U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for March 15

WASHINGTON, March 15, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

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THURSDAY, MARCH 15: MONOPOLY

Profile America — Thursday, March 15th.  More than three generations of Americans can recall the feeling of power when they placed several houses on Ventnor Avenue or the Boardwalk, forcing their unlucky friends to pay the high rent if they landed on your property.  This, of course, is part of the enduring board game Monopoly, which went on sale this week in 1933, a time when very few real houses were being built.  That year, only 93,000 new houses were started, at an average cost of just over $300.  In spite of the huge drop in the housing market in recent years, 471,000 new homes were started in 2010, with an average value of $222,000.  Profile America is produced by the U.S. Census Bureau: Measuring America—People, Places, and Our Economy.

Sources:  Chase's Calendar of Events 2005, p. 167
Historical Statistics of the United States:  Colonial Times to 1970, p. 640
Statistical Abstract of the United States 2012, t. 970, 975

Profile America is produced by the Public Information Office of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on a monthly CD or on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look for "Multimedia Gallery" by the "Newsroom" button). 

SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau