Impact on society. The automobile has given people incredible freedom of movement. It enables them to decide where they want to go and when. The automobile influences where people live and work and how they spend their leisure time. The striking changes in people's lives created by the automobile began in the United States and have since spread across much of the globe, especially in developed countries. But even in developing nations, the automobile is increasingly reshaping patterns of living.

When the first automobiles were produced, only the well-to-do could afford them. Soon, however, prices declined as production increased in response to the growing demand. The lower prices put the automobile within reach of more and more Americans. Well-off urban residents found car ownership cheaper than keeping a horse and carriage. The growth in car ownership led to the building of more and better roads, which further increased travel throughout the nation.

Although cars were first bought mainly by affluent city folk, it was farmers who became the first large-scale group of car owners. During the late 1890's, about three-fifths of all Americans lived in rural areas and had little contact with people more than 20 miles (32 kilometers) or so away. Most rural Americans were farmers or residents of small towns that served farmers. In the early 1900's, those people became the first mass group of car buyers. Automobiles enabled farmers to sell their goods faster and farther away, and to travel more often and in greater comfort than ever before.

Before the development of automobiles, urban workers walked, bicycled, or rode horse-drawn vehicles to their jobs. But as roads improved and car ownership expanded, workers no longer had to live near their jobs. During the 1920's, people in U.S. cities increasingly moved to the suburbs because of the freedom provided workers by automobile ownership. By the mid-1950's, even factories had begun to relocate in the suburbs.

Excerpt from the "Automobile" article, The World Book Encyclopedia © 1999