company town

American  

noun

1. a town whose inhabitants are mainly dependent on one company for employment, housing, supplies, etc.

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company town British  

noun

1. a town built by a company for its employees

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Etymology

Origin of company town

An Americanism dating back to 1930–35

Example Sentences

One stumble reduces her to an outsider, forcing Cobel to return to the desperate company town where she grew up and designed inventions that Lumon stole, including the technology enabling the severance procedure.

From Salon

The Times’ Company Town senior editor Ryan Faughnder and staff writer Samantha Masunaga contributed to this report.

From Los Angeles Times

Pocahontas Fuel bought 1,000 acres and built a mine and mine camp that was a quintessential paternal company town.

From Salon

But unlike the other two, Seattle and San Francisco, Washington is not a technology hub but a company town that relies on a single employer to a degree not seen elsewhere.

From New York Times

To put it mildly, Plymouth Valley is a company town on steroids.

From Los Angeles Times