IT'S HIP TO BE SQUARE

By Theresa Swanson

For years, the word was that millenni-als wanted to live in hip, cool urban centers. They wanted to be close to downtown nightlife and employment centers. 

It turns out, much to the chagrin of the nation’s urban-living cheerleaders, that millennials (generally considered to be those born in the 1980s or 1990s) are much like their parents in favoring suburbs. 

A recent report by the Urban Land Institute, a real estate think tank, debunked the myth that most millennials were in love with with amenity-rich downtown apartments. 

Instead, the study found, many have opted for less centrally located but more affordable suburban neighborhoods — especially master-planned communities with vibrant amenity centers. 

Over the past two years, millennials — who comprised fully 80 percent of all buyers — purchased single-family homes in (gasp!) the suburbs. This trend is expected to continue as younger millennials check their biological clocks and start families. 

But even though millennials are favoring the ’burbs, they’re still insisting that their neighborhoods be lively, eclectic and diverse. Luckily, they have plenty of choices that fit the bill.

Retailers and restaurateurs are wasting no time in following millennials to their new homes. But they aren’t building strip malls the way they used to.

Open-air shopping districts have quickly made malls obsolete. Alfresco dining and pooch-friendly sidewalks are now considered must-haves, and are quickly turning areas such as Horizon West, Lake Nona and Heathrow’s Colonial TownPark into perfect examples of how today’s millennial families want to live and work. 

But don’t take my word for it — plan a visit to a new-home community. I think you’ll agree, this ain’t your daddy’s suburb.