Merriam-Webster defines “lofty” as “elevated in character and spirit”; “noble”; “elevated in status”; “superior” and “rising to a great height. Today’s urban loft dwellers would agree with all those definitions as they embrace new-age metropolitan living in all its glory.

Residential lofts became a phenomenon in the late 20th century when living quarters were carved from within big-city industrial and commercial spaces. But loft living is now not confined to places like New York, Boston or Chicago. In locations as diverse as Long Beach, St. Louis and San Francisco, the demand for lofts has been satisfied by creative property developers as an alternative to suburban sprawl.. Those who buy these unique dwellings have shaken off long daily commutes, granting them more personal time, more cultural and entertainment possibilities and an active, city lifestyle.

Urban revitalization has spurred the attractiveness of loft living across the country, with developers reaping substantial investment capital and tax breaks from urban rehabilitation agencies whose sites are set on lowering property crime and creating neighborhoods based either on public transit or two legged transportation instead of the four-wheeled variety.

Usually created from buildings originally designed for commercial rather than residential use, lofts began sprouting up in New York about 50 years ago, when vacant warehouses were taken overby local artists as live/work environments. The loft’s popularity stems from its architectural appeal which include high ceilings (up to 25 feet),abundant open space, few walls, huge windows, seasoned wood floors, exposed raw surfaces and ventilation ducts (in some cases), brick walls and skylights.

Early lofts made do with hot plates for cooking tasks and buckets set on counters for dishwashing; freight elevators or stairwells served as access, and bathrooms with bathing facilities were indeed considered a luxury.

Lofts available today are customarily not in the affordability range of the struggling artist, however, warranting price tags anywhere from the hundred thousands to $1 million and up. Detailed with granite countertops, state-of-the-art lighting, structured wiring systems, deeded underground parking spaces and smiling doormen, loft complexes now are oftentimes built from the ground up on spaces where entire teardowns have taken place within city blocks. Courtyards, rooftop gardens and pools create colorful recreational spaces, softening the gray masses of concrete, glass and steel beams. And no one appreciates city lights more than those who choose to stay within their glow as the sun sets each night.

Jeanie Straub wrote about the new genre of “loft snobs” in her 1998 contribution to The Boulder County Business Report. She describes how lower downtown Denver (or LoDo as it is called by Denverites) contains both real lofts (those converted from authentic, turn-of-the-century industrial spaces) and high-end condos marketed as lofts for the appealing sound of the word and the popularity it has generated.

Loft living is not conducive to nuclear family living, as would be surmised, generally most appealing to single professionals and DINKs (dual-income-no-kids).

“You just don’t see school buses driving down Folsom Street,” admits The Mark Company’s Mike Broermann, sales consultant for Yerba Buena Lofts in the heart of San Francisco’s former warehouse district. “Although we will gladly sell our lofts to anyone who is interested, most people who buy here have a different lifestyle in mind.”

The new 200-loft YBL community touts its location within walking distance to San Francisco’s financial district, Bloomingdale’s, The Museum of Modern Art, and some of the city’s best restaurants, and, for the baseball fans among us, the stunningly brand-new Pac Bell Park.

Personally touring the new YBL lofts is an experience in itself. One drives into the underground parking garage, where a kindly attendant indicates a specially marked parking space for visitors. Signs show the way to the sales office, in part a live/work loft itself. “Those were the first to go,” says Broermann. When asked what line of workwas involved for those who purchased these units, he responds excitedly, talking of architects, artists, attorneys, professional consultants and designers.

Waiting to be escorted on a tour of the model lofts-homes, one notices that the sales office is “Feng Shui” correct, complete with straight, precise lines, bold but pleasing colors against the gray concrete walls, glass cases displaying matching but perfectly placed items of interest, and sales people dressed in identical shirts to add to the homogeneous atmosphere. Minimalism is the word of the day, but its effect is pleasing and relaxing to the eye.

Residents of the building greet the tour escort with smiles and comments as potential buyers enter the elevator, used for group tours when prospects gather at the sales office. We are taken to various sized loft homes, some with more walls than others within their floorplans, but all becoming more appealing as I begin to imagine what life would be like in them. Bedroom spaces are accessed by spiral staircases near efficient, state-of-the-art kitchens down below, and huge, floor-to-ceiling windows let the mid-summer San Francisco light flood their interiors. I am told that the builder provides professional movers with forklifts to place furniture pieces in the lofts’ upper level, and the thick concrete walls, paired with inches-thick multi-paned glass shuts out city noise, so no question goes unanswered.

Reasons for buying dwellings such as these are not difficult to come up with in San Francisco, where land is gold and space is relatively non-existent. Buying a piece of downtown San Francisco is an investment in itself. The SOMA (South of Market Area) was once a sea of bustling warehouses and industrial spaces, bordered by colorful, ethnic neighborhoods (where my own immigrant grandparents ran a corner mom-and-pop grocery store) and leading down to the city’s Embarcadero, where ships entered San Francisco Bay, their fog horns echoing in its legendary mist..

As residential real estate becomes more and more precious, new urban neighborhoods are causing the cosmopolitan atmosphere to expand, demanding higher and higher prices as they are built. First-phase purchasers of these San Francisco homes no doubt smile all the way to the bank as they see how subsequent prices continue to rise.

Citified loft-living is not for everyone. The single-family home with the white picket fence remains the most commonly held vision of the American Dream. But as Baby Boomers and financially successful Gen X’ers continue to reject long commutes and embrace the excitement of city life, loft living can serve as an attractive alternative to suburban living, adding delightfully attractive elements to once-drab urban areas.