How The US Government Sold Us On The Suburbs
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- Опубліковано 18 вер 2024
- I have always been interested in the suburbs - where they came from - how they grew so fast after World War II. This documentary clip was made by the government to help GIs and their families feel confident that housing would be made available outside the "squalor" of the cities.
![Why American Cities Are Broke - The Growth Ponzi Scheme [ST03]](/img/n.gif)
Our parents grew up in families of "share croppers" in Oklahoma and Louisiana. Their parents were landless survivors of the civil war. Without capital or land, they scratched out a living as tenant farmers in unbelievable poverty. Daddy was drafted and served as an Infrantyman during WW2. After the war, he used the GI bill to start a small business installing carpet and tile. My brother and I grew up in a small frame house on an acre of land within the city limits of Houston and walking distance of our school and church. We had a garden, a horse, a pig, chickens, two dogs and a treehouse. It wasn't heaven and it wasn't Levittown but maybe somewhere in between. Cheers!
❤️ god bless people like u
My dad a poor inner city kid, signed up, went to school on the GI bill, and got us into the suburbs. It was a great place to grow up.
My mom was an orphanage kid and my dad’s family lived in a single room “house” without indoor plumbing on the prairie. My dad was a wounded WW2 vet who went to night school to be an engineer.
They didn’t EVER complain and couldn’t afford to send us to college but four out of five of us worked our way through. As a grad student I taught Ivy League freshman who were so dumb they asked questions like “when *was* the second coming of Christ?” Now I see angry feminists, angry suburban kids, angry everyone demanding free stuff when they already have FREE-DOM.
Boomer
@Jacklynn Jackson not entirely true. However prejudice seemed to be abundant.
As some one with a BS in urban planning theory, I can say that the projects that were built in lieu of the slum removal were devastating to the social fabric of the underclass. A sense of space (territory) was lost that may have gone back generations for some. Violence, crime and depression rose for the new tenants who had what the knew replaced with sterile apartment housing that all looked the same. This was called top-down planning that had little to no input from those most greatly affected by the changes- though I can't blame the planners for doing this (as they saw it they were helping the lower class out). Notorious examples include Pruitt Igoe in St. Louis and Cedar Riverside (Riverside Plaza) in Minneapolis among others.
To comment on Levittown- Yes at the time Suburban development was a good idea, reliving people from the hum drum and dirtiness of the inner cities but, unfortunately it became America's model for urban development for the 2nd half of the 20th century and is still going on to this day. This has led to unchecked urban sprawl in many major American cities (IE- Houston, L.A., Dallas/Ft Worth, Miami, Atlanta, Chicago) that has made housing density thin over a large amount of space. Due to this, traffic congestion makes people's commutes unbearable,and I personally know some that commute 3-4 hours round trip in certain cities. Ironically, because of this cities urban cores now are in demand with prices rising and gentrification happening pushing the working class out all together. What's the solution to this? Who knows? My best guess is more density (to keep desirable places somewhat affordable), basically build up instead of out. Also having more than one mode of transpiration (us American's love our cars!) would also help to alleviate traffic congestion in suburban areas. Actually, Los Angeles had one of the best streetcar systems in the US (if not the world) prior to WWII. You would never know that today as it has all been removed for its massive freeway system it's so famous for (and the horrid traffic jams that go along with it...) Anyway, thanks again David, love watching all your videos, very insightful on a time period I missed out on.
Ahh a thinker. Where i live there is continuous pressure for more green field developments. What about looking at underutilized land within urban boundaries. Car parks of many acres adjoining big box stores and malls could be great sites for multistorey apartment development. Bottom 2 floors could be mix of car parking and retail above that apartments to cater for a variety of family sizes and lifestyles. Common areas could have atrium style indoor/outdoor landscaping, waterfeatures. Coffee shops hairdressers childcare, even workshops maybe in the basement to carry out DIY. Places for children youth and adults to hang out and socialise. Car parking areas have untapped potential.
What they could Have done with inner cities Is what they done in eatsern Germany post 89. They knock dawn few floors And building here And there.
Some could Have been do there. Instead demolishing It whole. Make biger aparments, fix IT. And move rest.
Watching this film was like looking back at a lost promise.
I remember my grandparents talking to me about the Great Depression of the 30's when they were kids, then World War II came along, and after that my grandfather did well as a contractor in the 60's where he had a nice big house, another small one by the lake and a fishing boat. They were a generation that worked hard and had something to look forward to. I remember that small town feel before our city blew up in population and now, everything seems so destitute. I just get by pay check to pay check which gets smaller by the year. Things are a lot different now than when I remember as a kid. That local connection is gone with the advent of television and the internet, our smart phones and gaming computers. With it, we as people became more distant and disconnected from each other. Our democracy has suffered from it as we see from our politics today. And with all this accelerated progress, we're heating up our world, causing changes no one thought possible.
