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Bordering four of the five Great Lakes and being known as the birthplace of the automobile industry, the state of Michigan is firmly rooted in the transportation industry. As a result, it’s not a big surprise that one of the staples of the shipping industry – shipping containers – is being put to good use in Michigan.

Shipping containers are built to last decades. When properly stored and maintained, they can withstand hundreds of trips by sea, rail, or roadway. Typically, a used shipping container can have a service life of at least 10-12 years in harsh environments like the sea and still be in good enough shape to be refurbished for many other purposes.

Shipping container uses in Pennsylvania vary widely, partially because the state is so large and the landscape varies. There are big cities (Pittsburgh and Philadelphia), rural areas (Lancaster County), and areas bordering water (Erie). Shipping containers are being customized and refurbished for storage, mobile offices, entertainment venues, or even modular housing or cabins.

From wide-open spaces in Maine and New Hampshire to the mountains in Upstate New York to city life in New Jersey and Massachusetts, the Northeastern part of the United States consists of a variety of industries, lifestyles, and pace. But what all these areas have in common is the need for cost-effective storage, commercial business and housing options. That's where shipping containers come in.

There are a ton of creative and practical applications for used shipping containers. They can be used for much more than just shipping or storing materials. Did you know you could live in a shipping container or convert one into an office or a café? When it comes to shipping container usage, the sky's the limit.

From safely shipping weapons and equipment in the 1940s and 50s to re-purposing them as mobile offices and barracks or barriers during training, the military has been taking advantage of the benefits of using shipping containers (also known as Conex boxes) for decades.

The Dallas-Fort Worth region is home to the Cowboys, Exxon Mobil, Texas Instruments, Southwest Airlines and other big businesses. It’s also becoming a hotbed for shipping container architecture as individuals and commercial businesses gravitate toward re-purposing used containers for a variety of building projects and storage facilities.

From tiny shipping container homes in Salida, Colorado, near the Arkansas River to the 29 shipping containers that serve as stores and restaurants in RiNo’s entertainment hot spot in Denver, shipping container architecture is booming in Colorado.

Shipping containers are everywhere. They’re on ships, trains and trucks transporting goods all over the world, used to store business and personal items, converted into homes and hotels, and modified for rental storage facilities. Constructing massive amounts of these huge steel boxes capable of withstanding harsh weather and environmental hazards is no easy task.

While there are only so many brick-and-mortar hospitals and treatment centers available, sometimes it’s necessary to find creative ways to provide critical care when and where it’s needed. One trend that has emerged in the past few years – and even more recently with the COVID-19 pandemic – is converting shipping containers into “pop-up” medical treatment or storage facilities.

There are plenty of options for those who like the unique architecture and functionality of a Conex home but lack the imagination and building skills to create their own outside-the-box design. There are shipping container home design companies specializing in designing and building Conex container homes and offering customers various basic floor plan ideas.

While most buyers ultimately choose a more common or popular style, some dare to be different by embracing home designs that are unique or trendy. One option gaining momentum is converting a shipping container into a residence. According to a study by Allied Market Research, the global shipping container homes market is expected to reach $73,070.5 million by 2025, up from $44,768.6 million in 2017.