Levittown, Pennsylvania
Encyclopedia
Levittown is a census-designated place
(CDP) and planned community
in Bucks County
, Pennsylvania
, United States, within the Philadelphia metropolitan area
. The population was 52,983 at the 2010 census. It is 40 feet (12.2 m) above sea level. Though not a municipality
, it is sometimes recognized as the largest suburb of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania (while Upper Darby Township, Lower Merion Township, Bensalem Township, Abington Township
and Bristol Township are municipalities larger in size in the three surrounding Pennsylvania counties).
, located on Long Island
. Levittown, Pennsylvania was the second "Levittown" built by William J. Levitt
, who is often credited as the creator of the modern American suburb
. To speed up construction, Levitt and Sons perfected a 26-step rationalized building method that was essentially an assembly line type of homebuilding. The house remained stationary, while the construction workers moved from house to house. Each worker had one task such as pouring slabs, framing, installing electric sockets or installing washing machines. This highly regimented process enabled Levitt's workers to produce a finished house every 16 minutes. Construction of the homes commenced in 1952 and when completed in 1958, 17,311 homes were built.
What set Levittown apart from other developments at the time was that it was built as a complete community. Levitt & Sons designed neighborhoods with traffic-calming curvilinear roads, in which there were no four-way intersections. Each neighborhood had within its boundaries a site donated by Levitt & Sons for a public elementary school. Locations for churches and other public facilities were set aside on main thoroughfares such as the Levittown Parkway, likewise donated by the builder to religious groups and other organizations. Other amenities included Olympic-sized public pools, parks, "greenbelts", baseball fields and playgrounds, and a shopping center located in Tullytown
borough that was considered large and modern at the time of its construction (and in fact was the largest east of the Mississippi
). The first set of 4 sample homes were put on display in a swatch of land near the future Levittown Shop-a-Rama, and an estimated 30,000 people viewed them in that first weekend.
Residents (who are sometimes called Levittowners) were first expected to comply with a lengthy list of rules and regulations regarding the upkeep of their homes and use of their property. Two of these "rules" included a prohibition on hanging laundry out to dry on Sunday and not allowing homeowners to fence off their yards. These proved unenforceable over time, particularly when backyard pools became financially accessible to the working class and privacy concerns drove many to fence off their yards. In the years since Levitt & Sons ended construction, three- and four-story "garden apartments" and a number of non-Levitt owner-occupied houses have been built in Levittown.
Levitt & Sons would not sell homes to African American
s. Though Levitt did not consider himself to be a racist
, he was bowing to the prevailing attitudes of many European Americans during the 1950s, considering housing and racial relations entirely separate matters. However, this did not prevent a European-American family from reselling a home to an African-American family, and Levittown's first black couple, William and Daisy Myers, bought a home in the Dogwood Hollow section in 1957. Their move to Levittown was marked with racist harassment and mob violence, which required intervention by state authorities. This led to an injunction
and criminal charges against the harassers while Myers and their supporters refused to surrender and received national acclaim for their efforts. For instance, Daisy Myers has been hailed as "The Rosa Parks
of the North", who helped expose the northern states' problems with racial inequality of that time. The community's otherwise placid exterior was again disturbed during the so-called suburban gas riots of June 1979 in the wake of the Camp David Peace Accords, which resulted in a second embargo by Arab oil-producing nations. The unrest occurred June 24–25, 1979, as lines swelled and tempers flared in the heart of Levittown at an intersection known as Five Points, a location surrounded by six service stations, two of which were severely damaged by vandalism in the riots. The two days of riots made national headlines and were mentioned (although not directly by name) in the draft of an address to the nation that was to have been delivered by President Jimmy Carter
on July 5, 1979.
A baseball team from Levittown won the Little League World Series
in 1960. Levittown American beat an opponent from Fort Worth, Texas
, to win the honor.
The Levittown Shopping Center (known officially as but rarely called the "Levittown Shop-a-Rama"), located in Tullytown, was unusually designed. Two parallel strips of stores faced the parking lot with a courtyard that had green spaces, benches, and entrances to the stores. The center had one large anchor department store (Pomeroys, which was acquired by The Bon-Ton
) as well as staple stores of a growing suburban demand (JC Penney, Woolworth's, Sears-just hardware). The shopping center began a slow decline in the mid-1970s from which it never recovered with the building of the Oxford Valley Mall
. The mall, located just north of Levittown, in Langhorne
in Middletown Township
, drew shoppers away from the older Levittown facility, given Oxford Valley's much larger size and enclosed shopping environment. In 2002, the redeveloped site of the Shop-a-rama was reopened as the Levittown Town Center. The completed facility contains 468675 square feet (43,541.3 m²) of retail space.
