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Next Stop, Reloville: Life Inside America's New Rootless Professional Class
An eye-opening investigation of the growing phenomenon of "Relos," the professionals for whom relocation is a way of life Drive through the newest subdivisions of Atlanta, Dallas, or Denver, and you’ll notice an unusual similarity in the layout of the houses, the models of the cars, the pastimes of the stay-at-home moms. But this is not your grandparents’ suburbia, "the little houses made of ticky-tacky"—these houses go for half a million dollars and up, and no one stays longer than three or four years. You have entered the land of Relos, the mid-level executives for a growing number of American companies, whose livelihoods depend on their willingness to uproot their families in pursuit of professional success. Together they constitute a new social class, well-off but insecure, well traveled but insular. Peter T. Kilborn, a longtime reporter for The New York Times , takes us inside the lives of American Relos, showing how their distinctive pressures and values affect not only their own families and communities but also the country as a whole. As Relo culture becomes the norm for these workers, more and more Americans—no matter their jobs or the economy’s booms and busts—will call Relovilles "home."
- GenresNonfictionSociology
272 pages, Hardcover
First published July 7, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
September 1, 2009
This is a book about the corporate culture of relocation for employees of large companies. It is also a study of communities that contain many relocated people. One of the subjects interviewed lives in the subdivision right behind mine, so I had to hear what was being said about my neighborhood. (Let me add that I am a RELO person too, but I've only moved four times.)
Much of the focus is on spouses of relocated employees and the toll that the moving takes on their careers and family life. Also, the spouses tend to volunteer only for positions in the community that directly affect their families (i.e., at school, etc) and never become more involved in civic and social causes because they know they aren't likely to stay.
My parents were RELOs too, so honestly I don't think the concept of moving for your career is exactly new. Maybe the numbers that are moving these days are much more. The book doesn't exactly shed light on any answers for these *problems,* although it does feature a corporate dropout family, who left the rat race in the end. (They live less than a mile from me, BTW.)
An interesting book, I enjoyed hearing what he had to say about my area, and agree with most of what he says. I think that being shallowly rooted to an area can be good and bad. Being unemployed would be worse. . .
Much of the focus is on spouses of relocated employees and the toll that the moving takes on their careers and family life. Also, the spouses tend to volunteer only for positions in the community that directly affect their families (i.e., at school, etc) and never become more involved in civic and social causes because they know they aren't likely to stay.
My parents were RELOs too, so honestly I don't think the concept of moving for your career is exactly new. Maybe the numbers that are moving these days are much more. The book doesn't exactly shed light on any answers for these *problems,* although it does feature a corporate dropout family, who left the rat race in the end. (They live less than a mile from me, BTW.)
An interesting book, I enjoyed hearing what he had to say about my area, and agree with most of what he says. I think that being shallowly rooted to an area can be good and bad. Being unemployed would be worse. . .
August 5, 2013
Makes me sad, cause the author was spot on. I am in this boat & I see it. We moved in March for my husband's job.
Being in a depressed mood from moving to a new state, missing all my friends & family, this was not the right time to read this book. :-(
I knew the possibility of being a Relo with my husband's job, but now it's reality.
Being in a depressed mood from moving to a new state, missing all my friends & family, this was not the right time to read this book. :-(
I knew the possibility of being a Relo with my husband's job, but now it's reality.
June 1, 2020
Fascinating look at the realities of families and professionals whose work forces them to move constantly and the toll it takes not only on them, but our communities.
November 14, 2009
I actually knew one of the people profiled in this book, Joe Dunn, the one who went to India. We worked with him at IPA. I was disappointed that the city we live, Leesburg #16 on the list of Reloville wasn't mentioned at all. I didn't care for some of his descriptions of people and their houses either, some were real putdowns and didn't add anything to the book. I wish he had added a section on someone who had that lifestyle, retired with lots of money and wasn't divorced. I thought he could have picked a better title too, I kept seeing "reloville" as "reloveville", perhaps a book on divorces?
(copied review) We've all seen one: a sprawling subdivision lined with McMansions, each eerily similar to the next and outfitted with the perfectly manicured lawn and neutral paint job that the neighborhood association requires. In "Next Stop, Reloville," Peter T. Kilborn examines these communities, often inhabited by "relos," his name for affluent, midlevel executives who frequently relocate themselves and their families for the chance to climb the corporate ladder. Kilborn estimates that there are 10 million such people in the United States. Most fascinating is the way Kilborn shows how the "relo" way of life negatively affects their communities. Since "relos" don't plan to stay long, they are less inclined to get involved in charitable or civic causes. But their influence on real estate is profound: They drive up home prices because they can't be bothered with bargaining, and their employers usually kick in money for the move. As they trek from state to state or even country to country, Kilborn writes, "they create an insular, portable, and parallel culture with little-recognized but real implications for American society at large."
