Englewood, Chicago facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Englewood
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| Community Area 68 – Englewood | |
The intersection of 63rd and Halsted, looking south. The Halsted 'L' station can be seen crossing Halsted in the distance. Kennedy–King College occupies the buildings on the left of the photo. The building on the right burned in 2014.
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Location within the city of Chicago
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| Country | United States |
| State | Illinois |
| County | Cook |
| City | Chicago |
| Neighborhoods |
list
Englewood
Hamilton Park |
| Area | |
| • Total | 3.09 sq mi (8.00 km2) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 24,369 |
| • Density | 7,889/sq mi (3,046.1/km2) |
| Demographics 2015 | |
| • White | 0.61% |
| • Black | 94.64% |
| • Hispanic | 3.69% |
| • Asian | 0.30% |
| • Other | 0.76% |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| Zip codes |
part of 60621
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| Area code(s) | 773 |
| Median income | $21,275 |
| Source: U.S. Census, Record Information Services | |
Englewood is one of the 77 official community areas in Chicago, Illinois, United States. At its peak population in 1960, over 97,000 people lived in its approximately 3 square miles (7.8 km2), but the neighborhood's population has since dropped dramatically. In 2000, it had a population of approximately 40,000 inhabitants, and the 2010 census indicated that its population has further declined to approximately 30,000. Englewood is bordered by Garfield Boulevard to the north, 75th Street to the south, Racine Avenue to the west, and an irregular border that wends along the Metra Railroad Tracks to the east. On the west lies West Englewood, which is generally lumped in with Englewood by Chicagoans. It is located on the South Side of Chicago.
History
Before the city of Chicago was established, the area that is now Englewood was largely swampland inhabited by Mascouten Indians. In 1839, the US Government Land Office of Chicago stated that the land was habitable. In the 1850s and 1860s, as Chicago was becoming a city of railroad tracks and economic prosperity, Englewood was just another supporting neighborhood. But in 1871, when the Great Chicago Fire destroyed a large portion of Chicago, residents moved to the outskirts such as Englewood. Englewood's railroad connections to downtown Chicago made it a convenient location, and the neighborhood's population grew rapidly. Englewood Station once served many railroad passengers; in 1889, over 1,000 trains would pass through Englewood every day.
The Englewood community was largely defined by the Englewood Shopping Center at 63rd & Halsted, a large pedestrian mall. The City, social services, and mall management worked with community leaders and groups to integrate the mall with the community. The goal was to make the mall a vital part of the community, and a central part of everyday life. It was the site of numerous community events, parades, outdoor concerts, live radio broadcasts and the like. This was spearheaded by the Englewood Business Men's Association and its director, Richard Drew. Mr. Drew died in 1978, and with his passing the Association lost its community focus. The Center subsequently lost its major anchor tenants, including Sears Roebuck, and became a collection of smaller merchants.
In 1999, Mayor Richard M. Daley announced a $256 million revitalization plan for the area. The keystone of the program is the relocation of Kennedy-King College to the former site of the Englewood Shopping Center. Shortly thereafter the city began an aggressive buyout and relocation program for mall merchants. The campus includes the Washburne Culinary Institute. Groundbreaking for the new, 40-acre (160,000 m2) campus occurred on November 9, 2005, and it opened in 2007.
Digital images of Englewood can be found in Explore Chicago Collections, a digital repository made available by Chicago Collections archives, libraries and other cultural institutions in the city.
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1930 | 89,063 | — | |
| 1940 | 92,849 | 4.3% | |
| 1950 | 94,134 | 1.4% | |
| 1960 | 97,595 | 3.7% | |
| 1970 | 89,659 | −8.1% | |
| 1980 | 59,075 | −34.1% | |
| 1990 | 48,434 | −18.0% | |
| 2000 | 40,222 | −17.0% | |
| 2010 | 30,654 | −23.8% | |
| 2020 | 24,369 | −20.5% | |
In 2000, Englewood had a poverty rate of 44%, which was substantially higher than the overall poverty rate in Chicago of 20%.
Based on census data collected by the city of Chicago in 2008–2012, the poverty rate for Englewood is 46.6% of households below poverty and 28% of people 16 years of age and older are unemployed.
In 1960, Englewood had 67,216 African American residents who made up about 69% of its population. At the time most African Americans resided around 63rd Street. At the time the median income of Englewood was $5,579 ($55,187.54 according to inflation).
By 1980, the total population was 62,069, a loss of about 30,000 people in two decades; 99% of the people were black, and the white population was down to 818. Edward McClelland of NBC Chicago stated "Not even ethnic cleansing in the Balkans achieved the levels of turnover that white flight in Chicago did."
Transportation
Halsted Street is a major thoroughfare in the neighborhood.
Both the Chicago Transit Authority's Red Line and Green Line run through Englewood, as does the Dan Ryan Expressway (I-90 and I-94).
The railroad junction at Englewood, where Metra (the former Rock Island) crosses Norfolk Southern (the former Pennsylvania) has long been a cause of delay. In March 2010 a $133 million reconstruction project was announced which improved operations by replacing the diamond crossing between Metra and NS with an overpass for Metra. The project proposed by Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency Program (CREATE) was completed in 2014.
In popular culture
- Chiraq by Spike Lee is set in Englewood.
- Takin' Place by Cyrus Dowlatshahi was filmed in Englewood.
Education
Englewood is host to numerous publicly-operated educational institutions. Primary and secondary schools are operated by Chicago Public Schools, while the community has post-secondary educational needs met at the Kennedy–King College, which was relocated to Englewood in 2005 as part of revitalization efforts in the neighborhood. A public high school, Englewood STEM High School, was opened in September 2019 to serve students in the surrounding area.
Notable people
- Jamie Foster Brown, magazine publisher, and her sister Stella Foster, who are both entertainment journalists
- Margaret Bonds, composer, pianist, arranger, and educator.
- Young Chop, music producer.
- Derrick Rose, professional basketball player who has played for Chicago Bulls, currently playing for New York Knicks.
- Anthony Davis, professional basketball player who has played for the Los Angeles Lakers and New Orleans Pelicans.
- Bina Deneen, First Lady of Illinois (1905–1913). She resided at 532 West 61st Place until it was destroyed during the "Pineapple Primary".
- Charles Deneen, 23rd Governor of Illinois (1905–1913) and later United States Senator (1925–1931). He resided at 532 West 61st Place until it was destroyed during the "Pineapple Primary".
- Lil Durk, rapper, singer, and songwriter. He was raised in Englewood.
- Kenny Golladay, NFL player.
- Jennifer Hudson, singer and actress
- Richard Hunt, sculptor who served as Commissioner of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American Art from 1980 to 1986.
- Harold L. Ickes, 32nd United States Secretary of the Interior (1933–1946). He moved to Englewood as a child and attended Englewood High School.
- Chief Keef, rapper and record producer.
- Ralph Lewis, actor best known as Austin Stoneman in The Birth of a Nation.
- Willard Motley, African-American author. He was raised at 350 West 60th Street.
- Bernie Mac, actor and comedian. He was raised in Englewood near West 69th Street and South Sangamon Street.
- Morgan F. Murphy, member of Congress from Illinois's 3rd congressional district. He graduated from Leo High School.
- Lil Reese, rapper
- Fredo Santana, rapper.
- Mavis Staples, singer
- Famous Dex, rapper
- King Von, rapper
