The nature of American neighborhoods began to take on a new look on October 1, 1947. That’s when one of the first planned communities built by a real estate developer opened and began receiving its new residents — Levittown, in New York.
Named for William and Alfred Levitt, the town ultimately contained more than 17,000 Cape Cod and ranch houses, snapped up by servicemen returning from World War II and facing an acute housing shortage. The houses in Levittown had 800 square feet of floor space and sold for under $8,000.
Now, Levittown has a population of about 52,000, with a median home value of almost $359,000. That’s just over twice the national median home value of $176,700. You can find more facts about Levittown and America from the U.S. Census Bureau online at www.census.gov.
Levittown history video by Zane Scott-Tunkin, YouTube.
