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The Consequences of America’s Metro Migration
Malls and old American neighborhoods are in the same place: dead and soon to be forgotten
After the end of World War II, popular media often portrayed American families as accomplished, happy, and most importantly, back together. In fact, they were really happy to be back together. In the post-war economic boom, couples were industriously popping out babies and moving their growing families out of the cities and into the suburbs.
With them came their spending power, of course, putting a dent on Main Street retail stores.
It didn’t take long for businesses to follow people out to the suburbs, resulting in the birth of the iconic American shopping mall, which combined retail shopping, food service, and entertainment into one large, indoor building.
Thanks to President Eisenhower, interstate highways were blooming across America, too, and these massive retail complexes on the side of the road soon began to attract traveling consumers and helped prop up domestic tourism.
As America grew, so did the reach of malls.
For decades, malls were the best place for consumers to purchase clothes, toys, games, and anything in between — making holiday shopping that much easier.
