[pbourke]

Was it really true that middle class families could afford 2 houses, private schools, etc in the 50’s and 60’s? Or is this just another case of all socioeconomic classes in America calling themselves “middle class,” and some of the profiled individuals came from upper middle class families in the top 20% of wealth/income.

I’d also find it interesting to see how some of the profiled individuals made out over the ensuing 30 years. My guess: pretty damned well.

[codingslave]

I know that at least in the midwest, areas like Detroit and Ohio had factory jobs that supported that kind of income level. This was without a college degree. I know this because I have family members from the midwest. They also retired quite early, with a very good pension, low stress, etc. But that was a blip in time, not something could have lasted forever. But then again, could certain economic policies have extended that economic period? Its a contentious question

[lkrubner]

My grandparents arrived from Europe in the 1920s, young and desperate for work, and by the late 1930s they had a huge apartment in Manhattan and they’d bought a cottage upstate that they could go to on the weekends. They definitely were not rich, and they had to contend with the Great Depression. But things were easier back then, in many respects.

[projektfu]

Growing up in the 80s I lived in a middle class area and many families had a 2000 sq ft house and a summer home as well. I'm not sure how things were in the 60s, but I also think there were fewer middle class people then. The article is profiling some of the children of the upper middle class, who were already living in Manhattan before school and who either are surprised that they don't have the same purchasing power or unaware that their parents may have been in the same position at the same point in their careers. It's hard to tell because the article isn't putting anything in perspective.