Separate but not equal

The northern suburbs of Atlanta don’t actually end. They just hit the mountains and crawl up the sides of them.

In nearly nine years that I’ve lived here, I’ve watched new housing developments fill in land that was farms and forest. The prices on the billboards run from “the $200s” to “the $700s”.

All the houses look huge to me. The size of the average American house has increased steadily, even as the average family size shrank. It’s now more than 2,900 square feet.

My house is about 1/3 smaller than the average American home, and I still can’t keep it clean.

The names of these housing developments attempt to give some sense of the price. The more expensive ones like to include “manor” or “estates” or “reserve” in the name, the less expensive favor names like “village” and “crossing” and “creek.”

Yesterday I saw one that trumped them all, with a price “in the $800s” to match.

It was called “The Enclave.”

I laughed out loud. I’m trying to imagine telling someone, “Oh yes, we live at The Enclave.” Or wouldn’t it be, “We live in The Enclave”?

An enclave is a territory for a distinct group. It implies a willful separation from all who surround it. The name might as well be “Snobby Town” – the message is just as clear.

Aren’t we special?

Apparently not that special. Turns out that there is not only one “The Enclave” but a series of them.

They try hard to make it clear just how grand the houses are: “The Enclave at Jett Ferry” uses the word “luxurious” not once but twice in the first sentence of description. “The Enclave at Nash Springs” says that it offers “Private, prestigious living in the center of everything.” The Enclave on Collier boasts: “Tucked behind a gated entrance, this unique address combines the convenience of urban living with a private, yet connected atmosphere surrounding an intimate neighborhood park with fireplace to gather with your neighbors…”

These houses are 6,000 square feet or more. That’s about twice the size of the average American home.

In other words, an Enclave house is big enough to fit about 60 Tiny Houses inside, or a dozen Chinese family homes.

What do they actually DO with all that space?

I think Tom and I should rename our getaway cabin. After all, it’s in a remote location in the middle of the Chattahoochee National Forest.

Yes – “The Enclave at Booger Hollow.” I like how that sounds.

Today’s penny is a 1999, the year that the Tumbleweed Tiny House Company was founded.