Pleasant Musings on Sociology, McMansions and Housing, Suburbs and Cities, and Miscellaneous Errata.
I was recently reading two books that addressed historical changes in two groups of very different sizes: the entire United States versus a medium sized suburb. Is one easier to examine or understand compared to the other? The one looking at hundreds of years of history in what became the United States cannot go into [ ]
What numbers would make it easier to understand what is happening to how many adult men are in the US workforce? This article starts with absolute numbers: The latest Bureau of Labor Statistics breakdown found that 44.07 million of 132.8 million eligible men older than 15 — or 33.2% — were not in the labor [ ]
The investment many Americans have made into houses or housing units has another benefit: helping residents pay off other financial obligations. Americans continue to spend freely, keeping the economy humming, even as they amass more credit card debt. But like Ms. Boroski, many homeowners have built up a nest egg to help pay for their [ ]
I walked the streets of Manhattan quite a bit on a recent trip. It was hot. Heat advisory hot. As I walked, I occasionally felt strong blasts of cold air. Not just a little breeze; shots of chilled air crossing the sidewalk. Where were they coming from? The strongest sidewalk air conditioning seemed to come [ ]
The Wisconsin Policy Forum recently published an analysis of brain drain in their state and across the United States: Three quick thoughts:
Michigan City, Indiana is a small city on Lake Michigan. Driving through the community, here is what you see: A cooling tower for a power plant is hard to miss. How does this affect development or the waterfront experience? A Chicago Tribune article from October 2025 describes the scene: The city of 33,000, a mixture [ ]
Some suburban street names are more unusual than others. I recently noted a neighborhood I occasionally drive past has religious street names. Here are several of them: -Trinity Lane -St. Joseph Drive -St. Francis Circle When many suburban subdivisions have bland names that invoke landscapes or desirable historical connections, why would this neighborhood invoke religious [ ]
Florida residents recently responded to Walmart starting delivery via drone: Reactions to the drones added at the Walmart Supercenter in Apopka have been mixed, with some residents like Brittany Nilsen saying she’d “absolutely” use the service for the sake of “convenience.” Some likened the noise to a police siren or fire truck but said they’d [ ]
Perhaps you have encountered this situation before: you are walking, biking, or driving through a neighborhood. Your nose suddenly picks up the smell of something grilling. Perhaps meat, maybe vegetables. It is tinged with smoke. It smells good. But where exactly is that smell coming from? Much of our cooking or food preparation in the [ ]
More people are stating or acting on their opposition to Flock cameras along roadways: I wondered in October 2025 why there was so little opposition in suburbs to license plate cameras. In that post, I suggested one reason suburban residents may not oppose the cameras is because of fear of crime. As more Americans now [ ]