Of the five public pools built by Levitt & Sons and operated by the Levittown Public Recreation Association (LPRA), four were closed in 2002 with the exception of one located in the Pinewood section. LPRA Headquarters (and other landmarks) of this prototypical post-war suburb of sometimes mythic importance have been the focus of historic preservation efforts. Since 2002, studies have been underway to establish the Levittown Historic District.
Levittown's 41 neighborhoods (locally called "sections") are found in parts of four separate municipalities:
The names of the streets within each section uniformly begin with the same letter that begins the name of the section in question except for the section of Green Lynn, which was not constructed by Bill Levitt, a plan that offers a good clue as to where any particular street might be located. "X" and "Z" are not used for section or street names. As there are more than 24 section names, "road" is used for street names in sections to the west of Edgely Road, "lanes" are found in those section to the east. Red Rose Gate, Forsythia Gate, and Snowball Gate are collectively known as "The Gates." (These were the only sections without sidewalks so as to lend a more "executive" appearance to the neighborhoods.) Lakeside sits next to Levittown Lake. Magnolia Hill is on a prominent hill. Mill Creek is found next to a creek by the same name.
. Bristol Township public schools are managed by the Bristol Township School District
. Falls Township and Tullytown Borough residents are served by the Pennsbury School District
.
Some students attend schools run by Roman Catholic, Lutheran, evangelical
Protestant and Quaker organizations, in and around Levittown.
; Downtown Philadelphia ("Center City") is approximately 22 miles (35.4 km) away. It is part of the Philadelphia metropolitan area (an area also known generally as the Delaware Valley
). It is adjacent to and nearly surrounds Fairless Hills
, a suburban community more modest in scale, but that shares many of Levittown's characteristics.
Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority
(SEPTA) regional rail serves Levittown to the south at its Levittown-Tullytown station, and to the north at its Langhorne and Woodbourne stations. Interstate 95
runs to the north and west of Levittown (connecting it with Philadelphia and the suburbs north of Trenton); the Pennsylvania Turnpike
runs southwest of Levittown (connecting it with the western suburbs and the New Jersey Turnpike
), and U.S. 1
runs to the north, carrying traffic directly into downtown Trenton. The nearest international airport is Philadelphia International Airport
(Airport Code PHL), approximately 34 miles (54.7 km) southwest of Levittown. The nearest Amtrak
station is just across the Delaware River
in Trenton, just over 9 miles (14.5 km) to the east.
Though a steel mill once operated by U.S. Steel Corporation provided employment in nearby Fairless Hills, many Levittowners have historically commuted by automobile or train to Philadelphia, some to Trenton, still others to more distant locales in as many as four states. Just over ten percent of employed Levittowners both live and work in the community.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the CDP has a total area of 10.2 square miles (26.4 km²), of which 0.5 km² (0.59%) is water.
As of the census
of 2000, there were 53,966 people, 18,603 households, and 14,510 families residing in the CDP. The population density
was 5,309.5 people per square mile (2,050.8/km²). There were 19,044 housing units at an average density of 1,873.7/mi² (723.7/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 94.36% White, 2.45% African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.96% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.86% from other races, and 1.17% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.22% of the population.
There were 18,603 households out of which 35.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.7% were married couples
living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.0% were non-families. 17.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.89 and the average family size was 3.28.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 26.4% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 30.4% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 96.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.6 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $52,514, and the median income for a family was $57,220. Males had a median income of $40,411 versus $29,685 for females. The per capita income
for the CDP was $20,047. About 3.1% of families and 4.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.6% of those under the age of 18 and 3.5% of those 65 and older.
85.4% of Levittown residents ages 25 or older had at least a high school diploma, while 13.4% had at least a bachelor's degree
.
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
(CDP) and planned community
Planned community
A planned community, or planned city, is any community that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed in a previously undeveloped area. This contrasts with settlements that evolve in a more ad hoc fashion. Land use conflicts are less frequent in planned communities since...
in Bucks County
Bucks County, Pennsylvania
- Industry and commerce :The boroughs of Bristol and Morrisville were prominent industrial centers along the Northeast Corridor during World War II. Suburban development accelerated in Lower Bucks in the 1950s with the opening of Levittown, Pennsylvania, the second such "Levittown" designed by...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, United States, within the Philadelphia metropolitan area
Delaware Valley
The Delaware Valley is a term used to refer to the valley where the Delaware River flows, along with the surrounding communities. This includes the metropolitan area centered on the city of Philadelphia. Such educational institutions as Delaware Valley Regional High School in Alexandria Township...