The suburbs were an experiment worth trying and a lot of it turned out well. In the late 40s it was the first time around for most this and now we have nearly 70 years of historical perspective on it.
David, your uniquely preserved window into our historical national consciousness explains so much about why things are in the present. Thank you for the preservation and sharing of such precious gems!
“If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks…will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered…. The issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people, to whom it properly belongs.”
- Thomas Jefferson in the debate over the Re-charter of the Bank Bill (1809)
The family laundry done in 5 minutes for a a quarter? Sign me up
I'd pay far more than a quarter for that!
sure the machine stops in 5 minutes but the laundry isn't clean. a quarter back in that day had to be about $2.50 today. lookin at the size of that machine you could probably wash only 2 pair of pants.
as i recall it took fifteen minutes and the dry was free.
@@WillieStubbs remember the value of the dollar was a lot lower back then.
@@WillieStubbs That is probably about how many they had.
Boy those housing projects and parks sure look different now
Adam wiggins different people living in them
@@tomkruze8560 Different people Not really...after-all "ghetto" came from the Jews. Just a different people subjected to living in them now. Different folks, same strokes.
@@tomkruze8560 They are terrible no matter who lives in them...
Ew yuck from the get-go
Michael That’s why the saying “diversity is our strength” creeps me out at this point. It’s probably the most powerful, longest lasting most destructive piece of propaganda the world has seen. That short little quote is destroying the entire western civilization and its citizens are cheering it on and refuse to see where things are headed. Imagine seeing those crime statistics, realizing America will not survive a black majority but still screaming that piece of propaganda. It’s a comedy at this point.
Then: Laundry can be done in five minutes for a quarter. Now: Laundry takes 24 minutes to wash, 33 minutes to dry, and costs $5.25 per load. Now *that's* progress!
For real?
I do my laundry for free upstairs in my neighbor's place, and if he says something sideways to me, I punch him square in the nose and tell him to mind his Goddamn business.
People on minimum wage fifteen years ago would riot.
At least we still can choose to give money to another to wash our clothing or... Wash by thine own hand and hang dry, doesn't take as much water or electric. Many you tubes on different ways. I get your point though, and the more people we grow, the more and more expensive it will be to live.
Actually 25 cents in the 40s was worth about 4.50 in today money. So
I love your work, Mr. Hoffman. It's crazy to think in such a short time so much has changed. It's almost scary when you really think about it.
Ahh yes, the prefabricated homes that deteriorate in quality and value just the same as the car you need to buy to get you to the job so that you can keep paying for it all.
Vicious vicious cycle. What is this world, it makes 0 sense
All houses depreciate as far as I'm concerned.
@@joshlewis575 it's a game, and you're currently in it.
@@MilwaukeeF40C Houses that are structurally sound appreciate over the long haul.
@@joshlewis575 Technically it's not the world just sorry ass America
"Down are coming the bad living conditions that produce bad citizens"...
Very disrespectful statements are part of the problem of how we feel about each other...
I can't help but notice they were only moving the white people out. I'm guessing there was a deeper undertone to this statement that was glossed over by most viewers at the time.
Maybe, bad citizens produce bad living conditions?
@TLAMont2008 "Kay Broughton GTFO"
Thanks for proving her point...
@@usntheboy1, Bingo!
Those high rise projects didn't work out so well
Jeffrey Reardon they worked EXACTLY how they were designed to work but In order for you to admit that you’d have to admit other things that you’d rather not because it wouldn’t fit your narrative
Most will feign ignorance at your comment.
@@thetruthandnothingbutthetr6484 forgive my ignorance but could you elaborate a bit. I don't know what either of you guys are referring to but it sounds important.
Of course they didn't. Blacks want to live in mansions. For free.
@@thetruthandnothingbutthetr6484
i find it hard to believe when you act so triggered instead of using facts and logic😂
I’m a 21 year old Mexican American guy in the navy. This is my favorite channel because I as well love the real history of the mid 20th century
I Love finding documentary gems like this. I'm glad I'm able to view such important images. Thank you for posting this.
Time has proven that it’s not the buildings, it’s the people.
Man imagine getting a house for $8,000 with a yard, you cant even get a new car for that price today.
Yeah inflation exists.
@@krashsite2125 Yup, so does inflating all our savings and 401k away by the time you get old enough to use your 401k.
