Boardinghouses

Throughout history, people have needed to live apart from their families for a variety of reasons. Colonial travelers traditionally resorted to taverns, inns, and, since the nineteenth century, to hotels. However, during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, industrialization and the growth of American cities stimulated a considerable movement of people, rich and poor. Many were relocating from farms to industrial centers; others were immigrants from abroad in search of work. The sudden demand for inexpensive housing was unprecedented and contributed to the development of the boardinghouse. Usually the province of women, keeping a boardinghouse was one of the first cash-economy jobs considered suitable for women.