(copied review) We've all seen one: a sprawling subdivision lined with McMansions, each eerily similar to the next and outfitted with the perfectly manicured lawn and neutral paint job that the neighborhood association requires. In "Next Stop, Reloville," Peter T. Kilborn examines these communities, often inhabited by "relos," his name for affluent, midlevel executives who frequently relocate themselves and their families for the chance to climb the corporate ladder. Kilborn estimates that there are 10 million such people in the United States. Most fascinating is the way Kilborn shows how the "relo" way of life negatively affects their communities. Since "relos" don't plan to stay long, they are less inclined to get involved in charitable or civic causes. But their influence on real estate is profound: They drive up home prices because they can't be bothered with bargaining, and their employers usually kick in money for the move. As they trek from state to state or even country to country, Kilborn writes, "they create an insular, portable, and parallel culture with little-recognized but real implications for American society at large."
February 3, 2010
Peter Kilborn, a former NY Times writer, is a scrumptious non-fiction writer. He perfectly describes scenes in unique, colorful adjectives that he manages to pass of as if he didn't work at doing it. Delicious.
The book is about the world as lived by people who either work for large companies that require constant relocation to move up the corporate ladder, or who have discovered that the only way to advance in their career is to hop from job to job, headhunted by recruiting agencies that specialize in placing high-level professionals and upper- and executive-management. Kilborn skillfully introduces you to the world of these folks - their families, their pets -- and does so with the skill of a well-trained ethnographer like Judith Stacey and Arlie Hochschild. You overhear marital feuds about whether to move to Germany for a promotion. You get inside the heads of (mostly) men who are weighing the decision to move their families, yet again. You follow real estate agents, career placement professionals, recruiters, head hunters, and relocation specialists as they do their jobs.
All of this marvelous ethnography is interspersed with well-researched facts about the economy, housing prices, real estate markets, and the job market and how they have changed over the years, impacted by the rise of a subset of the professional-managerial class: rootless nomadic families, moving from job to job across the country, across the globe.
Excellent read.
The book is about the world as lived by people who either work for large companies that require constant relocation to move up the corporate ladder, or who have discovered that the only way to advance in their career is to hop from job to job, headhunted by recruiting agencies that specialize in placing high-level professionals and upper- and executive-management. Kilborn skillfully introduces you to the world of these folks - their families, their pets -- and does so with the skill of a well-trained ethnographer like Judith Stacey and Arlie Hochschild. You overhear marital feuds about whether to move to Germany for a promotion. You get inside the heads of (mostly) men who are weighing the decision to move their families, yet again. You follow real estate agents, career placement professionals, recruiters, head hunters, and relocation specialists as they do their jobs.
All of this marvelous ethnography is interspersed with well-researched facts about the economy, housing prices, real estate markets, and the job market and how they have changed over the years, impacted by the rise of a subset of the professional-managerial class: rootless nomadic families, moving from job to job across the country, across the globe.
Excellent read.
October 5, 2009
While the topic seemed really interesting ("what is the impact of the constant relocations required to succeed in the modern business world") the actual execution was somewhat dull. Each chapter was basically short vignettes about some family involved in moving around the country. This included the job-holders himself, the trailing spouse, real estate agents who facilitate the frequent moves, and the communities that have to deal with the "Relos" coming and going.
In summary:
* In a good market, the family can get very rich trading up houses
* It sucks for the family to give up friends and a sense of belonging
* It sucks for the community to have people who don't really plan on staying (i.e. why plant trees when we're just going to move before they grow?)
* Companies who cater to Relos can do very well re-selling the same house 3 times in 10 years.
* Is the added step in job responsibility really worth it?
In summary:
* In a good market, the family can get very rich trading up houses
* It sucks for the family to give up friends and a sense of belonging
* It sucks for the community to have people who don't really plan on staying (i.e. why plant trees when we're just going to move before they grow?)
* Companies who cater to Relos can do very well re-selling the same house 3 times in 10 years.
* Is the added step in job responsibility really worth it?