. The population was 52,983 at the 2010 census. It is 40 feet (12.2 m) above sea level. Though not a municipality
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
, it is sometimes recognized as the largest suburb of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania (while Upper Darby Township, Lower Merion Township, Bensalem Township, Abington Township
Abington Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
Abington Township is a township in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 55,310 in as of the 2010 census.Abington Township is one of Montgomery County's oldest communities dating back to before 1700 and being incorporated in 1704. It is home to some of the county's...
and Bristol Township are municipalities larger in size in the three surrounding Pennsylvania counties).
History
Levittown is a suburban community planned and built by Levitt & Sons. The majority of the land on which it is built was purchased in 1951. Levitt and Sons only built six models of house in Levittown, all single family dwellings with lawns: the Levittowner, the Rancher, the Jubilee, the Pennsylvanian, the Colonial and the Country Clubber, with only modest exterior variations. The homes were moderately priced and required only a low down payment. Construction of Levittown began in February 1952, soon after completion of Levittown, New YorkLevittown, New York
Levittown is a hamlet in the Town of Hempstead located on Long Island in Nassau County, New York. Levittown is midway between the villages of Hempstead and Farmingdale. As of the 2010 census, the CDP had a total population of 51,881....
, located on Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
. Levittown, Pennsylvania was the second "Levittown" built by William J. Levitt
William Levitt
William Jaird Levitt was an American real-estate developer widely credited as the father of modern American suburbia. He came to symbolize the new suburban growth with his use of mass-production techniques to construct large developments of houses selling for under $10,000...
, who is often credited as the creator of the modern American suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
. To speed up construction, Levitt and Sons perfected a 26-step rationalized building method that was essentially an assembly line type of homebuilding. The house remained stationary, while the construction workers moved from house to house. Each worker had one task such as pouring slabs, framing, installing electric sockets or installing washing machines. This highly regimented process enabled Levitt's workers to produce a finished house every 16 minutes. Construction of the homes commenced in 1952 and when completed in 1958, 17,311 homes were built.
What set Levittown apart from other developments at the time was that it was built as a complete community. Levitt & Sons designed neighborhoods with traffic-calming curvilinear roads, in which there were no four-way intersections. Each neighborhood had within its boundaries a site donated by Levitt & Sons for a public elementary school. Locations for churches and other public facilities were set aside on main thoroughfares such as the Levittown Parkway, likewise donated by the builder to religious groups and other organizations. Other amenities included Olympic-sized public pools, parks, "greenbelts", baseball fields and playgrounds, and a shopping center located in Tullytown
Tullytown, Pennsylvania
Tullytown is a borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,872 at the 2010 census. Part of Levittown is located in Tullytown.-Geography:Tullytown is located at ....
borough that was considered large and modern at the time of its construction (and in fact was the largest east of the Mississippi
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
). The first set of 4 sample homes were put on display in a swatch of land near the future Levittown Shop-a-Rama, and an estimated 30,000 people viewed them in that first weekend.
Residents (who are sometimes called Levittowners) were first expected to comply with a lengthy list of rules and regulations regarding the upkeep of their homes and use of their property. Two of these "rules" included a prohibition on hanging laundry out to dry on Sunday and not allowing homeowners to fence off their yards. These proved unenforceable over time, particularly when backyard pools became financially accessible to the working class and privacy concerns drove many to fence off their yards. In the years since Levitt & Sons ended construction, three- and four-story "garden apartments" and a number of non-Levitt owner-occupied houses have been built in Levittown.
Levitt & Sons would not sell homes to African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
s. Though Levitt did not consider himself to be a racist
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
, he was bowing to the prevailing attitudes of many European Americans during the 1950s, considering housing and racial relations entirely separate matters. However, this did not prevent a European-American family from reselling a home to an African-American family, and Levittown's first black couple, William and Daisy Myers, bought a home in the Dogwood Hollow section in 1957. Their move to Levittown was marked with racist harassment and mob violence, which required intervention by state authorities. This led to an injunction
Injunction
An injunction is an equitable remedy in the form of a court order that requires a party to do or refrain from doing certain acts. A party that fails to comply with an injunction faces criminal or civil penalties and may have to pay damages or accept sanctions...
and criminal charges against the harassers while Myers and their supporters refused to surrender and received national acclaim for their efforts. For instance, Daisy Myers has been hailed as "The Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks
Rosa Louise McCauley Parks was an African-American civil rights activist, whom the U.S. Congress called "the first lady of civil rights", and "the mother of the freedom movement"....
of the North", who helped expose the northern states' problems with racial inequality of that time. The community's otherwise placid exterior was again disturbed during the so-called suburban gas riots of June 1979 in the wake of the Camp David Peace Accords, which resulted in a second embargo by Arab oil-producing nations. The unrest occurred June 24–25, 1979, as lines swelled and tempers flared in the heart of Levittown at an intersection known as Five Points, a location surrounded by six service stations, two of which were severely damaged by vandalism in the riots. The two days of riots made national headlines and were mentioned (although not directly by name) in the draft of an address to the nation that was to have been delivered by President Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
on July 5, 1979.
