For $7,990, You Could Own a Home in America’s First Suburb — If You Were White

Levittown, New York

In 1947, you could buy a brand new house in Levittown for $7,990. No down payment, just $58 a month.

William Levitt mass produced homes the way Ford made cars, and suddenly regular families could afford the American Dream.

But there was a catch: only white families could buy them.

Born from Potato Fields

Levitt & Sons bought 4,000 acres of potato fields in Nassau County, Long Island in 1946. Construction crews broke ground in 1947, launching what became America’s first mass-produced suburb.

The Family Who Built A New American Dream

Abraham Levitt practiced law in Brooklyn before founding Levitt & Sons in 1929. A client couldn’t pay his legal fees and gave Abraham unfinished houses instead.

William Levitt, born February 11, 1907, joined his father’s company straight out of school. He served as a lieutenant in the Navy Seabees during World War II, learning fast construction methods.

Alfred Levitt, younger than William, designed all Levittown homes. He studied under Frank Lloyd Wright before creating the floor plans that housed thousands of families.

A Housing Crisis Solved Through Mass Production

Veterans returned from World War II to find 1.2 million families without proper housing. Apartments packed multiple generations into tight quarters while new families formed daily.

Levitt’s teams built up to 30 houses per day using techniques from military construction.

Workers followed specific routes through neighborhoods, completing just one task at each house. Construction was divided into exactly 27 steps from foundation to finish work.

One team poured concrete slabs while another installed plumbing, then electrical teams followed, repeating the pattern house after house.

The Original Cape Cod House Versions

Cape Cod homes built in 1947-1948 measured exactly 750 square feet with two bedrooms.

They had one of five exterior designs with different window placements and roof lines, so they’re not completely identical while maintaining construction speed.

Families lived on concrete slabs surrounded by newly planted grass and young trees. Kitchens came fully equipped with Bendix washing machines, unheard of in affordable housing.

GE refrigerators and stoves completed the modern package, making these homes stand out from city apartments.

The Affordable Ranch House Evolution

Ranch models appeared in 1949, selling for $7,990 with more space than Cape Cods. These new homes measured 32 by 25 feet with a more contemporary look, and workers embedded radiant heating pipes directly into concrete floors.

This system eliminated bulky radiators and furnaces, freeing up living space. Levitt added carports and built-in televisions to the 1950 Ranch models. The 1951 version included partially finished attics where growing families could add extra bedrooms.

Home Buying Made Easy at Levittown

Monthly payments on Levittown houses cost the same as typical apartment rent. Families upgraded from tenants to homeowners without increasing monthly expenses. Veterans Administration and FHA programs guaranteed loans with minimal down payments.

Many veterans purchased homes with just $400 down thanks to GI Bill benefits, and buyers lined up for hours when sales opened in March 1947.

The first 1,400 houses sold out in three hours.

The First Wave of Levittown Residents

Levittown sparked the largest middle-class property boom in American history.

The Bladykas family moved into the first completed house on October 1, 1947. Another 299 families followed immediately, filling the first phase of the development. America’s suburban population jumped from 19.5% in 1940 to 30.7% by 1960.

Millions left cities for developments copying the Levittown model across the country, and homeownership surged nationwide from 44% to 62% during those same twenty years.

Life in America’s First Suburb

Nine swimming pools opened throughout Levittown neighborhoods for summer recreation, and children could walk to them from surrounding blocks.

Elementary schools anchored each section of the development. Students could safely stroll to class without crossing major roads, a key selling point for young families. Women who worked in wartime factories returned to homemaking in suburban settings.

The Original HOA

For instance, Levittown rules banned outdoor laundry lines on weekends when visitors might see them, since Levitt believed visible laundry hurt property values and community appearance.

Homeowners faced requirements to mow lawns weekly during growing season. Lax maintenance resulted in warnings, creating uniform green lawns throughout the community.

No “Coloreds” Allowed in Levittown

Clause 25 in every lease prohibited non-white residents from occupying Levittown homes.

This restriction applied to both original buyers and anyone who might purchase the house later.

William Levitt publicly stated, “We can solve a housing problem, or we can try to solve a racial problem, but we cannot combine the two.” He chose the former.

Levittown remained 83.7% white with only 1.2% Black residents as recently as 2019.

Visiting Levittown, New York

Levittown sits 25 miles east of Manhattan in Nassau County, Long Island. You can reach it via the Southern State Parkway or Northern State Parkway from New York City.

LIRR trains run from Penn Station to Hicksville station, located 3 miles from central Levittown.

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