Avalon Park, Chicago

Avalon Park, located on the south side of the U.S. city of Chicago, Illinois, is one of the city's 77 official community areas and a park. Boundaries are 76th St. to the north, South Chicago Ave. to the east and 87th St. to the south. The community area includes the neighborhoods of Avalon Park, Marynook and Stony Island Park.

History

Avalon Park experienced a major demographic change in the 1960s. For the 1960 census, Avalon Park was 0% African American (only six of 12,710 residents). A decade later, Avalon Park was 83% African American, according to the 1970 census. The African American population continued to increase - making up 98% of the residents by 1990. The change in the neighborhood was different from the "white flight" that many other Chicago neighborhoods experienced. The average educational level increased, while the poverty rate decreased from 6.1% to 5.1%, from 1960 to 1970. And unlike some other rapidly changing neighborhoods, the homeownership rate remained high - still above 70%, as it has been since 1950. In the 1980 census, 59% of the population was employed in white-collar occupations, and 65% according to the 2000 census.

(Source: "There Goes The Neighborhood" by William Julius Wilson and Richard P. Taub; 2006. The book gives Avalon Park a pseudo name of "Groveland")

External links

* [http://egov.cityofchicago.org/webportal/COCWebPortal/COC_ATTACH/Community_Areas_AVALON_PARK.pdf Official City of Chicago Avalon Park Community Map]

Geographic Location 2
Center = Avalon Park, Chicago
Northeast = South Shore, Chicago
ESE = South Chicago, Chicago
Southeast = Calumet Heights, Chicago
Southwest = Burnside, Chicago
WSW = Chatham, Chicago
Northwest = Greater Grand Crossing, Chicago