Tent city facts for kids
A tent city is a place where many tents or other temporary shelters are set up close together. People live in these tents for a while.
Governments or military groups sometimes create tent cities to house people who have had to leave their homes, like refugees, or to provide living spaces for soldiers. Organizations like UNICEF help by providing tents for millions of people who have been displaced.
Sometimes, people who are homeless or who are protesting something might set up their own tent cities without official permission. These informal tent cities can be similar to shanty towns, which are settlements where buildings are made from leftover materials.
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What is a Tent City?
Tent cities are temporary places where people live in tents. They can be set up for different reasons, from helping people in need to housing soldiers or even for big events.
Military Camps
In the military, a "tent city" means temporary living areas on military bases. These are often in places where soldiers are deployed, like Bosnia and Herzegovina or Iraq. Depending on how long the camp is there, it might have modern comforts. For health reasons, bathrooms and laundry areas are usually set up a bit away from where people sleep. Tents are also grouped in small clusters to help stop fires from spreading quickly.
After Disasters
After big events like Hurricane Katrina in 2005, tent cities were used to house people who lost their homes. Some of these tents were built with wooden frames and had heating, air conditioning, and lights, but no indoor plumbing. These temporary homes were meant for people to stay for a few months until they could find more permanent housing.
Tent Cities for Homeless People
Many tent cities are created by or for people who are homeless. These communities offer a temporary place to stay when other housing isn't available.
In Canada
Toronto, Ontario
Toronto, Canada, once had a well-known "Tent City" near its waterfront. Hundreds of homeless people lived there until 2002, when they were asked to leave by the property owner. After this, Toronto started programs to help these residents find apartments. A journalist named Shaughnessy Bishop-Stall even lived there for a year and wrote a book about his experiences.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, new tent cities appeared in Toronto's public parks.
In the United States
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Tent cities have a long history in many U.S. cities, often growing due to a lack of affordable housing.
Camp Hope: Las Cruces, New Mexico
Camp Hope in Las Cruces, New Mexico, is a special project that helps homeless people by letting them camp in a safe place. It's part of a larger campus with agencies that offer services like healthcare, job help, and housing assistance. Camp Hope can house about 50 people, giving them a safe spot and easy access to help. It started in 2011 and became a permanent campground in 2013.
Second Chance Village: Akron, Ohio
In Akron, Ohio, a group called Second Chance Village, made up of homeless and formerly homeless people, ran a tent city from 2017 to 2019. It was on private land, but the city council eventually voted against allowing it to stay. The tents had to be removed, but the group still works to help people in secret locations around the city.
California
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Homelessness in California is a big problem, with many people living without stable homes. Tent cities are common in areas like Tenderloin, San Francisco and Skid Row, Los Angeles. News stories have highlighted how economic problems have led many people, who once owned homes, to live in tents.
Minneapolis, Minnesota
After the murder of George Floyd in mid-2020, many homeless encampments appeared in parks across Minneapolis. The city's park board tried allowing these camps for a while, but they were all closed by January 2021.
Olympia, Washington
Camp Quixote in Olympia, Washington, started as a protest by homeless people and their supporters against city rules. A church offered the camp a safe place on its property, arguing that churches have a right to offer sanctuary to those in need. This led to talks with city officials, and the camp was allowed to stay with certain rules. This tent city is now being turned into permanent housing called Quixote Village.
Seattle, Washington
Seattle has had organized tent cities, like Tent City 3 and 4, which are supported by groups like SHARE/WHEEL. Many residents of these camps work, but they don't earn enough to afford permanent housing. After some legal discussions, these tent cities are now allowed on private land if invited and follow certain rules. Another camp, called "Nickelsville" by its residents, was named to protest the mayor's actions against homeless camps.
Camden, New Jersey
In Camden, New Jersey, a community of 50 to 150 people lived in a tent city called Transition Park. Efforts were made to find housing for them. In 2010, a pastor and his non-profit group raised money to move 54 residents into a hotel for at least a year, hoping to help them find stability. However, many still faced homelessness afterward.
Woodbridge, Virginia
Since about 2003, a tent city has existed near the Potomac Mills mall in Woodbridge, Virginia. It's on private land and has been allowed by the owner, though some residents were asked to leave in 2018.
Other Locations
Tent cities can also be found in many other places across the United States, including:
- Ann Arbor, Michigan
- Chattanooga, Tennessee
- Columbus, Ohio
- Atlanta, Georgia
- Reno, Nevada
- Sacramento, California
- San Diego, California
- San Francisco
- Oakland, California
- Lakewood, New Jersey
- Lowell, Massachusetts
- Nashville, Tennessee
- St. Louis, Missouri
- Buffalo, New York
Famous Tent Cities and Events
Tent cities aren't just for housing people in need; they've also been part of historical events and unique gatherings.
1913 Gettysburg Reunion
In 1913, for the 50th anniversary of the American Civil War Battle of Gettysburg, the U.S. Department of War set up a huge tent city. It housed over 50,000 Civil War veterans who came to the reunion.
Hajj Pilgrimage
The government of Saudi Arabia has a permanent tent city in Mina for Muslim pilgrims performing the Hajj. This is where a ritual called the Stoning of the Devil takes place. Another tent city is set up at Mount Arafat. Since millions of pilgrims attend the Hajj each year, these tent cities are very crowded. To make them safer, fireproof tents have been used since the late 1990s.
Gold Rushes
During the Klondike Gold Rush (1896–1899) in Alaska and Canada, many tent camps were built along the routes to the gold fields. For example, at Lake Bennett, where the Yukon River begins, a large camp appeared. Later, during the Nome Gold Rush (1899–1909), a tent city stretched for 30 miles along the coast of Nome, Alaska.
Persepolis Celebration
For the 2,500-year celebration of Iran's monarchy in 1971, the Shah of Iran built a very fancy tent city in the desert next to the ancient ruins of Persepolis. This luxurious camp hosted international guests and was inspired by a famous historical meeting between kings in 1520.
Other Uses of Tent Cities
Civil Rights Movement
Tent City in Fayette County, Tennessee, was an encampment for Black people who were forced from their homes and denied basic services. This happened because they registered to vote during the early days of the Civil Rights Movement.
University Events
- At West Virginia University in 2014, hundreds of students camped out in "Tent City" before a big ESPN college football show.
- In 1977, protesters at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, set up a tent city for over 60 days. They were trying to stop the university from building a gym where the Kent State shootings had happened in 1970. The protest ended with arrests, but it brought national attention to their cause.
Protests
The Occupy movement was a worldwide protest that often featured tent cities set up in parks in various cities. These camps were a way for protesters to gather and make their voices heard.
Temporary Jails
In Maricopa County, Arizona, a "Tent City" jail was created in 1993 to help with overcrowding. The sheriff decided that if military tents were good enough for soldiers, they could be used for inmates. This tent jail could hold over 2,400 inmates and was closed in 2017.