$8,000 was a lot of money back then (when we were still on the gold standard). Plus, the house was much more modest than what people are accustomed to today. Also, 30 year mortgages had not been standardized yet. Most mortgages were for 10 years or less. And the buyer usually had to put 50% down payment on the home. You also had to pass a rigorous bank enforced credit and employment check. They made sure you were a good risk and they made sure you had plenty of skin in the game so you couldn't just walk away without losing huge amount of equity. A completely different scenario compared to today.
Are you really that ignorant? Have you never heard of inflation?
Because of inflation. Only going to get worse.
It would be great if urban housing projects ended up as nice as the one shown in the documentary, but in reality that never seems to be the case. The penny-pinching and compromises usually start before ground is even broken and the people who end up living there tend to be left to run and maintain everything by themselves even though the main reason they're living there in the first place is because they don't have a lot of money. Once things start to get run down, the projects usually get labeled as bad neighborhoods that people and businesses avoid, which makes things even harder for the residents.
David, thank you being a great individual with the John Ward interaction. I can see the greatness in both of you. I found you before that video and knew about John Ward by chance before also. Just wanted to say thank you for letting conversation flourish!
Now the government (and private developers) want to wean us off single-family houses and into tiny communal boxes in concentrated areas.
It’s easy to control people when they are in very dense urban center. A city council of a dozen people can rule several million when they pack them into a single voting district. Impossible when folks are scattered in the suburbs in a multitude of small towns villages or rural townships. It’s ALL about control people.never forget that. The thirst for power never ends. Don’t fall for the social planners. These are the folks who built the “projects”and in return get their votes that keep them in office until they die. Never follow the herd never believe politicians go your own way and frustrate the efforts of those who who have “plans” to make you beholding to the govt.
Tellthetruth n/a yep, I always thought Obama was trying to discourage people living in the country by doing things like; raising gas prices (he never got gas prices as high as he liked.)
Yep and remove both the 1st and 2nd amendment so their plans will go much more "smoothly." Also make sure we voluntarily install listening devices like Alexa in all our homes so the corporations can listen in on everything we say and do and then report back to the government in the event you're ever perceived as a threat.
drott150 listening devices like Alexa? Try our cell phones...
@@mikecastellon3022 please spend some time living in any city outside of the English speaking world and you will see how wrong you are. Tokyo, Barcelona, Seoul, Paris, Amsterdam… all wonderful walkable cities where you don’t need a car just to exist in society.
I grew up in the burbs. 60-80's. Life was great
@Victoria Adeyemi Yes, Presbyterian, very active, choir 10 years, youth groups every Wednesday and choir practice, day camps, youth camps.
Why did you ask that?
St. Louis is/was very Catholic and Jewish.
I grewup in suburbs from 1956 to 1970s. It was safe then. We had more freedom to be outside with our friends and do alot of things. No computors. Not much on TV. We had a healthier lifestyle. We would put up a tent in our backyard in the Summer and campout all night with our friends. I wish my daughter and grandchildren had it that way.
Thank you for sharing these great films of the past.
My dad grew up in a clabber house near a town in Tennessee. My mom grew up in a two room log house with a lean-to kitchen in the hills of Kentucky.
My dad helped his parents sharecropping. My mom helped her parents with their small farm. They went to town twice a year to buy staples such as flour and coffee on a wagon pulled by COWS! No joke.
My dad got around in a car.
Dad loves Frank Sinatra and big bands. Mom loves country music.
They met, married, and eventually we moved to the suburbs with fenced yards and curved streets. Also had indoor plumbing and central heating!
I was 12.
But, I missed my life before moving. Big open space. The air was fresh. Lots of nature and a clean, clear swimming hole we'd swing over with a rope attached to a tree limb, then drop into the cool water. Screaming all the way!
Mom and dad are so opposite, I finally asked mom why on Earth they married? Her answer cracked me up laughing.
"I was afraid I'd get pregnant."
Times certainly have changed!
Your videos are so important; so consequential. Thank you so much for capturing and documenting this history for us. There is so much to be learned from it.
The problem with this kind of media was its unnatural happy go-lucky take on everything, human nature included.
These narratives sold their propaganda well. If you are able to talk to a person that lived through 1945-1968, they will tell you that people where more content/happier than they are now. This propaganda unified a nation. Yes, it glossed over the worst parts of society, but many people watch unfiltered news each day, and its negativity makes them feel a sense of cynicism. These same people are more prone to interact with society (positive reinforcement) with positive propaganda, than raw news (negative reinforcement). An unpositive disposition of a topic DOES NOT make the public ambitious to change their world for the "better". Instead, they feel like victims of society. ...and when people feel like victims, they make excuses as to why their lives "suck", instead of bettering themselves, their community, and their environment.
