Suburbia Research Paper

For those only weakly committed to city living, particularly middle-class people who have serious difficulty with social diversity and who have clear housing alternatives, the "problem-free" suburbs become tempting. After an incident such as a car break-in or a bicycle theft, a "last straw" can make them leave. (249)

During the “Baby Boomer” era, following WWII, America underwent one of the largest demographic shifts and population growths in history. Huge amounts of home construction on the outskirts of America’s largest cities, known as “levittowns” became the new staple of the American dream, with the houses sporting two car garages, and white picket fences. These low density, predominantly middle class residential districts, were America’s first true suburbs. These suburbs were constructed mainly in response to the new postwar consumerism that enveloped the parents of the baby boomers. With the new economy, affordable housing, and most families becoming single income dependent, families grew bigger and bigger. The 1947 passing of the bill that lead to the interstate highway system, only added fuel to the fire of suburbanization. With the new interstate highway system, more affordable and fuel efficient automobiles, and the government aiding in the financing of new suburban homes, the choice seemed elementary. All of these factors pushing to the suburban movement, only spurred the baby boomers on, and between 1940-50, there was an 835% percent increase in living births with nearly 4 million children being born every year. In 1940, 19.5% of the United States population lived in what would be considered to be suburban areas outside of large metropolitan areas, however, by 1960; the number was pushing nearly 40%. The postwar suburbanization of America during the baby boomer

Originally, suburbia was supposed to be a form of country living in proximity to the city. The first suburban communities in the U.S. were just small towns located just outside of the city center and many of them were connected to the downtown core with light rail transit ways. They were very similar to any other rural town. The little shops created a small town atmosphere and I assume that some of these suburbs even had their own municipal councils. They must have been great places to live in, but only the upper middle class could afford to live in these quaint communities.

years of the War. So the birth rate expanded abruptly. The quantity of youngsters between the ages of five and fourteen expanded by more than ten million between nineteen fifty and nineteen sixty. A considerable lot of the inexperienced parents moved to homes in the new rural areas. The word suburb originates from the word urban, or doing with urban communities. A rural area was sub or something not as much as, a city. It as a rule was made on an unfilled real estate parcel simply outside a city. A representative would purchase the land and construct houses on it. Youthful families would purchase the houses with cash that they obtained from nearby banks. Life was distinctive in suburbia. There was a wide range of gathering exercises. 12 There were changes to

Due to economic security, the baby boom, and the "American Dream" suburbs grew in the 1950's. Our economy was the largest in the world at the time and we were becoming a largely consumerism based country. We even had enough money that the government helped pay half the loans of American Veterans through the GI Bill of Rights. That security was sure, the government would not offer to pay back so much money if they thought it would be necessary for every person (Doc 1). Home ownership rates went up by over 10% the first 10 years after WW2 (Doc 4). This was caused by a great rush of babies being born also known as the baby boom. These many children needed space to live, and suddenly, suburbs are born! With the money needed families could take

During the 1960’s, the growth of Suburbia increased and helped many Americans. The growing of Suburbia was mainly towards poor non-wealthy people who were struggling to find homes. However, the growth of Suburbia led to Consumers Credit/ Debt, Women living a scheduled life, African Americans not getting a fair share and being segregated, and as well as the GI Bill. Therefore the growth of Suburbia had a negative impact socially on the U.S The increase in the economic growth is a big cause of why Suburbia was created.

Abraham Levitt bought acres of farmland in Long Island with a plan to build houses with his two sons, Alfred and William. The land was transformed into Levittown which would end up housing thousands of people, many were WW2 veterans. Since it was such a huge success he would go onto build two more in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. This became the start of Suburbia, or affordable housing in communities which fueled the American dream as well as racism and segregation.

With the end of World War II, the suburbs became a new home to a large influx of people. This caused transfiguration of American culture. The Great Depression and World War II changed the way many Americans viewed things. In the middle decades of the twentieth century, postwar suburban growth changed California. Ethnic and societal grouping dynamics shifted, freeway and housing development took off and old businesses started to vanish as new business opportunities flourished.

Another key point is commuting. People who live in the urban community have better access to public transportation. Citizens can easily get around by walking, taking a bus, and riding the train at a lower cost. In contrast, owning a home in suburb can be costly for many people. Not only do people have to keep up with their mortgages, but they sometimes have to pay a yard maintenance fee and their Home Owners Association (HOA) dues for the up-keeping of the neighborhood which can be very costly. Besides the home cost, people who live in suburban neighborhoods do have the convenience of traveling in the comfort of their own vehicle, and they do not deal with the concerns of public transportation. However, they still have to deal with the cost for long commuting and the wear and tear of the vehicle.

Suburbanization can be connected to various diverse push and draw variables. Push elements incorporate the blockage and populace thickness of the urban areas, contamination brought on by industry and large amounts of activity and a general impression of a lower personal satisfaction in internal city zones. Pull variables incorporate more open spaces and an impression of being nearer to "nature", lower rural house costs and property charges in contrast with the city, and the expanding number of openings for work in the rural regions. Upgrades in transportation base support suburbanization, as individuals turn out to be progressively ready to live in a suburb and drive into the adjacent town or city to work. Advancements in railroads, transport

After World War II, the United States of America became a much wealthier nation. As America gained wealth and the populations in urban cities and transportation technology increased, many Americans spread out, away from the urban cities, to fulfill the common dream of having a piece of land to call their own. The landscape constructed became known as the suburbs, exclusive residential areas within commuting distance of a city. The popularity and success of the suburban landscape caused suburbs to sprawl across the United States, from the east coast to the west coast and along the borders between Canada and Mexico. By the 1990s, many suburbs surrounding major urban cities developed into being more than merely exclusive residential areas.

The drive for suburbanization reached its acme in England in the inter-war period. Whereas in the nineteenth century it had remained essentially a middle-class phenomenon, after the First World War, fuelled by a major government housing drive and a powerful reaction against high-density inner-city living, it also became the model for British working-class housing. The pace at which rural land was transformed into suburbia during 20 or so years between the two worlds were far outstripped that of any previous period. Outside the English speaking world, although the tradition of living in tenements continued, suburbanization quickened but was still slow compared with that in England and was to remain

It seems like nowadays all society wants in life is a ‘perfect life’, out in the suburbs with a big house of five bedrooms, three bathrooms as well as a large lawn for their children to occupy, however, this ‘perfect life’ can also be known as suburban life. Suburbanisation occurs when people relocate out of the cities and into new neighbourhoods surrounding the city (Berger, 1966). The main difference with the suburbs and the city is that the suburbs were built for people to raise families in, but also allowing it to be perceived as safe, have a relative lack of crime, proximity to education, more privacy, close to shopping establishments, friends and family and finally living in the suburbs gives a reputation. The movie ‘Radiant City’ (2006)

In America, sprawl became much more noticeable in the 1950s. The first noticeable and prominent example of the growth of the suburbs in America is Levittown, built in 1948 on Long Island, New York. This community was advertised and intended for post-war America and for returning veterans and their families. Americans perceived it to be a new and cheap housing community, and the houses and communities were attractive to the new residents, with many of them coming from urban areas (Hales). People sought to escape the

On top of these fears, the ability and access of which an increasing amount of American’s started to have during this period made it possible for such migration into new neighborhoods and suburbia. Suburbs grew because of demand for new housing and space following the war. Families were reunited and the new American dream was to own a house in the suburbs with white picket fence and a yard for the kids to play in. Housing cost were low as ever because of the federal governments encouragement with the