South Side (Chicago)

The South Side is a major part of the City of Chicago, which is located in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Much of it has evolved from the city's incorporation of independent townships, such as Hyde Park Township which voted along with several other townships to be annexed in the June 29, 1889 elections. [cite web|url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/53.html|title=Annexation|date=2005|work=The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago|publisher=Chicago Historical Society|accessdate=2008-09-08|date=2005|author=Cain, Louis P.] Regions of the city, referred to as sides, are divided by the Chicago River and its branches.cite web|url=http://www.frommers.com/destinations/chicago/0006020014.html |title=City Layout |accessdate=2007-10-28 |date=2007 |publisher= Frommers.com] cite web|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=sQb5ZTPUykEC&pg=PA7&lpg=PA7&dq=south+north+west+divides+sides+chicago&source=web&ots=Bkap4LTwNx&sig=bw5lKCV8W8vjUjzIDWp7EvH8UWQ#PPA7,M1|title=Chicago |accessdate=2007-10-28 |date=2005 |pages=7 |publisher=Gareth Stevens, Inc. |author= Marc Tyler Nobleman] The South Side of Chicago was originally defined as all of the city south of the main branch of the Chicago River,cite web
url = http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761576998/Chicago_(city_Illinois).html#s10 |title=Chicago (city, Illinois) |date=2007|work=Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia|publisher=Microsoft Corporation|accessdate=2007-08-13] cite web
url = http://www.chipublib.org/004chicago/flagtxt.html |title=The Municipal Flag of Chicago |publisher=Chicago Public Library |accessdate=2007-10-28] but it now excludes the Loop. The South Side has a varied ethnic composition, and it has great disparity in income and other demographic measures.cite web|url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/1177.html|title=South Side|accessdate=2007-08-10|work=The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago|date=2005|publisher=Chicago Historical Society|author=Pacyga, Dominic A.] The South Side covers 60% of the city's land area, with a higher ratio of single-family homes and larger sections zoned for industry than the rest of the city.cite web
url = http://maps.cityofchicago.org/website/zoning/liability.html |title=Department of Zoning |publisher=City of Chicago|accessdate=2007-10-25] cite web
url = http://egov.cityofchicago.org/webportal/COCWebPortal/COC_EDITORIAL/industrial_corridor_1.pdf |title=Industrial Corridor |date=2004-03-08 |publisher=City of Chicago|accessdate=2007-10-25]

Although it has endured a reputation as being poor and crime-infested, the reality is more varied; it ranges from impoverished to working class to affluent.cite web
url = http://southside.uchicago.edu/History/Housing.html |title=Housing, A Short History |date=2007|work=You Are Here|publisher=The University of Chicago|accessdate=2007-08-19] cite web |url=http://magazine.uchicago.edu/0734/features/stewart.shtml |title=Cinéma vérité |Date=2007 |publisher=The University of Chicago Magazine |accessdate=2007-08-19] Neighborhoods such as Armour Square, Back of the Yards, Bridgeport, and Pullman tend to be composed of more blue collar residents, while the Jackson Park Highlands District, Hyde Park, Mount Greenwood, Morgan Park, Kenwood, and Beverly tend to have middle, upper class, and affluent residents.cite web
url=http://egov.cityofchicago.org/webportal/COCWebPortal/COC_EDITORIAL/Income_MedianHousehold_1.pdf|title=Chicago Demographics: Median Household Income (as of the 2000 Census)|publisher=CityofChicago.org |accessdate=2007-10-31]

The South Side boasts a broad array of cultural and social offerings, such as professional sports teams, landmark buildings, nationally renowned museums, elite educational institutions, world class medical institutions, and major parts of the city's elaborate parks system. The South Side is serviced by bus and train via the Chicago Transit Authority and a number of Metra lines.cite web
url = http://www.rtachicago.com/CMS400Min/uploadedFiles/RTA_Map_JAN07_English.pdf |title=The RTA system |date=2007-02-21|publisher=The Regional Transportation Authority|accessdate=2007-10-25] In addition, it has several interstate and national highways to serve vehicular traffic.cite web
url = http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/reports/routefinder/table1.cfm |title=FHWA Route Log and Finder List: Table 1 |date=2007-03-22|publisher=Federal Highway Administration|accessdate=2007-10-25]

Boundaries

The downtown "Loop" district (#32) is south of the river, but changing geographic and social perspectives have caused the contemporary definition of the "South Side" to exclude the Loop.cite web|url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/1177.html|title=South Side|accessdate=2007-08-10|work=The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago|date=2005|publisher=Chicago Historical Society|author=Pacyga, Dominic A.] Further confusing the issue, Chicago's address numbering system uses Madison Street (which runs east-west in the middle of the Loop) as the demarcation between north and south.Hayner, Don and Tom McNamee, "Streetwise Chicago", "Madison Street", p. 79, Loyola University Press, 1988, ISBN 0-8294-0597-6] Since the Loop's southern boundary is Roosevelt Road, many say that the South Side begins with the Near South Side (#33) community area, and, moving westward, it begins with the Armour Square (#34), Bridgeport (#60), McKinley Park (#59), Brighton Park (#58), Archer Heights (#57) and Garfield Ridge (#56) community areas. This article covers the region defined with these border communities. To the south of these lie 35 more community areas of the city, making the South Side defined by Roosevelt Road larger than the North and West Sides combined. Lake Michigan and the Indiana state line border provide eastern boundaries that remain constant. The southern border had changed over time because of Chicago's evolving city limits, but the city limits are now no further south than 138th Street.