Not really. I grew up many decades ago in a suburb and it was great! It was partly because of the suburb and partly the decade. It was extremely safe and care free. Our neighbors were like family and invited to our family gatherings. Jobs were life long and secure, and they paid well. It's difficult to explain if you weren't alive back then. But it really was a wonderful time and place! If I could afford a house in a nice suburb I would move there in a heart beat. Even though it wouldn't be the same, it would be better than my city.
The idea of big business took over the country in a flash it seems. Move alot of people into a small space supply the necessary basics and we can easily pitch and sell our products to more people at one time. This clip was very interesting to me. Myself personally I didnt grow up in the suburbs but ironically I live there now like its some kind of social status symbol. Seeing this clip gives me a new understanding for those that choose to stay in rural areas.
Don't forget- most households had 2 parents. One worked outside the home for money, the other cared for the home and children personally. Multi-generational homes were not uncommon, especially in the country. The idea of the American Dream was to own your own home came after WWII with the GIs coming home and consumption of consumer goods needed to increase to create enough jobs for everyone
multigenerational homes were the norm for many cultures that came to america. it was a way to support the family line.
"Housing projects," where one of the worst things to ever happen to America.
We still have projects, in a different form
That wasn't a housing project, that was Parkchester housing complex in The Bronx, NY these were apartments built by MetLife the insurance company. These are now condo's.
I think you meant were, not where. The projects are _where_ all the good drugs were. But I get the sentiment. Idiocracy in action. The SOP of government.
They looked good on paper. Another example of "The road to hell is paved the good intentions."
Notice public housing was originally for white people as were the suburbs.
In the Solid Klan South, many of the housing projects were built right on top of the old slag heaps and grounds of old rolling mills and steel mills. The soil was thick with lead, cadmium and arsenic.
Because of the poisoned soil, it was forbidden for residents to plant gardens or even flowers. They were verbally warned, and those who disregarded the verbal warnings were fined and arrested.
The old timers on the city paint crews in Atlanta said that lead-paint (from government stockpiles) was used in interiors of the city's housing projects--- even though the managers were informed numerous times by the painters that lead-paint shouldn't be used.
Ezekiel 37
Do you have proof of anything you wrote?
If so I would love for you to post links, so I could research into this.
Between 1978 and 1980, remaining stocks of newly-banned lead paint was sold to the US Navy. Came up last week when our sailors were chipping paint.
@@atticussawatzki
Jesus! A lot of the sailors who grew up in housing projects would have already had brain damage from lead paint. Then they would have been exposed to more lead paint on the ships.
One problem with growing up in a lead-paint environment is that the lead paint is extremely sweet. Toddlers who are bored or hungry find lead paint chips irresistible. It tastes like the sweetest ice cream--- I speak from childhood experience on this.
Government social engineering. Read The Slaughter of Cities by E. Michael Jones.
the brainwashing them into consumers
@@jle633 Watch the BBC documentary The Century of the Self. Edward Bernays was the founding father of mass marketing/ consumerism. Creepy stuff.
bad book
@@2910687 Very insightful book, heavily footnoted.
E. Michael Jones' videos on UA-cam cover this topic as well as his book mentioned above.
How far we have progressed. Today you would never leave your child outside of a Laundromat while you're inside doing the laundry.
1998bluedog or expect that a “good” household was white, led by a man, only a woman and man union...
You can’t even your kid in the car for a few minutes while you run an errand because some busy body idiot will call the cops on you.
Progressed backwards. We have in home laundry but if I were to need a laundry mat I’d like to have the safety to be able to let my kid go across the street to get an ice cream or play baseball,play with other kids and not get kidnapped like today.
LOLOL that's a ridiculous assumption. A former LAPD Detective Jack Huddleston's book 'Death Scenes" shows the reality of these times. Murders, rapes, kidnappings etc.
@dropout0110 yeah kinda,I feel like people didn't raise their kids with empathy or anything like that. Also though we can't control people,only do our best,but if God isn't present than that means the devil takes over,sadly.
Wow! Where do you find this stuff. Amazing.
It does give you a very home feeling. But in my mind maybe my heart?? I thought WoW!! They built the ghettos! I guess I never thought about where “the bottoms” ( what we call the ghetto where I’m from) came from. It’s so sad to actually see those fresh neighborhoods and know what they will eventually become. I may be way off with that thought but it’s what came to mind. The thought turned even darker as they spot lighted the huge apartments. You must know my thoughts? Like rats in a trap!! Good Times?? Communism. Stick everyone in a small space. Give them all just enough room so they won’t complain or reject the idea of living in a box.