A baseball team from Levittown won the Little League World Series
Little League World Series
The Little League Baseball World Series is a baseball tournament for children aged 11 to 13 years old. It was originally called the National Little League Tournament and was later renamed for the World Series in Major League Baseball. It was first held in 1947 and is held every August in South...
in 1960. Levittown American beat an opponent from Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
, to win the honor.
The Levittown Shopping Center (known officially as but rarely called the "Levittown Shop-a-Rama"), located in Tullytown, was unusually designed. Two parallel strips of stores faced the parking lot with a courtyard that had green spaces, benches, and entrances to the stores. The center had one large anchor department store (Pomeroys, which was acquired by The Bon-Ton
The Bon-Ton
The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. is a regional department store company based in York, Pennsylvania, chiefly operating 275 stores, including 11 furniture galleries, in 23 states throughout the northern United States. Stores carrying its namesake nameplate serve the Mid-Atlantic and New England regions of...
) as well as staple stores of a growing suburban demand (JC Penney, Woolworth's, Sears-just hardware). The shopping center began a slow decline in the mid-1970s from which it never recovered with the building of the Oxford Valley Mall
Oxford Valley Mall
The Oxford Valley Mall is a two-story shopping mall, owned by the Simon Property Group, that is located next to the popular amusement park Sesame Place in...
. The mall, located just north of Levittown, in Langhorne
Langhorne, Pennsylvania
Langhorne is a borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,622 at the 2010 census.The name "Langhorne" is used broadly to describe the majority of surrounding Middletown Township, which for the most part uses Langhorne's zip code of 19047...
in Middletown Township
Middletown Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania
Middletown Township is a township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 45,436 at the 2010 census. Many sections of Levittown, Pennsylvania, are located in the southern end of the township...
, drew shoppers away from the older Levittown facility, given Oxford Valley's much larger size and enclosed shopping environment. In 2002, the redeveloped site of the Shop-a-rama was reopened as the Levittown Town Center. The completed facility contains 468675 square feet (43,541.3 m²) of retail space.
Of the five public pools built by Levitt & Sons and operated by the Levittown Public Recreation Association (LPRA), four were closed in 2002 with the exception of one located in the Pinewood section. LPRA Headquarters (and other landmarks) of this prototypical post-war suburb of sometimes mythic importance have been the focus of historic preservation efforts. Since 2002, studies have been underway to establish the Levittown Historic District.
Municipalities and sections
Levittown is not an incorporated place, though efforts in the early 1950s were made to incorporate. Some Levittown residents feared that incorporation would lead to higher taxes, by robbing the prospective municipality of a commercial tax base.Levittown's 41 neighborhoods (locally called "sections") are found in parts of four separate municipalities:
- Bristol Township (including the sections of Plumbridge, Mill Creek, Indian Creek, Goldenridge, Blue Ridge, Whitewood, Orangewood, Yellowood, Violetwood, Red Cedar Hill, Apple Tree Hill, Holly Hill, Crabtree Hollow, Oaktree Hollow, Greenbrook, Farmbrook, Dogwood Hollow, Junewood, Magnolia Hill, Green Lynne and most of Kenwood and Stonybrook, and a small part of Birch Valley)
- Falls TownshipFalls Township, Bucks County, PennsylvaniaFalls Township is a township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 34,300 at the 2010 census. Portions of Fairless Hills and Levittown, Pennsylvania, are located in the township...
(including the sections of Vermillion Hill, Thornridge, Elderberry Pond, North Park, Willow Wood, and portions of Pinewood, Lakeside and most of Birch Valley and 1 house in Magnolia Hill) - Middletown TownshipMiddletown Township, Bucks County, PennsylvaniaMiddletown Township is a township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 45,436 at the 2010 census. Many sections of Levittown, Pennsylvania, are located in the southern end of the township...
(including the sections of Deep Dale East, Deep Dale West, Highland Park, Twin Oaks, Forsythia Gate, Snowball Gate, Red Rose Gate, Upper Orchard, Lower Orchard, Juniper Hill, Cobalt Ridge and Quincy Hollow) - Borough of TullytownTullytown, PennsylvaniaTullytown is a borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,872 at the 2010 census. Part of Levittown is located in Tullytown.-Geography:Tullytown is located at ....
