For decades, the traditional American Dream involved living in a single family detached home complete with white picket fence and 2.3 kids and a solid nuclear family unit. Courtesy of the great recession, the vision has shifted and more people are reverting to a multi-generational family living out of necessity.

Pew research has shown that in 1900, approximately 57 percent of those aged 65 and above lived with ‘extended family’, however, the term was not officially coined until the mid 1940s. At that time, other types of family units such as a nuclear family (including a mother, father and children) were introduced to the English Vocabulary. Those unfamiliar with the expression 'extended family' need to increase their vocabulary as 6.6 million American households are comprised of a mix of cousins, uncles, children, grandchildren and parents living under one roof (CBSnews.com).

Extended family living was the norm for generations of human beings. Britain's royal Tudor family spent many a countless night sleeping under the castle roof of Henry the VIII and many of his direct decedents were his trusted confidants and court members. Within the nation’s borders, Boston born artist Charles Sprague Pearce infamously painted his extended family on the walls of the Library of Congress Thomas Jefferson Building, Washington, D.C and most local citizens followed the same type of living arrangement.

History of Extended Family Living In US

In America, extended family living was the norm until the middle of the 20th century. According to census statistics (which have been conducted since 1790 to document living and demographic statistics) multi-generational family living was a common living scenario. In both the 1940s and 1950s, 32 million American people lived in households' crammed grandparents, parents and children. That trend began to immediately go out of vogue upon the conclusion of WW II and continued to taper off in the 1960s-1980s when the American economy was robust and people had the financial means to live independently.

Thanks to the current state of economic affairs, history is repeating and census figures have shown a 30 percent increase in the living arrangement since 2000. As the population increased, the economy tanked, the housing market started to crash and job prospects became scarce, communal family living once again grew in popularity and 2008 analysis of census data conducted by the Pew Research Center had indicated that more than 49 million Americans lived in households comprised of various family members.

Extended Household Living Trends

While a volatile economy filled with tales of foreclosure and a retraction in housing fair market values across the board is going to continue to fuel the activity, they are not the only reasons cited for the living arrangements. According to the research, extended family living is common in Hawaii, California and Mississippi, affordable housing where affordable housing options are limited. Those areas are also impacted by the retirement of baby boomers and the tendency for immigrants to opt for the living situations.

As published by CBSnews.com, Pew research and the Association for the Advancement of Retired Persons, other extended household living trends include:

• North Dakota features the least number of extended household living arrangements.
• The most common extended family living arrangement involves adult children and their grandchildren moving into a home owned by an elder parent.
• Older women are more likely to live in a multi-generational household than older men.

Tips For Extended Family Living

At this point in time, the 'doubling up' trend is going to continue to grow (NYTimes.com). Not only are unhealthy 2010 unemployment statistics contributing to the trend, but as individuals live longer more children are opening their homes to their elders. Since it seems that more families are going to be living in close quarters, following basic rules can make the process go more smoothly. Some tips for successful extended family living:

• Treat each other with respect: Living in tight spaces can be challenging so making sure communication is accurate, frequent and is not insulting will go a long way.
• Always knock: Whether you are entering the room of your maternal grandmother or need to go to the bathroom, a knock can go a long way.
• Contribute your fair share: Chances are those opting to live in a extended family scenario is doing so out of financial necessity. However contributing a fair share can by doing chores and household work happily and without having to being asked to do so will do wonders.
• Get more space: If family resources can be pooled to afford a bigger living space, then do so by all means. If this means renting a spacious home and becoming landlord in relation to your small, current property, do it. Better yet, those who can afford a down payment and have excellent credit histories can get the means possible to get the 3,000 plus square feet of living space associated with McMansions and many of those properties are being sold at rock bottom prices.