This was just my thoughts. Doesn’t make them true. This was a very cool documentary. Thank you for sharing 🌻
Npc 2000 I’m sorry! I don’t understand what you meant?
Despite all my rage? Did I make you mad? Wasn’t intentional I promise. Just sharing what came to heart/mind.
I live in a capitalist country, and I've lived in apartments all my life. It's really nice to be able ride my bike to work instead of having to drive everywhere.
I don't know what's so communist about not wanting to spend hours in traffic getting to and from work.
Jack O'Toole I think you misunderstood what I was saying. I live in a duplex and I love being able to ride my bike all around also.
I was talking about the feel of what I was seeing. It’s a move “they” made. I believe that a lot of conspiracy is not conjecture but truth placed in a mountain of nonsense to make those of us who believe that it’s truth no theory look like idiots.
Here again this is not fact all fact based just what I feel in my heart to be true. I’m truly sorry if you thought I was being degrading or judgmental.
Just sharing is all.
@@toniadellapenta90 no need to apologize, I just had an entirely different impression than you!
To me, the disgusting slums they were demolishing looked like the "rat trap". The new apartments with the well manicured baseball pitch out the front looked more like the nice place I live in now.
They obviously didn't design it the way they did by accident (the voiceover says the word "planning" about a dozen times), but I think they were trying to be good capitalists by improving the health of the workforce.
That's just my impression
Capitalist in denial. Urbanization is the fault of capitalists and the profit motive.
Hell yeah, you're from Levittown, NY. I'm growing up in this town right now
Small world.
I went to school in Levittown!
Been living in NYC for 4 years and never looked back
Thank you for posting.
The govt run by military industrial complex has a way of breaking generations apart and keeping them separated and selling them lots of stuff.
I lived in the first suburb modeled after Levittown, in Northwest Indiana, btwn SE Chicago & Gary, in a town called Griffith. This was steel mill & refinery country. Now that region is falling apart. I drove through about 4 yrs ago on a road trip from OR back to Hudson Valley, NY where I now live. I really enjoy these videos. I’ve always loved history. Ty for sharing Mr Hoffman 😊.
"Mellow years before the ripe fruit fell, as fruit will drop on windless autumn days..."
But enough about Grandma.
I was born in 1946, and my dad was a career Army man. I grew up on bases. I never knew the suburb experience. During my career days, I lived in big cities. Four years after I retired I moved to the country near Louisville. I hope to live my last days here in peace and quiet.
This was just as much about the projects as it was the suburbs and the prefab houses could be put in the country as well
Factory trailer housing brick to look modern, still section 8.
I'm glad that we get to watch clips that you love! Thanks!
No one had to sell us on tbe suburbs.
Not everyone can farm, and the city becomes tedious, endlessly financially draining, and exhausting.
Everyone wants their own little piece of heaven that they can actually OWN, and have some autonomy and privacy.
And be free from black violence and crime. You left that part out...
@@drott150 like how you have to throw that in there. I was reading that the suburbs are a slowmoving timebomb that are destined to bankrupt cities with too much sprawl
@@drott150 once the suburbs infrastructure starts decaying the low population density tax revenue cannot cover the cost of the roads and amenities. Leading to debt. New growth covers the cost of older development's. Pretty much a ponzi scheme
@@music4thedeaf Why do I have to throw what in there? The truth? lol And you think the suburbs are a slow moving timebomb do you? haha Hey that's great. Then you be sure and stay in the "safe city" where you can bathe in the benefits of diversity, BLM, Antifa and woke politics. Good luck with that! We'll be watering our grass and enjoying a BBQ with our white neighbors.
@@drott150 😆 clown
The mill worker grinding corn for “hominy grits and Johnny cakes” had a magnificent head of hair! Then the steel mill worker pounding the iron ring while his coworker sat and winced his eyes! Such great content! Thanks David!
They’ve tried for years to stackm and packm In major metropolitan areas. Seems more like a way to keep tabs on people rather than having liberty 🗽.
Of course.
Today, it's a way of managing dwindling resources like fuel and water. You people and your conspiracy theories.
So true.
Exactly
They still want it that way. Remember you will own nothing and be happy. But they didnt tell you they will put everyone in cities in stack and packs with you sharing your stack and pack with others. Glad Im older. Maybe Ill be gone by then?
David, i think it would be awesome if you made follow-up videos, like with a "part 2" in the title, so it's easier to follow!
Sometimes the topics are so interesting that i'd like to see more :)
Love your videos
Housing projects look great in this. I'm too young - I never saw this. This is like a science fiction movie.
I love your detailed first-hand account of the beginnings of Levittown, which may more or less accurately describe how all early suburbs came into existence.
