Real estate developer William Levitt was instrumental in the mass production of large suburban developments. On May 7, 1947, he announced that he would create 2,000 rental homes on Long Island, about a half-hour from New York City. In 1951, Levittown's 17,000 homes were completed. There was high demand for affordable housing as the suburbs became the new American dream. Homes in Levittown were originally built as rentals. Soon, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) began supporting home purchases by offering mortgages (but only for racially homologous developments) to prospective buyers. Young couples were able to purchase homes from Levitt with a 30-year mortgage and no down payment. The mortgage payments were equivalent to the rental payments, making the purchase easy (especially compared to now!). Most of the residents were white couples in their 20s and 30s with young children. There was an increase in demand and the Levitt company expanded into Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The $6,990, 720-square-foot Cape Cod-style homes were nearly identical, built in areas that had streets, parks, playgrounds, pools, etc. similar. The larger ranch-style homes opened in 1949, and finally sold for $10,000 in 1951. Reverend Willie James led a lawsuit in 1950 to reverse Levittown's segregation. The town (now known as Willingboro) is now two-thirds black, a far cry from when it was almost entirely white in the 1950s. Furthermore, one in eight residents is over 65 years old. As the rate of children in the area has declined, some schools have been converted for other uses. Things like music concerts at former schools have encouraged an influx of people with diverse backgrounds. In general, minorities and people who identify with a specific c......middle of paper......ogram wanted to develop the Four Corners Millennium Project Urban Renewal Entity in Newark for a cost of $19.45 million. It is a residential/commercial project that would create 65 jobs and 200 construction jobs. They also hope to create Paterson Commons II Urban Renewal Associates ($7.8 million – create 100 residential units with a small amount of retail) and Washington Street University Housing Urban Renewal Associates ($23.1 million – studio apartments for Rutgers University students). They would like to build several companies, including IDT Corp., VF Sportswear, Sony Music Entertainment and Thomson Reuters US Inc, in Newark, Jersey City, Hoboken and Rutherford. Each project would create a significant number of jobs, particularly by keeping them outside of New York City. The purpose of these incentives is to stimulate development and create jobs. Let's hope it works!