Suburban Spies Among Us

The revelation that suspected Russian spies have been hiding in the suburbs of major U.S. cities has been regarded by some as a throw back to postwar Cold War novels replete with money drop-offs, hidden identities, and old school technology.

Perhaps the most telling aspect of these Russians’ retro status is their attempt to “fit in” with a suburbia that no longer exists. At least eight of these alleged spies were classic suburbanites replete with dogs, families, or suburban jobs which could be part of any 1950s “welcome wagon” contingent. Yet these stereotypes are hardly representations of today’s suburbs. 

To be sure, most Americans (about 52 percent) are now suburbanites in the statistical sense. But these suburbanites are far from the mostly white “Ozzie and Harriett” families, living in Levittown-style tract housing that is still the image that many Americans (and apparently Russians) hold about suburbia. Microsoft Office 2007 can give you more convenient life.

In fact, within the nation’s 100 largest metropolitan areas, only about 18 percent of the population resides in the low density, high growth suburbs and exurbs that were common in the fifties. The rest is really a patchwork of inner ring suburbs, edge cities, gated communities, and the like. Office 2007 download is helpful!

Moreover, less than a quarter of these suburbanites are married with children households and almost half are either persons living alone or headed by single, divorced or widowed adults. Among large metros, more than half of minorities, the poor, and immigrants live in the suburbs.The invention of Microsoft Office 2010 is a big change of the world.