Demographics, housing: What happened to mobile home parks?

Anyone who grew up many decades ago was familiar with many mobile home parks, or sometimes called trailer parks, that were found in most cities.

These held what were then called “mobile homes” – similar to an RV but not intended for temporary RV usage. They were built in factories, and towed, like a trailer, to their destination, where they were typically put on a foundation and hooked up to utilities. These became a low-cost form of housing.

In 1976, the Federal government set standards for “manufactured homes” – and the concept of the mobile home transitioned to today’s modern manufactured home, built in a factory. No longer transported on their own wheels, manufactured homes are typically delivered on a flat bed trailer, placed on a foundation, and sometimes multiple units are connected together to make a large home.

Manufactured homes are still popular, especially for rural housing, and in areas of “The South”.

Whereas mobile homes of the past were often of poor quality, today’s manufactured homes are typically very well made and quite nice.

However, the “trailer parks” that used to provide space for mobile homes within cities have been vanishing as owners found more profitable uses for the land – often turning the original trailer park into luxury apartments, condos, townhomes, or into business offices or even retail outlets.

Between 1 in 4 and 1 in 3 trailer parks that existed in 1970 no longer exist today.

This eliminated a form of low-cost housing that was once fairly common across the U.S.

Could bringing back “trailer courts” help alleviate the housing problems in the U.S. in 2025?

Here is additional information from AI-assisted search

Roughly 25–30% of mobile home parks in the U.S. have closed since the 1970s, with closures accelerating in recent decades as urban land values rose and redevelopment pressures increased.

📉 Decline of Trailer Parks (1970–Present)

• 1970s Peak:
  In the early 1970s, mobile homes represented nearly 20% of all new housing units and over 30% of single-family housing starts. Trailer parks were widespread, especially in urban and suburban areas, offering affordable housing close to jobs.
• Closures Over Time:
  Since then, thousands of parks have been shut down. Estimates suggest one-quarter to one-third of all parks that existed in the 1970s are gone today. The decline is most pronounced in cities where land values rose sharply, making redevelopment into apartments, retail, or office complexes more profitable.
• Current Numbers:
  Today, about 43,000–45,000 mobile home parks remain nationwide, serving around 20 million residents. This is significantly fewer than the estimated 60,000+ parks that existed in the mid-20th century.

🏠 Why Parks Disappeared

• Urban Redevelopment: City governments often rezoned land for higher-value uses, displacing parks.
• Regulatory Pressure: Stricter building codes and zoning laws made it harder to maintain or expand parks.
• Natural Disasters: Floods, hurricanes, and fires destroyed some parks, with land often redeveloped instead of rebuilt.
• Investor Trends: In recent decades, private equity firms have bought parks, sometimes closing them for redevelopment rather than maintaining affordable housing.

⚖️ Social Impact

• Loss of Affordable Housing: Trailer parks were one of the last bastions of low-cost housing in cities. Their disappearance has worsened the affordable housing crisis.
• Community Displacement: Residents often face forced relocation, with few affordable alternatives nearby.
• Preservation Efforts: Some historians and housing advocates now argue for preserving remaining parks as cultural and affordable housing assets.

📊 Summary Table

In short: Since 1970, about one in three trailer parks have disappeared, largely due to redevelopment pressures. The remaining parks still house millions, but they are shrinking in number and increasingly vulnerable to closure.

Mobile Homes Versus Manufactured Homes

🚐 Trailer Parks in 1970

• Mobile Homes:
  • In the 1950s–70s, “mobile homes” were literally built on steel frames with axles and wheels.
  • They were designed to be towed (like a trailer), though usually only once — from factory to park.
  • Parks were called “trailer courts” or “trailer parks” because the units resembled oversized travel trailers, but they were intended for permanent residence.
• Construction Standards:
  • Before 1976, there were no federal building codes for mobile homes. Quality varied widely, and safety issues (fire, wind resistance) were common.

🏠 Manufactured Housing Communities Today

• Manufactured Homes (post-1976):
  • In 1976, the HUD Code was introduced, setting national construction and safety standards.
  • After this, “mobile homes” were reclassified as manufactured homes.
  • They are still factory-built and transported to a site, but usually on a flatbed or chassis, then installed semi-permanently.
• Communities:
  • The modern term “manufactured housing community” is essentially the successor to “trailer park.”
  • The difference is that today’s homes are larger, more durable, and often indistinguishable from small ranch-style houses once installed.
  • Many are double-wide or triple-wide units, delivered in sections and joined on-site.

🔑 Key Differences

Trailer Parks Versus Manufactured Housing Communities

• 1970 trailer parks = communities of mobile homes, built like trailers but intended for permanent living.
• 2025 manufactured housing communities = communities of HUD-certified manufactured homes, often modular sections delivered by truck, installed permanently.

They serve the same social function (affordable housing), but the construction methods and terminology evolved.