Singlewide: Chasing the American Dream in a Rural Trailer Park

Salamon and MacTavish explore the economic and cultural aspects of living in trailer parks in rural areas of the US. Through extensive references, community data, surveys of randomly selected park households, and in-depth cases from Illinois, New Mexico, and North Carolina, they describe how trailer parks can satisfy low-income household needs in spite of the stigma of living in suboptimal conditions. Through stories from white, African American, and Hispanic families in different trailer parks, they found that they use the parks as inexpensive housing to better themselves and increase the potential of families and especially children to move up to the middle class. They also use the parks as a place to be near their relatives, churches, and jobs. The authors discuss four research questions involving the lasting effects on a family from living in a trailer park, financial payoffs, sense of belonging in a community, and the possibility that children and youth can improve their life chances. They also summarize the role of mobile home manufacturers, dealers, financers, park operators, and nearby communities.