From 1940 to 1960, the rate of homeownership in America grew from 44% to 62% — a dramatic change in how Americans went about housing themselves and their families. 

Homeownership had been a thing for the middle-aged before that, but no more. Soldiers returning from World War II and their wives, who had developed professional skills during the war, drove the increase. Homeownership was rising before the Great Depression hit, but the uptick was an irreversible force.