"low cost; high standards" suburbs.
Give me your lowest cost hamburger. Make sure it's the highest quality meal I get.
David, you have the best stuff on UA-cam.
*POPULUXE*
is a book by
*Thomas Hines*
-which provides a gentle intro to the dark art and history of Urban Planning.
Here are two companion pieces worthy of your time:
*From Bauhaus to Our House*
[ Tom Wolfe ]
And
*TASTE*
-the secret meaning of things
[Stephen Bayley]
Those are three off the top for anyone interested in the question : "what the hell happened here?"
Good luck
Slaughter of Cities by E. Michael Jones is a great book.
I've already read those and I second your recommendations!
Thank you! i was hoping for something like this
Thank you for posting this!
These should be preserved for the future of humanity. Blockchain.
Ha! Please explain blockchain...and figure bitcoins:)
Bruh how is block chain going to fix the housing problem 🤦♂️
I can say that spirit of community and brotherhood died long before I was born.
That "Spirit of community" was a brittle facade that started to come down during the civil rights movement.
chinese classic: all men are brothers
god hollywood: lies
which one you folks heard of. if you take out the chinese and replace it with natural life, which one is you paying attention to. everyone is bullshit.
We can see what happened to "The Projects" , now they are trying to sell us on "Tiny Houses". Why ... ?
Who's trying to sell you on tiny houses? It's a fad among a certain type of person, not some big government, top down thing like housing projects.
My hippie sister built a tiny home - and not even a few years later she bought a bigger house. Sounds good on paper - not at all practical
@RaFari1119 BeeI'm not informed on everything going on, but I don't think those who know what the fresh air of freedom is won't allow for some to take away our freedom to travel, work, and such. Just because government and sick people in Google and big business have sick dreams such as you've put forward doesn't mean it'll all go as you put it forth.
People also have dreams of near unlimited freedom, so it'll counter act any issues. People have to get into the habit of joining like minded community to build actual community so we as people can stop tyranny at least from taking our community. But if people simply focus on other extra issues then they'll lose sight of the true issue and thus cause it themselves.
@@megg.6651There's nothing wrong with either. An appartment and trailers are similar to tiny houses. The tiny houses though don't always have everything you need. So it's possible to have a tiny house just not as tiny as a cardboard box. 😄 Some of these tiny house people just need to buy a shed or outhouse and have it customized and call it a day besides all this custom limit of your life. There is probably a way to organize everything in a customized way that maximizes space and utilizes everything, but it's definitely not in a cardboard box. 😄
@@JChannel_ I didn't say that there was anything wrong with them - I said that they are impractical - and they are not as cheap as people think they would be. Hers cost $35,000. And obtaining water was a big issue so she took showers at the YMCA. And, yes, everything was very efficient and maximized space - but inconvenient in so many ways.
Because of these videos, I have a healthy addiction to learning about this country's history. Thank you so much. So very very much.
So sad that human beings should allow themselves to be told how to live.
I'm a boomer who grew up in a suburb in Sacramento County. It was one of the first and the fastest-growing one in the county by the late 50s. I wrote a book about growing up there and the history and changes that came as "our rebelliousness" (well-fed by older manipulators) brought the dream down and produced one of the first suburban ghettos into being. Here is what I found about California and maybe the whole nation during my research for the book; the builders of the housing in the LA area and those who constructed housing for the people who moved in to work on war production turned to building suburbs first in L.A. and then moved up the state as the Baby Boom put pressure on in city housing. This was my family's exact experience. We first lived in downtown Sacramento. My mother got a job at a local AFB and we soon moved out to the suburb being built around it. The Cold War military budgets supplemented a huge amount of build-out wherever military and governmental establishments arose, while farming areas tended to keep their character. I don't know what else could have happened. The quickly growing population needed housing. Of course, it changed the country in many ways. I've written books about all of this. Your channel has been a sort of complementary and sometimes inspiring source for my research.
Even an automatic laundry, where Junior waits outside 😂
My father grew up in Wantagh... I would guess that you guys are about the same age too. When I was a kid we would go visit his parents there, and we always went to Jones Beach. I learned to bodysurf there.
Small world
This should be titled: “How Urban Planners Failed”
Also the government and real estate interests
I grew up in the suburbs,and I've lived all over I my life, but I love the suburbs and would go back, given the opportunity.
"Down are coming the bad living conditions that produce bad citizens"
@Jacklynn Jackson haha yeah - Control repackaged as Hope
You used to be able to buy houses out of a Sears catalog. You had to build it yourself but don’t worry...it came with directions and they were actually great houses that still exist today.
HEAVY...(literally.) I think you had to pick them up at the railhead? Southwest Detroit has some of those.
