Suburbs

While many of the houses along Millersport Highway and its side streets resemble the “tiny boxes,” many are also larger. Hayden discusses how developers like Levitt and Sons promoted the idea of sweat equity. The standardized homes of the sitcom suburbs could be altered to better fit each family. Men (presumably) could add garages or convert attics to better suit their families. This may explain why some of the houses in these neighborhoods don’t fit into the “tiny boxes” scheme. On Rosedale Boulavard, for example, you see both cape cods and ranches as well as larger two story homes. The streets are wide, clearly made for residents with cars. The large lots with big front yards and setbacks are also tell-tale signs of the sitcom suburbs. The suburbs were envisioned and marketed as land and a house, not a community.

What I find to be the most interesting about these Sitcom Suburbs is how builders and developers can basically sell a lifestyle to people without them even realizing the manipulation. It’s hard to imagine that these suburbs, developed as standardized homes with virtually no public services, could become so popular. The lack of planning in these suburbs is evident. Like we have discussed previously, families bought into the triple dream of house, land, and community. However, in these sitcom suburbs, the desire for community gave way to a consumerist desire for accumulation of household goods. Hayden points out that “life in the 1950s imitated art-- as seen on tv.”Sitcoms and commercials furthered the idea of all-white suburbs as the only place for families to live. Sitcom suburbs were also advertised as the epitome of the American way. However, most of the developers were opposed to union labor, instead looking for the cheapest possible production methods. The streets around Millersport Highway provide an example of what many families were buying into durning the war/post-war housing explosion.