What is "levittown"

used figuratively for "generic suburban tract housing," American English, from the vast planned real estate developments built by the firm Levitt & Sons Inc., the first on Long Island, 1946-51 (more than 17,000 homes), the second north of Philadelphia (1951-55).

Levittown is the name of seven large suburban developments created in the United States of America by William Levitt and his company Levitt & Sons. Built after World War II for returning veterans and their new families, the communities offered attractive alternatives to cramped central city locations and apartments. He and other builders were guaranteed by the Veterans Administration and the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) that qualified veterans could receive housing for a fraction of rental costs. Production was modeled in an assembly line manner and thousands of similar or identical homes were produced easily and quickly, allowing rapid recovery of costs. Houses came standard with a white picket fence, greener grasses and great appliances. Sales of the original Levittown began in March 1947, and 1,400 homes were purchased within the first three hours.