(including portions of Stonybrook, Kenwood, Pinewood and Lakeside)
The names of the streets within each section uniformly begin with the same letter that begins the name of the section in question except for the section of Green Lynn, which was not constructed by Bill Levitt, a plan that offers a good clue as to where any particular street might be located. "X" and "Z" are not used for section or street names. As there are more than 24 section names, "road" is used for street names in sections to the west of Edgely Road, "lanes" are found in those section to the east. Red Rose Gate, Forsythia Gate, and Snowball Gate are collectively known as "The Gates." (These were the only sections without sidewalks so as to lend a more "executive" appearance to the neighborhoods.) Lakeside sits next to Levittown Lake. Magnolia Hill is on a prominent hill. Mill Creek is found next to a creek by the same name.
Education
Middletown residents are served by public schools run by the Neshaminy School DistrictNeshaminy School District
Neshaminy School District serves the municipalities of Middletown Township, Langhorne, Langhorne Manor, Penndel, Hulmeville, and Lower Southampton Township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Students from the Middletown divisions of Levittown also attend these schools. Neshaminy School District ...
. Bristol Township public schools are managed by the Bristol Township School District
Bristol Township School District
The Bristol Township School District covers Bristol Township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The district operates Harry S. Truman High School, Benjamin Franklin Freshman Academy, Neil A. Armstrong Middle School, Franklin D...
. Falls Township and Tullytown Borough residents are served by the Pennsbury School District
Pennsbury School District
Pennsbury School District is located in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The district serves Falls Township, Lower Makefield Township and Yardley, as well as portions of Morrisville, Newtown and Tullytown...
.
Some students attend schools run by Roman Catholic, Lutheran, evangelical
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
Protestant and Quaker organizations, in and around Levittown.
Geography
Levittown is located at 40°9′15"N 74°50′59"W (40.154109, −74.849756). Levittown lies in the southern end of Bucks County ("Lower Bucks"), between Philadelphia and Trenton, New JerseyTrenton, New Jersey
Trenton is the capital of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Trenton had a population of 84,913...
; Downtown Philadelphia ("Center City") is approximately 22 miles (35.4 km) away. It is part of the Philadelphia metropolitan area (an area also known generally as the Delaware Valley
Delaware Valley
The Delaware Valley is a term used to refer to the valley where the Delaware River flows, along with the surrounding communities. This includes the metropolitan area centered on the city of Philadelphia. Such educational institutions as Delaware Valley Regional High School in Alexandria Township...
). It is adjacent to and nearly surrounds Fairless Hills
Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania
Fairless Hills is a census-designated place in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 8,466 at the 2010 census.-History:...
, a suburban community more modest in scale, but that shares many of Levittown's characteristics.
Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority
Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority
The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority is a metropolitan transportation authority that operates various forms of public transit—bus, subway and elevated rail, commuter rail, light rail, and electric trolley bus—that serve 3.9 million people in and around Philadelphia,...
(SEPTA) regional rail serves Levittown to the south at its Levittown-Tullytown station, and to the north at its Langhorne and Woodbourne stations. Interstate 95
Interstate 95 in Pennsylvania
Interstate 95 is an Interstate highway running from Miami, Florida north to Houlton, Maine. In the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, the route is known by many as the Delaware Expressway, but is officially named The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Highway. and locally known as "95"...
runs to the north and west of Levittown (connecting it with Philadelphia and the suburbs north of Trenton); the Pennsylvania Turnpike
Pennsylvania Turnpike
The Pennsylvania Turnpike is a toll highway system operated by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States. The three sections of the turnpike system total . The main section extends from Ohio to New Jersey and is long...
runs southwest of Levittown (connecting it with the western suburbs and the New Jersey Turnpike
New Jersey Turnpike
The New Jersey Turnpike is a toll road in New Jersey, maintained by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority. According to the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association, the Turnpike is the nation's sixth-busiest toll road and is among one of the most heavily traveled highways in the United...
), and U.S. 1
U.S. Route 1 in Pennsylvania
U.S. Route 1 is a major north–south U.S. Highway, extending from the Florida Keys in the south to the Canadian border in the north. In the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, US 1 runs for from the Maryland state line near Oxford to the New Jersey state line near Trenton.-Maryland to Interstate...
runs to the north, carrying traffic directly into downtown Trenton. The nearest international airport is Philadelphia International Airport
Philadelphia International Airport
Philadelphia International Airport is a major airport in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, and is the largest airport in the Delaware Valley region and in Pennsylvania...
