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Glite Dictionary
exurbia

exurbia

1 8.2
An area of houses beyond the suburbs where people travel to the city for work
  • noun
  • /ɛkˈsɜrbiə/
  • US
: exurbia

Examples

  • Keywords: agriculture, exurbia, land use, sprawl, urbanization.

    Academic text (2001)

  • As I like to point out (hopefully with rueful humor), to the extent that exurbia fails in its grand retrofitting experiment, the value of my urban townhouse goes up.

    Blog text (26)

  • Many families are moving to exurbia to escape the hustle and bustle of city life while still commuting to work in the city.

  • The development of exurbia has changed the landscape of commuting patterns as more people seek larger homes and green spaces.

  • Living in exurbia allows residents to enjoy a quieter lifestyle while still being close enough to the urban amenities they need.

Synonyms

outskirts
vsexurbia
59 3.0

Parts of a town or city that are far from the center

refers specifically to residential commuter zones beyond suburbs rather than general outer parts
outskirt
vsexurbia
11 3.5

An area at the edge of a town or city far from the centre

is more a commuter residential zone beyond suburbs rather than a single edge area
exurb
vsexurbia
  • US
2 8.8

A place where people live beyond the suburbs, often in the countryside, whose residents travel to the city for work

is a general name for areas beyond suburbs often inhabited by commuters
faubourg
vsexurbia
  • US
1 9.9

A neighborhood outside the old part of a city, often in New Orleans

is used widely for commuter areas beyond suburbs rather than historic city districts

Antonyms

urban area
52 2.7

A place with many people and buildings like a city

How Remote

rural area
71 2.0
exurbia
  • US
1 8.2
suburb
305 2.7
city
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

exurbia singular
exurbias plural

Morphology

exurbia = exurb (semi-transparent) = exurb + ia

Formed from the noun 'exurb' with the collective noun suffix '-ia' (modelled on 'suburbia'); the structure is clear but 'exurb' and '-ia' are relatively uncommon, so learners may not immediately infer the meaning.

Etymology

The word exurbia comes from ex- meaning 'outside' and suburbia meaning 'the suburbs', so it literally means 'beyond the suburbs'. That's why exurbia describes the quiet residential areas far from the city where many people live and commute into town for work.