Just when I got used to writing 2022, it is about to change and I’ll have to start remembering it is 2023. It seems the years keep coming and going faster and faster. I’ve been through the growing and prosperous years of the 1950s as America grew in population and manufacturing as the WWII soldiers came marching homeward. Things were so different back then. Yes, I’ll admit I was one of those Baby Boomers.
It’s hard to believe but a brand new 1955 Bel Air Chevy cost about $2,000. In 1950, a nine-room modern house in Massachusetts would cost about $11,500 and in 1951 one and a half acres river front plot was selling for $750 and in Ohio in 1953 an eight- room house sitting on 3 1/2 acres of land, along without buildings was selling for $6,000. In 1950, the U.S. dollar had the buying power of $9.87 today. The average income of middle class citizens in 1950 was $2,992 annually.
Then came the 1960s where again Americans were making changes and trying to adjust. Rock and Roll was the chosen music of the youth. Fashions were changing but it would take almost a year before those changes came to middle America. The sticker price for a new V-8 powered Ford Mustang coupe was $2,734 and the average production worker made $3 an hour. A 1965 Chevrolet Corvette was listed as selling for $4,233. In 1960, a 1010 John Deere tractor sold for $2,200. More of the youth were leaving the farm and headed for college, and on to the higher paying jobs in the cities. The later 1960s brought yet another war, rebellion, riots, but yet songs were sung wanting peace. Hippies and Flower Power came with a modern movement. Muscle cars were on the highways and farmers were introduced to more powerful and efficient tractors and machinery. On July 20, 1969, American astronauts walked on the moon as we watched on television in wonder.
The 1970s arrived with a bang. Spacecraft Apollo 13 launched into orbit. A gallon of milk came at a price of $1.75, and a can of pop cost 10 cents in 1970 which before had cost a nickel for more than 70 years. A postage stamp was 6 cents. In 1974, General Motors announced their cars and trucks would raise in prices 9.5 percent the following year. Value per acre on farmland in north central Kansas in 1974 was $269. In 1970, it was estimated that it cost $11,236 a year to maintain a family of four on a moderate standard of living in New York. In 1972, the HP 3000 computer could be purchased at a price of $95,000. In 1973, a Wang 200 could be purchased for $3,500. In 1977, an Apple II computer could be bought for $1,298.
In 1980s, we were in for even more changes as technology seemed to be taking over with even more computers coming on the scene. In 1980, a new Buick Regal was selling for $8,300 and a new VW Rabbit hit the market at $4,250. A Ford F150 was selling new for $7,500 and provided 19 MPG. Home values were climbing upward with an average size new house costing around $82,800 in 1985. The news stories were: Reagan elected President; Iran taking U.S. hostages; Olympic boycott; Mt. Saint Helen’s eruption; and Iran-Iraq War.
By the 1990s, it was being referred to as a decade of relative peace and prosperity. The Soviet Union fell, ending the decades long Cold War. The rise of the internet brought in a new era of communication, business and entertainment. Yet peace didn’t last long with the bombing in Oklahoma City, Los Angeles Riots, and the Waco Siege. The minimum wage was $3.80 per hour in 1990. The New York Times reported the “conservative churches grew the fastest in the 1990s.” By 1997, the value of farmland in north central Kansas was $577 an acre. Rural towns were getting smaller in population and businesses.
The 2000s rolled around and it brought more changes. Grocery prices had risen as the year 2000 arrived. The cost of a pound of bread was $1.99 and the cost of a dozen eggs were 96 cents. The cost of a gallon of milk was $2.78. A can of tuna cost $1.50. A cell phone had just arrived on the scene. One could be purchased for $700. The average cost of a gallon of gasoline was $1.51. Computers were popular and selling for more than $3,000 for an Apple Titanium. By 2007, the IPhone 1 was selling for $600. A new house in 2000 cost an average of $134,000 and the average income was $41,343 a year. By 2009, it had dropped to $39,423. A new car in 2000 cost an average of $24,800. By 2009, the cost of a gallon of gasoline had risen to $2.75 with a first class postage stamp being 33 cents in 2000 and 42 cents in 2009.
This year, 2022, the average household in the U.S. spends $61,334 a year on expenses. The average price of a single-family home in the U.S. is $273,992 but the average single family dwelling in Kansas costs $178,896. A family of four in Kansas requires an annual income of $89,353 to cover expenses. Kansas has one of the nation’s lowest unemployment rates at 2.5 percent. Grocery prices continued to climb and the price of gasoline rose and then declined a little in December. The run on the U.S. southern border and the Ukrainian-Russian War are the main current top stories.
Yes, time marches on and with it comes changes and happenings. Happy New Year 2023.
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