Why America stopped driving

In 1922, a group of sociologists went to Munice, Indiana, to study how the average American family lived. Almost everyone, they found, was addicted to their car. “We’d rather do without clothes than give up the car,” said one mother of nine children. “I’ll go without food before I’ll see us give up the car,” said another. One researcher reminded a housewife that her family had a car but no bathtub. “Why,” said she, “you can’t go to town in a bathtub!” The automobile was barely two decades old, and Americans already couldn’t imagine living without one.

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Cities where no one wants to drive

For many Americans, there’s no escaping the stressful rush hour drive — but not for everybody. Many choose not to own a car. In fact, according to a recent report, more than 9% of U.S. households did not have a car in 2012, a higher figure than five years ago. In 21 of the nation’s 30 largest cities, households were also less likely to have a vehicle than just five years earlier.

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