ubdivisions

The exact boundaries dividing the Southwest, South and Southeast Sides vary by source,cite web|url= http://blogs.chicagotribune.com/news_columnists_ezorn/2005/05/sides_up_in_the.html|author=Eric Zorn|title=Sides Up in the Air|date=2005-05-30 |publisher=Chicago Tribune|accessdate=2007-10-25] but following mostly racial lines, the South Side is further divided into a White and Hispanic Southwest Side, a largely Black South Side, and a smaller, more racially diverse Southeast Side centered on the East Side (#52) community area, and including the adjacent community areas of South Chicago (#46), South Deering (#51), and Hegewisch (#55).cite web|url=http://www.neiu.edu/~reseller/sesidewlcme.html|title=Chicago's Southeast Side|date=2007|publisher=Northeastern Illinois University|accessdate=2007-08-13] The differing interpretations about the boundary between the South and Southwest Sides are due to a lack of a definite natural or artificial dividing boundary. However, one source opines that the boundary is best defined as Western Avenue or the railroad tracks adjacent to Western Avenue, and this border extends further south to a former railroad right of way paralleling Beverly Avenue and then Interstate 57.

black population of Chicago [cite web|url=http://egov.cityofchicago.org/webportal/COCWebPortal/COC_EDITORIAL/Race_Black_2.pdf|title=Chicago Demographics: Distribution of Black / African-American Residents Across City (as of the 2000 Census)|accessdate=2007-10-31|date=2007|publisher=CityofChicago.org]

The Southwest Side of Chicago is a subsection of the South Side comprising mainly residential, predominantly white and Hispanic neighborhoods. Architecturally, the Southwest Side is distinguished by the tract of Chicago's Bungalow Belt, which runs through it.

Archer Heights, a Polish enclave along Archer Avenue, which leads toward Midway Airport, is located on the Southwest Side of the city, as is Beverly-Morgan Park (#72, 75), home to a large concentration of Irish Americans.(107th divides Beverly and Morgan Park, which extend east and west of Western Ave.) Beverly-Morgan Park hosts the annual South Side Irish Parade, which typically draws a larger crowd than the St. Patrick's Day parade in Chicago's Loop. In fact, the parade is said to be the largest Irish neighborhood St. Patrick's celebration in the world outside of Dublin, Ireland, [cite web|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_pwwi/is_200203/ai_mark03039308 |accessdate=2007-09-27|month=March|year=2002|publisher=FindArticles|work=Market Wire|title=South Side Irish Parade Expected To Draw Record Crowd] and it is broadcast on Chicago's CBS affiliate. [cite web|url=http://cbs2chicago.com/local/local_story_070112246.html|accessdate=2007-09-27|title=Pray, Parade and Party At South Side Irish Parade|author=Puccinelli, Mike|publisher=CBS Broadcasting, Inc.] The Southwest Side is also home to the largest concentration of Górals, (Carpathian highlanders) outside of Europe; it is the location of the Polish Highlanders Alliance of North America.

The South Side Irish Parade occurs on Western Avenue each year on the Sunday before St. Patrick's Day on the southwest side. Another large parade occurs on the South Side every year. The Bud Billiken Parade and Picnic, the second largest parade in the United States and the nation's largest African-American parade, [cite web|url=http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=ontv&id=4402494|accessdate=2007-09-28|date=2006|title=ABC 7 Chicago Presents Live Broadcast Of The Bud Billiken Parade|publisher=ABC Inc., WLS-TV Chicago] runs on Martin Luther King Drive between 31st and 51st Streets in Bronzeville, through the main portion of the South Side.

Athletics

The South Side hosts two major professional athletic teams. Major League Baseball's Chicago White Sox play at U.S. Cellular Field in the Armour Square community area, while the National Football League's Chicago Bears play at Soldier Field in the Near South Side community area. [cite web|url=http://www.chicagobears.com/tickets/IndividualGameTickets.asp|accessdate=2007-10-08|publisher=CHICAGO BEARS|title=Individual Game Tickets|date=2007] [cite web|url=http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/cws/ballpark/cws_attractions_map.jsp|accessdate=2007-10-08|publisher=MLB Advanced Media, L.P.|title=U.S. Cellular Field Attractions|date=2007] Formerly, it has hosted the Chicago American Giants of the Negro National Leagues and the Chicago Cardinals of the National Football League.

