True. Lots of retirees live in mobile home parks as an alternative to garden apartments that have stairs and less square footage to boot.
The whole "trailer trash" reputation comes from the fact that, in larger metropolitan areas, they are often the cheapest form of housing other than public housing. There were also a series of pulp novels in the 1950s that further spread the reputation of mobile homes as filled with promiscuity and crime.
After looking at my 401k recently, I will either retire overseas (Philippines) or buy a nice 5th wheel or Travel Trailer and live in a nice RV Park.
There are parts of the country where it can be done very inexpensively and has a moderate climate.
Been retired since '99. About two years before the real estate top, I sold my stick-built house in Nevada, paid off the mortgage and bought a 1,600 sq ft double-wide manufactured home on a quarter acre for cash just over the line in Arizona.
Having gone through the pre-Prop 13 binge in California, I could see the same happening in Nevada - ever-rising property taxes forcing me to move, probably at an inconvenient time.
We paid extra for "winterizing" (more insulation), with the result that our power bills are $45 in winter and $120 in summer via our coal-fired utility in Utah. Home is 3 bedroom, 2 bath with a BIG master bedroom, large oval tub, seperate shower and a walk-in closet (now filled with cases of food). The whole outfit is fairly well built and cheap to maintain.
And, there's no chickens or junker cars in the area. I used to think "Trailer Trash" too, before I took a closer look. They've come a long way, baby. Many people would do well to check out these homes, especially now.