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To what extent is the Santa Clarita Valley a modern-day Levittown? 

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To what extent is the Santa Clarita Valley a modern-day Levittown? 

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The Santa Clarita Valley is a modern-day Levittown to a very large extent. There are five main similarities between Levittown and Santa Clarita: both share low crime rates, organized neighborhoods, shopping centers, split neighborhoods, low racial diversity, and similar home patterns.

Levittown was a very desirable neighborhood to live in. One of the most attractive qualities of Levittown was its low crime rate. After World War II, adults wanted to build families; thus, Levittown was extremely enticing as families and children would be safe from crime found in cities. Just like Levittown, Santa Clarita has a low crime rate. In 2016, Santa Clarita's violent crime rate was set at 87.0, compared to the U.S. average of 216.0 (City-Data). Because Santa Clarita is an urban suburb like Levittown, it is easy to build families while also find employment near by - creating the perfect neighborhood to raise a family. Not only do both neighborhoods have low crime rates, they both have families that boast affluence. The 1950s, and Levittown in particular, saw a rise in the desire for a life of affluence ,with more and more families spending money on tv's, cars, and furniture. Santa Clarita shares this feature, as many families are well-off and have enough money to spend on consumer goods.

Levittown was built very thought out and systematic. Roads and buildings were placed out of no mistake, as the entire suburb was planned. Santa Clarita was built on a similar plan. Clusters of homes and neighborhoods are spread out around Santa Clarita, circling small grocery centers. For example, those living in Stevenson Ranch live around the Valencia Marketplace. Residents in Valencia surround the small shopping center called Highridge Crossing. These types of communities maximize efficiency, as no resident has to travel too far for necessary items and food. A great advantage that Santa Clarita has, that Levittown did not, is public transportation. Santa Clarita buses are another example of how the communities are very organized, as the buses run on a timed schedule. Both Levittown and Santa Clarita's planning help the neighborhoods look clean; additionally, a key style of the 1950's was uniformity. As a result, that trend can still be seen today in the similar roads and streets in Santa Clarita.

Despite the different neighborhoods, both Levittown and Santa Clarita share central social gathering institutions. For example, Levittown had many public baseball fields for all residents to use. Santa Clarita, similarly, has the Santa Clarita Sports Complex that has public basketball courts and swimming pools. Also, the Westfield Town Mall in Santa Clarita attracts residents from all types of neighborhoods. At this mall, one can find an abundance of food, social events, and shopping. These social institutions bring both of the communities closer together. There is also a key continuity in time between Levittown and Santa Clarita leisure/shopping.The 1950's saw a rise in a consumer culture, and today the same remains true for Santa Clarita. The Westfield Town Mall offers residents of Santa Clarita the opportunity to buy consumer goods and it also provides a place for social gatherings. Additionally, the 1950's were also characterized by mass-produced goods; the Westfield Town Mall has many chain stores, such as Forever 21 and Macy's, that sell mass-produced clothing. Thus, mass-production and uniformity are continuity in history seen between Levittown and Santa Clarita. Overall, as residents of both Levittown and Santa Clarita continue to live in a consumer society, central social gatherings will be influential and busy for time to come.

Levittown is an area split up into many different neighborhoods. Nonetheless, Levittown is described as having a school that is so close children can walk to it. The same can be said about Santa Clarita. Many students live very close to their school and either take a quick walk or drive. Even more convenient, each neighborhood has a school so that students have easier access to arriving to school. For example, students living in Saugus attend Saugus High School, students in Valencia attend Valencia High School, and students in living in Newhall attend Hart High School. This is very similar to Levittown, as residents identified with their local communities first, such as Lakesiders, rather than Levittowners. Santa Clarita demonstrates neighborhood loyalty through the intense school rivalries. Students (and other residents) are very loyal to their neighborhoods and schools rather than the city of Santa Clarita. For example, residents are very loyal to their high school sports teams, shown through various chants and school t-shirts. Thus, just like people in Levittown identified with their immediate neighborhoods, residents in Santa Clarita do the same.

Because of the time period of the 1950's, Levittown was very segregated and not racially diverse. Similar to Levittown, Santa Clarita is not very racially diverse. Levittown today, though, no longer practices segregation. Nevertheless, racial diversity fails to improve much. The Asian population in Levittown only accounts for 1.7% of the total suburb population, and Hispanics only make up 5.5% of the population (CityLab). Like Levittown, the majority of Santa Clarita is white as whites make up 76.4% of the population. The next biggest ethnic group are Asians, making up 8.6% of the population. African Americans only comprise 3.8% of Santa Clarita's population (City Hall). Even after more than 60 years of Levittown being founded, the racial diversity remains low. Santa Clarita was, however, founded much later (1987) but still lacks diversity as well. These two suburbs have demonstrated much continuity in that both fail to add significant racial diversity to their areas.

Homes in Santa Clarita are very similar to those in Levittown. When Mr. Levitt was interviewed, he claimed that it is much better to have a new house rather than to purchase an old house. This pattern is very often seen in Santa Clarita, as new housing developments are always being added. For example, in my neighborhood in Southern Oaks, an entire new series of streets of houses has been added in the past two years that extends up another hill. Levittown was a nice neighborhood with paved roads, and the same can be said of Southern Oaks. Six months ago, our roads were re-paved to look nicer and to drive better on. A key difference, however, between homes in Santa Clarita and homes in Levittown is their size. Many homes in Santa Clarita have more rooms than the three bedroom homes in Levittown. Despite this difference, homes in Santa Clarita and Levittown are very similar. Another similarity between the two suburbs is the conformity in housing style. The 1950's were characterized by uniformity and conformity and the rows of similar homes showed that. In Santa Clarita, homes are very similar and in many neighborhoods home stylings are in patterns.

Overall, Santa Clarita demonstrates it is a modern-day Levittown to a large extent.