For a couple of years now there's this image titled "Moving Day" popping every now and then on facebook, the people that post it give different dates and locations and of course context. It's time to set things straight and see the entire story behind it.
After 1946, Los Angeles knew a huge increase in population with an average of 400 people moving in DAILY! In the first week of july 1953, with the completion of a very large residential project in Lakewood, there was the largest population influx on a day in history, so the entire media was there to immortalize the moment.
In Lakewood the population grew from 2.000 in 1940 to over 100.000 in 1953, most of them being attracted by well payed jobs in the industry, mostly aviation.
The newly built community generated other jobs in sectors like: laundry, cleaning, milk delivery, newspaper delivery, sewing machines, cosmetics, shower doors, Venetian blinds and backyard fences and of course door to door salesmen. Life Magazine arranged a demonstrative photoshoot on the lawn of the Fergusons.
And the Fergusons did some shopping as you can see in this photo below: a new Ford, two bicycles, one tricycle, a trumpet, a stove and a refrigerator. By cash and time payments they bought a $10.290 house, with $6.800 additional goods.
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images and info provided by the LIFE Magazine / LIFE Magazine International / LIFE Magazine Atlantic ARCHIVE from the Zetu Harrys Collection
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