The tiny house movement has been gaining momentum for a solid decade now, but 2016 has proven that these babies are here for the long haul (wheels or no wheels). While these majorly downsized homes were initially seen as little more than another fleeting trend for fans of the DIY network and HGTV to marvel at, serious advances to get them off of America’s Pinterest boards, blogs, and TV screens and onto the streets have been made in the past year, as people are standing up to big city zoning and looking to the tiny house model to inspire change. As the tiny house has gained popularity, so have the benefits and incentives associated with owning one of these sub-500 square foot creations, including the prospect of a simpler lifestyle, intrigue of reduced costs, and lesser environmental impact that tiny homes tend to have. Dallas, Nashville, Denver, San Francisco, Seattle, and Portland are among the cities that already permit tiny home construction, and many more may soon follow thanks to action being taken by people across the nation to change their local zoning laws. If the tiny house movement continues on this upward trend, pretty soon, the whole country could be tiny house-friendly.