Outline

Most neighborhoods begin with someone finding an area and establishing a community. Knowing the history to one’s neighborhood could be beneficial; how did the area come to be? Chicago’s Southside neighborhood of Englewood started with the Great Chicago Fire in 1871, and a few railroad tracks. This area brought in a huge profit for Chicago following the Great Fire. Improvements of railroads in the Englewood area drew in citizens, portraying the area as providing better commute and living conditions.

1.      Englewood had a rapid growing population for such a small area.

a.       The peak population of Englewood was a total of 97,000 people living within its 3 square miles.

b.      40 acres of land was renovated in 1961 to help with the growth of population.

c.       “… and in 1907 Englewood got its own “L” branch. The population passed 90,000 and kept going.”

2.      With the railroads as the key to transportation, there were always renovations.

a.       “With improvements and more lines of track…..it is more rural and has numerous rail lines for transportation.”

b.      “Metra bought the whole train shed about 10 months ago, and it’s undergoing a four-year, $75 million renovation.”

c.       The CRT improved the Halsted Station with a $50,000 budget. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development approved an application grant for $3,901,000, extending CTA’s Englewood rapid transit route to a new terminal on 63^rd and Ashland.

3.      Commute to and from Englewood to downtown Chicago (or stockyards), where most residents worked was easy.

a.       “Once the Englewood Elevated Railway Company constructed a branch running along 63^rd St. to Loomis, connecting to the Southside Elevated Railroad, residents had an easy commute to stockyards and downtown Chicago.”

b.      It took an average 35 minutes for Englewood citizens to travel to work.

c.       As the Great Fire destroyed homes, people looked for a place close to downtown that wasn’t heavily populated like the rest of the city; this is the area of Englewood.

Most neighborhoods begin with someone finding an area and establishing a community. Knowing the history to one’s neighborhood could be beneficial; how did it come to be? Chicago’s Southside neighborhood of Englewood started with the Great Fire of 1871, and a few railroad tracks. This area brought in a huge profit for Chicago following the great Fore. Improvements of railroads in the Englewood area drew in citizens, portraying the area as providing better commute and living conditions.