It stems from the manicured and ornate lawns of European nobility. It became a status symbol to have land that could be used for no practical purpose but aesthe

It stems from the manicured and ornate lawns of European nobility. It became a status symbol to have land that could be used for no practical purpose but aesthetics. In the 50s and 60s effort to industrialize, suburbanize, and add chemicals to everything, cookie cutter neighborhoods could be pumped out with simple no-thought-to-design lawns. They looked clean and required tons of upkeep and fuel and chemicals, and spending to one up the Joneses was a big thing in a newly rich society. In many ways it was the same as the nobility - your neighbor (or someone in a less affluent area more likely) who works two jobs doesn’t have time to maintain a lawn for no reason, so you could feel good about yourself for having a clean, useless front yard sign telling everyone how you’ve made it!