A severe housing shortage existed in Ohio and the nation both during and after the war. A survey in Columbus of approximately 11,000 housing units in December 1943 revealed only 28 vacancies. People were asked to "double up" with relatives. After the war President Truman urged the public to help find living space for returning veterans. In Cleveland, Benny Goodman's band played a benefit at which people pledged rooms for rent instead of money.

By 1945 the estimated housing shortage totaled more than four million dwellings. During a decade and a half of depression and war, residential construction had remained at a virtual standstill. With the marriage rate on a steep rise since 1941, and a climbing birth rate, new housing was a pressing need. The suburban subdivision, a concept pioneered by a few developers, became popular during this period of unprecedented demand. In 1946 suburbs accounted for 62 percent of construction nationwide. Housing starts jumped from 114,000 in 1944 to 1.7 million by 1950.

This aerial view shows a new subdivision in Columbus in 1949. As suburbs flourished after the war, the new consumer society expanded. Sales of home appliances and furnishings exploded. The automobile industry boomed as more people sought status and transportation to work and shopping centers in new suburbs.

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