company town.

A town whose economy is dominated by or dependent on a single company, often employing most local workers.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• mining company town
• former company town
• company-town housing

On the page

In the company town, losing a job could also mean losing a house.

The union held its meeting beyond the company town's boundary.

When the mine closed, the company town had to invent another reason to exist.

Usage notes

Primary category: setting. In many historical company towns, the employer also owned housing or provided major services. Broader usage can identify a town through its dependence on one dominant employer. Merely hosting a large business is not enough if the wider local economy remains independent. Plural: company towns. No other inflection applies to this noun.