BACKGROUND ON THE COMMUNITY

Transcription

1 BACKGROUND ON THE COMMUNITY BORDERS The North Center community area on Chicago s north side encompasses neighborhoods such as Roscoe Village, St. Ben s, and Hamlin Park. Its borders are: North Center Community Area Northern boundary: Eastern boundary: Southern boundary: Western boundary: MONTROSE AVENUE (4400 N.) RAVENSWOOD AVENUE (1800 W.) DIVERSEY PARKWAY (2800 N.) THE CHICAGO RIVER Sources: Wikipedia, Lucid Realty

2 Although boundaries for Chicago neighborhoods are typically more fluid than the demarcations of community areas, the borders of the North Center neighborhood have traditionally been recognized as the community area s northern half: Northern boundary: Eastern boundary: Southern boundary: Western boundary: MONTROSE AVENUE (4400 N.) RAVENSWOOD AVENUE (1800 W.) ADDISON AVENUE (3600 N.) THE CHICAGO RIVER North Center neighborhood boundaries Sources: ChicagoHome.com 2

3 The neighborhood is an area approximately 1 sq. mi. Both the community area and the neighborhood fall within the city s 47 th Ward, and the current Alderman is Ameya Pawar. The North Center Chamber of Commerce includes the boundaries of the North Center neighborhood but also extends east into the Lakeview community area. North Center Chamber of Commerce boundaries Source: North Center Chamber of Commerce 3

4 HISTORY In the 1840s, most of the land in North Center was owned by John H. Kinzie and William B. Ogden. Ogden sold a large tract to John Turner, who in turn rented out smaller parcels to German truck farmers. 1 At the time, the area was only accessible by water via the Chicago River and by land via Lincoln Avenue, known at the time as Little Fork Road. 2 By the 1870s, North Center s proximity to the Chicago River made it one of many riverfront areas being targeted by industrialists. The riverbanks produced clay suitable to the new brick buildings being demanded by Chicago s residents, now wary of wood-frame buildings in the wake of the Great Chicago Fire of European workingclass immigrants worked at the brickyards and clay pits scattered along the North Branch of the Chicago River, and settled in North Center s residential areas to save on transportation costs. The brickyards and clay pits were so numerous that these areas became collectively known as Bricktown. 3 After 1900, an L station opened on Ravenswood Avenue (the eastern border of the neighborhood), prompting a light industrial corridor and further residential development. Eventually, other working-class Chicagoans became attracted to the community s combination of transportation and affordable homes and settled there. These new North Source: North Center Neighborhood Association 1 Encyclopedia of Chicago. North Center Northcenter Neighborhood Association 4

5 Center residents protested against the industrial ugliness and noisiness of the nearby clay pits, but the city only eventually responded by turning the pits into landfills. 4 North Center also once housed a famous silent movie film studio at 3900 N. Claremont. The Selig Polyscope Company employed over 200 people and produced hundreds of early commercial films, including slapstick comedies starring Fatty Arbuckle. 5 Sources Encyclopedia of Chicago 4 Encyclopedia of Chicago. North Center. 5 Encyclopedia of Chicago. Film. 5

6 POPULATION Census records indicate that the North Center community area reached a population zenith of 48,759 people in Over the next 50 years, the population slowly dwindled to 33,010 people in 1990 and leveled off at 31,895 people in Table 1: North Center Community Area, Population from Year Total Foreign Born , % , % , % , % Sources: Encyclopedia of Chicago The North Center community area currently comprises U.S. census tracts 51, , , , & Its population at the 2010 Census was 31,867 people U.S. Census Data. 6

7 Table 2: North Center Community Area, 2010 Population by Census Tract Census Tract Population 51 1, , , , , , , , , , , , ,077 TOTAL 31,867 7

8 The North Center neighborhood comprises U.S. census tracts , , and the northern part of There are currently just over 16,000 residents in this neighborhood. Table 3: North Center neighborhood, 2010 Population by Census Tract North Center neighborhood census tracts Census Tract Population , , , , ,071 TOTAL 16, population for this tract was 2,117. Much of tract 8437 is outside the boundary area of the neighborhood, and the portion within the neighborhood boundaries is mostly commercial. As a result, this census tract has been excluded from the neighborhood population estimate. 8

9 NORTH CENTER AS A NEIGHBORHOOD North Center Town Square is located at 4054 N. Lincoln. The Town Square hosts a Farmer s Market on Saturdays from June-October and annual events provided by the North Center Chamber of Commerce include: Eggstravaganza Spring Egg Hunt (April) Ribfest Chicago (June) North Side Summerfest (August) North Center Shop N Stroll (September) Halloween Trick-or-Treating and Costume Contest (October) Veterans Day Observance (November) 9

10 Additionally, St. Benedict Parish hosts their annual Benfest festival, a neighborhood family-oriented festival which helps support programs for the community. Source: