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In 1980, the March issue of Trailer Life Magazine, featured an
article proposing RVs as an affordable housing alternative. In the article Freemor Homes was mentioned as starting a pilot project in Slippery Rock, PA,
featuring a subdivision for “trailer houses”. After attracting much attention
this article was followed by a Feb 81 article announcing a similar 70 lot
subdivision opening in Mesa Arizona. This article made reference to additional
subdivisions planned for Florida, California and North Carolina. A 1981
advertisement by Freemor attracted 8000 replies! A Trailer Life ad for Freemor which ran in 1983 listed subdivided parks in Arizona, Florida, Texas, Oregon, California, Georgia and Pennsylvania. In a 1984 Trailer Life article by Dix Brow, he describes a visit to Sunny Lane Estates in Arizona where the developer, Butch Smyers, explained that although the project had been announced more than two years before, he had just gotten the last of his permits! Such permits have proven difficult to get. In Smyers case the project was finally permitted as a PUD, planned unit development, since there was no applicable zoning code on the books. Don Write in his Alternative Housing article in June of 1983 makes reference to “sun belt rents” increasing more and more; prohibitive in some cases he says. He notes that condo conversion of campgrounds has started and that he believes that will lead to more and more park models, diminishing the number of available rental sites. The high cost of development and lack of water and sewer facilities are blamed for the shortage of new park construction. In the same article a couple is mentioned that Don Write interviewed several years before, 1980 or 1981, that live on their own RV lot at South Padre Island. That was undoubtedly at the Outdoor Resorts park located there that was one of the first subdivided RV resorts from the late seventies. That developer set the standard in that day for beautiful, well designed RV parks, where you could own your own lot. Fifth Wheel At about this same period, later seventies early eighties, the fifth wheel RV became established as the towable of choice where more space and luxury were desired together with good roadability . The early Kountry Air units turned heads at RV shows and the trucks that could pull such a larger rig were finally available from Ford, Chevrolet and Dodge. (More capable diesels were a few years away) This fueled the notion of seasonal or full time use adding to the demand for private ownership of an RV property, especially in the sun belt. Luxury motor homes were still in the future at this time. Conventional "travel trailers" of such size never became popular, probably because of towing characteristics. Convergence The convergence of a number of factors established the beginning of private ownership of RV property. RVs were moving from being just a small recreational trailer to a larger, better quality, and more complete housing unit that you might enjoy seasonally. Pickup trucks with increased towing capability were offered to the public. As America prospered in the late seventies more and more people could consider “second” homes and the tax code encouraged such purchases. Outdoor Resorts led the way in demonstrating that a nicely landscaped, paved and well thought out RV park could be very attractive and demand a premium price. They really changed the way many people viewed such developments. Others copied Outdoor Resorts and were quick to cater to this new market in an attempt to profit. The “park model” opened markets to those who wanted nothing to do with “pickups” and RV travel, but did appreciate owning an inexpensive “little home”. Of course, in later time the more luxurious motorhome broadened the appeal even more moving completely away from the “truck”, and toward luxury and convenience that rivaled the home. Always a nation that values home ownership, the purchase of property for recreation was a logical extension. The wealthy had always done it, historically speaking. The RV lot provided the opportunity to end the rent payments and have equity. In the South that was exploding with growth, this was an opportunity to secure your place in the sun belt that would not be lost when a housing builder bought out the park you always visited.
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RV Park Living