“In the twentieth century, the availability of light, heat, and power became a prerequisite for suburban living after electrical appliances and central heating became necessities of the American middle class. The expansionist policies of the private utility companies, which extended power and sewer lines to new subdivisions in advance of actual construction, meant that suburbanization was not stalled by the absence of essential services. Instead, the provision of light and power helped to create a city of islands--one industrial; a second of working-class residents dependent on coal, wood, oil, and ice; and a third of affluent sections on the rim enjoying gas and electric kitchens.” (132)

(Jackson, Kenneth T. Crabgrass Frontier: The Suburbanization of the United States. New York: Oxford University Press, 1985. Print.)