August 26, 2009
Rather surprisingly,this turned out to be one of the most interesting nonfiction books I've read in some time. Kilborn does not pass judgements on the "relo's" portrayed in his book. Instead, he lets them speak for themselves about their decision to pursue the new American dream.
What Kilborn does do is delve into the collateral effects this type of lifestyle has on communities and on the gypsy families following the bread-winner (typically male) from location to location in search of more...always more. Another reviewer wrote that this book is haunting. I think that is an apt description.
What Kilborn does do is delve into the collateral effects this type of lifestyle has on communities and on the gypsy families following the bread-winner (typically male) from location to location in search of more...always more. Another reviewer wrote that this book is haunting. I think that is an apt description.
August 31, 2010
America's restless, rootless upper middle class gets a top down examination by journalist Peter Kilborn in Next Stop, Reloville. Kilborn traces the development of the suburban, "reloville" lifestyle in various American (and international) cities. I especially found his observations about reloville mega-churches compelling. Kilborn notes that these religious complexes often mirror their suburban neighborhoods. Despite expensive light shows and impressive displays of music, Kilborn said no one ever welcomed him to these churches. Then, he notes, he noticed no one ever noticed anyone. Good read, especially if you spend anytime inside a 'burb.
October 19, 2009
This is a great book to read against Ray Oldenberg's "The Great Good Place." This one is about how the other half lives -- the people who have to relocate to grow within their company. These people shape a number of communities and the way those communities don't develop great ... well ... community. Interesting after living near Round Rock during the explosion.
This book suffered from terrible editing, though. I mean, there's a part of the book where the writer refers to a girl named Katrina as Kristina...multiple times!
This book suffered from terrible editing, though. I mean, there's a part of the book where the writer refers to a girl named Katrina as Kristina...multiple times!
November 7, 2009
Interesting read about upper class American nomads and the cookie-cutter places they migrate to. There aren't many broader observations about what the Relo trend means for society or culture, and the book is strictly focused on those who move with means and by choice. The timing of publication is unfortunate; I'd like to know how this trend has changed in response to the recession, though the author does a good job including many references to the economic crisis.
February 14, 2010
This book illustrated what life is like for people who have no qualms about moving around the country, or world, to pursue career opportunities. The author did a good job remaining neutral about his findings. It was neat that the last two places I've lived (Douglas County, CO and Collin County, TX) were both featured.
February 24, 2010
He throws in a few facts here and there but it's mostly a book about couples who are Relos. Each chapter has a few stories. It's truly a skimmer if you really want to read it. If you're only partially interested or unsure, skip it.
September 21, 2009
An interesting book...I live in one of his listed Relovilles and can definitely "get" what he says about homogenization. In fact, I live in one that is adjacent to four others on the list of the top 25!
January 17, 2010
Interesting book about what's involved in working for companies where moving to move up the ladder is almost required, as is living in housing areas, such as Alpharetta outside Atlanta, which were specifically designed for these continually moving employees.
February 24, 2014
It was nice to read a book where my life is understood. We move a lot and it's not military. I could identify with this book all the way and have even lived in many of the places highlighted in the book. Glad to know my family isn't alone!
December 1, 2009
The book was slow. I hate everything about relo life: "cut-out" homes, big shopping centers, cliques, sameness, etc. Although, I feel like I'm always on the move
August 2, 2009
Haunting.
July 26, 2009
Fascinating. Maybe the corporate and career-oriented lifestyle is not so fulfilling after all.
August 16, 2009
Kilborn traces the lives of well-paid nomads who travel from suburb to suburb in search of a dream not found.
August 17, 2009
A fun quick read - lots of good qualitative stories about American mobility
February 23, 2015
I believe I read the original article this sprang from. Good book, ethnographic in description if not analysis.
September 10, 2009
I kind of feel bad for the author of this book because the economy took a turn that pretty much disproves his thesis. I'm hoping for a sequel: Foreclosed in Reloville, or something.
February 4, 2016
The burbs and who fills them. Relocating to follow the job and the problem this creates.
October 11, 2009
An interesting book on the life of Relos. It definitely has moments that applied to my life as a Relo.
February 22, 2010
To move up in corporate america, you need to move. As a result of this eye-opening book, I'll advise my kids differently about career choices.
May 12, 2010
Really interesting glimpse behind the curtain of one strata of America by a truly gifted journalist.
July 31, 2010
fascinating look into a culture I didn't know about...kind of like expat life only in America.
February 12, 2016
Many of us are or have been in this group. Interesting stories and insight into the whole experience.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews