Lower West Side, Chicago
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (April 2008) |
Lower West Side | |
|---|---|
| Community Area 31 - Lower West Side | |
 Location within the city of Chicago | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Illinois |
| County | Cook |
| City | Chicago |
| Neighborhoods | |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2.80 sq mi (7.25 km2) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 35,769 |
| • Density | 13,000/sq mi (4,900/km2) |
| Demographics 2010[1] | |
| • White | 12.43% |
| • Black | 3.10% |
| • Hispanic | 82.43% |
| • Asian | 1.04% |
| • Other | 1.00% |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP Codes | parts of 60608 and 60616 |
| Median household income | $34,573[2] |
| Source: U.S. Census, Record Information Services | |
Lower West Side is a Chicago community area located on the West Side of the city, in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is three miles southwest of the Chicago Loop, and its main neighborhood is Pilsen. The Heart of Chicago is a neighborhood located within the southwest corner of the Lower West Side community area.
History
In the late 19th century, Pilsen was inhabited by Czech immigrants who named the district after Plzeň, the fourth largest city in what is now the Czech Republic. They replaced the Germans and Irish who had settled there first, in the mid-nineteenth century. The population also included smaller numbers of other ethnic groups from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, such as Slovaks, Slovenes, Croats and Austrians, as well as immigrants of Polish and Lithuanian heritage. Many of the immigrants worked in the stockyards and surrounding factories. Like many early 20th century American urban neighborhoods, however, Pilsen was home to both wealthy professionals and the working class, with the whole area knitted together based on the ethnicities, mostly of Slavic descent, who were not readily welcome in other areas of the city. [citation needed]
Although there was some increase in the Hispanic presence in the late 1950s, it was not until the early 1960s that there was a great spurt in the numbers of Latinos in Pilsen. This was due to the displacement of Latinos from the neighborhood UIC currently occupies. In 1970, Latinos became the majority population in Pilsen, surpassing the population of people of Eastern European descent.
Many of the newer residents of the neighborhood are not Latino, and it is projected that the neighborhood will continue to become more diversified in the years ahead.[3] The non-Latino population in Pilsen is still a minority as of the 2010 Census.
The Chicago Housing Authority's plan for transformation of the ABLA projects has spilled over into Pilsen proper, with the now nearly complete Chantico Loft development, Union Row Townhomes, as well as the defunct Centro 18 on 18th Street in East Pilsen. Infill construction of condominiums and single family homes is now in full force on the east side of the neighborhood, as Pilsen becomes one of the next major development areas for infill construction.[citation needed] Some local advocacy groups, including one led by Michael A. Martone, have formed urging the neighborhood's alderman to curtail gentrification to preserve the Mexican-American culture.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930 | 66,198 | — | |
| 1940 | 57,908 | −12.5% | |
| 1950 | 53,991 | −6.8% | |
| 1960 | 48,448 | −10.3% | |
| 1970 | 44,535 | −8.1% | |
| 1980 | 44,951 | 0.9% | |
| 1990 | 45,654 | 1.6% | |
| 2000 | 44,031 | −3.6% | |
| 2010 | 35,769 | −18.8% | |
| [4] | |||
National Historic Register
In 2006, Pilsen Historic District became a National Historic Register District. South Water Market has been added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Layout
The east side of the neighborhood along Halsted Street is one of Chicago's largest art districts, and the neighborhood is also home to the National Museum of Mexican Art. St Adalbert's dominates over the skyline with the opulence typical of churches in the Polish Cathedral style.[citation needed]
W 18th Street is an active commercial corridor, with Mexican bakeries, restaurants, and groceries, though the principal district for Mexican shopping is W 26th Street in Little Village, Chicago's other formerly majority Pan-Slavic community.
The United States Postal Service operates the Pilsen Post Office on 1859 S Ashland Avenue.[5]
Cuisine
Robb Walsh of the Houston Press wrote that the Mexican restaurants in Pilsen are "unconsciously authentic" to original Mexican cuisine. According to Rick Bayless, the chef and owner of Frontera Grill, this is because Mexican-Americans in Chicago do not encounter a substantial Chicano community that tells them how to cook food in the United States, so the immigrants use the same frame of reference that they had in Mexico.[6]
Transportation
The community area is connected to the rest of the city by both Chicago Transit Authority and Metra transportation services.
- CTA Pink Line train stops
- CTA bus services
- #49 Western
- #60 Blue Island/26th
- #18 16th/18th
Metra's BNSF Railway Line[9] stops on the east at Halsted and 16th Street, and on the west at Western and 18th Street.
There are also bikeways on Blue Island Avenue, 18th, and Halsted Streets.[10]
Education
Lower West Side is home to the following educational institutions:
- Instituto Health Sciences Career Academy – nonprofit charter high school
- Instituto Justice and Leadership Academy – nonprofit charter high school
- Cristo Rey Jesuit High School – private, Jesuit 9-12 school of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago
- Gads Hill Center – nonprofit youth and adult education center
- Rudy Lozano Library – Chicago Public Library branch
- St. Procopius School – Catholic, dual language elementary school
- Whittier Dual Language Community School – pre-kindergarten through 8 school
Notable former residents
- The late Chicago Bears football coach and owner George Halas was raised in Pilsen. He attended Peter Cooper School, which at the time went up to the 8th grade.[11]
- Slain journalist James Foley, lived in Pilsen while attending the Medill School of Journalism. [12]
See also
References
- ^ Paral, Rob. "Chicago Demographics Data". Retrieved 12 June 2012.
- ^ Paral, Rob. "Chicago Census Data". Retrieved 8 October 2012.
- ^ Betancur, John (2005). "Gentrification before Gentrification? The Plight of Pilsen in Chicago" (PDF). University of Illinois at Chicago. Retrieved June 16, 2012.
- ^ Paral, Rob. "Chicago Community Areas Historical Data". Retrieved 2 September 2012.
- ^ "PILSEN Post Office Location". United States Postal Service. Retrieved April 17, 2009.
- ^ Walsh, Robb (October 26, 2000). The Authenticity Myth "The Authenticity Myth: The Mex Mex Issue". Houston Press. Retrieved November 16, 2009.
{{cite web}}: Check|url=value (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "18th - CTA 'L' Train Station Information". Chicago Transit Authority. Retrieved June 16, 2012.
- ^ "Damen (Pink Line Station) - CTA 'L' Train Station Information". Chicago Transit Authority. Retrieved June 16, 2012.
- ^ "Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Station". Metra. Retrieved June 16, 2012.
- ^ "Chicago Bike Map". City of Chicago. Retrieved June 16, 2012.
- ^ Pero, Peter N. (2011). "Chicago's Pilsen Neighborhood". Arcadia Publishing. Retrieved June 18, 2012.
- ^ http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20141024/pilsen/james-foley-slain-by-isis-honored-with-pilsen-mural
External links
- Official City of Chicago Lower West Side Map
- Pilsen Portal
- Art Pilsen
- Pilsen Neighbors Community Council
- Pilsen, New York Times (1/28/15)
Places adjacent to Lower West Side, Chicago | |
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