Life in the 1950s

During suburban America, Americans purchased 58 million new cars during the 1950s.  Manufacturers persuaded people to trade in by offering flashier models.  Federal spending on highways skyrocketed from $79 million in 1946 to 2.6 billion in 1960.  California’s population increased between 1945 and 1964.  Los Angeles had the highest ownership of private homes and cars of any city.  Americans in the 1950s tended to marry young and have babies quickly.  The number of births peaked at 123 in 1957 when an American baby was born every seven-seconds.  Baby Boom was an enormous population spurt from 1946 to 1964, and this once again reinforced the idea that the women’s place was at home.  Marriage and parenthood was glorified by the popular culture throughout the 1950s.  Americans spent more time and money on entertainment and television became the dominant medium as it changed the political life.