Suburb

==Etymology and usage==
The English word is derived from the [[Old French]] {{lang|fro|subburbe}}, which is in turn derived from the Latin {{lang|la|suburbium}}, formed from {{lang|la|sub}} (meaning "under" or "below") and {{lang|la|urbs}} ("city"). The first recorded usage of the term in English, was by [[John Wycliffe]] in 1380, when the form {{lang|enm|subarbis}} was used, according to the ''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]''.

===Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa===
[[File:View over Griffith NSW 1.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|Suburban housing in the regional city of [[Griffith, New South Wales]]]]
In Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, suburban areas (in the wider sense noted in the lead paragraph) have become formalized as geographic subdivisions of a city and are used by postal services in addressing. In rural areas in both countries, their equivalents are called localities (see [[Suburbs and localities (Australia)|suburbs and localities]]). The terms ''inner suburb'' and ''outer suburb'' are used to differentiate between the higher-density areas in proximity to the city center (which would not be referred to as 'suburbs' in most other countries), and the lower-density suburbs on the outskirts of the urban area. The term 'middle suburbs' is also used. [[Inner suburbs]], such as [[Te Aro]] in Wellington, [[Eden Terrace]] in Auckland, [[Prahran, Victoria|Prahran]] in Melbourne and [[Ultimo, New South Wales|Ultimo]] in Sydney, are usually characterized by higher density apartment housing and greater integration between commercial and residential areas.

In New Zealand, most suburbs are not legally defined, which can lead to confusion as to where they may begin and end.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://fyi.org.nz/request/7543-suburb-boundaries|title=Suburb boundaries – a Official Information Act request to Christchurch City Council|date=30 March 2018|work=FYI|access-date=20 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180420070632/https://fyi.org.nz/request/7543-suburb-boundaries|archive-date=20 April 2018|url-status=dead|language=en}}</ref> A geospatial dataset defining suburbs for use by emergency services is developed and maintained by [[Fire and Emergency New Zealand]] and is published<ref>{{Cite web|title=Fire and Emergency NZ Localities – Fire and Emergency NZ {{!}} {{!}} GIS Data Map Mapping {{!}} LINZ Data Service|url=https://data.linz.govt.nz/layer/104830-fire-and-emergency-nz-localities/|access-date=2021-09-21|website=data.linz.govt.nz}}</ref> under an open license.

===In the United Kingdom and Ireland===
[[File:Highfields2.jpg|thumb|[[Upper middle class]] suburban housing in [[Swords, Dublin]], Ireland. ]]
In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the term ''suburb'' simply refers to a residential area outside the city center, regardless of administrative boundaries.<ref name="Hollow 2011"/> Suburbs, in this sense, can range from areas that seem more like residential areas of a city proper to areas separated by open countryside from the city center. In large cities such as London and Leeds, many suburbs are formerly separate towns and villages that have been absorbed during a city's expansion, such as [[Ealing]], [[Bromley]], and [[Guiseley]]. In Ireland, this can be seen in the Dublin suburban areas of Swords, [[Blanchardstown]], and [[Tallaght]].

===In North America===
In the United States and Canada, ''suburb'' can refer either to an outlying residential area of a city or town or to a separate municipality or [[unincorporated area]] outside a town or city.{{citation needed|date=December 2021}}

Although a majority of Americans regard themselves as residents of suburban communities, the federal government of the United States has no formal definition for what constitutes a ''suburb'' in the United States, leaving its precise meaning disputed.<ref>{{cite news |last=Montgomery |first=David |date=7 July 2020 |title=How to Tell If You Live in the Suburbs |newspaper=Bloomberg.com |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-07-07/how-to-define-american-suburbs}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Brasuell |first=James |date=November 21, 2018 |title=According to the Federal Government, the Suburbs Don't Exist |url=https://www.planetizen.com/news/2018/11/101632-according-federal-government-suburbs-dont-exist |website=Planetizen}}</ref>

In Canada, the term may also be used in the British sense, especially as cities annex formerly outlying areas.{{citation needed|date=December 2021}}