After the end of World War II, the United States found itself in a completely different world. The country was no longer in an economic depression and the country became a major world power. The country was becoming more prosperous and the birth rate was soaring. The need for housing increased and Levittown became the standard for meeting this new housing need. Levittown, the brainchild of the Levitt and Sons company, and the nation's first mass-produced suburb, had a significant impact on the country. Levittown set the standard for others across the country in home building. Levittown also represented what was happening across the country. From the country's prosperity to discrimination against minorities, Levittown defined America during this era. To understand how Levittown came to be and how it represented America at the time, we must study the post-war conditions of the United States. . After World War II, Americans found themselves in a difficult situation. The country was no longer in the midst of a depression or embroiled in a brutal global conflict. War production had helped lift the American economy out of the depression it found itself in, and beginning in the late 1940s, young adults saw their purchasing power (PBS) increase. At that time, jobs were plentiful, wages were higher, and Americans had money to spend. It was during this time that modern American consumerism began. Consumer spending no longer simply meant satisfying an indulgent material desire (PBS). However, American consumerism has been hailed as contributing to the ultimate success of the American way of life. People wanted televisions, cars, washing machines, refrigerators, toasters and vacuum cleaners (PBA). Between 1945 and 1949, Americans bought... paper... already rented to families two days after the sale was announced. Time magazine called Levittown “the epitome of the revolution that brought mass production to housing” (Time). Levittown also reflected the demographics of the time. Levittown had very few elderly people. In 1950, few of its more than 40,000 residents were over 35. There were 8,000 children, and barely 900 were over seven years old at that age (Matarresse). Meanwhile, in front of almost every house on Levittown's 100 miles of winding streets is a tricycle or stroller (Matarresse). In Levittown, almost all activity stopped between noon and 2 p.m. because it was nap time. A Levittown resident told Time magazine at the time, "Everyone is so young that sometimes it's hard to remember how to get along with older people" (Matarresse).