Levittown
Tullytown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
This fully planned, six-home style residential community was conceived by the builder, William J. Levitt. The first family moved in, June 23, 1952. When completed in 1957, Levittown contained 17,311 homes on 5,750 acres, designed for a population of 70,000. It expanded on the pattern set by Levittown, N.Y. (built 1947-51) and was a landmark in the development of suburban housing in the United States.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
When the first family moved in on June 23, 1952, they joined a bold experiment in mass housing conceived by builder William J. Levitt. Following the assembly-line model he had pioneered at Levittown, New York, Levitt raised more than 17,000 homes on 5,750 acres of Bucks County farmland, a community planned for 70,000 residents and finished in 1957. Affordable and quickly built, its uniform streets became a symbol of postwar America's rush to the suburbs.
Why it matters
Levittown helped define the postwar suburban ideal—and its controversies over conformity and exclusion—reshaping how millions of American families lived after World War II.
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Related people
- · William J. Levitt
Themes & tags
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