Cohabitants and companions make up my household: I reside with my romantic partner and two companions in a detached family dwelling.
Living Together in the Suburbs: A New Kind of Family
In a suburban neighborhood that reaches into D.C., a unique living arrangement is thriving. Four adults in their late 20s and early 30s, along with a red-haired cat, have chosen to live together in a single-family home. This unconventional living situation has created a sense of community that many adults lack in adulthood.
The four-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bathroom house, with its unfinished basement, traditionally reflects the nuclear family. However, this group of friends has adapted it to suit their needs, sharing the house, having weekly dinners, and hosting annual parties.
Every Tuesday, they cook a three-course house dinner together, and grocery shopping, meal planning, and discussing shared household items are common activities. They grow various types of tomatoes, peppers, and herbs every spring, and in July, they host a summer party with grilling, cornhole, and a garden setting. During the festive season, they host an annual Christmas party with appetizers, a signature cocktail, and a gift exchange.
While they still maintain certain traditional practices, such as mowing the lawn and hosting annual parties, they have integrated modern American everyday life practices to accommodate changes in the 2020s. Digital spaces have grown, physical spaces have shrunk, and the cost of living remains high while the minimum wage stays the same.
The group is surrounded by families, including parents with multiple children and older adults who have sent their children to college. Despite not meeting the traditional nuclear family expectations, they live like a family but as four friends. Unplanned get-togethers are more common, such as watching basketball games, going for ice cream, playing disc golf, or paddleboarding.
This unconventional living arrangement offers financial relief and affordability, community and support, efficient use of space, and adaptation to lifestyle needs. While historically, such arrangements carried some negative stigma, modern perceptions are shifting as economic realities make them practical and sometimes even desirable for independence and sustainability.
In suburban settings, these living arrangements challenge traditional notions of nuclear-family homeownership. While they offer cost savings, community, and sustainability benefits, acceptance varies by local culture and economic context, with increasing awareness of their potential to address housing affordability and social needs among young adults.
What kind of lifestyle do they cultivate in their home-and-garden, given their unique living arrangement in the suburbs? Their relationships extend beyond simple friendship, manifesting in shared responsibilities, weekly dinners, and annual events like summer parties and Christmas gatherings.