2016 Olympic bid

The South Side will play a prominent role in Chicago's bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics. The Olympic Village is planned in the Douglas (#35) community area across Lake Shore Drive from Burnham Park.cite news|url=http://chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?id=24588&bt=Olympic+Bid&arc=n&searchType=all|accessdate=2007-09-27|date=2007-04-14|title=USOC picks Chicago for 2016 Olympic bid|author=Hinz, Greg|publisher=Crain Communications, Inc.|work=ChicagoBusiness] In addition, the Olympic Stadium is expected to be located in the Chicago Park District's Washington Park located in the Washington Park (#40) community area.cite web|url=http://www.chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?id=23589|accessdate=2007-09-27|title=Glitz, guarantees added to Olympic bid|author=Hinz, Greg|date=2007-01-23|publisher=Crain Communications, Inc.|work=ChicagoBusiness] Many Olympic events will be hosted in these community areas as well as other parts of the South Side if the plan succeeds. [cite web|url=http://www.chicago2016.org/News_story.aspx?NewsStory=25|title=Chicago 2016 Venue Plan|accessdate=2007-10-17|date=2007-01-23|publisher=Chicago 2016, City of Chicago, Applicant City, 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games]

History

Demographics

, arose from discriminatory real estate practices and the threat of violence in nearby white neighborhoods.cite web|url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/514.html|title=Ghettoization|work=The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago|date=2005|publisher=Chicago Historical Society|author=Bennett, Larry|accessdate=2007-08-13]

Post Reconstruction black southerners migrated to Chicago in large numbers and caused the African American population to nearly quadruple from 4,000 to 15,000 between 1870 and 1890.cite web|url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/27.html|accessdate=2007-08-10|title=African Americans|work=The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago|date=2005|publisher=Chicago Historical Society|author=Manning, Christopher] The population was concentrated on the South Side. The migration continued into the 20th century when the Black population reached 40,000 by 1910, with 78% residing in the South Side's "Black Belt", which extended for 30 blocks along State Street and was only a few blocks wide. The migration of blacks to Chicago's South Side led to a white flight.cite web|url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/916.html|accessdate=2007-08-10|title=Oak Lawn, IL|work=The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago|date=2005|publisher=Chicago Historical Society|author=Gurlacz, Betsy]

The South Side has had a history of racial segregation. During the 1920s and 1930s, much of the South Side was a hotbed of legal debate with cases such as Hansberry v. Lee, ussc|311|32|1940, rising to the U. S. Supreme Court in the Washington Park Subdivision. Another example of this segregation was the construction of the Dan Ryan Expressway, which separated some white neighborhoods from black neighborhoods ("e.g." the divide between Bridgeport and Bronzeville).

work=The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago|date=2005|author=Gellman, Erik]

Private sector redevelopment is occurring rapidly. Neighborhood rehabilitation (and, in some cases, gentrification) can also be seen in parts of Washington Park, Woodlawn (#42) and Bronzeville, as well as in Bridgeport and McKinley Park. Historic Pullman's redevelopment is another example of a work in progress. Chinatown is located on the South Side and has seen a surge in growth, and has become an increasingly popular destination for both tourists and locals alike and is a cornerstone of the city's Chinese community. The South Loop's booming mid-decade construction suggests that the South Side will be populated with more Caucasians in the coming years. [cite web|url=http://www.russstewart.com/9-14-05.htm|accessdate=2007-10-23|date=2007-10-19|title=CHICAGO’S DEMOGRAPHIC TREND: MORE WHITES, FEWER BLACKS|publisher=Russ Stewart, Attorney at Law|author= Stewart, Russ] The South Side offers many outdoor amenities, such as miles of public lakefront parks and beaches, as it borders Lake Michigan on its eastern side.

White flight from the South Side has resulted in a high remaining percentage of African Americans. Thus, most neighborhoods south of 55th Street are predominantly black with a large Mexican American population residing in Little Village (South Lawndale) and areas south of 99th Street. Hyde Park is home to the University of Chicago as well as the South Side's largest Jewish population, which is centered on Chicago's oldest synagogue, the Chicago Landmark KAM Isaiah Israel.cite web|url=http://www.ci.chi.il.us/Landmarks/K/KAMIsaiahIsrael.html|title=K.A.M. Isaiah Israel Temple|publisher=Chicago Dep. of Pl. and Dev., Landmarks Div.|date=2003|accessdate=2007-10-11]

Street gangs have been prominent in some South Side neighborhoods for over a century, while some other neighborhoods have been relatively safe for a big city. By the 1960s, gangs such as the Vice Lords began to improve their public image, moving from thuggish ventures to obtaining government and private grants. By 2000, gangs crossed gender lines to include about a 20% female composition.cite web|url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/497.html|accessdate=2007-08-10|title=Gangs|work=The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago|date=2005|publisher=Chicago Historical Society|author=Diamond, Andrew J.] The deep South Side has a population of 752,496 that is over 93% African-American and that includes zip codes that are over 98% black or African-American. [cite web|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFFacts?_event=ChangeGeoContext&geo_id=86000US60619&_geoContext=01000US%7C04000US17%7C05000US17031&_street=&_county=&_cityTown=&_state=04000US17&_zip=60619&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=geoSelect&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=010&_submenuId=factsheet_1&ds_name=DEC_2000_SAFF&_ci_nbr=null&qr_name=null&reg=null%3Anull&_keyword=&_industry=|title=Fact Sheet: Zip Code Tabulation Area 60619|accessdate=2008-10-03|work=U. S. Census Bureau]

