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Overview
The American dream is the idea that everyone in America will have a home, food on their table and a family. It also means living in the suburbs with a white picket fence surrounding one’s property. People who follow this lifestyle are often seen as happy and successful. In fact, many people desire to live like this because it offers them privacy and peace from city life, which can be dirty and smoggy due to traffic congestion.
Although the suburbs are often thought of as idyllic, perfect places to live, they’re actually quite boring and unhealthy. In addition, you’ll be surprised to learn that crime and poverty have made their way into these “perfect” communities. As a result, many people are questioning whether living in the suburbs is really for them.
In this article, you will learn about the following: why people are moving out of the suburbs to cities; how your life is at greater risk on a suburban road than any other road in America; and what makes for a perfect omelette.
Big Idea #1: In post-war America, a cultural and financial obsession with homeownership drove the growth of suburbs.
The American Dream is an important part of the history and culture in America. It’s defined as a set of ideals that helped people achieve success, prosperity, security, and happiness. The dream often entails owning a car or house with a yard to live in.
The idea of owning a home was common in the United States. The government and banks encouraged this by insuring loans made to people who wanted to buy houses. This is because they believed that homeownership represented wealth, prosperity, patriotism, and good citizenship.
Banks were also involved in encouraging people to take out mortgages. They did this by turning debt into bonds, which they could then sell to investors and make a profit on. Banks encouraged more and more people to buy their own homes by taking out mortgages.
These plans that were introduced in the 1930s led to many people owning homes.
As demand for housing continued to rise, builders began building in more and more undeveloped areas. To secure cheaper land, they often built in areas further away from city centers.
Many people want to own a home, but they don’t mind the distance. Their only concern is finding a house that they can afford to buy. This phenomenon is known as “drive till you qualify.”
Americans are moving to the suburbs because of their families’ desire for more space.
Over the years, however, people have lost interest in living the American Dream. They’ve become disillusioned with this version of it. Here are some reasons why that’s happened:
Big Idea #2: Living in the suburbs brings with it a uniformity that not everyone finds appealing.
Many Americans dream of living in the suburbs, where they can live in a big house with a yard and be far away from the city. However, there are some issues that people don’t realize about suburban life until they’re actually living it.
Suburbs are a place where people live in similar houses, eat the same types of foods, and shop at the same stores. This uniformity can lead to depression and anxiety since there is not much room for creativity or stimulation. We see this reflected in popular culture today, with shows like Desperate Housewives that play off suburban life as dull and boring. It has also been commented upon by intellectuals throughout history who have noted how suburbia lacks character.
Lewis Mumford, a sociologist and urban historian, believed that the homogeneity of suburban life placed limits on creativity. He feared that people who lived in suburbs would only be able to consume processed foods, socialize with other members of their own class, and enjoy mass-produced culture from watching television.