Englewood, Chicago
Englewood is one of the 77 official community areas in Chicago, Illinois, United States. At its peak population in 1960, over 97,000 people lived in its approximately 3 square miles (7.8 km2),[2] but the neighborhood's population has since dropped dramatically. In 2000, it had a population of approximately 40,000 inhabitants, and the 2010 census indicated that its population has further declined to approximately 30,000.[3] Englewood is bordered by Garfield Boulevard to the north, 75th Street to the south, Racine Avenue to the west, and an irregular border that wends along the Metra Railroad Tracks to the east. On the west lies West Englewood, which is generally lumped in with Englewood by Chicagoans. It is located on the south side of Chicago.
Englewood | |
---|---|
Community Area 68 – Englewood | |
The intersection of 63rd and Halsted, looking south. The Halsted 'L' station can be seen crossing Halsted in the distance. Kennedy-King College occupies the buildings on the left of the photo. The building on the right burned in 2014. | |
Location within the city of Chicago | |
Coordinates: 41°46′48″N 87°38′42″W | |
Country | United States |
State | Illinois |
County | Cook |
City | Chicago |
Neighborhoods | list
|
Area | |
• Total | 3.09 sq mi (8.00 km2) |
Population (2015) | |
• Total | 26,121[1] |
• Density | 8,456.63/sq mi (3,265.125/km2) |
Demographics (2015)[1] | |
• White | 0.76% |
• Black | 94.98% |
• Hispanic | 2.61% |
• Asian | 0.29% |
• Other | 1.36% |
Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
Zip codes | part of 60621 |
Area code(s) | 773 |
Median income | $19,854[1] |
Source: U.S. Census, Record Information Services |
History
Before 1850, Englewood was an oak forest with much swampland. In 1852 several railroad lines crossed at what became known as Junction Grove, stimulating the beginning of what we know today as Englewood. The Union Stock Yard provided employment to early residents. In 1868 Henry B. Lewis, a wool merchant in the Loop and Board of Education member, suggested a new name from his association with Englewood, New Jersey. In 1865 Junction Grove was annexed to the Town of Lake and to Chicago in 1889.[4] The World's Columbian Exposition at nearby Jackson Park in 1893 led to real estate speculation and expansion of the community.[5]
The Englewood community[6] was largely defined by the Englewood Shopping Center at 63rd & Halsted, a large pedestrian mall. The City, social services, and mall management worked with community leaders and groups to integrate the mall with the community. The goal was to make the mall a vital part of the community, and a central part of everyday life. It was the site of numerous community events, parades, outdoor concerts, live radio broadcasts and the like. This was spearheaded by the Englewood Business Men's Association and its director, Richard Drew. Mr. Drew died in 1978, and with his passing the Association lost its community focus. The Center subsequently lost its major anchor tenants, including Sears Roebuck, and became a collection of smaller merchants.
In 1999, Mayor Richard M. Daley announced a $256 million revitalization plan for the area. The keystone of the program is the relocation of Kennedy-King College to the former site of the Englewood Shopping Center. Shortly thereafter the city began an aggressive buyout and relocation program for mall merchants. The campus includes the Washburne Culinary Institute.[7] Groundbreaking for the new, 40-acre (16 ha) campus occurred on November 9, 2005, and it opened in 2007.[8][9]
Digital images of Englewood can be found in Explore Chicago Collections, a digital repository made available by Chicago Collections archives, libraries and other cultural institutions in the city.[10]
Englewood is also known as Chicago's murder capital, with more homicides being committed there than in any other neighborhood in the city. Almost daily shootings occur in Englewood, with an average of around 70 homicides per year.
Demographics
Historical population | |||
---|---|---|---|
Census | Pop. | %± | |
1930 | 89,063 | — | |
1940 | 92,849 | 4.3% | |
1950 | 94,134 | 1.4% | |
1960 | 97,595 | 3.7% | |
1970 | 89,659 | −8.1% | |
1980 | 59,075 | −34.1% | |
1990 | 48,434 | −18.0% | |
2000 | 40,222 | −17.0% | |
2010 | 30,654 | −23.8% | |
Est. 2015 | 26,121 | −14.8% | |
[1][11] |
In 2000, Englewood had a poverty rate of 44%, which was substantially higher than the overall poverty rate in Chicago of 20%.[12]
Based on census data collected by the city of Chicago in 2008–2012, the poverty rate for Englewood is 46.6% of households below poverty and 28% of people 16 years of age and older are unemployed.[13]
In 1960 Englewood had 67,216 African American residents who made up about 69% of its population. At the time most African Americans resided around 63rd Street. At the time the median income of Englewood was $5,579 ($48,215.36 according to inflation).[14]
By 1980, the total population was 62,069, a loss of about 30,000 people in two decades; 99% of the people were black, and the white population was down to 818.[14] Edward McClelland of NBC Chicago stated "Not even ethnic cleansing in the Balkans achieved the levels of turnover that white flight in Chicago did."[15]
Transportation
Halsted Street is a major thoroughfare in the neighborhood.
