How World War II Created the Suburbs | History Hyenas

History Hyenas with Chris Distefano and Yannis Pappas · Aug 20, 2026 · 1h 18m

How did World War II help create the modern American suburb? This week, the History Hyenas dive into **Levittown, the GI Bill, and the postwar housing boom** that transformed Long Island—and eventually America. We break down how returning GIs, government-backed mortgages, mass-production construction, and the GI Bill turned potato fields into rows of affordable homes. We also look at the **Marshall Plan**, the booming postwar economy, the rise of the automobile, and how America went from crowded cities to the suburban dream. But there was a darker side to that dream. **Racial discrimination…