The leaders of LA, San Fran, Portland and others should see this as a reminder of what their responsibilities are to the people. Our cities are becoming gigantic feces polluted ghettos of old. It's reprehensible.
Progressives seem to just love wallowing in their own excrement.
Excellent program and comments. What strikes me as strange is that I never hear nobody ever saying thank you to their grandparents. What these hard-working (illiterate in some cases) Americans went through to give us so much today. My grandpa rode the rails lived in the hobo camps work the oil fields Calif. to Dallas Tx. Ended up in Seattle during of War 2. As a Machinist, didn't understand it back in the 60s or the 70s I hear it loud and clear today. Grandpa used to say this is a "gimme Jimmy Society" and it will snap the backbone of this beautiful country. That retired black school teacher (1982 Sally Raphael program 23:00 M-F) start teaching when she was16 years old in Georgia, and she said when she was a girl you better have three good skill sets,, today you better have six.
My Grandparents mortgage was $12/month. The depression came & Grandmom paid the house off with their savings earned during the war prep.
Thank you for collecting this content and putting in a curated format out there!
Long Island, the birthplace of US suburbia. It’s a unique place to grow up in 2019.
It's getting too crowded and drugs have become a big problem though
The rural farm life was rather romanticized. It was long hard work, and your home and livelihood depended on nothing going wrong with the crops, which rarely happened.
5:04 I didn't even know the USA back then had such creativity for ramps such as those.
I personally love suburbs because i dont like to socialize but i can recognize how harmful they are and how much better inner city life is.
'The government' didnt convince anyone. Im the son of immigrants, nobody wanted to be packed like sardines in the cities, dropped into horrible conditions like slums and tenements. THAT was an abhorration and what immigrants had to do in a lot of cases to establish a foothold. Nobody wanted to live like that by choice. What happened was that the automobile was invented and commoditized, giving people personal freedom in movement which then allowed them to go buy some real property in nicer places to live. Thats it and thats all.
If the propaganda campaign was so useless, why did the government, real estate companies, and the car industry all spend so much time and money on it?
Are you one of those people who believe that advertising doesn't really influence people?
Jack O'Toole Freedom is not something you need advertisement to want. I hate to break it to you, nobody sat in a slum in Hells Kitchen yearning to be trapped in the city or not mobile. The car is freedom and it has always been freedom.
@@552mustang dude, I'm from a suburb in a city of 5 million. A car means being stuck in traffic on the same miserable road for about 90 minutes a day.
Hate to break it to you, but if that's your definition of freedom, then you've probably been watching to many car commercials
Jack O'Toole My impression is not what you need to worry about, its the impression and motivation behind what really happened. The cities became sh-tholes, largely still are, and people fled from them.
@@552mustang and the suburbs became poverty stricken food desert's, filled with unemployment and opioid addiction. People are fleeing from them in droves right now, leaving nothing but rusted old cars and crumbling infrastructure.
It doesn't matter whether people prefer to live on a quarter acre or a tiny apartment, people will always move to where the money is. In the 50s, that was the suburbs. Today, it's the inner city.
The question is why the money went from the city to the suburbs and back to the city again. The answer has more to do with complex economic factors than personal choice.
Post WWII era growth and development... there were dreams and ambition... we really do need another dose of this...
Only some GI's were given that deal. The black veterans were mostly excluded
@@sullenday nobodies crying, I'm just interested in history and thought that I should mention it since the presenter didn't.
You don't need to be a soyboy to know about the racial side of history
@@sullenday also, why do you think racism is boring? I think it's a fascinating part of human history. The pogroms, apartheid, Jim Crow, etc... All very important and interesting things to study and learn about
That's changing.
Slowly but still changing.
The people and naration were great, thanks
I saw housing projects (those big apartment blocks) and wartime housing. Hmmm... wonder what happened to all those neighborhoods?????
This was especially interesting! Thank you!! Plus i love your personal introductions!
That is good to hear Jeanie. Thank you.
David Hoffman - filmmaker
The wash done in 5 mins???
Yeah that made me laugh too.
Proof that ancient technology existed.
David, I always enjoy your short videos from these times passed. I'm glad I found your channel. Thanks for sharing!
how do you have so little views
Good question. I can't figure it out.
David Hoffman - filmmaker
@@DavidHoffmanFilmmaker You need better thumbnails and titles for starters. Probably a rebranding on the username and image. Your focus from a branding standpoint should be on the footage, not you. Also I believe the ideal is for the video to be around 10 minutes.
@@DavidHoffmanFilmmaker Also a signature is a bit odd for comment sections.
