# What is the highest number of people you've ever shared a residence with? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 11, 2011, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-highest-number-of-people-youve-ever-shared-a-residence-with/602552 "2011-11-11T00:46:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2011, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-highest-number-of-people-youve-ever-shared-a-residence-with/602552/21 "2011-11-11T13:03:41Z")
When I was in college I shared a house with 5 guys. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2011, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-highest-number-of-people-youve-ever-shared-a-residence-with/602552/22 "2011-11-11T15:51:20Z")
When I was 5 my uncle, aunt and 2 cousins moved in for a year. There were 8 of us and a dog in our 1200-square-foot house. I thought it was amazingly awesome to be able to share a room with my big brother (he was 7). I’ve always been a fan of his! I do remember the experiment came to an end shortly after the episode where I climbed a tree and screamed bloody murder at my cousin and my aunt, who obviously must have been being bitches. We had a fine relationship for 25 years after that, but oddly enough I don’t speak to either of them anymore (my uncle and my other cousin, we’re fine). ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2011, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-highest-number-of-people-youve-ever-shared-a-residence-with/602552/23 "2011-11-11T15:56:38Z")
1. Oh, all right, when you don’t count a dorm then my answer is 5. Mom, Dad, Vynce, great-Grammy, and me. She had late-stage Alzheimer’s and we lived with her the last year of her life so my dying grandfather’s request that she not be put in a home was honored. She only outlived him by four months, but they were the longest four months of our lives. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2011, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-highest-number-of-people-youve-ever-shared-a-residence-with/602552/24 "2011-11-11T16:09:11Z")
There were a few thousand people in my college dorm. ---
**Author:** ![YoDoc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/e68b1a/32.png) [@YoDoc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YoDoc)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2011, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-highest-number-of-people-youve-ever-shared-a-residence-with/602552/25 "2011-11-11T16:21:05Z")
> [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](#): > > Oh, yes of course. I wasn’t clear enough. I know you guys in the military are gonna have the highest numbers. 😛 Not counting military, it would be 10. Me, three sisters, mom, step-dad, there’s six. We took in my aunt and her three kids after a divorce, for about three months. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2011, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-highest-number-of-people-youve-ever-shared-a-residence-with/602552/26 "2011-11-11T16:31:52Z")
Aside from college dorms where at least 100 other guys were staying, the most I had was a boarding house in Birmingham one summer with maybe 30 guys. ---
**Author:** ![kushiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kushiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kushiel)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2011, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-highest-number-of-people-youve-ever-shared-a-residence-with/602552/27 "2011-11-11T16:46:20Z")
I lived with my parents and my brother, but I don’t really remember it too much, so I just count my parents. There were 3 of us and I loved the space. Now I live on my own and love it. I have a friend with a chaotic household full of people, and it drives me nuts. ---
**Author:** ![GESancMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gesancman/32/2923_2.png) [@GESancMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GESancMan)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2011, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-highest-number-of-people-youve-ever-shared-a-residence-with/602552/28 "2011-11-11T18:20:41Z")
I only have one brother, so growing up it was just my parents and the two of us. After I moved out, I had a roommate from time to time; at one point I lived with a couple. Five years ago, after living by myself for nine years, I thought I could handle moving into a house with my friend and his fiance, and her brother, sister and sister’s boyfriend. I was 35, they were all in their twenties. It lasted four months. Never again! ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2011, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-highest-number-of-people-youve-ever-shared-a-residence-with/602552/29 "2011-11-11T18:42:52Z")
In basic training we had 4 people in two sets of bunk beds to a 12X12 room, 8 rooms to a wing. One bathroom with 6 showers and toilets. HATED it. ---
**Author:** ![rhubarbarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2011, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-highest-number-of-people-youve-ever-shared-a-residence-with/602552/30 "2011-11-11T18:57:51Z")
Excepting the nuthouse and summer camp: my mother, two sisters and I lived with my aunt, uncle, their two young daughters, and my grandmother for about 6 months, in a 3-bedroom 1 1/2 bath house. My mom shared a bed with my grandmother, I shared the bottom bunk with my cousin, my sisters shared the top bunk. I don’t remember it feeling crowded at all. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2011, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-highest-number-of-people-youve-ever-shared-a-residence-with/602552/31 "2011-11-12T00:50:03Z")
Not counting the military or the homeless shelter, 11. Mom, Dad, and 9 siblings in a three (or was it four) bed two and two half-bath split level. Having at least one sibling not around is something of a tradition. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2011, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-highest-number-of-people-youve-ever-shared-a-residence-with/602552/32 "2011-11-12T00:51:53Z")
