South Lawndale, Chicago

South Lawndale
—  Community area  —
Community Area 30 - South Lawndale
26th Street in Little Village
Location within the city of Chicago
Coordinates: 41°51.0′N 87°42.6′W / 41.85°N 87.71°W / 41.85; -87.71Coordinates: 41°51.0′N 87°42.6′W / 41.85°N 87.71°W / 41.85; -87.71
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	Cook
City	Chicago
Neighborhoods	List Little Village Marshall Square South Lawndale
Area
– Total	4.4 sq mi (11.5 km2)
Population (2000)
– Total	91,071
– Density	20,510.7/sq mi (7,919.2/km2)
	population up 12.22% from 1990
Demographics
– White	3.52%
– Black	12.9%
– Hispanic	83.00%
– Asian	1.00%
– Other	0.41%
Time zone	CST (UTC-6)
– Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP codes	parts of 60608 and 60623
Median income	$32,320
Source: U.S. Census, Record Information Services

South Lawndale is located on the west side of the city of Chicago, Illinois, is one of 77 well-defined Chicago community areas. The neighborhood is predominantly Mexican.

Neighborhoods

Little Village

Now in 2010 most predominant by new Mexican immigrants Little Village contribute tremendously to the city of Chicago revenue; (part of the South Lawndale Community Area) was originally settled by Irish and Eastern European immigrants in the late 19th century, after the Great Chicago Fire sent the population of Chicago rippling out from the city's center to the outlying countryside. Jobs created by industrial development in the early 20th century also attracted residents to the Little Village area, adding to the community's strength and viability as its own independent borough. By the mid-20th century, Little Village saw a marked increase in Polish immigrants, escaping the ravages of war-torn Europe, and in the '80s a large influx of Mexicans moved to the neighborhood. Many of these new residents were transplants from neighboring Pilsen. They were displaced during the construction of the University of Illinois Chicago campus, which chewed up a large section of residential land, pushing inhabitants further west from downtown.

But it is the injection of Latino culture that gives the Little Village neighborhood its vibrant and distinct character today. In fact, the neighborhood is called "Mexico of the Midwest" by many of its residents. Little Village celebrates Mexican Independence Day every September with a parade down 26th Street. It's the second largest Hispanic parade in Chicago behind the Puerto Rican day parade. The Mexican Independence parade down 26th St attracts thousands of spectators each year who flock to the neighborhood to show support and pride for their heritage. Of course, Little Village has a wealth of great Mexican restaurants that also help to reinforce the community's strong cultural ties.

For green spaces and recreation in Little Village, residents can make a visit the community parks. Washtenaw Park has a baseball diamond and offers up a variety of arts and crafts classes for adults as well as day camps for kids. Shedd Park is a little park in Little Village named for John G. Shedd (known to most Chicagoans as the founder of the Shedd Aquarium). There may not be an abundance of fish and sea life here, but there's plenty of room for land lubbers to have a picnic or lay out and enjoy the summer sun. Piotrowski Park is the neighborhood's largest public park and is the most popular outdoor retreat for Little Village residents. With an outside pool, baseball diamonds, tennis courts, and jogging paths (plus a soft surface play ground for tots), this good-size patch of green has something for every member of the family.

Famous past residents of Little Village include Mayor Anton Cermak, who lived in the 2300 block of S. Millard Avenue, across the street from Lazaro Cardenas Elementary. Pat Sajak was also a Little Village resident. He attended Gary Elementary Schools and Farragut High School. The bulk of Little Village falls within the aldermanic boundaries of the 22nd ward (Muñoz). The commercial strip along 26th Street is said to have the second highest business revenue in the city after N. Michigan Avenue.^[1]

Marshall Square

Marshall Square is a neighborhood on Chicago's West Side, in the northeast corner of the South Lawndale Community Area, named to designate the square formed by Marshall Boulevard, 24th Boulevard, Cermak Road, and California Avenue. It is bounded roughly by Kedzie Avenue. on the west, 26th Street on the south, the BNSF Railway tracks (2000 S.) on the north, and the north/south railroad tracks (2500 W.) on the east. The bulk of the Marshall Square neighborhood falls within the aldermanic boundaries of the 12th Ward. According to the Chicago Public Library Marshall Square Branch webpage, James A. Marshall, for whom Marshall Boulevard was named, came to Chicago in 1832, opened a dancing school and served as secretary of the Chicago Real Estate Board.

Although these days Marshall Square is widely considered by many of its residents to simply be the easternmost part of Little Village, with many businesses in the area using the Little Village name, the architecture reflects the distinct style of Pilsen homes. Marshall square also has close ties with the southeast corner of North Lawndale, with a sizable Mexican population around the southern half of Douglas Park.

Points of interest include: the art-deco Marshall Square Theater at Cermak Road and Marshall Boulevard, which was originally a vaudeville venue, later a silent movie theater, and currently a venue for banquets, weddings, and Latin music under the current name of "Apollo's 2000"; the remaining building of the former Albaugh-Dover mail-order warehouse and factory on Marshall Boulevard at 21st; the massive Carter Harrison High School at 24th Boulevard and Marshall Boulevard, now an elementary school named for Maria Saucedo, an area teacher who lost her life in a fire in 1981, and is the alma mater of clarinet player Benny Goodman and newspaper columnist Irv Kupcinet; and the highly visible statue of Marquette and Joliet which stands at the junction between Marshall and 24th Boulevards.

References

1. ^ "Economist Chicago Success" (PDF). chicago-cook.org. p. 9. http://www.chicago-cook.org/images/Economist%20Chicago%20Success%203-18-06.pdf. 

External links

	Chicago portal
	Latino and Hispanic American portal

• Official City of Chicago South Lawndale Community Map
• Little Village Chamber of Commerce
• Chicago Historical Society Profile: Pilsen & Little Village
• Marshall Square Online
• Maria Saucedo bio
• Marshall Square Theater
• Albaugh-Dover
• St. Agnes of Bohemia in Little Village
• St. Agnes of Bohemia School in Little Village