Commuter Town - Exurbs

Exurbs

The expression exurb (for "extra-urban") was coined by Auguste Comte Spectorsky in his 1955 book The Exurbanites to describe the ring of prosperous communities beyond the suburbs that are commuter towns for an urban area. Most exurbs serve as commuter towns, but most commuter towns are not exurban.

Exurbs vary in wealth and education level. In the United States, exurban areas typically have much higher college education levels than closer-in suburbs, though this is not necessarily the case in other countries. They typically have average incomes much higher than nearby rural counties. Depending on local circumstances, some exurbs have higher poverty levels than suburbs nearer the city. Others, like Loudoun County, Virginia, outside Washington, D.C.; northern McHenry County, near Chicago, Illinois; The Woodlands, outside Houston, Texas; Rochester, Michigan, outside Detroit; and Ozaukee County, near Milwaukee, Wisconsin, have some of the highest median household incomes in their respective metropolitan areas.