(Airport Code PHL), approximately 34 miles (54.7 km) southwest of Levittown. The nearest Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
station is just across the Delaware River
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States.A Dutch expedition led by Henry Hudson in 1609 first mapped the river. The river was christened the South River in the New Netherland colony that followed, in contrast to the North River, as the Hudson River was then...
in Trenton, just over 9 miles (14.5 km) to the east.
Though a steel mill once operated by U.S. Steel Corporation provided employment in nearby Fairless Hills, many Levittowners have historically commuted by automobile or train to Philadelphia, some to Trenton, still others to more distant locales in as many as four states. Just over ten percent of employed Levittowners both live and work in the community.
According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the CDP has a total area of 10.2 square miles (26.4 km²), of which 0.5 km² (0.59%) is water.
Demographics
As of the 2010 census, Levittown was 87.6% White, 3.6% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American, 1.7% Asian, 0.3% were some other race, and 1.6% were two or more races. 5.1% of the population was of Hispanic or Latino ancestry.http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/census/profile/PAAs of the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 53,966 people, 18,603 households, and 14,510 families residing in the CDP. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 5,309.5 people per square mile (2,050.8/km²). There were 19,044 housing units at an average density of 1,873.7/mi² (723.7/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 94.36% White, 2.45% African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.96% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.86% from other races, and 1.17% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.22% of the population.
There were 18,603 households out of which 35.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.7% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.0% were non-families. 17.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.89 and the average family size was 3.28.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 26.4% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 30.4% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 96.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.6 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $52,514, and the median income for a family was $57,220. Males had a median income of $40,411 versus $29,685 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the CDP was $20,047. About 3.1% of families and 4.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.6% of those under the age of 18 and 3.5% of those 65 and older.
85.4% of Levittown residents ages 25 or older had at least a high school diploma, while 13.4% had at least a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
.
Bucks County St. Patrick's Day Parade
Since its inception in 1988, the Bucks County St. Patrick's Day Parade has been held in Levittown. Every year, the parade steps off from St Joseph the Worker Church, and proceeds two miles (3 km) on New Falls Road to Conwell-Egan Catholic High School.Notable natives and residents
- Keith ArmstrongKeith ArmstrongKeith Thomas Armstrong is a former footballer who played in the Football League for Sunderland, Newport County and Scunthorpe United, and in Finland for a number of clubs...
, former NFL player and current Special Teams coach for the Miami DolphinsMiami DolphinsThe Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... - Susan BarnettSusan BarnettSusan Barnett is anchor at KYW-TV for the 5, 6, and 11 P.M. newscasts and is a former beauty queen from Levittown, Pennsylvania who competed at Miss Teen USA 1990 and Miss USA 1996.-Pageantry:...
, anchor of the CBS 3 evening news. - Jamie Olkowski, former NFL defensive back and video girl attended Neshaminy High School
- Anna BurgerAnna BurgerAnna Burger, , was the Secretary-Treasurer of Service Employees International Union , and Chair of the Change to Win Federation....
, Secretary-Treasurer of the 1.8-million strong Service Employees International UnionService Employees International UnionService Employees International Union is a labor union representing about 1.8 million workers in over 100 occupations in the United States , and Canada... - Jim CawleyJim CawleyJames "Jim" Cawley is the 32nd and current Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania.-Political career:He was appointed to the Bucks County Board of Commissioners following the resignation of Mike Fitzpatrick and was elected to a full term in 2007, when he became chairman of the board...
, Bucks County Commissioner and Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania - David A. Christian, U.S. Army captain and one of the highest decorated Vietnam veterans
- John P. ConnollyJohn P. ConnollyJohn P. Connolly is an American actor and the former Executive Director of Actors' Equity Association. Connolly served in this position from February 2007 until November 2009, after serving six years as the President of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists .As a Union leader and...
, actor and former Executive Head of the AFTRA and Actor's Equity unions - Steven E. de SouzaSteven E. de SouzaSteven E. de Souza is an American producer, director and screenwriter. He is among a handful of screenwriters whose films have earned over two billion dollars at the worldwide box office.-Life and career:...
, Hollywood screenwriter and director - Mike FitzpatrickMike FitzpatrickMichael G. "Mike" Fitzpatrick is the U.S. Representative for . He is a member of the Republican Party. He was reelected to Congress in 2010, and previously represented the district from 2005 to 2007, but lost to Patrick Murphy in 2006....
, U.S. RepresentativeUnited States House of RepresentativesThe United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
for the 8th DistrictPennsylvania's 8th congressional districtThe 8th Pennsylvania Congressional District serves Bucks County, along with a small portion of Montgomery County and Northeast Philadelphia, in Pennsylvania... - Eric GoldbergEric Goldberg (film director)Eric Goldberg is an American animator and film director. He is best known for his work at Walt Disney Animation Studios. He's also well known as the creator of Disney character Genie in Aladdin...
