Mobile Home

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The first examples of mobile homes can be traced to roaming bands of Roma who traveled the countryside in horse-drawn homes as far back as the 1500s. The modern version of the mobile home became popular in America before the Depression as an inexpensive way to travel. However, in the 1930s, these traveling homes became a more permanent solution for many who had lost jobs.  Although they were never originally intended as a permanent dwelling, manufacturers picked up on the trend.  Mobile homes became increasingly popular during WWII when hundreds of war industries needed housing for workers, and portable trailers were seen as a convenient and economical answer. 

After the war, mobile homes became popular due to limited housing for returning soldiers and their families.  Over time, average square footage and amenities in mobile homes increased, and mobile home parks sprouted up all over the country.  Miss South Carolina shocked audiences when she introduced herself at the Miss America Pageant in 2013 by proclaiming, "From the state where 20% of our homes are mobile 'cause that's how we roll, I'm Brooke Mosteller, Miss South Carolina." The Recreational Vehicle/Manufactured Housing (RV/MH) Hall of Fame is located in Elkhart, Indiana.