Vintage trailer parks are just as cool as vintage mobile homes so of course we cover them too. Today, we’ll take a look at the Parsley Trailer Park, America’s first park in Sarasota Florida.
Parsley Trailer Park
This first few images are of the Parsley Trailer Park outside of St. Petersburg, Florida in a smaller town called Redington Shores.
The founder of the 25-acre park was W.R. Parsley and from the little information I was able to round up he seemed like a fair man with keen business sense. He founded the park at a time when travel trailers were the name of the game, not the permanent year-round homes they later became. It was a bet on a business that may or may not have been profitable. Yet he seemed to understand the significance that mobile housing was making on the country and it paid off tremendously – in 2003 the park was sold for $28 million dollars.
The nation has enjoyed a slew of gorgeous, and famous, mobile home parks. Some of the most successful were in Florida and California, though Arizona shouldn’t be left out. Anywhere the sun was sure to shine was a perfect spot for a park!
Other Great Trailer Parks
The next image is of the Trumbo Hotel and Trailer Park and is an illustration made in the late 1930s.
The Vagabond Trailer Park in Spokane, WA is as iconic for its gorgeous landscaping and unique setting. I need to live here.
The Hollywood Beach Trailer Park in sunny Florida was a prime place to visit for the winter or call home for the entire year. Source: vintagetrailercamp.com
There’s not much online about the Willow Trailer Park in Long Beach California (compared to other famous parks).
Trailer Park Signs
Every park needs a sign! More than just advertising, these signs have become iconic and collector’s items of the most die-hard collectors.
The Blue Skies Village neon sign is one of the most famous and recognizable park signs. Blue Skies was founded by an A-list movie stars of the 1950’s and is still going strong. One of the most unique aspects of Blue Skies is the fact that residents own the land instead of leasing it. Properties now go for an average of $880,000 and the HOA fees are only around $240 per month. Compared to home prices in the surrounding neighborhoods this is a great deal.
Related: This Iconic Vintage Mobile Home in Blue Skies Village is too Cool.
More trailer park signs follow. I wasn’t able to find specific information about them but just looking at them makes me smile. I hope they will do the same for you!
Trailer parks get a bad reputation but they shouldn’t. Of course, not all of them are perfect but they each have their own advantages and benefits. To disregard parks is to disregard American history and cast off millions of people.
Related: Advantages and Disadvantages of Mobile Home Parks.
A park is full of people from all walks of life. Some are good, some are great, some don’t deserve the air they breathe, but those same people are found in every neighborhood in America. We, as a society, must stop judging those that live in a park. They are just as worthy as someone living in a million dollar mansion – if you ask me, they are even more worthy of our respect because it’s the middle and lower class that carries this nation to greatness day in and day out. Bless them all.
Thank you for reading Mobile Home Living!
Crystal, Could you tell where to locate existing vintage mobile home parks in the US? Thanks so much, Susana
Hi Susana,
I will get an article written up with some of the vintage mobile home parks I’ve heard about as soon as possible. That would be helpful for so many people – thank you so much for suggesting it!
It’s gonna take me a bit to research but till then I found these two:
http://www.theshadydell.com/
https://www.the-vintages.com/
Thank you so much!
There are some parks full of classic mobile homes, many in excellent condition, visible from Route 60 crossing Clearwater, FL.
We are a mobile home community, open since 1957. We have gone through some tough times, but seem to be coming back strong. Any PRO-Mobile Home info or pics are great!
Hello! Your beautiful park couldn’t be situated in a better spot, huh? I bet the fishing is awesome!! So glad you found MMHL – good mobile home parks are so vitally important to our country and the good ones should be honored and respected. If there’s anything I can do to help just let me know!