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CloseTract Homes
After the Second World War the Levitt brothers built thousands of identical 800 sq. ft "Cape Cod-style" houses in Long Island and Pennsylvania.
These tract homes were being built at approximately $5,000 each. The repetitive nature of the plans and the large quantity of units produced were significant factors in reducing the cost of these houses.
To meet the demand and promise of these tract homes, developers began to move West looking for open land.
The Southland was suited for these "housing developments" to flourish. The ranch tract home, with its low-slung roofline, open patios and car garage, became the house of choice for Southern California residents.
Former bandleader - turned designer - Cliff May became the most effective at popularizing the ranch house ideal.
Inner cities across the United States, and especially Southern California, have witnessed the "ghettoification" of these tract home developments.
What was once a dream for WWII Veterans is now a "deferred" promise for low-income residents.