Levittown and the Rise of the American Suburbs

A Mixed Legacy

Not all communities replicated the racial tensions of Levittown. Quaker-built Concord Park in Pennsylvania, for example, was built under the motto "Democracy in Housing" and embraced diverse residents. In 1962, President John F. Kennedy issued an Executive Order prohibiting racial discrimination in federally assisted housing developments. This was a crucial step, but the fight for integration continued house by house, street by street.

The Levittown Image

Following Levittown's success on Long Island, Levitt and Sons built two more, in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The uniform houses and immaculate lawns of Levittown created a lasting impression, conjuring images of peaceful, wholesome suburban life.

Challenges and Contradictions

However, the Myers family's struggle reveals a more complex legacy. Critics challenged suburban communities not only for segregation but also for perceived conformity. Malvina Reynolds's 1963 song "Little Boxes" captured this sentiment, resonating with the growing counter-culture movement and covered by artists like Pete Seeger.

Symbol of Both Hope and Exclusion

Suburbs symbolize more than just houses outside a city. As Kenneth T. Jackson wrote in Crabgrass Frontier, "Suburbia…is a manifestation of such fundamental characteristics of American society as conspicuous consumption, a reliance upon the private automobile, upward mobility, the separation of the family nuclear units, the widening division between work and leisure, and the tendency toward racial and economic exclusiveness." Levittown embodies both the hopeful and darker sides of the rise of the American suburbs.