dormitory town

So called because workers return to the town to go home and sleep.

dormitory town (plural dormitory towns)

1. Synonym of bedroom community.
   • 2020 January 2, Graeme Pickering, “Fuelling the changes on Teesside rails”, in Rail, page 60:

     Whitby has grown up a lot since then. It's become a bit of a dormitory town in some ways for Teesside.