Both the Chicago Transit Authority's Red Line and Green Line run through Englewood, as does the Dan Ryan Expressway (I-90 and I-94).
The railroad junction at Englewood, where Metra (the former Rock Island) crosses Norfolk Southern (the former Pennsylvania) has long been a cause of delay. In March 2010 a $133 million reconstruction project was announced which improved operations by replacing the diamond crossing between Metra and NS with an overpass for Metra. The project proposed by Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency Program (CREATE) was completed in 2014.[16]
Education
Chicago Public Schools operates public schools in the neighborhood.[17]
- As of 2012 zoned K–8 schools serving sections of Englewood include Sherwood, Nicholson, Dewey, Holmes, Woods, Banneker, Parker, Yale, Hinton, and Harvard.[18]
- Paul Robeson High School is in Englewood.[19][20] In addition to Robeson, Hope High School and Dyett High School serve parts of Englewood.[21] A small section is zoned to Hyde Park Academy.[22]
Englewood is home to Johnson College Prep, a Noble Network charter high school.[23] Team Englewood Community Academy and Urban Prep Academies Englewood Campus[24] is operated in the Englewood High School building. Englewood High School was opened in 1873, but closed due to poor performance in 2008.
Englewood is home to Kennedy–King College.
Politics
The Engelwood community area has supported the Democratic Party in the past two presidential elections by overwhelming margins. In the 2016 presidential election, the Engelwood cast 8,646 votes for Hillary Clinton and cast 141 votes for Donald Trump (97.11% to 1.58%).[25] In the 2012 presidential election, Engelwood cast 12,344 votes for Barack Obama and cast 45 votes for Mitt Romney (99.53% to 0.36%).[26]
Popular culture
In 2018, Australian film director George Gittoes made a documentary about Englewood. The 2019 TV show South Side takes place in the area of Englewood.
Notable people
- Jamie Foster Brown, magazine publisher, and her sister Stella Foster, who are both entertainment journalists[27]
- Young Chop, music producer.
- Derrick Rose, professional basketball player who has played for Chicago Bulls, currently playing for Detroit Pistons.
- Anthony Davis, professional basketball player who has played for the Los Angeles Lakers and New Orleans Pelicans.[28]
- Bina Deneen, First Lady of Illinois (1905–1913). She resided at 532 West 61st Place until it was destroyed during the "Pineapple Primary".[29][30]
- Charles Deneen, 23rd Governor of Illinois (1905–1913) and later United States Senator (1925–1931). He resided at 532 West 61st Place until it was destroyed during the "Pineapple Primary".[29][30]
- Lil Durk, rapper, singer, and songwriter. He was raised in Englewood.[31][32]
- Kenny Golladay, NFL player.[33]
- H.H. Holmes, serial killer and con artist who operated a "murder castle" at a corner of South Wallace Avenue and West 63rd Street. He was a resident of Englewood from 1886 to 1894.[34][35]
- Jennifer Hudson, singer and actress[36]
- Richard Hunt, sculptor who served as Commissioner of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American Art from 1980 to 1986.[37]
- Harold L. Ickes, 32nd United States Secretary of the Interior (1933–1946). He moved to Englewood as a child and attended Englewood High School.[38]
- Chief Keef, rapper and record producer.[31]
- Ralph Lewis, actor best known as Austin Stoneman in The Birth of a Nation.
- Willard Motley, African-American author. He was raised at 350 West 60th Street.[39]
- Bernie Mac, actor and comedian. He was raised in Englewood near West 69th Street and South Sangamon Street.[40]
- Morgan F. Murphy, member of Congress from Illinois's 3rd congressional district. He graduated from Leo High School.[41]
- Lil Reese, rapper[42]
- Fredo Santana, rapper.
- Mavis Staples, singer
- Famous Dex, rapper
- King Von, rapper
References
- "Community Data Snapshot – Englewood" (PDF). cmap.illinois.gov. MetroPulse. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
- "Chicago History Encyclopedia: Englewood".
- "Englewood by the Numbers". redeyechicago.com. July 15, 2011.
- http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/426.html
- Larsen, Erik, The Devil in the White City: A Saga of Magic and Murder at the Fair that Changed America, Doubleday Publishing Group, 2004, ISBN 9781400076314
- "Brief History of Englewood". chicagoreporter.com. July 12, 2009. Archived from the original on May 31, 2009.
- "Washburne Culinary Institute Homepage". Archived from the original on January 12, 2010. Retrieved January 2, 2010.
- "Mayor Daley, Community Leaders Break Ground For New Kennedy-King College Campus". Public Building Commission of Chicago. November 9, 2005. Archived from the original on October 27, 2014. Retrieved October 6, 2013.