@@Go4Noctis thank you for your suggestion. I am on the road and will respond in a week
Us older people who lived thru this time period and appreciate it's history are dying off and the young people today don't give a shit about these things.
Man this is one of the best UA-cam channels ever
How would that quiet little community react to a black family moving in?
There's a an old doc about a black family moving in. Forgot the name of the video though.
Your insights are a treasure.
My first apartment was very close to cabrini green. In my opinion, tearing it down was a mistake.
I love watching documents on Cabrini Green. Whole other world.
@@RazsterTW Indeed. Tearing it down was somewhat controversial. From what I could see- it was beneficial to contain the gang members in 1 square mile rather then having them all over. Next- that location had stunning view of the skyline and great mass transit. Being centrally located had some advantaged. Not all the suburbs have good transit- in fact the south west suburbs it is over 2 hours to commute one way.
coldcrashpictures did a movie review of the first installment of Candyman. To finish the video he visited the area of where Cabrini Green use to be. That authority figures were giving themselves credit that living there had gotten better but never mentioned that it was the residential committee that made it livable. And the reward of such a feat- gentrification.
My grandfather is 85 and he says it better now then it ever was. Everyone likes to the past as positive and parts were, but we are better off now.
Correction if you were a White GI you could buy a house in levvit town. Not the same for other GIs.
White GI's were the overwhelming majority . Stop playing COD and rewriting history. Your welcome for your freedom.
Robocox 9mil damn, just because non white GIs were a minority means that they don’t deserve the same opportunity as white GIs? I guess COD forgot to teach me that.
@coffeeinthemorning And 10% weren't but they all fought for our country. When they returned home white soldiers recieved all the benifits and the rest were fucked over.
@@robocox9mil882 Lol what are you on about. White vets received overwhelming compensation post WW2 that assisted them in reaching middle-class status. Low rate loans, subsidized housing, along with other services that all military should have received. Instead, it was used to increase the divide.
In the Detroit-area, suburbs basically happened as a direct result of the automobile becoming affordable to average people, and the advent of the paved roads built for them that very quickly followed (Woodward Avenue was the first mile of paved concrete road in the United States). Early developers saw opportunity, gas was cheap, and people could not resist the idea of having a larger place, larger yard, full garage, cleaner town, a lower house price, and lower property taxes on top of it all.
Driving a half hour was nothing in the face of that temptation to many people, and word spread like wildfire...and it has left the Detroit-metro area with the insanely huge sprawl it has today, with 3,618,956 people in the area living in the massive number of metro-area suburbs, and only 673,104 living in the city.
High rise apartments aren’t suburbs. Those are inner city slums.
Love all the youtube video postings you've made-thanks so much David-from Kingston, Rhode Island-so interesting...
Our ancestors were tricked into buying bad goods, culturally speaking. It's time for us to go back.
Your ancestors were not trick, but giving a helping hand like low income section 8 suburban trailers brick in to look modern.
Great job. Thanks for posting this Mr. Hoffman!
"Common Good", raising the quality of life for the working citizens. Today extraction capitalism where the wealthy get richer.
Mr Hoffman, I am grateful that you are putting these clips into a series. They are a valuable way to preserve and teach history. There are so many people that don't know anything about our history and can, therefore, make no intelligent decisions about our future. Please add a little more background in the beginning to help those that have not lived the times nor been taught.
Thank you for your suggestion. I will try.
David Hoffman - filmmaker
The Protestant shaped America that's since been destroyed...RIP
Thank you for being a Chronicler of 20th/mid century American history!!
My grandparents had a farm that was like the Italian version of Walton's mountain. It was so much fun to visit but a life of very hard work.
lol the first three minutes is literally what Marx envisioned when automation took over the means of capitalist production. Makes you think.
@nikola zazzoslki Communism has never been achieved.
You produce wonderful and fascinating content. Thank you.
Don’t know why but, this era’s daily life feels mundane to me
You have the power to create. If things are mundane. Well. Then that's a reflection of you
@@thatdude87 You have the power to create, that is true but you are also part of a society.
@@a54109 and? Be you own person and ditch the sheep mentality. Go do what u want and have better friends🤷♂️
Good material, Mr. Hoffman.
Social Engineering.
Thanks for posting this. I grew up in Wantagh and my brother lives in a Levitt house now. Currently in the city and about to start a family, I can definitely see the appeal of the peacefulness of the suburbs. High taxes and boredom is keeping me in the city - I really think that the street education is phenomenal here. Seems nice and simple back then. Hard to believe them making home ownership so simple, jobs so satisfying.
Great and very insightful video. As a Zoomer i love learning about this specific time in history
Pure gold, Mr. Hoffman! Thanks.