Take a ride to exurbia: it's a new world out there.

• Author: Brooks, David.
• Position: Brief Article - Column

It is in the booming exurbs--communities that tie beyond cities and suburbs--where George Bush racked up the vote totals that allowed him to retain the presidency. Experts say that America's population is decentralizing faster than any other society's in history. Millions of people are moving out to vast, sprawling exurbs, on the one hand, because they want some order in their tires. They leave places with arduous commutes, backbreaking mortgages, broken families, and stressed social, structures and they head for towns with ample living space, intact families, child-friendly public culture, and enforced social equality. On the other hand, they are taking a daring leap...