Levitt town was the first step to the suburban development. The town was created by Abraham Levitt and his two sons William and Alfred. The three men later decided to name their business Levitt and Sons, Inc. Many Americans wanted to move to the suburbs because families started to realize how valuable family life is after the war. They figured since live can be taken from you at any moment, you might as well take advantage of what you can when you can. Most of the people who aspired to live in Levitt Town were new parents and war veterans because they were both looking for a new fresh start where they feel secured. Because so many people were living up to their dreams of a safe community, Levitt Town became huge.
By 1960, a third of the nation's population was living in suburbs because the Levitt men made the so called "cape cod style houses" more affordable for families. Most of the houses were sold for under $10,000. William Levitt used mass production techniques to build many houses in Long Island and this was just the beginning. Between 1947 and 1964 Levitt and Sons built around 50,000 homes across the north east and created 700 house development named Les Residences du Chatau in France. Most of the houses were identical on the inside and over the years the style of the houses and other additions became more advanced such as pools, playgrounds, garages etc. Although it was very different to live in a neighborhood community rather than a city, the roles of society did not really change.
The suburbs were mainly whites because Levitt town did not rent or sell home's to negro or colored people. The Levitt's did not even sell houses to black veterans which made negro's very mad because they felt this was unfair because they served in the war just as much as the white people did. Bill Levitt said "originally we would not sell to a black person because it was an old story that if we sold to blacks, whites would not buy". But in 1954, racial segregation in the military ended, though blacks still lived in separate community's. The women in the suburbs were though to focus entirely on raising their children and home life.Women were not supposed to have jobs because they needed to "leave them for the men". Someone once said about Levitt Town, "Residents of Levittown achieved community by building it, both physically with brick and mortar, and socially with welcoming committees and neighborhood coffee, a place where a women taught each other to be great mothers while becoming even better friends". This quotation gives us an idea of how strong the community actually was in Levitt Town and how the suburbs actually brought people closer together.
The Levitt's reserved several hundred acres that became used for shopping sites. Shopping areas were five miles apart from the town so it was very easy to get to. Large chains started to appear such as food, clothes, drugs, housing equipment etc. The ownership's of the businesses were under the Levitt's control. These stores made life much easier for all of the residents living in the suburbs along with the automobile.
Transportation marked a huge event in suburban development. Cars made it that much easier to get around to where people needed to be. In 1958, the Interstate Highway Act connected all of the major cities in the Untied States with highways. The Interstate Highway Act made traveling from city to city possible and much faster. When the Interstate Highway was built, people started to realize that they needed places to go on the side of the rode that would give people a break from driving or maybe even a bite to eat. Malls, motels, fast food, and drive in theaters were immediately built and are still thankfully here today. The first shopping center was in Kansas city in 1920, and this only was the beginning of malls. By 1970, there were 4,000 malls just in the United States! Department stores also became huge such as Macy's and Gimbles in New York, Marshall field in Chicago, and Foely's in Houston. Grocery stores expanded and driveways and garages were being added on to houses because of the automobiles. The Interstate Highway Act was definitely the reason for all of this to be possible. Since the federal state and government payed for the roads and the automobile industry sold and made the cars, everything and everyone was starting to work together to make America the amazing country it is today. The central city population was 30% in 1986 and most were blacks and Hispanics.
This project really has made me open my eyes to see how different our community would be today if we did not have suburban development. Without suburban development, I think the United States would not be near as connected and there would probably be more crimes without having the safe feeling of a actual neighborhood. I did not really have any trouble finding information because the the change from urban to suburban development was a huge mark in history so it was pretty easy to find. I really did enjoy this topic for my paper because it really does make you think twice about your country and where you live and how blessed you really are to live in such a great place.
Growing Pains of a New City- AVL- I used this link to show the ups and downs of Levitt Town
The Levitt's reserved several hundred acres that became used for shopping sites. Shopping areas were five miles apart from the town so it was very easy to get to. Large chains started to appear such as food, clothes, drugs, housing equipment etc. The ownership's of the businesses were under the Levitt's control. These stores made life much easier for all of the residents living in the suburbs along with the automobile.
Transportation marked a huge event in suburban development. Cars made it that much easier to get around to where people needed to be. In 1958, the Interstate Highway Act connected all of the major cities in the Untied States with highways. The Interstate Highway Act made traveling from city to city possible and much faster. When the Interstate Highway was built, people started to realize that they needed places to go on the side of the rode that would give people a break from driving or maybe even a bite to eat. Malls, motels, fast food, and drive in theaters were immediately built and are still thankfully here today. The first shopping center was in Kansas city in 1920, and this only was the beginning of malls. By 1970, there were 4,000 malls just in the United States! Department stores also became huge such as Macy's and Gimbles in New York, Marshall field in Chicago, and Foely's in Houston. Grocery stores expanded and driveways and garages were being added on to houses because of the automobiles. The Interstate Highway Act was definitely the reason for all of this to be possible. Since the federal state and government payed for the roads and the automobile industry sold and made the cars, everything and everyone was starting to work together to make America the amazing country it is today. The central city population was 30% in 1986 and most were blacks and Hispanics.
This project really has made me open my eyes to see how different our community would be today if we did not have suburban development. Without suburban development, I think the United States would not be near as connected and there would probably be more crimes without having the safe feeling of a actual neighborhood. I did not really have any trouble finding information because the the change from urban to suburban development was a huge mark in history so it was pretty easy to find. I really did enjoy this topic for my paper because it really does make you think twice about your country and where you live and how blessed you really are to live in such a great place.
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| Levitt Town |
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| Levitt Town Family |
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| "Cape Cod" Style House |
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| Gimbels |
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| Automobile |
Levitt Town-AVL I used this source to learn about Levitt Town
A Brief History of the Growth of Suburbs- I used this source to learn about how suburbs started
History Book- I used this book to see how Levitt Town started suburbs
Suburbia- AVL- I used this source to see all the different percents of people in America living in city's and suburbs
The Automobile Shapes the City- I used this source to learn about how the automobile made a huge impact for suburban life
Levitt Town's racial conflict- I used this source to learn how Levitt Town made some unfair decisions
