USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -The poor congregated in cardboard shacks in so-called Hoovervilles on the edges of cities across the nation; hundreds of thousands of the unemployed roamed the country on foot and in boxcars in futile search of jobs. Although few starved, hunger and malnutrition affected many.

Detailed explanation-2: -"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-3: -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-4: -These were communities of shacks, built with whatever materials they could find, without streets or order. They were built on public and unused land. There was no sanitation, no electricity, no garbage collection. Whenever possible, Hoovervilles were built near creeks, streams, and rivers to provide a source of water.

Detailed explanation-5: -Hoovervilles Appear Nationwide Desperate for shelter, homeless citizens built shantytowns in and around cities across the nation. These camps came to be called Hoovervilles, after the president.