|
The East Side
Boundaries and Major Infrastructure
- Some community leaders have referred to an 'upper' and a 'lower' East Side; however, most residents consider East Side to be one community. Many of the Latino residents on the north end consider the southern end of South Chicago surrounding Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish as part of their community. Newer Latino residents are more concentrated on the northern end of East Side, while more 'old-timers' of Slavic and Mexican descent are concentrated on the Southern end.
- The official East Side Community Area is surrounded by water, bordered by the Calumet River, Lake Michigan, Indiana, Egger's Woods and 117th Street.
Biodiversity
- East Side residents consider Eggers Woods part of their community. This 250 acre Cook County Forest Preserve includes a marsh used by rare birds, such as the yellow-headed blackbird, and a high quality sand savanna rich in rare plants.
Important Facts
- Residential architecture reveals a chronological progression from the community's upper and lower ends; houses built since the 1960s dominate the lower end, and older bungalows, graystones and two-flats are on the north.
- Heavy industry dominated the banks of the Calumet River and heavy barge traffic traversed the western boundary of the community area.
- One must cross the barge-heavy Calumet River on a drawbridge to reach the East Side from Chicago. The Skyway Bridge takes traffic over the community.
- The East Side has a rich labor history and was the site of the 'Memorial Day Massacre.' During a 1937 strike at Republic Steel, the demonstration became aggressive and Chicago Police killed ten steelworkers and sympathizers.
Contemporary Demographics
2000 Total Population: 23,653
The East Side is the only community area we studied with a population that increased between the 1990 and 2000 census (+15%). The majority of East Side is Latino. Some of these residents have lived on the Southeast Side for generations, others particularly in upper East Side are new immigrants. According to the US Census, upper East Side is about 75% Latino and lower East Side is 50% Latino. There are very few African Americans in this community area.
|
|
|
