This article studies the evolution of the social meanings that suburban housings in new cities bear on the middle classes that live there. Several reasons could explain the drop in status that they experience (subjective approach) and that is measured with statistical data (objective approach). They deal with the socio-demographic evolutions of the suburban areas as well as with the personal and family path in life of part of the middle management who have experienced professional instability and unemployment since the 1980s. Moreover, as years go by, the issue of the maintenance of the ageing suburban areas strengthens tensions with the left-wing city council representatives. It reveals the underlying political issues linked to the representation of the suburban middle classes on the local political scene.