USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -"Hooverville” became a common term for shacktowns and homeless encampments during the Great Depression. There were dozens in the state of Washington, hundreds throughout the country, each testifying to the housing crisis that accompanied the employment crisis of the early 1930s.

Detailed explanation-2: -Some unemployed became transients, searching for jobs and food. In Seattle, unemployment was 11% in April 1930, rising to 26% by January 1935. Families doubled up in apartments, others were evicted and built makeshift houses. Groups of these dwellings for the homeless were called Hoovervilles.

Detailed explanation-3: -St. Louis, Missouri, and Seattle, Washington, were home to two of the country’s largest and longest-standing Hoovervilles. Whenever possible, Hoovervilles were built near rivers for the convenience of a water source. For example, in New York City, encampments sprang up along the Hudson and East rivers.

Detailed explanation-4: -Some have estimated that 500 Hoovervilles sprang up in 1929 and increased in number to over 6000 in the 1930s.

Detailed explanation-5: -The towns were named “Hoovervilles, ” because of President Herbert Hoover’s ineffective relief policies. Mass unemployment was rampant among men aged 18–50, and the lack of a social safety net continued to push them down the ladder.