SECTION 2: A Society on the Move
▲ Moving vans line the street of a new suburban neighborhood.
WITNESS HISTORY 
AUDIO
Homes for Veterans
In 1949, developer William Levitt purchased thousands of acres of farmland in Hempstead, on Long Island, New York. Drawing on modern production techniques, he constructed thousands of homes that he sold for just under $8,000 each. Advertisements for Levittown captured the mood of the country as it stood poised to begin an era of unprecedented prosperity.
“This is Levittown! All yours for $58 [a month]. You’re a lucky fellow, Mr. Veteran. Uncle Sam and the world’s largest builder have made [it] possible for you to live in a charming house in a delightful community without having to pay for them with your eyeteeth.”
—Advertisement for Levittown homes, The New York Times, March 1949
Objectives
- Examine the rise of the suburbs and the growth of the Sunbelt.
- Describe changes in the U.S. economy and education in the postwar period.
Terms and People
- Interstate Highway Act
- Sunbelt
- service sector
- information industry
- franchise business
- multinational corporation
- AFL-CIO
- California Master Plan
NoteTaking
Reading Skill: Identify Main Ideas Complete a chart like the one below to capture the main ideas.
Why It Matters Since the first colonists arrived in Jamestown, Virginia, Americans have been on the move. In the years following World War II, mobility became especially important. People moved to the suburbs and to the Sunbelt. They also moved into white-collar jobs. At the same time, the American economy was changing. The impact of these changes still affects us today. Section Focus Question: What social and economic factors changed American life during the 1950s?
Americans Move to the Suburbs
Between 1940 and 1960, more than 40 million Americans moved to the suburbs, one of the largest mass migrations in history. Rural regions suffered the most dramatic decline in population, but people also came by the thousands from older industrial cities, seeking, as one father put it, a place where “a kid could grow up with grass stains on his pants.” During the same time period, many older industrial cities lost population.
Suburbs Attract Young Americans
People flocked to the suburbs in part because the nation suffered from a severe shortage of urban housing. During the depression and World War II, new housing construction had come to a near standstill. At war’s end, as Americans married and formed families, they went in search of a place they could call their own.
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