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Both the Santa Clarita Valley and 1950's Levittown share many characteristics, and it is possible that one could say SCV is a development from suburban towns of the 1950's. Many of the iconic and recognizable characteristics of our communities can be traced back to the beginning of the suburban housing boom and have continued to be implemented in town after town. However, at the same time, our modern-day suburban towns have created new innovations and characteristics that had not existed or were not as accepted in places such as Levittown. Thus, the Santa Clarita Valley is to a medium extent a modern day Levittown because it has parts that both resemble and differ from 1950's suburbia.
Firstly, the housing design aspect of the community was seen to be very similar to that of Levittown's. The houses in Levittown were described to be very systematically and thoughtfully planned out to both maximize space and enjoyment. Just like in Santa Clarita, the there are more open floor plans to reduce empty space and partitions and built in furniture such as clothes poles in closets. Additionally, what's known as "track homes" were a phenomenon that can be traced back to Levittown. The exterior style and floor plan of the houses are rotated every few houses so that you could find your exact home, with the same color and floor plan, somewhere throughout your community. This eerie resemblance shows how easy it was to create the mass communities filled with families because that process is still being repeated to this day.
Another aspect of Levittown was their wide range of leisure activities and aesthetic aspects built and structured into the community. Structures such as "paved streets, sewer lines, school sites, baseball diamonds, [and] shopping centers...[were] all conceived in advance" (Levittown). We have come to enjoy these perks of our communities and regard them as second nature when it comes to moving in to an area. They are leisure activities that are used for similar purposes both now and in past, to develop a sense of community with others and to add to the aesthetic and overall enjoyment of the town. Aesthetic features such as curved streets and trees can also be seen in the Santa Clarita Valley. Curved streets were designed to slow traffic and add to the overall aesthetic of the roads. Trees were also used to add to the beautification of properties and it still stands, in my opinion, that the statistic of "two and one-half trees per home" can be seen throughout Santa Clarita houses.
While there were many resemblances to 1950's suburbia, Santa Clarita has developed other aspects that were not prevalent in that time period. Nowadays, SCV would not be considered a "one-class community" as a whole. While a majority of people may be considered middle-class, there are definitely pockets and communities that offer housing for lower income families. This wider range of options is able to diversify the types of people who live here and create a more complex culture than that of Levittown. Also, though there are still track homes, there are different styles of track homes, such as condos or town houses which are suited for lower middle class families. These still fall in the category of similar floor plan and design throughout the community, however they are able to introduce a different income level of families who can live in an area with similar amenities but with a main home that is sold in a lower price range.
Another very unique aspect to Levittown was their adamant commitment to exclude races other than Caucasians from living or owning a house there. Though this was a product of the times they were living in, the exclusion of other, very deserving and in need individuals, has damaged the legacy of the town to this day. Luckily, SCV is nowhere near similar in this aspect to the ideals of Levittown. Though it may not be the most diverse town in the US, the range of cultures and ethnicities I get to interact with and learn from everyday, whether it be from my school or outside activities, is something I cherish because it has helped me broaden my knowledge on the many differences people can have. Nowhere in SCV can you find someone being denied the right to housing solely based on their race. Not only because it is illegal, but because our country as a whole has come a long way from the close-minded ideals of segregation and racism.
The Santa Clarita Valley is a good example of a community that has taken the useful and beneficial aspects of Levittown while at the same time excluding the negative aspects to create a thriving and modern-day suburbia. In our present day community, we can see many aspects that resemble that of Levittown such as the housing plans and the leisure activities provided. However, at the same time, we have grown apart from the more negative characteristics of Levittown such as it being solely a "one-class community" and its commitment to exclusion of other races. These combined aspects have created a community such as ours that to a moderate extent resembles 1950's Levittown.