Portland Prospers in the Fifties

Standing on the rock solid foundation of a post-war economy (lovingly referred by economists as The Golden Age of Capitalism), Portlanders shifted their wartime production focus into one of reproduction. While our industrial workforce began to scatter after the war, fresh new Baby Boomers began to arrive in infant form. As a whole, our population held steady at 373,000 souls for the decade.

Proud parents planned for an optimistic future and had the means for artistic improvisation at home. Some creative attention from talented architects transformed the functional one level ranch home into the progressive mid-century modern. Industrial construction efforts of WWII brought an influx of steel and plywood, offering architects more brushes with which to paint. Floor-to-ceiling windows invited Nature into the living space and encouraged youngsters to connect with the out-of-doors immediately, rather than waiting until they grew tall enough to see out a traditional window. Split-level living conjured texture into the living environment, allowing Portlanders pleasant glimpses of the future right in their own homes.