- "New Kennedy-King College". Public Building Commission of Chicago. Archived from the original on June 5, 2013. Retrieved October 6, 2013. "Mayor Daley cut the ribbon to open Kennedy King College on July 18, 2007."
- Long, Elizabeth. "A Single Portal to Chicago's History". The University of Chicago News. Retrieved September 17, 2016.
- Paral, Rob. "Chicago Community Areas Historical Data". Archived from the original on March 18, 2013. Retrieved September 3, 2012.
- Demographics from Metropolitan Planning Council. By Josh Ellis. Published 2009. Data taken from year 2000.
- "Englewood | City of Chicago | Data Portal". Chicago. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
- "A Brief History of Englewood". The Chicago Reporter. October 1, 2007. Archived from the original on November 13, 2012. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
- McClelland, Edward (May 6, 2013). "White Flight, By The Numbers". NBC Chicago. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
- Vance, Steven. "Englewood Flyover broke ground today – will save 7,500 hours of Metra delays annually". Grid Chicago. Retrieved November 11, 2011.
- "Englewood." City of Chicago. Retrieved January 11, 2017. Compare this map to the CPS maps.
- "South" (elementary school zones). Chicago Public Schools. July 19, 2013. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
- "contact". Paul Robeson High School. Retrieved on Retrieved on October 21, 2009.
- Hartman, Krystin. "Why Did 1 In 7 Girls Get Pregnant At Robeson High?." CBS 2 Chicago. October 15, 2009. Retrieved October 21, 2009. Archived October 17, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- "West Central South" (high school zones). Chicago Public Schools. July 19, 2013. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
- "Far South" (High School Zone Map). Chicago Public Schools. February 8, 2013. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
- Noble Efforts Change Lives. | Welcome to Johnson College Prep
- "Englewood Campus." Urban Prep Academies. Retrieved December 10, 2010. Archived June 12, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
- Ali, Tanveer (November 9, 2016). "How Every Chicago Neighborhood Voted in the 2016 Presidential Election". DNAInfo. Archived from the original on September 24, 2019. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
- Ali, Tanveer (November 9, 2012). "How Every Chicago Neighborhood Voted in the 2012 Presidential Election". DNAInfo. Archived from the original on February 3, 2019. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
- Hope, Leah (July 18, 2007). "New billboards tout Englewood neighborhood's success stories". ABC7 News (WLS-TV/DT). Archived from the original on November 1, 2013. Retrieved October 29, 2013.
- Davis, Anthony (July 30, 2014). "Anthony Davis Is as Bummed About Chicago Gun Violence as Everyone Else". Vice (Interview). Interviewed by Brian Lauvray. New York.
- "Specimen Ballot". Warren County Democrat. 18 (6). Illinois Digital Newspaper Collections. November 3, 1904. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
- John R. Schmidt (August 1, 2011). "The Senator and the Pineapple". Chicago Public Radio. Archived from the original on August 14, 2011. Retrieved June 22, 2013.
- Austen, Ben (September 17, 2013). "Public Enemies: Social Media Is Fueling Gang Wars in Chicago". Wired. Retrieved June 28, 2019. "Chief Keef and Lil JoJo, two rappers from the South Side neighborhood of Englewood..."
- Drake, David (October 17, 2012). "Growing Up in Chicago and Getting Noticed". Complex. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on September 5, 2017. Retrieved June 24, 2017.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- "The Strange Life of H. H. Holmes". by Debra Pawlak. The Mediadrome. 2002. Archived from the original on June 11, 2008. Retrieved January 3, 2011.
- Lucy Theodate Holmes, passport application, U.S. Passport Applications, 1795–1925 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2007. Original data: Passport Applications, January 2, 1906–IMarch 31, 1925; (National Archives Microfilm Publication M1490, 2740 rolls); General Records of the Department of State, Record Group 59; National Archives, Washington, D.C.
- "Jennifer Hudson 1981–". Biography Today. 17 (1): 50. 2007. ISSN 1058-2347.
- Turner Trice, Dawn (August 20, 2012). "Sculptor shares vision for activist's tribute". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
- Mobius, Joseph B. (August 1, 1959). "Chapter III The Early Years". The propaganda philosophy of Harold L. Ickes (PDF) (Thesis). Boston University. Retrieved December 26, 2018.
- Bill Granger, "Willard Motley – A Writer Of Brutal Honesty", Chicago TribuneJune 26, 1994.
- Moore, Natalie (February 28, 2012). "Comedian Bernie Mac gets honorary Chicago street". WBEZ. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
- Graydon, Megan (March 10, 2016). "Morgan Murphy Jr., former congressman, dies at 83". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. Retrieved June 24, 2017.
- Lee, William (January 6, 2019). "Chicago rapper Lil Reese pleads guilty in pot possession case". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved June 28, 2019. "This is Taylor's second marijuana conviction in Cook County since the Englewood native shot into the limelight with the popularity of drill rap,"