, Disney animator and director - Joe McEwingJoe McEwingJoseph Earl McEwing is a former Major League Baseball player who spent most of his career with the New York Mets, where he played from through . Nicknamed "Super Joe", he was the prototypical utility player who could play any position on the field well...
, former Major League Baseball player - Bill O'NeillBill O'Neill (bowler)William "Bill" O'Neill is a right-handed professional ten-pin bowler who competes on the PBA Tour in North America. He is a resident of Southampton, Pennsylvania. His nickname on tour is "The Real Deal". O'Neill was the 2009-10 U.S. Open champion, winning the event on February 28, 2010...
, four-time All American ten-pin bowlerTen-pin bowlingTen-pin bowling is a competitive sport in which a player rolls a bowling ball down a wooden or synthetic lane with the objective of scoring points by knocking down as many pins as possible.-Summary:The lane is bordered along its length by semicylindrical channels Ten-pin bowling (commonly just...
for Saginaw Valley State UniversitySaginaw Valley State UniversitySaginaw Valley State University, commonly known as SVSU, is a state university in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located in the middle of Michigan's lower peninsula in the Saginaw Valley region. The university is located in Kochville Township, Saginaw County...
who is now competing on the PBA TourPBA TourThe Lumber Liquidators PBA Tour is the major professional tour for ten-pin bowling, operated by the Professional Bowlers Association. Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, the PBA Tour consists of "exempt" bowlers who are a part of the almost 4,300 members worldwide... - Robert Schooley, creator of "Kim Possible"
- Jim Schumann, Daytime Emmy Award winner for Outstanding Directing in an Animated Program
- Mark S. SchweikerMark S. SchweikerMark Stephen Schweiker is a businessman and politician who served as the 44th Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania from 2001 to 2003. Schweiker, a Republican, became Governor of Pennsylvania on October 5, 2001, when his predecessor, Tom Ridge, resigned as Governor of Pennsylvania to assume...
, Republican former Governor of Pennsylvania - Tyler Steely, founder of the movement to "stop L-town"]]
- Steve SlatonSteve SlatonSteve Slaton is an American football running back for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Houston Texans in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft...
, running back for the NFL's Miami DolphinsMiami DolphinsThe Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... - David UosikkinenDavid UosikkinenDavid Uosikkinen is an American drummer and Internet content manager, best known for being a founding member of rock band The Hooters.-Early life:...
, drummer for rock band The HootersThe HootersThe Hooters is an American rock band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. By combining a mix of rock and roll, reggae, ska and folk music, The Hooters first gained major commercial success in the United States in the mid 1980s due to heavy radio and MTV airplay of several songs including "All You... - Troy VincentTroy VincentTroy Darnell Vincent is a former Defensive Back for the Miami Dolphins, Philadelphia Eagles, Buffalo Bills and Washington Redskins of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Dolphins with the 7th overall pick in the 1992 NFL Draft. He played college football at Wisconsin.Mr...
, former NFL defensive back, attended Pennsbury High School - Earl "the Twirl" WilliamsEarl Williams (basketball player)Earl "the Twirl" Williams is an American-Israeli former basketball player.He attended Woodrow Wilson High School in Levittown, and then Winston-Salem State University...
, professional basketball player - Henry George Thomas II, played baseball at Pennsbury High School and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1992.
Further reading
- Anderson, David, Levittown is Burning: Gas Line Riot and the Decline of the Blue-Collar American Dream," Labor: Studies in Working-Class History in the Americas (Duke University Press: Fall 2005)
- Caldwell, Christopher, "Levittown to Littleton: Seclusion of Affluent Suburbs Prevents Normal Socialization For Children," National Review, (May 31, 1999) (arguing that the multi-acre lots of the western suburbs such as those who attend Columbine High SchoolColumbine High SchoolColumbine High School or CHS is a high school in unincorporated Jefferson County, Colorado, United States.- History :Columbine High School opened in the fall of 1973. There was no senior class in its first year. The school's first graduating class was the class of 1975...
