1. Economic Growth 1945- 1970

2. The Baby Boom Baby boom (1945– 1965)—soaring birth rate after soldiers return (Population Explosion) Baby boom impacts economy and educational system Causes of Baby Boom: –Reunion of husbands and wives –Advances in medicine –Decreasing of marriage age –Confidence in economy

3. Automania and Highways Cheap, plentiful gas, easy credit, and advertising increase car sales No public transit in suburbs cause people to buy Cars The Interstate Highway System: Interstate Highway Act—nationwide highway network unites country (41,000 miles of expressway) Highways enable long- haul trucking, new towns, and family vacations Towns near highways prosper; those near older, smaller roads decline

4. Housing Crisis 10 million returning veterans face housing shortage Build suburbs— small residential communities around cities 1950s, 85% of new homes built in suburbs Levittown: William Levitt used assembly-line methods to mass- produce houses for less than 7,000 dollars Levittown was the first mass-produced suburb located in Long Island, New York.