East Side, Chicago
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Community Area 52 - East Side Location within the city of Chicago |
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| ZIP Code | parts of 60617 | |
| Area | 7.25 km² (2.80 mi²) | |
| Population (2000) Density |
23,653 (up 15.66% from 1990) 3,261.6 /km² |
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| Demographics | Hispanic Black White Asian Other |
57.7% 1.02% 40.1% 0.24% 1.23% |
| Median income | $79,284 | |
| Source: U.S. Census, Record Information Services | ||
East Side is one of the 77 official community areas of Chicago, Illinois. It is located on the far south side of the city, between the Calumet River and the Illinois-Indiana state line, approximately 13 miles south of Downtown Chicago. The neighborhood has its own park on Lake Michigan, Calumet Park, and its own forest preseve, Eggers Grove Forest Preserve, which neighborhood residents usually call Eggers Woods. It is served by U.S. Highway 12, U.S. Highway 20, and U.S. Highway 41, which are multiplexed in this neighborhood.
The East Side, until recently, was socially and economically dominated by the Calumet River and the jobs it supported. The river formed the once-thriving industrial Port of Chicago. A cluster of riverside docks and slips allowed materials of all sorts to be loaded and unloaded onto adjacent railroad lines, and the river itself was lined with steel mills. Republic Steel began operations here in 1901. The Republic mill was the site of frequent union unrest, culminating in the Memorial Day Massacre of 1937 and the successful drive by the United Steelworkers to organize the Chicago mills.
Many of the neighborhood's residents duiring this period were families of Croatian and Serbian heritage, who had emigrated from Europe to work in the steel mills and take related jobs. Especially after unionization, the neighborhood became a stronghold of the Chicago Democratic Party machine of Mayor Richard J. Daley. The neighborhood's longtime alderman, Edward Vrdolyak, became a noted Chicago "power broker" after the senior Daley's death. Today, the area still remains largely Hispanic, Serbian, Croatian, and Polish.
In the 1950s, the East Side was divided in two by the Chicago Skyway. The riverside steel mills and heavy industries went into serious decline in 1970-2000, and are no longer the mainstay of the neighborhood.
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[edit] Growing Suburban Qualities
The East Side has been long neglected as is any other South Side neighborhood. Many of the older houses are in the unique-to-Chicago bungalow style, though some parts of the East Side are notable for their newer grandiose like houses and suburban feel. Today, the East Side is steadily redeveloping with new homes being built, grocery chains such as Aldi entering the community, and the redevelopment of Lake Pointe Plaza have improved the East Side. The average price of a home in the East Side is nearing $320,000[citation needed].
[edit] Boundaries
East Side is bounded by 95th street(9500 S) to the North, Burley Avenue (roughly 3200 E) to the West, State Line Road(4100 E) to the East, and 126th street(12600 S) to the South.
[edit] Schools
East Side is served by both Catholic and Chicago Public Schools. Taylor Elementary, Gallistel Elementary, Jane Addams Elementary and Washington Elementary are among the public elemantary schools. George Washington High School is the neighborhood public high school. Annunciata Elementary School is the neighborhood's Catholic, private school and St. Francis De Sales (http://www.sfdshs.org/home/home.php) is the neighborhood's Catholic, private high school. Many students of the East Side are enrolled in schools outside of the neighborhood. These may include Bishop Noll Institute in nearby Hammond, Indiana, Marian Catholic High School in Chicago Heights, Illinois, Mount Carmel High School and Mother Macauley School.
[edit] Public Transportation
East Side is Metra territory, as the nearest CTA train station is the 95th/Dan Ryan station on the Red Line, 7 miles northwest of the neighborhood. Residents utilize the Metra Electric station at 93rd street (9300 S, 3300 E)(in South Chicago), and the Metra/ South Shore Line at Hegewisch/ 136th street. The area is served by 3 CTA Bus Routes and connects easily to suburban Pace buses. The Chicago Skyway has been refurbished and privatized. At night it's beautifully lighted outline gives the feel of bridge expanse. In fact it does span the Calumet River. The edges have been outfitted with landscaped terraces and "pocket parks" have been installed at the intersection of Ewing Avenue and Indianapolis Boulevard. One right under the Skyway, complete with decorative benches and ornamental lamp lighting (it serves as a rest stop for cyclers) and the other across the boulevard with a working ornamental fountain. The Burnham Greenway Trail travels along this section under the Skyway, traverses the boulevard and runs along briefly impeded stretches of greenspace right into the south suburban communities of Burnham and Calumet City.
[edit] Trivia
At the northeastern corner of the neighborhood, close to Lake Michigan, stands a stone obelisk Illinois-Indiana State Line Boundary Marker to mark the northern end of the surveyed boundary line that separates Illinois and Indiana.
Most of the streets going north and south are named after the alphabet, with Avenue A closest to the Indiana state line and Avenue O closer to the Calumet River. The neighborhood is sometimes often called "Alphabet Town," like Manhattan's Alphabet City.
Avenue A, which is the closest to the Illinois-Indiana state line is now named State Line Road.
The northern portion of East Side between the Calumet River and Lake Michigan gave the community the nickname of "The Island".
The bubble-gum pop song The Night Chicago Died refers to the East Side of Chicago, confusing even native Chicagoans who have never heard of the East Side. It is likely the band (Paper Lace), being from Nottingham, England, had no knowledge of Chicago geography and simply used "East Side" out of ignorance.
[edit] External links
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South Chicago, Chicago | Lake Michigan |
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 East Side, Chicago  |
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| Hegewisch, Chicago | Hammond, Indiana |