in Colorado, largely unknown in the east, isolate affluent suburban children in "McMansions," and present a problem no child in Levittown ever faced) - Duncan, Susan Kirsch, Levittown: The Way We Were, Maple Hill Press (1999), ISBN 0-930545-18-4
- Dubya, Jay, Black Leather and Blue Denim: A '50s Novel, CyberRead Publishing (2001), ISBN 1-931921-76-8 (an fictionalized account of "greasers" in Levittown's Dogwood Hollow and Kenwood sections during the 1950s)
- Gans, Herbert J., The Levittowners: Ways of Life and Politics in a New Suburban Community, Columbia University Press (1967, reprinted 1982), ISBN 0-231-05571-4 (though written about Levittown, New Jersey, which had since reverted to its original name, Willingboro, New Jersey, the book includes information relevant to Levitt & Sons development in general)
- Goetz, Sam, Bruno, 16 mm black and white film (2006) (Sam Goetz grew up in Lower Orchard section of Levittown; the production was filmed at locations in the "urban wasteland" of Trenton, New Jersey, and at locations in and around Levittown, including Core Creek Park, the former Best Department Store, Neshaminy High School and a Jubilee-style Levittown home)
- Harris, Dianne, ed. Second Suburb: Levittown, Pennsylvania (University of Pittsburgh Press; 2010) 429 pages. Scholarly essays, oral histories, and other writings on the town
- Hurst, Richard, "My Bay", Christopher Street (New York: February 1994, issue 210), ISSN 0146-7921 (written by a former Levittowner about Little League baseball, "the only tradition in our otherwise ahistoric lives of glass-ceiling experimental schools and clean theme-park summers," recounting summers marching as the season began from Carl Sandburg Middle School to the ball fields south of Twin Oaks)
- Jackson, Kenneth, Crabgrass Frontier: The Suburbanization of the United StatesCrabgrass Frontier: The Suburbanization of the United StatesCrabgrass Frontier: The Suburbanization of the United States is a book written by Kenneth T. Jackson. Published in 1985, it analyzes the development of American suburbs from their origins in the early 19th century. Jackson examines how a high quality of life in America came to be equated with home...
, (New York: Oxford University Press, 1985) - Kimmel, Chad, Levittown, Pennsylvania: A Sociological History, University of Western Michigan Dissertation (2004) (examines the arrival of Levittown's first African-American family, the 1979 gas riots and the decline of the steel industry on local residents)
- Krass, Alfred C., "Growing Together in Spirituality: Pastor and Parish Have a Check-Up," Christian Century, (April 1987) (Krass was pastor of the United Christian Church in Levittown, and still a resident of the community; he asks how mainstream Protestants might move beyond the "autonomy of the individual member" that is so often part and parcel of a liberal world view)
- Levittown: Voices of the Millennium (video), Harcourt School Publishers (no date)
- Popenoe, David, The Suburban Environment: Sweden and the United States, University of Chicago Press, (1977), ISBN 0-226-67542-4 (a comparison of Levittown and Vällingby, Sweden, a StockholmStockholmStockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
suburb of similar size, construction date and demographics; see also Hässelby-Vällingby Borough, VällingbyVällingbyVällingby is a suburban district in Västerort in the north-western part of Stockholm Municipality, Sweden.Vällingby was planned in the early 1950s as a new town...
) - Wechshler, Lewis, The First Stone: A Memoir of the Racial Integration of Levittown, Pennsylvania, Grounds for Growth Press (2004), ISBN 0-615-12565-4
- Wetherell, W.D., The Man Who Loved Levittown, University of Pittsburgh Press (1985), ISBN 0-8229-3520-1 (fiction, winner of the 1985 Drue Heinz Literature PrizeDrue Heinz Literature PrizeThe Drue Heinz Literature Prize is a major American literary award for short fiction in the English language.This prize of the University of Pittsburgh Press in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA was initiated in 1981 by Mrs. Drue Heinz and developed by Frederick A. Hetzel...
) - Wiessner, John, pen name Jay Dubya, author of 31 books. Lived in Dogwood Hollow from 1954–'59. His action/adventure work Black Leather and Blue Denim, A '50s Novel is set in Levittown, Pa.
External links
- Levittown: Building the Suburban Dream, a website of a 2003 exhibit about Levittown at the State Museum of Pennsylvania
- Levittown Community Profile
- Memories of Levittown, Pennsylvania, which includes Levittown trivia and memorabilia
- Levittown Detailed Profile
- Coming Home: Levittown Revisited, a photographic essay by former Levittowner Joan Klatchko who has lived abroad for many years
- Film images of Levittown's construction
- More film images of Levittown's construction
- Mastrull, Diane, "A Bit Worn, But Still Solid, Philadelphia Inquirer, (December 7, 2005)
- Middletown Township Millennium Park and Recreation Plan, including a map of Levittown's greenbelt parks in Middletown Township on pages 161–62
- Metropolitan Philadelphia population and geography
- The People of Levittown, Pa. – slideshow by The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
- Documents on Integration in Levittown from the Pennsylvania State Archives