Americans are a mobile nation. The average owner stays in a house only five years, before moving somewhere else. Due to low interest rates, the majority of families in the USA own their own homes. Usually these are separate houses with yards. Houses in US are still very inexpensive compared to Europe. There is a dark side to families moving so much, and such distances. Family ties are not nearly so strong in the US as in other countries. Some parents and grown children living on opposite coasts may only visit each other twice a year. LIVING IN THE CITY
Groups of owned apartments in one building (called “condominiums“ or “condos“) are not so popular as in the rest of the world. Usually they only are common in downtown areas. They are popular with people who want to buy their own home but don’t want to maintain a yard or a garden. Condominiums often have a lot of communal amenities, such as laundry room, swimming pools and fitness rooms. Young people, especially when they are single, normally can’t afford to buy a house or a condo right away. They usually live in rented apartments. There are apartments in older buildings, especially in big cities, but there are also a lot of modern apartment complexes. These apartments are almost always furnished, usually very nicely. AMERICAN HOUSES
Houses vary greatly, but the dominant style of the last 30 years has been the ranch-style house. Houses are usually made of wood and built by carpenters. In the southern states, where wood is scarcer, brick and stucco houses are much more common than in the northern states. Modern stucco houses are often built in a Mexican style. Victorian houses are painted in bright colors, specially blue. NEW WAYS OF LIVING
Many retired people move into mobile homes, which are usually permanently located in mobile home parks. They offer inexpensive housing that is easy to take care of, especially since they have little or no yard space. Americans are always willing to try something new, especially if it has to do with living alongside nature. Some people are going back to the housing of the earliest settlers and building log houses. Today they usually use a kit, which means that the logs are pre-cut. Since someone discovered that the shape of the geodesic dome is extremly energy efficient, many people have built their homes like this. IN AN AMERICAN HOME
GADGETS - Americans like gadgets to make a job easier or quicker to do.