Suburban Edge municipalities are on the edge of the Metropolitan Urban Service Area (MUSA) and primarily developed after the 1990s. While denser downtown or core areas are often present, the predominate development pattern is low- or medium-density residential subdivisions characterized by cul-de-sacs and limited access to major thoroughfares for traffic movement. These areas also feature extensive undeveloped land planned for low to medium residential densities along with some areas guided for industrial and commercial uses, often near highway intersections.

The planning challenge in Suburban Edge areas is to improve street connectivity and integrate sustainable development practices, ensuring that growth and conservation effectively coexist. Suburban Edge cities may have more than one community designation based on forecasted growth and current or planned development patterns. This happens generally when areas in a municipality either have an historic development pattern more appropriate for a different designation or portions of the municipality are not currently planned for future development and are still considered rural or agricultural in nature.