computer instead of an office. But when enough of us do this, it drives up the cost of land and housing in the once-quiet exurb, where local salaries can’t keep pace.

And some New Urbanist developments, where architecture, land use, and often even landscaping are tightly controlled, discourage the very idiosyncrasies and quirks that make urban life interesting. Many traditional suburbanites like it this way, but the increasing diversity of the suburbs may bring change. In his research for “The New Suburbanism,” a paper on emerging suburban trends, Kotkin has heard “downshifting boomers” say they want to stay in the burbs, but they’re craving neighborhoods that are “funky but safe.” This won’t happen from the top down. “If you have to have a campaign to make yourself hip and cool,” Kotkin says, “you’re not.”

Dan Chavkin
Celebrating a birthday at the Maricks’ in Brea, California

Western suburbs have what a lot of people want. Sounds pretty cool to us.

Building a better burb
Just west of Phoenix, the Verrado housing development could have been the usual homogeneous cluster of single-family homes serviced by strip malls and megastores a car’s drive away. But it’s not. Developer DMB Associates had a different goal in mind: to create the look and feel of an authentic small town.

While the development, located within the city of Buckeye, doesn’t address the larger regional issue of traffic — residents who work in Phoenix face a 26-mile commute downtown — it does incorporate some of the best attributes of the most successful small towns in America. Here’s a look at what makes it work.

1. A working city center
Live/work lofts and apartments give the core an appealing urban look.

2. A downtown that buzzes
The four-block-long town center is filled with shops, cafes, and restaurants, covering the basics on a convenient scale.

3. Local greens
A golf course and clubhouse may not be a small-town mainstay — but this is, after all, Arizona.

4. Big lots not forgotten
While providing affordable property was the main objective, the developer did incorporate larger lots for big homes.

5. Safe, easy access
Narrow streets leading into Verrado encourage drivers to slow down as they approach residential neighborhoods.

6. Convenient education
Elementary and middle schools are located in the heart of the community.

7. Classic street grid
Main Street is, in fact, the main artery and leads to a village green.

8. A small-town feel
The mix of housing styles creates diversity — and almost 70 percent of the homes have front porches.

9. “Invisible” garages
Many houses have garages on rear alleys, leaving room for front porches.

10. Walk-able neighborhoods
Verrado’s tree-lined sidewalks promote casual strolling.

11. Open space nearby
Scattered pocket parks are an easy walk from homes.

 — Peter O. Whiteley

Thomas J. Story Bringing neighbors together helps build a sense of community. 25 more ways to make your neighborhood a community by Amelia Ashton When Sunset went looking for neighborhoods that are great places to live in, we collected creative ways in which residents all over the West have improved their areas, many by strengthening the bond they share with neighbors. Here are some of your best ideas.   Organize community events 1. Host an annual Southwest-style luminaria display (one neighborhood has more than 50,000 candles in bags lining its streets). 2. Combine cause and community by presenting an annual home tour to raise money for charities. 3. Organize regular wine-tasting parties. You’ll be surprised at all the local sommeliers. 4. Hold small music concerts on a common green. Encourage karaoke (responsibly). 5. Sponsor a holiday celebration such as an Easter egg hunt, a summer solstice party, a Fourth of July bike parade and party, Oktoberfest with grilled bratwurst, or a Halloween block party. 6. Start a regular “Mom’s night out.” Wine and dine, go bowling, or catch a late-night mani/pedi. Help each other 7. Create a new kind of Neighborhood Watch: Build a “care force” that helps out with dinners and errands when neighbors need a hand, and/or host an emergency preparedness night in which you get organized and learn about your neighbors’ special skills (CPR training, etc.). 8. Schedule an annual “barn raising,” at which a volunteer work crew helps neighbors with household projects, from fixing the pipes to mending a fence. 9. Share house keys with your next-door neighbors, and know whom to call in case of an emergency. 10. Encourage a word-of-mouth community network so kids know there’s always someone watching over them. 11. Start a progressive dinner tradition on your block. Ask each home to serve a dish, and go house hopping until you’re contentedly full. 12. Host movie nights, using a garage door as the movie screen. Alternate which home gets to pick the rental, and don’t forget the popcorn. 13. Consider building a gate in fences between backyards to foster camaraderie and use for emergencies. Develop community spaces 14. Work with the city to convert old railroad tracks or easements into multi-use trails. Then start an urban forest. Let neighbors plant their own trees, and revisit the site to watch your work grow. 15. Establish a community garden, converting neglected public space, however small, into a pocket garden with a bench or two. Digging in the dirt together creates plenty of opportunity for bonding, not to mention some tasty fruits, veggies, and herbs. 16. Make your own playground. Take advantage of a cul-de-sac by devising a play area with a tree swing, basketball court, and plenty of room for riding bikes and skating. (Erect a yellow warning sign to let visiting vehicles know that kids are at play.) Communicate 17. Produce a community newsletter to keep everyone informed and to build community spirit. The venture can bring together writers, artists, and designers and keep the neighborhood up to date. 18. Put up a community website and a Yahoo group site for public notices, referrals, ads, and event notices. 19. Got a swimming pool? Use a flag system to let neighbors know when their kids can join your kids for an adult-supervised swim. Green flag, come on in. No flag, don’t ask. Create a community-friendly front yard 20. Plant a colorful perennial border between your sidewalk and the street, put a chair or bench in your front yard, then prepare to say hi to your neighbors when it becomes part of everyone’s stroller route. 21. Instead of tall, narrow walls or fences that close neighbors out, build half-walls wide enough to function as a seat. 22. Plant in front of as well as behind perimeter walls. “It’s like a gift to the neighborhood,” one homeowner said. It also inspires adjoining houses. 23. Build a fire-pit in front of your house. On cooler nights, throw down some beach blankets, share a glass of wine with the neighbors, and watch the kids play. Or just settle down out front in some folding chairs on a Friday or weekend afternoon, and invite the neighbors to join you. 24. Hang a swing from your porch to get you out front and socializing. 25. Transform those big trash containers into works of art. Working with the local garbage company, one neighborhood painted its containers with scenes of tropical islands, flower gardens, a Southwest landscape — even a strawberry ice cream cone.   Published: February 2006