Arts

Chicago's African American community, which was concentrated on the South Side, experienced an artistic movement following the Harlem Renaissance in New York City. From the 1930s until the 1950s, the movement was concentrated in and around the Hyde Park community area and included Gwendolyn Brooks, Margaret Burroughs, Elizabeth Catlett, Eldzier Cortor, Gordon Parks, and Richard Wright.cite web|url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/72.html|accessdate=2007-08-10|title=Art|work=The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago|date=2005|publisher=Chicago Historical Society|author=Warren, Lynne] Other Chicago Black Renaissance artists included Willard Motley, William Attaway, Frank Marshall Davis and Margaret Walker. St. Clair Drake and Horace R. Cayton represented the new wave of intellectual expression in literature by depicting the culture of the urban ghetto rather than the culture of the blacks of the south in the monograph "Black Metropolis" (ISBN 0226162346). In 1961, Burroughs founded the DuSable Museum, and by the late 60s the South Side had a resurgent art movement led by Jim Nutt, Gladys Nilsson and Karl Wirsum, who became known as the Chicago Imagists.

Music in Chicago flourished because labels with studios in New York City or Los Angeles only kept regional distribution offices in Chicago, which created a vacuum for many independent labels.cite web|url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/1048.html|accessdate=2007-08-13|title=Record Publishing|work=The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago|date=2005|publisher=Chicago Historical Society|author=Clague, Mark] In 1948, Blues was introduced by Aristocrat Records (later Chess Records), and Muddy Waters and Chess Records quickly followed with Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Little Walter, Jimmy Rogers, and Howlin' Wolf. Vee-Jay, the largest black owned label before Motown Records, was among the post-World War II companies that formed "Record Row" on Cottage Grove between 47th and 50th Streets and later (in the 1960s) along South Michigan Avenue.cite web|url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/1070.html|accessdate=2007-08-13|title=Rhythm and Blues|work=The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago|date=2005|publisher=Chicago Historical Society|author=Pruter, Robert] Rhythm and blues continued to thrive after Record Row became the hub of gospelized R&B, known as soul. Chicago continues as a prominent city for musical contribution.

Many other artists have left their mark on Chicago's South Side. These include Upton Sinclair and James Farrell via fiction, Archibald Motley, Jr. via painting, Henry Moore and Lorado Taft via sculpture, and Thomas Dorsey and Mahalia Jackson via gospel music. Since the arts have thrived on the South Side, the South Side has numerous art museums and galleries such as the DuSable Museum of African American History, [cite web|url=http://www.dusablemuseum.org/|title=Dusable Museum of Art|accessdate=2007-10-11|date=2007] National Museum of Mexican Art, [cite web|url=http://www.nationalmuseumofmexicanart.org/|publisher=National Museum of Mexican Art|title=National Museum of Mexican Art|accessdate=2007-10-24] National Vietnam Veterans Art Museum, [cite web|url=http://www.nvvam.org/|accessdate=2007-10-24|publisher=National Vietnam Veterans Art Museum|title=National Vietnam Veterans Art Museum] and the David and Alfred Smart Museum of Art (known as the Smart Museum). [cite web|url=http://smartmuseum.uchicago.edu/|title=Smart Museum of African American Art|publisher=The University of Chicago |accessdate=2007-10-11|date=2007] In addition, cultural centers such as the South Shore Cultural Center, South Side Community Art Center and Hyde Park Art Center endeavor to avail art and culture to the public while fostering opportunities for artists. [cite web|url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/73.html|title=South Side Community Art Center|accessdate=2007-10-25|work=The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago|date=2005|publisher=Chicago Historical Society]

ocioeconomics

The Illinois Constitution gave rise to townships that provided municipal services in 1850. Several townships surrounding Chicago incorporated in order to better service their residents. However, growth and prosperity led to an overburdened government system. In 1889, most of these townships determined that they would be better off as part of a larger Chicago. Lake View, Jefferson, Cicero, Lake, and Hyde Park Townships were annexed.cite web|url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/2484.html|title=Townships|work=The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago|date=2005|publisher=Chicago Historical Society|author= Keating, Ann Durkin|accessdate=2007-10-23] cite web|url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/3716.html|accessdate=2007-10-23|date=2005|work=The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago|publisher=Chicago Historical Society|author=Keating, Ann Durkin|title=Annexations and Additions to the City of Chicago ] Today's South Side is mostly a combination of the old Hyde Park and Lake Townships. Within these townships many had made speculative bets on the future prosperity of the respective regions. Much of the South Side has evolved from these speculative investments. Stephen A. Douglas, Paul Cornell, George Pullman and various business entities have developed South Chicago real estate. The Pullman District, a company town, Hyde Park Township, various platted communities and subdivisions were the results of such efforts.cite web|url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/1045.html|title=Real Estate|work=The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago|date=2005|publisher=Chicago Historical Society|author=deVise, Pierre|accessdate=2007-08-13]