6 adult males (immature) in a one bedroom apartment. ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2011, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-highest-number-of-people-youve-ever-shared-a-residence-with/602552/33 "2011-11-12T01:04:59Z")
I once had four roommates; never again will I share my abode with anyone. ---
**Author:** ![Ichbin\_Dubist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/51bf81/32.png) [@Ichbin\_Dubist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ichbin_Dubist)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2011, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-highest-number-of-people-youve-ever-shared-a-residence-with/602552/34 "2011-11-12T02:16:56Z")
For one summer right after college I lived in an 8-bedroom converted boarding house with 14 people. Lord knows who was on the lease. There were two bathrooms, plus a toilet and sink in the middle of a hall (which must have been knocked through for fire safety reasons). The fridge was a nightmare. I think I may have eaten every meal at a cheap Lebanese place across the street. ---
**Author:** ![Ignatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/3be4f8/32.png) [@Ignatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignatz)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2011, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-highest-number-of-people-youve-ever-shared-a-residence-with/602552/35 "2011-11-12T02:30:02Z")
Personally, 7-Ma, Pa, Sis, Bro, Grandpa for my first 5 years, and an Aunt. Militarily, several dozen, at Great Lakes Naval Training Station boot camp, and later on board \*USS Springfield \*(CLG7) in the flag allowance berthing area. ---
**Author:** ![newcomer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e5b9ba/32.png) [@newcomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newcomer)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2011, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-highest-number-of-people-youve-ever-shared-a-residence-with/602552/36 "2011-11-12T03:00:04Z")
Does industrial type building turned prison camp holding about 200 people within 4 walls for 43 days count? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2011, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-highest-number-of-people-youve-ever-shared-a-residence-with/602552/37 "2011-11-12T03:49:47Z")
Two roommates at one point after I was out of college. Both female. This was in 1974, so I didn’t see any big deal when **Three’s Company** started airing. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2011, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-highest-number-of-people-youve-ever-shared-a-residence-with/602552/38 "2011-11-12T04:57:00Z")
> [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](#): > > When I was young, we often lived with other family because we were all so poor. > SNIP > Anyone else ever live with a lot of people for an extended time? Do you ever miss it, or would it drive you bonkers? I can say there were pros and cons from my point of view. I’d love to hear your stories. We were basically poor as well. Vacation was usually one or two families going to live with a third for a week or two. The usual form had 6-7 adults and 9-12 kids in a three bedroom, one bath row house. Once when one branch of kin were having especially bad times they moved in with us making 5 adults and 7 kids in a three bedroom, one bath house for most of a year. I don’t miss it because we still do it now and then when needed. During the floods and evacuations this summer we had 10 people in a three room apartment for most of a week and we still sometimes take joint vacations together with 10-20 of us sharing a house somewhere. We’re family, we love each other, we grew up with it, and that’s just how it is. ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2011, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-highest-number-of-people-youve-ever-shared-a-residence-with/602552/39 "2011-11-12T11:20:26Z")
> [@newcomer](#): > > Does industrial type building turned prison camp holding about 200 people within 4 walls for 43 days count? Well, for the sake of a good story, sure. ---
**Author:** ![Cap\_n\_Obvious](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e56c9b/32.png) [@Cap\_n\_Obvious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cap_n_Obvious)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2011, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-highest-number-of-people-youve-ever-shared-a-residence-with/602552/40 "2011-11-12T12:22:02Z")
If we’re including dorm type situations, then it’d be 60 people for me for the most I ever lived with. 3 people to a room that measured 5’ wide by 8’ long. Bunks were assigned by who’d been in the room longest. The guy who’d been there longest got top bunk, the second guy got bottom buck, and the newest guy got the mattress on the floor by the toilet. I was the new guy in my room. The dorm had 20 rooms like this, and us inmates were kept locked in those rooms from 10pm to 7 am through the week, and 11pm to 5 am on weekends. When the doors were unlocked, we had a common room that measured 20’ long by maybe 110’ wide. In this common area was 3 shower stalls with no doors and thin, flimsy curtains, 1 old dial operated tv with broken rabbit ears, and a picnic table. We were let out of the dorm for 1 hour each day to go outside on a blacktop court, and once each Sunday and Wednesday evening for an hour for worship service. Even those of us who weren’t Christian went just to get out of that dorm. I never did convince anyone that a prison library consisting of Harlequin romance novels and 40 year old National Geographic was cruel and unusual punishment. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-highest-number-of-people-youve-ever-shared-a-residence-with/602552.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-highest-number-of-people-youve-ever-shared-a-residence-with/602552.md?page=3)