User:Lia.Fosse/sandbox

A lawn can be defined by four characteristics: It is composed only of grass species; it is subject to weed and pest control; it is subject to practices aimed at maintaining its green color; and it is regularly mowed to ensure an acceptable length. Global estimates in the early 2000s for lawn-related expenditure range between $22 billion and $35 billion annually. This amount includes the increasing use of professional lawn care companies that range from small (less than $50,000 in sales per year) to large (more than $1 million in sales per year). Estimates suggest that in 2008, more than 80,000 lawn and landscaping companies operated in the United States alone. Levitt practiced real estate law for nearly 25 years and started a construction firm with his two sons during the 1920’s on the north shore of Long Island. During WW2 they began building low-cost homes and didn’t excavate basements in order to save time, which was the beginning of their famous “outdoor assembly line” construction method. Landscaping was one of the most important factors in Levittown’s success - and no feature was more prominent than the lawn. The Levitt’s understood that landscaping could offset the normal depreciation of a home, adding to the appeal of their developments. During 1948, the first spring that Levittown had enjoyed, Levitt and Sons fertilized and reseeded all of the lawns free of charge.

Lawn monoculture was a reflection of more than an interest in offsetting depreciation, it propagated the homogeneity of the suburb itself. Even as late as 1960 there was not a single African American resident among Levittown's 80,000 residents.