The Union Stock Yards, which were once located in the South Side's New City community area (#61), at one point employed 25,000 people and produced 82 percent of the domestic meat consumption.cite web|url=http://www.chicagohs.org/history/stockyard/stock2.html|accessmonthday=March 9 |accessyear=2007|publisher=Chicago Historical Society|date=2001|title=Meatpacking Technology] They were so synonymous with the City for over a century that they were mentioned as part of the lyrics of Frank Sinatra's My Kind of Town in a phrase that says "The Union Stockyard, Chicago is". [cite web|url=http://www.lyricsfreak.com/f/frank+sinatra/my+kind+of+town_20055357.html|accessdate=2007-11-06|publisher=Lyricsfreak.com|title=My Kind Of Town] The Union Stock Yard Gate marking the old entrance to stockyards was designated a Chicago Landmark on February 24, 1972cite web |url=http://www.ci.chi.il.us/Landmarks/U/UnionStock.html|accessmonthday=March 6 |accessyear=2007|title=Chicago Landmarks|publisher=Chicago Landmarks|year=] and a National Historic Landmark on May 29, 1981. [cite web|url=http://www.cr.nps.gov/nhl/designations/Lists/IL01.pdf|title=National Historic Landmarks Survey: Listing of National Historic Landmarks by State: Illinois|accessmonthday=March 7 |accessyear=2007] [cite web|url=http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceID=1223&resourceType=Structure|accessmonthday=March 30 |accessyear=2007|title=Old Stone Gate, Chicago Union Stockyards|publisher=National Park Service]

By the 1930s, Chicago boasted a composition which included over 25% residential structures less than 10 years old, many of which were bungalows. These continued to be built in the working-class South Side into the 1960s.cite web|url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/186.html|title=Bungalows|work=The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago|date=2005|publisher=Chicago Historical Society|author=Bigott, Joseph C.|accessdate=2007-08-13] cite web|url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/1408.html|title=Bungalow Belt|work=The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago|date=2005|publisher=Chicago Historical Society|author=Keating, Ann Durkin|accessdate=2007-08-13] Kitchenettes, often including Murphy beds and Pullman kitchens, also composed a large part of the housing supply during and after the Great Depression, especially in the Black Belt.cite web|url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/692.html|accessdate=2007-08-13|title=Kitchenettes|work=The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago|date=2005|publisher=Chicago Historical Society|author= Plotkin, Wendy] Chicago's South Side had a history of philanthropic subsidized housing dating back to 1919.cite web|url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/1215.html|accessdate=2007-08-13|title=Subsidized Housing|work=The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago|date=2005|publisher=Chicago Historical Society|author= Bowly, Jr., Devereux] However, in 1949, the United States Congress passed the Housing Act to fund public housing. The CHA produced a plan of citywide projects that was rejected by some of the Chicago City Council's white aldermen who opposed public housing in their wards. This led to a CHA policy of construction of family housing in black residential areas, which led to concentrations on the South and West Sides of the city.cite web|url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/253.html|title=Chicago Housing Authority|work=The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago|date=2005|publisher=Chicago Historical Society|author=Choldin, Harvey M.|accessdate=2007-08-13]

Gentrification of parts of the Douglas community area has bolstered the Black Metropolis-Bronzeville District.cite web|url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/511.html|accessdate=2007-08-10|title=Gentrification|work=The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago|date=2005|publisher=Chicago Historical Society|author=Bennett, Larry] Gentrification in various parts of the South Side has displaced many African Americans.cite web|url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/901.html|accessdate=2007-08-10|title=North Lawndale|work=The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago|date=2005|publisher=Chicago Historical Society|author=Seligman, Amanda] The South Side hosts numerous cooperatives. Hyde Park has several middle-income co-ops, and other South Side regions have limited equity (subsidized, price controlled) co-ops.cite web|url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/325.html|title=Condominiums and Cooperatives|work=The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago|date=2005|publisher=Chicago Historical Society|author=Steffes, Tracy|accessdate=2007-08-13] These regions have experienced condominium construction and conversion in the 1970s and 1980s. In addition, the South Side has regions that have been known for extreme wealth and opulence such as Prairie Avenue, which is experiencing a 21st century redevelopment that includes One Museum Park and One Museum Park West. [cite web|url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/600007.html|accessdate=2007-10-18|title=The Worlds of Prairie Avenue|author=Reiff, Janice L.|work=The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago|date=2005|publisher=Chicago Historical Society]

The South Side has over time accommodated much of the city's tourism with its various convention centers. The current McCormick Place Convention Center is the largest convention center in the United States, and the third largest in the world. [cite web|url=http://www.ramada-chicago.com/conventions/|accessdate=2007-10-22|publisher=ramada-chicago.com|title=Ramada Lake Shore Chicago] Previously, the South Side hosted conventions at the Chicago Coliseum and the International Amphitheatre. Although the South Side does not have any offerings that rival the Magnificent Mile, it does have the Ford City Mall and the surrounding shopping district which includes several big-box retailers.

