NED COLE IS PERHAPS THE most important entrepreneur you’ve never heard of. In 1954, this builder from Austin, Texas created the world’s first housing development where every home had central air conditioning.
Overnight, he transformed the lives of middle-class families of the sweltering Deep South. Residents reported eating heartier meals and having more energy. Housewives were liberated from the endless cleaning away of dust blown in through open windows.
Most of the houses still stand and form part of a pleasant neighbourhood with parks, schools and churches — lots of big, very full churches. Cole’s innovation was widely copied and soon Southern cities became a sprawl of affordable fully air-conditioned suburbs. The Sun Belt was born. Growing prosperity and population have made this region a powerful force in US electoral…
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The Critic (Digital) - 1 Issue, February 2025