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History
Levittown, NY, was built on what used to be potato farms in an area previously known as Island Trees. On May 7, 1947, Levitt and Sons publicly announced their plan to build 2,000 mass-produced rental homes for veterans on their Island Trees land. Two days later, the New York Herald Tribune reported that 1,000 of the 2,000 proposed homes had already been rented. Levittown, as the new development would eventually be named, was off to a booming start. In order to build their homes cheaper and faster, Levitt and Sons wanted to eliminate basements and build on concrete slabs instead, as they had in Norfolk, Virginia. This practice was prohibited in the Town Of Hempstead, but, because the need for housing was so urgent, the Town modified the Building Code to allow the Levitts to proceed with their own plan. Levitt and Sons used many of the building methods they had used over the years in previous developments, but reorganized these methods for even better efficiency and cost savings. All of the lumber was precut and shipped from a lumber yard they owned in Blue Lake, California, where they erected a nail factory as well. An abandoned rail line was re-opened to bring construction materials to Island Trees. To keep costs down, although met with heavy opposition, non-union contractors were used. The production line technique used to build this new development was so successful that, by July of 1948, the Levitts were turning out thirty houses a day.
So great and so far-reaching was the success of the Levittown community that on July 3, 1950, William Levitt was featured on the front cover of Time Magazine. This success continued throughout 1950 and 1951, by which time the Levitts had constructed 17,447 homes in Levittown and the immediate surrounding areas. As the GI homeowners settled into well-paying jobs and began to spawn families, the Levitt models and the surrounding community were modified to suit the needs of growing families. 1950 ranches came with a carport and a 12 1/2 inch Admiral TV set built into the living room staircase. The 1951 model included a partially finished attic. Thousand Lanes, a magazine devoted to the decorating, expanding, and remodeling of Levitt homes became a must-have for Levittown residents. Shopping centers, playgrounds, and a $250,000 community center sprang up to accommodate Levittown's active residents. As the first and one of the largest mass-produced suburbs, Levittown quickly became a symbol of postwar suburbia, for good and for bad. Although Levittown provided affordable houses in what many residents felt to be a congenial community, critics damned its homogeneity, blandness, and racial exclusivity (the initial lease prohibited rental to non-whites). Today, "Levittown" is used as a term of derogation to describe overly-sanitized suburbs consisting largely of tract housing. Oddly enough, although Levittown is remembered largely for its homogeneity and conformism, the houses of Levittown have by now been so thoroughly expanded and modified by their owners that their original architectural form can be quite difficult to see. GeographyLevittown is located at 40°43'28" North, 73°30'40" West (40.724468, -73.511191)GR1. According to the United States Census Bureau, the community has a total area of 17.8 km² (6.9 mi²). 17.8 km² (6.9 mi²) of it is land and none of the area is covered with water. DemographicsAs of the censusGR2 of 2000, there are 53,067 people, 17,207 households, and 14,109 families residing in the community. The population density is 2,978.1/km² (7,717.5/mi²). There are 17,410 housing units at an average density of 977.0/km² (2,531.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the area is 94.15% White, 0.50% African American, 0.07% Native American, 2.85% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.27% from other races, and 1.15% from two or more races. 6.79% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. In the community the population is spread out with 25.7% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 31.4% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 37 years. For every 100 females there are 94.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 91.4 males. The median income for a household in the community is $69,923, and the median income for a family is $73,851. Males have a median income of $50,603 versus $35,962 for females. The per capita income for the CDP is $25,917. 2.9% of the population and 2.2% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 3.6% of those under the age of 18 and 1.9% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line. Famous Residents (Past & Present)Image:Miss Understood 6 by David Shankbone.jpg Miss Understood, actor and famous drag artist, grew up in Levittown.
EducationLevittown is served by two public school districts, the Island Trees School District, which serves the Eastern third of the community, as well as portions of adjacent Seaford and Bethpage. The School District dates from 1902 and is served by:
The Island Trees School District gained notoriety in the United States Supreme Court case Island Trees School District v. Pico regarding censorship of books in school libraries. The other two thirds of the community, as well as large portions of adjacent Wantagh and Seaford is served by the Levittown School District, which dates back to the 1800s, originally called the Jerusalem School District of the Town of Hempstead. It is served by:
A small portion of Levittown, West of the Wantagh Parkway, is served by the East Meadow School District's northern section, with Schools in Westbury, New York. Private Schools
Higher Learning References
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