Prostitution

Chicago's reputation for political corruption stems from tolerance of vices such as prostitution. Early prostitution occurred in the central business district. However, the disreputables were eventually pushed to the South Side, creating the Levee, one of the nation's most infamous sex districts. Although Chicago Mayor Carter Harrison II closed the Levee in 1912 and much of the trade moved to the suburbs, nightclubs on the South Side had an ample supply of prostitutes.cite web|url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/1015.html|accessdate=2007-08-10|title=Prostitution|work=The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago|date=2005|publisher=Chicago Historical Society|author=Blair, Cynthia M.] Among those who cared for and rehabilitated persons charged with prostitution were a small group of the Good Shepherd Sisters who eventually became the first nuns to serve African Americans on Chicago's South Side.cite web|url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/606.html|title=House of the Good Shepherd / Chicago Industrial School for Girls|work=The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago|date=2005|publisher=Chicago Historical Society|author=Hoy, Suellen|accessdate=2007-08-13]

Education

With the University of Chicago and the University of Chicago Lab School, the South Side host educational institutions that are considered to be elite.cite web|url=http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/brief/t1natudoc_brief.php|accessdate=2007-10-17|publisher=U.S.News & World Report, L.P. |title=America's Best Colleges 2008: National Universities: Top Schools] In addition to being highly ranked, the University of Chicago has had 16 Nobel Prizes awarded to persons of research or on faculty at the university at the time of the award announcement, placing it 6th among U.S. institutions. [cite web|url=http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/lists/universities.html|accessdate=2007-11-01|title=Nobel Laureates and Universities|publisher=Nobel Web AB|date=2007] Furthermore, at Chicago Pile-1 on the campus, the first self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction was achieved under the direction of Enrico Fermi.cite web|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0DEEDE123CF932A05750C0A9669C8B63&scp=32&sq=%22Jesse+Jackson%2C+Jr.%22&st=nyt|title= ON THE ROAD; Big Shoulders, Buffed for Action|accessdate=2008-04-20|date=2000-03-31|publisher=The New York Times Company|work=The New York Times|author=Apple, R. W. Jr.] The De La Salle Institute, located in the Douglas, Chicago community area across the street from the Chicago Police Department headquarters, has taught many notable celebrities and 5 Chicago Mayors: [cite web|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4155/is_20060518/ai_n16418402 |title=De La Salle expansion to save theater: Has deal with city to buy|publisher=FindArticles|work=Chicago Sun-Times|accessdate=2007-10-11|date=2006-05-18|author=Roeder, David] Richard J. Daley, Michael A. Bilandic, Martin H. Kennelly, Frank J. Corr, and current mayor, Richard M. Daley. Three of these mayors hail from the South Side's Bridgeport community area, which has itself produced 5 Chicago Mayors. The University of Chicago hosts one of the nation's best medical centers at the University of Chicago Medical Center. [cite web|url=http://health.usnews.com/usnews/health/best-hospitals/directory/hospital.php?id=6431210|accessdate=2007-10-17|date=2007|publisher=U.S.News & World Report, L.P. |title=America's Best Hospitals 2007] The South Side also hosts its share of community colleges such as Olive-Harvey College, Kennedy-King College, Richard J. Daley College and other four-year educational institutions such as St. Xavier University, Chicago State University and the Illinois Institute of Technology. Two concentrations of residents with post baccalaureate degrees are found on the South Side; Hyde Park/Kenwood and Beverly/Ashburn. [cite web|url=http://egov.cityofchicago.org/webportal/COCWebPortal/COC_EDITORIAL/Education_GraduateDegree_1.pdf|publisher=City of Chicago.org|title=Chicago Demographics:Distribution of Residents Whose Highest Education is a Master's Degree or Ph.D. (as of the 2000 Census)|accessdate=2007-10-31|date=2007]

