Near West Side, Chicago
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Community Area 28 - Near West Side Location within the city of Chicago |
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| Latitude Longitude |
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| Neighborhoods | ||
| ZIP Code | parts of 60606, 60607, 60608, 60610, 60612 and 60661 | |
| Area | 14.89 km² (5.75 mi²) | |
| Population (2000) Density |
46,419 (up 0.48% from 1990) 3,117.0 /km² |
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| Demographics | White Black Hispanic Asian Other |
25.3% 52.9% 9.51% 10.5% 1.87% |
| Median income | $29,588 | |
| Source: U.S. Census, Record Information Services | ||
The Near West Side, one of the 77 official community areas, is located on the west side of Chicago, Illinois directly adjacent to the downtown central business district (the Loop).
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[edit] Neighborhoods
[edit] Greektown
The Greektown section of Chicago is located roughly between Van Buren and Madison Streets, along Halsted Street, within the Near West Side community area of Chicago. It was popularized in the movie "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," which ironically was filmed mostly in Toronto. The neighborhood is known for its plethora of excellent Greek restaurants, including the famous Parthenon, and its 24 hour foodspots.
[edit] The West Loop
The West Loop, sometimes called West Loop Gate, makes up the northeast quadrant of the Near West Side, just west of Chicago's Loop. It is bordered by the River to the east, Lake Street on the north, Congress Parkway to the south, and either Halsted or Ashland to the west, depending on who you ask. Comparable to New York City's Meat Packing District, the West Loop is a former manufacturing corridor turned art-edgy neighborhood. The West Loop is made up primarily of warehouses that are still in use or recently converted to loft condomniums, newly constructed "loftominimus," restaurants, night clubs, a growing number of art galleries, and some retail. The West Loop is also the home of Harpo Studios, owned by well known talk show host Oprah Winfrey, and the production site of her syndicated show.
[edit] Tri-Taylor
Tri-Taylor consists of the area bordered by Harrison Street to the North, Ogden Avenue to the East, Roosevelt Road on the south and Western Avenue on the West. It is shaped vaguely like a triangle and hence "Tri-Taylor." The neighborhood is traditionally an extension of the Little Italy neighborhood to its east, although it has consistently been one of the most diverse 'neighborhoods' in Chicago as it was situated on the borders of heavily African American, Irish, Hispanic, and Italian areas. Recently it has been composed mostly of Mexican-Americans and students from nearby the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). The neighborhood is also home to the Chicago Technology Park research center as well as the West Side Center for Disease Control, the office for the Medical Examiner of Cook County, and the Chicago Hope Academy (a private high school which opened in 2005).
[edit] Little Italy
The Little Italy neighborhood is a fraction of what it once was, but it still has a marked presence in Chicago due to its famous restaurants. Encompassing about 12 blocks on Taylor Street and the nearby area, Little Italy is home to the landmark restaurants Rosebud, Pompei and Francesca's. Those coming for the full Italian-American experience should enjoy a visit to the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame (and nearby Joe DiMaggio plaza), a frozen lemonade from Mario's Italian Lemonade, a beef at Al's No. 1 Italian Beef, a visit to Conte di Savoia Italian grocer and deli, buy some pasta and cannoli at Scafuri's bakery and a stroll in Arrigo (Peanut) Park to see the statue of Columbus. The neighborhood lies between the Illinois Medical District and the UIC campus.
[edit] Illinois Medical District
The Illinois Medical District is the 6th largest medical district in the United States (after the Texas Medical Center in Houston). John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County (formerly known as Cook County Hospital), one of the largest county-run hospitals in the U.S. and inspiration for the TV shows ER and The Fugitive, is located here. The District had its start in the 1870's when Cook County Hospital, Rush Medical College, and the College of Physicians and Surgeons were established on the Near West Side following the great Chicago Fire of 1871. The cornerstone for the Medical Center was the building of Cook County Hospital in 1876. In 1877, Rush Medical College erected a building next to County at Harrison and Wood. Presbyterian Hospital (affiliated with Rush) was built in 1883. The University of Illinois at Chicago's origins in the District can be traced to the College of Physicians and Surgeons, founded in 1881. In 1917, the State acquired the vacated West Side Park located at Polk and Wolcott for the University.
The district is also home to: University of Illinois hospitals, Rush Medical Center, Rush University, University of Illinois College of Medicine, UIC College of Dentistry, UIC School of Pharmacy, Jesse Brown VA, The Neuropsychiatric Institute, Rothstein CORE Center, Chicago Lighthouse for the Blind & Visually Impaired, Illinois Forensic Science Center, West Side CDC, Chicago Dept. of Public Health and the Cook County Coroner's Office. Recently, the FBI Division Headquarters for Chicago was erected on Roosevelt Road.
[edit] University Village Chicago
University Village Chicago is a late 1990s housing development in the shadows of the University of Illinois at Chicago. The neighborhood encompasses the old Maxwell Street neighborhood. From the late 19th century until the 1920s, the Maxwell Street neighborhood was an important Jewish neighborhood for many Jews who had escaped government organized "pogroms" in their countries of origin. They established an outdoor market both to replicate many of the traditional markets from their countries of origin, but also as a way to make a living when starting out in the United States with very little. Once the "Great Migration" of African Americans from the south began in 1919, the neighborhood became increasingly African American though many of the businesses remained in Jewish hands. It is at this time that the music known as "Chicago Blues" originated and was performed on Maxwell Street.
The motto of Maxwell street was "we cheat you fair" and it was widely known that people should get to the market early so that they could be the first customer of the day because vendors would go down to any price so they could sell something to the first customer of the day, thinking that it would bring them luck. Nate's Deli which was previously Lyon's deli was an important landmark in the neighborhood. Opened by Ben Lyon, a Jewish man in the neighborhood, in the 1920's, he eventually sold the deli to his devoted employee, Nate Duncan, an African American child of the "Great Migration." Nate kept all of the original recipes until the deli was torn down by the University Village development in the 1990s. The famous scene from the "Blues Brothers" where Aretha Franklin sings "Think" was filmed in Nates Deli.
It was at Maxwell Street where Abe "Fluky" Drexler first began to sell the Chicago style hot dog in 1929, and where Jim Stefanovic created the Maxwell Street Polish at Jim's Hot Dog Stand. (Chicagoans believe that this is where the hot dog itself was invented....) The Original Jim's was torn down around 2002 and relocated to nearby Union Street, just off the Roosevelt road on-ramp to the 90/94 expressway.
The Maxwell street market continues today on Canal Street between Taylor and 16th streets. It is largely a Mexican market today, and is still a wonderful place to find interesting things and great bargains.
[edit] External links
- Official City of Chicago Near West Side Community Map
- Chicago Arts District
- Chicago Greek Town
- Chicago Landmarks
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