Levittown
Levittown is the name of four large suburban developments created in the United States of America by William Levitt and his company Levitt & Sons. Built after World War II for returning veterans and their new families, the communities offered attractive alternatives to cramped central city locations and apartments. He and other builders were guaranteed by the Veterans Administration and the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) that qualified veterans could receive housing for a fraction of rental costs. Production was modeled in an assembly line manner and thousands of similar or identical homes were produced easily and quickly, allowing rapid recovery of costs. Houses came standard with a white picket fence, green lawn, and modern era kitchen with appliances. Sales of the original Levittown began in March 1947, and 1,400 homes were purchased within the first three hours.
Places
- Levittown, New York - the first Levittown (1947–1951)
- Levittown, Pennsylvania - the second Levittown (1952–1958)
- Willingboro Township, New Jersey - originally and colloquially known as Levittown (started 1958)
- Levittown, Puerto Rico (1963)