Landmarks

The South Side is home to many official landmarks and other notable buildings and structures. [cite web|url=http://www.cityofchicago.org/Landmarks/Maps/FarSouth.html|title=Far South|accessdate=2007-10-31|publisher=City of Chicago Department of Planning and Development, Landmarks Division.|date=2003] [cite web|url=http://www.cityofchicago.org/Landmarks/Maps/South.html|title=South and West|accessdate=2007-10-31|publisher=City of Chicago Department of Planning and Development, Landmarks Division.|date=2003] It hosts three of the four Chicago Registered Historic Places from the original October 15, 1966 National Register of Historic Places list (Chicago Pile-1, Robie House, & Lorado Taft Midway Studios).cite web|url=http://www.nr.nps.gov/|title=National Register Information System|date=2007-01-23|accessdate=2008-07-18|work=National Register of Historic Places database download |publisher=National Park Service] Since its construction in 1968, 1700 East 56th Street has been the tallest building on the South Side.cite web |url=http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=1700east56street-chicago-il-usa|title=1700 East 56th Street|publisher=Emporis|accessdate=2007-06-04|date=2007] However, One Museum Park, which is along Roosevelt Road, the northern border of the South Side, will soon take over this title. [cite web|url=http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=1museumpark-chicago-il-usa|title=One Museum Park|publisher=Emporis.com|accessdate=2007-10-11|date=2007] One Museum Park West, which will be next door to One Museum Park, will also be one of the tallest buildings in Chicago. 1700 East 56th will continue to be the tallest building south of 13th street. Although most of the other tall buildings in Chicago are in the Loop or Near North Side community areas, many Chicago Landmarks are located on the South Side.

There is a large concentration of landmark buildings in the Black Metropolis-Bronzeville District. [cite web|url=http://www.ci.chi.il.us/Landmarks/B/BlackMet.html|title=Black Metropolis-Bronzeville District|publisher=Chicago Dep. of Pl. and Dev., Landmarks Div.|date=2003|accessdate=2007-10-11] Also, buildings such as Powhatan Apartments, Robie House and John J. Glessner House are among the South Side landmarks. [cite web|url=http://www.ci.chi.il.us/Landmarks/P/PowhatanApts.html|title=Powhatan Apartments|publisher=Chicago Dep. of Pl. and Dev., Landmarks Div.|date=2003|accessdate=2007-10-11] [cite web|url=http://www.ci.chi.il.us/Landmarks/R/RobieHouse.html|title=Robie House|publisher=Chicago Dep. of Pl. and Dev., Landmarks Div.|date=2003|accessdate=2007-10-11] [cite web|url=http://www.ci.chi.il.us/Landmarks/G/GlessnerHouse.html|title=Glessner House|publisher=Chicago Dep. of Pl. and Dev., Landmarks Div.|date=2003|accessdate=2007-10-11] The South Side has many of Chicago's landmark places of worship such as Eighth Church of Christ, Scientist, First Church of Deliverance and K.A.M. Isaiah Israel Temple. [cite web|url=http://www.ci.chi.il.us/Landmarks/E/EighthChurch.html|title=Eighth Church of Christ, Scientist|publisher=Chicago Dep. of Pl. and Dev., Landmarks Div.|date=2003|accessdate=2007-10-11] [cite web|url=http://www.ci.chi.il.us/Landmarks/F/FirstChurch.html|title=First Church of Deliverance|publisher=Chicago Dep. of Pl. and Dev., Landmarks Div.|date=2003|accessdate=2007-10-11] The South Side also has several landmark districts including two located in Barack Obama's Kenwood community area: Kenwood District, and North Kenwood District. [cite web|url=http://www.ci.chi.il.us/Landmarks/K/KenwoodDistrict.html|title=Kenwood District|publisher=Chicago Dep. of Pl. and Dev., Landmarks Div.|date=2003|accessdate=2007-10-11] [cite web|url=http://www.ci.chi.il.us/Landmarks/N/NKenwoodDistrict.html|title=North Kenwood District|publisher=Chicago Dep. of Pl. and Dev., Landmarks Div.|date=2003|accessdate=2007-10-11] In addition to its art museums the South Side hosts the Museum of Science and Industry, which although not an art museum has its place in the artistic fabric of the city. [cite web|url=http://www.msichicago.org/|accessdate=2007-10-11|title=Museum of Science and Industrydate=2007] The Museum of Science and Industry is located in the Palace of Fine Arts, one of the few remaining buildings from the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, [cite web|url=http://www.msichicago.org/press/general/history0805.pdf|accessdate=2007-10-11|title=New Release|publisher=Museum of Science and Industry|author=Miner, Lisa and Beth Boston|work=msichicago.org|date=2007] which was hosted in South Side.

In addition to hosting Obama, the South Side is the residence of other currently prominent black leaders such as Jesse Jackson and Louis Farrakhan. It is also place where United States Congressmen Jesse Jackson, Jr. and Bobby Rush (a former Black Panther leader) serve.

The South Side has been a place of political controversy. Although the locations of some of these notable controversies have not become officials landmarks, they remain important parts of Chicago history. The Chicago Race Riot of 1919 was the worst of the approximately 25 riots during the Red Summer of 1919 and required 6000 National Guard troops to quell. [cite web|url=http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9023985/Chicago-Race-Riot-of-1919|accessdate=2007-08-24|publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.|date=2007|title=Chicago Race Riot of 1919] As mentioned above, segregation has been a political theme of controversy for some time on the South Side as exhibited by Hansberry v. Lee, ussc|311|32|1940.

