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When Britney Mikulik finishes her last class and hops into her car to head home, she doesn't arrive at a dorm, an apartment complex, a duplex or even a house at the end of her drive. Rather, Mikulik parks her car right in front of her single-wide trailer. Mikulik, a junior health major, has lived at Rolling Ridge Trailer Park for the past two years.
Rolling Ridge, which is tucked away off Rock Prairie Road, is one of several trailer parks in the Bryan-College Station area that is home to dozens of Texas A&M students.
"I lived in the dorms my freshman year and moved into a trailer with my brother, who already lived at Rolling Ridge," Mikulik said. "There are lots of students here, but a lot of families, too. It's a good mix."
James Wilson, a senior mechanical engineering major and three-year Rolling Ridge resident, also said that the trailer park community is heavily populated with students.
"There are several students who live here," Wilson said. "In the houses close to me there are about 10 to 15 students. I know there are lots more who live down the road, and there are quite a few in the rest of the park."
Like Mikulik, Wilson did not spend his first year of college living in a trailer. Prior to calling Rolling Ridge home, Wilson lived with his cousins.
"Some things came up, and I was going to have to move out," Wilson said. "My dad and I started looking at other housing options. Buying a house was just too expensive, so we sat down and thought about a trailer. We went out and priced a few, and knew that it was just going to be the right thing to do."
Wilson owns the trailer where he and his two roommates live.
"I bought the trailer from another student who lived here before me," Wilson said. "It's a good investment. I have a younger brother and several nieces and nephews who can live here in the future."
Living in his trailer has allowed Wilson freedoms that many students are forced to do without.
"Personally, as an engineer, I don't like spending time on campus," Wilson said. "I like coming home to a living room and my own bedroom. I have a dog, a yard, a place to barbecue and more storage space. That's more than a lot of students can say. We're always doing something, too. We throw a few parties. We like to grill a lot, and there's a park here that we go hang out at sometimes. Anything you think of, we've probably done it."
Matthew Kalina, a junior agricultural economics major and three-year Rolling Ridge resident, also enjoys the perks of trailer life of which Wilson speaks.
"For one thing, it's cheaper to live here," Kalina said. "There's a lot more freedom. We throw pretty good parties, and you don't get in trouble, so that's always good. I like just about everything about Rolling Ridge."
Mikulik and Wilson voice only one complaint about Rolling Ridge.
"If you don't mow your yard, they mow it for you and charge you $25," Mikulik said. "Sometimes you just don't have time to do it, so that's not cool."
The trio of Rolling Ridge residents also spoke highly of their close-knit trailer park community.
"I have a lot of friends here," Mikulik said. "We hang out with our neighbor across the road three or four times a week, and our neighbor next door comes over lots of times during the day."
Wilson is very close to his neighbors as well.
"There are students who live across and beside us that we're really close to," Wilson said. "We know each other so well that we don't even knock when we're going into someone else's house. You just go in and make yourself at home."
Mikulik, Wilson and Kalina are proud of their homes, but often have to deal with "trailer trash" remarks made by friends or fellow students.
"I get called 'trailer trash' all the time, and a lot of people will make jokes or stuff," Kalina said. "I really don't care. It's cool here."
Wilson, who has also endured numerous "trailer trash" jabs, said despite the jokes, many students respect his living arrangement.
"My friends make fun of me," Wilson said. "Sometimes they'll tell me to pull my trailer over or something, but I know they're just kidding. Actually, no one really looks down on me for living in a trailer. They really look up to the fact that I've bought the trailer. Trailer life is just a lot of fun. It's just a great option to have your own place."
