Land of my birth. Sorry Mom, I like Morrisville just a little better.
Levittown at 60: Still thriving and affordable
Posted: Sunday, June 24, 2012 6:00 am | Updated: 7:31 pm, Fri Jun 22, 2012.
It is sadly ironic that, as we celebrate the 60th anniversary of Levittown, perhaps the birthplace of the suburban middle class, America’s middle class today is struggling like never before.
That was hardly the case in June 1952. The Greatest Generation had recently returned from the greatest conflict in world history. Fortified with the benefits of the GI Bill, our nation’s gracious thank you to the heroes of World War II, veterans had their pick of the plentiful jobs available. Or they could choose a government-subsidized college education.
Either way, they would take their place in a purring economy boosted to overdrive by the war effort. America was entering what many consider its golden age and Levittown — Bucks County’s Levittown — was among the most-coveted addresses in the nation. With $100 down and a government-backed mortgage, people who never dreamed of home ownership suddenly found in their possession the keys to their very own, very modest castle — 17,311 castles in all. Eventually, Levittown would house 70,000 people, a population equivalent of the state’s 10th largest city.
Its grateful and excited residents would become unknowing participants in a grand sociological experiment. Levittown, Pa., wasn’t the first planned community in the nation. But it was the largest — eight square miles spanning four municipalities: Bristol, Falls and Middletown townships, and Tullytown Borough. Home buyers had their choice of several models from an efficient one-floor “Levittowner” to an expansive, high-end “Country Clubber.” Regardless of model, the mass-produced homes lined serpentine streets meant to slow traffic. And every home came with a modern kitchen, including appliances, and a landscaped lot dotted with fruit and shade trees.
Burgeoning Fairless Works, a subsidiary of mighty U.S. Steel, provided jobs for thousands. Shopping centers, churches, schools all sprouted. So did children. Lots of children. And nary a day care to be found.
Levittown’s homes came with one-car driveways for a reason. Dad drove to work and mom stayed home — with the kids. Several community swimming pools and adjacent playgrounds gave the children things to do and places to go. If not, the streets and backyards would do. And they teemed with activity.
It was as close to paradise as many residents could imagine.
But times have changed. And so has Levittown.
Its customized homes no longer give the community the cookie-cutter look so many sanctimonious sociologists and other critics have objected to over the years. And today’s curbside parking, which speaks to massive changes in family structure from the community’s early days, has squeezed children off the streets. Likewise, today’s swooning economy has squeezed family finances in Levittown and elsewhere. Unemployment, underemployment and stagnant wages for those who remain in the workforce now make life difficult for the middle class. Much has to be sacrificed. Affordability is a constant and nagging consideration.
The McMansions of the ‘80s and ‘90s that once sold in a day for eye-popping prices, now sit for months, sometimes selling for less than the mortgage amount. And while Levittown, too, shared in the real estate boom, home prices never really rocketed beyond people’s reach.
Today, Levittown remains true to its legacy. A place where young couples can start out and families can enjoy the benefits of owning a home of their own.
Sixty years have passed, but not Levittown’s time.
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