At the end of World War II, many Americans began to move out of the cities and into the suburbs. In response to chronic housing shortages, the federal government offered generous home loans to war veterans, and tax benefits for home ownership.
Aggressive building of highway systems and the parallel rise in automobile ownership contributed to the development of communities well beyond urban centers. These and other incentives effectively jump-started the modern era of the single-family suburban home and the suburban revolution.
California was no exception. Between 1950 and 1970, the nation’s suburban population doubled (from 36 million to 74 million residents), with 83 percent of the nation’s growth in the suburbs. California’s abundant land, cheap labor, and mild climate put it in the vanguard of the new housing movement.
These amazing postcards from Alberta Mayo were taken by Frank J. Thomas that show street scenes of California in the mid-1950s.
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| Glendale. Brand Boulevard |
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| Glendale. Forest Lawn Memorial Park |
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| Arroyo Seco Parkway |
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| Burbank. NBC Color Television Studios |
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| Hollywood. Entrance to Hollywood Bowl |
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| Hollywood. Hollywood and Highland |
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| Hollywood. Hollywood and Vine |
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| Hollywood. Hollywood Bowl |
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| Hollywood. Hollywood Freeway, Cahuenga Pass |
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| Hollywood. Looking up Vine Street from Sunset Blvd |
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| Hollywood. Vine Street |
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| Inglewood. The Paddock, Hollywood Race Track, Hollywood Park |
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| La Crescenta Valley. View of the beautiful La Canada |
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| Long Beach. East Ocean Avenue |
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| Los Angeles Museum of History, Science and Art, Exposition Park |
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| Los Angeles. Ambassador Hotel |
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| Los Angeles. Angel's Flight, Third and Hill Streets |
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| Los Angeles. Chinatown |
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| Los Angeles. General Douglas MacArthur Park |
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| Los Angeles. Harbor Freeway, Looking North from Sixth Street |
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| Los Angeles. Historical Cross, Olvera Street |
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| Los Angeles. La Brea Tar Pits |
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| Los Angeles. Little Tokyo |
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| Los Angeles. Little Tokyo |
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| Los Angeles. Network of Freeways near Civic Center |
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| Los Angeles. Newly constructed Civic Center taken from the Japanese quarter |
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| Los Angeles. Restaurant Row, La Cienega Blvd |
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| Los Angeles. University of Southern California |
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| Malibu Beach |
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| Monrovia. Myrtle Avenue with the majestic Sierra Madres in the distance |
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| Pasadena. Colorado Street |
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| Pomona. Los Angeles County Fair |
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| Pomona. Los Angeles County Fair |
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| Portuguese Bend. Wayfarers' Chapel |
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| Redondo Beach. El Paseo and Pier |
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| Redondo Beach. Fishing from the Pier |
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| Redondo Beach. Sport Fishing Boat ‘G.W.’ |
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| San Pedro Harbor |
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| Santa Monica. Hotel Miramar |
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| Santa Monica. Pacific Palisades Park |