This document provides information about the Pilsen neighborhood in Chicago. It includes details about how to get to Pilsen via public transportation from Loyola University, as well as a brief history of Pilsen's establishment and demographic changes over time. Points of interest in Pilsen are highlighted, and personal reflections from four students who visited describe their experiences in the neighborhood and impressions of its strong Mexican culture.

1. Connections to
Community: Pilsen
Ben Bissell, Allen Duoji, Saskia Henn, and
Yianna Papadeas

2. Pilsen Location and Directions
The neighborhood of Pilsen is located in the Lower West
Side of Chicago. To get there, it is about an hour by train
from Loyola University Chicago’s Lake Shore Campus, and
requires to ride both the Red Line and the Pink Line. At
the Loyola stop, take the Red Line south towards
95th/Dan Ryan and transfer to the Pink Line going
towards 54th/Cermak at the Lake stop. From there, ride
the Pink Line to the 18th stop, where the middle of Pilsen
is located.

4. A Brief History of Pilsen
Pilsen was established in the 1840s, encouraged by new ways of
transportation into the City of Chicago. The creation of unskilled jobs in the
1870s allowed for lots of Bohemian immigrants to settle along 18th Street.
After several labor strikes in the mid 1900s, Mexican migrants became
predominant in the 1950s and 1960s. This ethnic shift spurred cultural
changes, as Mexican artists decorated the neighborhood with colorful murals
and mosaics. Today, Pilsen’s residents have resisted attempts to modernize
their neighborhood, and have preserved the area as a community for Hispanic
immigrants. During the first weekend in August, the Fiesta del Sol festival
shows the pride of the residents of Pilsen to continue its rich, working-class
legacy.

6. Demographics
- Total Population: 72,013
- Male: 37,870 (52.6%) - Female: 34,144 (47.4%)
- Racial/ethnic Makeup: 78% Latino, 14%
White, 3% African American
- Median Household Income: $36,154
- Average Household Income: $50,708
- Total Households: 24,927
- Annual Precipitation: 38.01 in/yr

7. Points of Interest
1. Pilsen Murals
2. National Museum of Mexican Art
3. Redmoon Theater
4. Benito Juarez Park
5. Pink Line Station Murals
6. Nuevo Leon Restaurant
7. Saint Adalbert Church

9. Personal Reflection: Ben
The trip to Pilsen was definitely one to remember. Pilsen is a lot different
from our community of Rogers Park. The Hispanic influence in Pilsen is very
apparent as you walk the streets. Decorations and restaurants show the
different aspects of Hispanic life. This trip certainly makes me want to
explore the different areas of Chicago and it makes me want to experience
other neighborhoods on my own or with a group. The experience definitely
gave me a viewpoint on how lucky we are to be attending Loyola and
everything that our school has to offer us. Pilsen also showed me how truly
diverse the Chicago area is and how different areas truly come together to
make one city. The makeup of this diverse city truly is owed to all of the
different cultures that live within it. This is what I pulled away from our trip
to Pilsen.

10. Personal Reflection: Allen
Pilsen was a very unique town with a heavy influence on the Hispanic
culture. From churches to the food stands, everything at Pilsen
displayed an image of the unique culture. For me specifically I loved
the food because it was made from a nice local family business versus
corporate/processing food like taco bell. The food had a very
different taste than the mexican food I previously had, It taste it
great with some additional traditional ingredients with the meal. it
was great to have an opportunity like that to experience the hispanic
culture. I would highly suggest the rest of the class to go out and
explore Pilson and get a taste of the Hispanic culture in Chicago.

11. Personal Reflection: Yianna
Despite it being a long train ride to Pilsen, our group was entertained by all the diversity
surrounding downtown Chicago on our way there. We could see culture and differences just in the
neighborhoods passing on our way to explore another one. I really thought this was cool because it
got me excited to see what was in store for us at Pilsen. Immediately after getting off the train we
were surrounded by these beautiful, colorful murals all over the train station. It really gave such an
ordinary, daily sight something so much life and vibrancy. As we walked the streets of Pilsen, the
murals were alive on most of the walls we passed. We got to take some pictures in front of them
and as we kept walking we found a local taco restaurant. We stopped for some food and as we
walked inside it felt as though I was in a whole other place because of how culturally well it was
decorated. There was TV playing on in the background all in Spanish, and all over the walls were
signs and flags depicting the owner’s heritage. After this delicious stop and seeing more of the
shops around the town, we boarded the L and came back to campus. It was a really great
excursion, and it expanded my horizons by showing me something a lot different than what I’m used
to experiencing around Loyola and downtown.

12. Personal Reflection: Saskia
For me, going to Pilsen was a good experience, because I found the Mexican
influence to be interesting. I was surprised at the extent to which the
Mexican culture seemed to be ingrained into the neighborhood. There were
beautifully colored murals everywhere, and the decorations in the streets
were vibrant and festive. Many of the people spoke Spanish, perhaps even
more fluently than English, and the restaurants we passed all sold Mexican
food. I enjoyed it because, being from Texas, I was raised in a somewhat
similar atmosphere. A large number of the people I grew up with spoke
Spanish, and my school celebrated Mexican holidays just the same as if it
were any American holiday. I already was aware that Chicago is a very
diverse city, but knowing that there is a neighborhood that has so many
aspects of my hometown makes me feel a little more connected to Chicago.

14. Works Cited
"Getting to Know Pilsen." Loyola Phoenix. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2014. <http://www.loyolaphoenix.com/pilsen>.
"Pilsen." Demographics & Statistics. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2014.
<http://www.point2homes.com/US/Neighborhood/IL/Chicago/Pilsen-Demographics.html#Population>.
Rail (‘L’) System Map (n.d.): n. pag. Web. 20 Sept. 2014.
"Things to Do in Pilsen - Chicago Neighborhoods - Choose Chicago." Things to Do in Pilsen - Chicago Neighborhoods -
Choose Chicago. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2014. <http://www.choosechicago.com/neighborhoods-and-communities/
pilsen/things-to-do/>.
"United States Census Bureau." CPS Definitions. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2014.
<http://www.census.gov/cps/about/cpsdef.html>.