Nearly everyone was on common social and economic ground. Nobody was any “better” than anybody else. We all had lots in common to talk or argue about.

Also, the layout and design of Levittown was kid friendly, with parks, open spaces, schools, pools, playgrounds and recreational areas everywhere. And, they were easy to get to without crossing highways.

Growing up in Levittown, there were always like fifty kids around to get a game together. When we got older there were plenty of cute girls hanging out right in your neighborhood. We had it made in the shade”
Rich Wagner – Born 1959, grew up in Snowball Gate

Send us your memories of growing up in Levittown

Summer at the LPRA Pools The LPRA (Levittown Public Recreation Association) had 5 community pools spread out throughout Levittown. Most of us kids spent our entire summers there.

Santa on the Fire Truck Every Christmas Eve, still to this day, the Levittown Fire Companies come around with sirens on and Santa waving from atop the fire truck. He finds time to make his way through the sections of Levittown every year and still finds time to deliver toys to every child in the world. All in one day. What a guy!

The Neighbor's Backyard Pool (Wagner Family Photo) In Levittown, if your family had a pool, so did your neighbor's kids.  – Snowball Gate 1964

EMAIL US A PHOTO

The Mosquito Man In the 1960s, I guess DDT was not poisonous. It was just this really cool fog that came out of the back of a truck driving around your neighborhood. Nothing was cooler than following “the mosquito man” on your stingray bike, riding blindly along in the DDT fog. Many a Levittown kid chipped a tooth when they slammed into the back of the truck when it stopped at an intersection, unable to see through the fog. Boy, that DDT fog sure was cool. I guess what you don’t know, really can’t hurt you.

EMAIL US A PHOTO

Jubilee Lanes Country Club Shopping Center also was home to Jubilee Lanes bowling alley, my favorite hangout as a Levittown teenager. You could play pinball for a dime. I remember Collette, the lady who worked there, was really nice and put up with us even though we rarely bowled. I was good at pinball, so I would put in a dime, rack up 10 free games & sell them to someone for 20 cents. I could then spend one dime on a soda & then use the other dime to play pinball again. Ah, the  circle of life.

Langhorne Speedway You could hear it miles away. It was one of the best circle track in the US. I personally always jumped the fence to save money. Who needed to pay for a ticket to get in.

The Elephant Train (Times 1958) Yes, that's right; elephants at the Shop-A-Rama. The Elephant Train came to the Shop-A-Rama and was the coolest thing I had ever seen. Who thought of this idea?

5 Points "Gas Riot" 1979 Memorable, but definitely not one of Levittown's finer moments. On Sunday, June 24, 1979, the 2nd Arab oil embargo touched off a protest by Levittowners tired of waiting in gas lines to buy gas & truckers which degenerated into a minor riot by evening. Lots of police & national media attention, I was there.

The Easter Parade (left Hollenzcer Family 1958 & pop-up Times 1969) The family would get all dressed up in your Easter clothes and go down to the Shop-A-Rama for the Easter parade. If you click on the photo, it will launch a 1969 Times photo showing Amy at the Easter Parade.

School Dances (Photo - Kathy Sandy) School dances were a big hit on Friday and Saturday nights. This is of a 9th Grade Dance at Franklin in 1962.

“Teen Patter” Column (Times 1958) There were so many kids in Levittown in the late 1950s, they had their own newspaper columns.

Family Payday Rituals
"When I was a toddler, the Shop-O-Rama was the stage for our family’s Friday night payday ritual. While Mom purchased groceries at Food Fair, Dad would hoist me on his shoulders and take me for a sunset stroll …"
Levittown native David Diamond

"Our payday ritual was that every Friday, we would wait for my father to come home from work. He had just cashed his weekly paycheck and we would all put on nice clothes and go to HoJos (Howard Johnsons) on Route 1 for dinner. I would always get the fried clam kids platter (no meat on Friday) and a scoop of vanilla ice cream for dessert. This was livin' large in 1960s Levittown."
Rich Wagner

Send us your memories of growing up in Levittown

Commentary on the Social Impact of Sidewalks
“Towards the end of the project, Levitt & Sons built the "Gates". Having grown up in Snowball Gate, I can tell you it felt less friendly with less of a sense of community than other sections. The larger yards & lack of sidewalks made each home feel more isolated and private, more like modern day sub-divisions. Levitt was targeting a more "executive" customer, promoting the "exclusivity" of the Gates. This was counter to the basic premise of Levittown, where the neighborhood designs celebrated the similar social and economic status of the residents which made for a comfortable, close knit environment. This is what made Levittown work so well.

I know I was always more comfortable hanging out on the sidewalk in front of a friend's house in the Jubilee sections like Highland Park or Upper Orchard where, coincidentally, we were under some parental supervision. If you hung out in front of a friend's house in the "Gates" you felt like you were trespassing. Also, some neighbors did not like it & would complain to your parents. So, we kids in the Gates went and hung out in the woods, doing whatever we wanted, with absolutely no parental supervision. All this because there were no sidewalks. Today, I am a parent of a teenager myself and I say give me a neighborhood with sidewalks.