THE NEED FOR MOBILE-HOME PARKS

From time to time we’re going to refer to “mobile-home parks” and “trailer parks.” You may wonder why different terms are used. Are they just different words to describe the same thing? Or do they reflect some real differences in the parks we’re going to talk about? We think you’ll agree that a “mobile- home park” represents a basic change in mobile living. Here’s why.

The trailer-coach industry was just getting started in the 1930’s. Even as late as 1940 the industry had turned out only 10,000 trailers. Most of these trailers were small and were used by sportsmen for vacations and by construction workers located temporarily in out-of-the-way places. Trailers didn’t have bath- rooms, nor were their kitchens equipped with the ultramodern conveniences new mobile homes contain.

Today, the production of mobile homes exceeds 65,000 units a year. Modern mobile homes are much larger and more luxurious than those of fifteen years ago. They may be 35, 40, 45 even 50 feet in length. Some come in two sections. Most of them are equipped with complete bathroom facilities, plush living rooms, up-to-date kitchens, and full-size bedrooms.

People, therefore, are now finding mobile homes a practical and economical form of permanent housing. It is estimated that more than two million people are now living in them. And our retired folks millions each year are finding the mobile-home park an ideal retirement community.

The only similarities between the trailers of 1940 and the mobile homes of today are wheels and mobility. Everything else is different including electrical installations, brakes, heating arrangement, interiors, and frame and body construction. Yes, the change is as great as from the horse and buggy to the automobile. What has all this done to trailer parks? Briefly, the parks built to accommodate small, non-modern trailers are obsolete. Their spaces are too small. Roads are not wide enough. Electrical wiring is not heavy enough to handle the loads required by modern kitchens, hot-water heaters, and increased lighting.  Such parks generally do not have sewage-disposal systems or individual coach connections. And, since they were not properly planned, they do not present the attractive community appear- ance mobile-home owners are looking for.

Tags: factory built home, manufactured home, mobile home, modular home, prefab home, trailer court, trailer park

This entry was posted on Monday, November 10th, 2008 at 8:49 am and is filed under Home Parks, Manufactured Home Info, Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.