Living in Los Angeles during the housing shortage caused by World War II


When I lived in Los Angeles in the 1980s, one of the things that always amazed me was how many houses, apartments, and condos there were. And it seemed every time I turned around, more construction was happening to add even more, and more. The thought that there had ever been a housing shortage in LA never even occurred to me, but there was, during World War II, and even afterwards for several years after the war ended. Construction boomed, but it took quite a while to catch up with the demand.

Let's time-travel back to LA during World War II, sometime between 1942 and 1945. The war had caused a tremendous demand for things like airplanes, and those factories needed people - LOTS of people to work there. And so if you weren't overseas in service, and you were otherwise able-bodied, you could be a War Worker. The jobs paid well, but people still needed a place to live, and all over town were "no vacancy" signs.


Let's drive down Huntington Boulevard, and see if we can find something. Hey look! That sign says, "Low Rent Homes for War Workers". It's the Rose Hill Courts, sounds nice!

Let's go take a look, do your have your War Worker button? Put it on, and let's go find a place to live!




Images from the Duke University Libraries Digital Collections.
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