Levittown
SYLLABICATION: Lev•it•town
PRONUNCIATION: (lev'it-toun")
DEFINITION: 1. Noun - An unincorporated
community of southeast Pennsylvania near
the Delaware River northeast of
Philadelphia founded in 1952 as a
low-cost housing development for World
War II veterans. Population: 55,362 (in
2000). 2. Noun - The name Levittown has
come to symbolize the U.S. post–World
War II suburban phenomenon, which first
gave middle-class families the option of
inexpensive, single-unit housing outside
urban neighborhoods.
(map credit - Wikipedia)
Our Hometown Stories
“My parents left
Northeast Philly for Levittown in 1957.
Dad was a Navy Vet and a Machinist by
trade. My mother was a homemaker and
later a substitute teacher. I was born
in Lower Bucks Hospital in 1959, grew up
in Snowball Gate and rarely left
Levittown for any further away than the
Jersey Shore until I went away to
college. I think it is fair to say that
Levittown was my whole world for my
first 18 years.”
Rich Wagner – Snowball Gate &
Neshaminy 1977
This is the flyer Rich's parents
were given by Levitt salesmen. In 1957,
Rich's parents bought the one on the
bottom right, a Country Clubber model in
Snowball Gate. The same
year, Amy's parents bought the one shown
on the top left, a Jubilee model in Twin
Oaks. The Snowball Gate and Twin Oaks
sections are about 2 miles apart.
 This is the back
of the flyer, listing model information
and pricing.
"I’m
happy to report that all of my relatives
were attracted to Levittown in the 50’s.
So, I’m proud to say Levittown is my
hometown, my parents still live in their
original house! I feel lucky to be a
part of this great social experiment, a
successful one, at that. Levittown
offered us kids such a wonderful place
to grow up.
My dad’s
parents, the Ducketts, came first from
Central Pennsylvania (Clearfield) and
bought a Rancher in North Park. His
sister and new husband relocated too,
buying in Red Cedar Hill. My dad lived
in North Park (47 Narcissus Lane) with his parents after
graduating from Penn State. He worked in
the office at U.S. Steel, where he met
my mother, a summer worker about to
graduate Kutztown. Mom’s parents had
moved from Gary, Indiana, and lived in
Fairless Hills when he transferred U.S.
Steel to open the new Fairless Works.
Before long, mom and dad were engaged,
married, and bought a Jubilee in Twin
Oaks, both becoming teachers. By the
time I came along (at Lower Bucks
Hospital in 1962), my mom’s parents had
bought a nice Colonial across the creek
from us in Twin Oaks. Although I took it
for granted when I was young, it was
incredibly special to live so close to
my grandparents, with relatives nearby.
And, it was
quite an experience to grow up in a
neighborhood overflowing with kids,
never a dull moment! Twin Oaks was great
because we had the benefits of the
planned community (sidewalks, schools,
pools), the woods and farm fields to
play in. We used to walk right across
Oxford Valley Road and buy our eggs
fresh from Mr. Breagle’s farm. I started
kindergarten at Eisenhower, went to
Pearl Buck after it opened, Carl Sandburg, Neshaminy
Maple Point, then graduated from Penn
State in 1984."
Amy Duckett Wagner – Twin Oaks &
Neshaminy Maple Point 1980
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our home town