suburbs
In first century B.C., Cicero refers to the large country estates just outside Rome as suburbani, but truthfully suburbs, as you know them, are somewhat new. Suburbs have existed in forms, such as when cities were walled and the villages outside them were inferior in size and status. It wasn't until the 20th century when the suburbs became known. Most suburban communities in the United States grew spontaneously, although some were planned by architects and real- estate developers. Some communities failed. These included Forest hills Garden, and others strived and are still here today, Levittown , for example, though the main reason that suburbs were becoming popular was because of the decline of the cities. The rise of the suburban industrial parks and shopping centers led to the further decline of the city. Congestion in the central city and the resulting deterioration of living conditions gave an additional incentive for people to move to the suburbs. People were anxious for clean, less expensive, safe places for their children. Typical families, moving into a suburban house, were looking for the "three S's: space, sanitation and security" (Stilgoe 23). Suburban communities allowed people to live
The idea of having three styles came from Mrs. As houses were built, the objective was class. In the Levittown, Pennsylvania, they also drew a number of blue- collar workers and what Levitt officials had called marginal buyers. Many people has thought that the husband and wife had switched roles. As Levittown was built, the house were smaller versions of the expensive ones that the firm had built previously. Many put it as, 'to own out own home" (Gans 32) A building firm by the name of Levitt and Sons built a number of small suburban subdivisons on Long Island, priced to appeal to the upper middle class. Harold Wattel's "Father will do the family's weekly food shopping while mother may help paint the house; the male will help maintain the tile floors while the female will represent the family at a civic meeting; the husband will participate actively in the local PTA, while the wife keeps the family's monthly (Hales 2). With the firms goal to create a working community they took in mind people and cost. Despite the popularity of basement and spilt level designs, Levitt's firm refused to build them until the late 1960s. Most people wanted both ownership and a freestanding house, but the desire for ownership was more frequently the desire for a single-family house. Until the state enforced the non-discimination law, salesmen not only refused to sell to a black family, but also would not talk to or even show a house to them. Three fourths of the Levittowners were lower middle class cultured, some blue and white collar and few professionals, the people that completed college (Gans 27). Marginal buyers were people who could not really afford the house, but who were qualified because of having no down payment. Young couples were mostly attracted because of the ability to move into a half finished suburban house and where they were able to create their own atmosphere.
Common topics in this essay:
City Levittown,
BC Cicero,
Wattel's Father,
Levitt Sons,
Segregation Levittown,
Levittown Pennsylvania,
Alfred Levitt,
Jewish Hispanics,
Levittown NY,
middle class,
Island Trees,
marginal buyers,
houses built,
suburban communities,
suburban house,
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