Suburbanization is a term used by many to describe the current residential living situation in the United States, and it is related to the phenomenon of urban sprawl. Many Americans no longer live and work in the same city, choosing instead to live in suburbs and commute to work elsewhere. This has set the United States apart from many other countries where the majority of people live in urban areas with higher population densities. Urban sprawl (also called suburban sprawl and occasionally Los Angelization) describes the growth of a metropolitan area, traditionally suburbs but, increasingly, exurbs, over a large area. ... It has been suggested that Suburbia be merged into this article or section. ...

Suburbanization in the United States really began after the Civil War, when the cottage was touted as the cure for modern society's problems. By 1900, suburbs were near every major US city, and the city had become primarily a place of work, rather than living. Those who lived in the city were increasingly poor, as the wealthy, who had lived there not too long ago, moved to these suburbs. This has resulted in the suburb’s association with those who are well off, and the city's association with poverty. The American Civil War was fought in the United States from 1861 until 1865 between the United States – forces coming mostly from the 23 northern states of the Union – and the newly-formed Confederate States of America, which consisted of 11 southern states that had declared their secession. ... 1900 is a common year starting on Monday. ...

Racial prejudice also played a role in American suburbanization. During World War I, the massive migration of African-Americans from the South, and later the 1954 Supreme Court ruling outlawing school segregation, resulted in an even greater residential shift toward suburban areas. The cities became seen as dangerous, crime infested areas, while the suburbs were seen as family safe places. This view runs counter to much of the world, where slums mostly exist outside the city, rather than within. 1954 was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The supreme court in some countries, provinces, and states, is the highest court in that jurisdiction and functions as a court of last resort whose rulings cannot be appealed. ...

The automobile and other transportation inventions also helped spur the movement forward by enabling people to live even farther away from their place of work. Suburbanization is now mostly to blame for the growing traffic problems plaguing the country's metropolitan areas. A small variety of cars, the most popular kind of automobile. ...

By 1990, it was estimated that more than 45% of the US population lived in suburban areas. This massive shift from urban to suburban living has made the United States the world's first suburban nation.