Transportation

The South Side is served extensively by mass transit as well as major roads and highways. In addition, Midway International Airport, which provides connections between the South Side and the world, is located on the South Side. Among the highways through the South Side are I-94 (which goes by the names Dan Ryan Expressway, Bishop Ford Freeway, and Kingery Expressway on the South Side), I-90 (which goes by the names Dan Ryan Expressway, and Chicago Skyway on the South Side), I-57, I-55 U.S. 12, U.S. 20, and U.S. 41. Several Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) bus and train lines and Metra train lines link the South Side to rest of the city. The South Side is serviced by the Red, Green and Orange lines of the CTA, and the Rock Island District, Metra Electric, and South Shore Metra lines and a few stops on the SouthWest Service Metra line. In addition to standard local metropolitan bus service by the CTA, several South Side CTA express service bus routes provide the South Side with direct service into the Chicago Loop by running without stops along Lake Shore Drive. [cite web|url=http://www.transitchicago.com/maps/maps/2007C.html|accessdate=2007-09-27|publisher=Chicago Transit Authority|title=Central System Map]

Parks

The Chicago Park District boasts acre to km2|7300|wiki=yes of parkland, 552 parks, 33 beaches, nine museums, two world-class conservatories, 16 historic lagoons, 10 bird and wildlife gardens. [cite web|url=http://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/parks.home.cfm|accessdate=2007-10-17|publisher=Chicago Park District|title=Parks & Facilities] Many of these are on the South Side, including several large parks that are part of the legacy of Paul Cornell, the father of Hyde Park, and his service on the South Parks Commission. Chicago Park District parks serving the South Side include Burnham Park, Jackson Park, Washington Park, Midway Plaisance and Harold Washington Park. The parks of Chicago foster and host tremendous amounts of athletic activities. The South Side also has the only Illinois state park within the city of Chicago: William W. Powers State Recreation Area. In addition, several events cause the closure of parts of Lake Shore Drive. Although the Chicago Marathon causes many roads to be closed in its route that goes as far north as Wrigleyville and to Bronzeville on the South Side, it does not cause any closures to the drive. [cite web|url=http://www.chicagomarathon.com/CMS400Min/uploadedFiles/Chicago_Marathon/Runner_Information/07_Course_Map_Vert_CMYK.pdf|accessdate=2007-09-27|title=The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon 2007 Course Map|publisher=chicagomarathon.com] However, on the South Side, the Chicago Half Marathon necessitates closures, [cite web|url=http://www.chicagohalfmarathon.com/|accessdate=2007-09-27|publisher=Devine Sports|title=The Chicago Half Marathon] and the entire drive is closed for Bike The Drive. [cite web|url=http://www.bikethedrive.org/|accessdate=2007-09-27|title=Bank America Bike The Drive|publisher=Chicagoland Bicycle Federation]

References in popular culture

The South Side's gritty reputation often makes its way into popular culture.

*The opening lines of Jim Croce's song "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" state that the South Side is "the baddest part of town." [cite web|url=http://www.lyricsfreak.com/j/jim+croce/bad+bad+leroy+brown_20071475.html|accessdate=2007-10-15|title=Bad, Bad Leroy Brown (3:02)|publisher=lyricsfreak.com]

*Richard Wright's novel "Native Son" (ISBN 006083756X) takes place on the South Side and focuses on the plight of African Americans in the ghetto, including the housing practices that created such slums. [cite web|url=http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=South_side_%28Chicago%29&action=edit&section=14|accessdate=2007-10-15|title= A Native Son in Exile|publisher=The New York Times Company|author=Anderson, Michael|date=2001-08-26]

*Upton Sinclair's novel "The Jungle" (ISBN 1884365302) was a revelation about the Union Stock Yards at the turn of the 20th century. [cite web|url=http://www.online-literature.com/upton_sinclair/|accessdate=2007-10-15|title=Upton Sinclair|publisher=Jalic Inc|work=The Literature Network]

*"A Raisin in the Sun" (ISBN 0451183886) is a story of Lorraine Hansberry's youth growing up in the Woodlawn community area. [cite web|url=http://www.npr.org/programs/morning/features/patc/raisin/|accessdate=2007-10-17|title=A Raisin in the Sun |date=2002-03-12|publisher=National Public Radio]

*"Barbershop" and parts of "The Blues Brothers" take place on the South Side. David Auburn's play "Proof" takes place exclusively in the Hyde Park neighborhood; the film adaptation expands the setting. [cite web|url=http://www.enjoyillinois.com/movies/region-chicago.html|title=On Screen Illinois|accessdate=2008-08-11|publisher=Universal Studios|work=Illinois Mile After Mile]

*"The Boondocks", a comic strip and animated series, stars the Freeman family which have recently moved from the South Side of Chicago to a suburb.

*James T. Farrell's' novels, collectively called the "Studs Lonigan Trilogy", are set in an Irish neighborhood on the South Side. [citeweb|url=http://www.loa.org/volume.jsp?RequestID=203|accessdate=2007-11-20|title=Studs Lonigan: A Trilogy|publisher=The Library of America]

References