2. Location
Country: United States
State: Illinois
City: Chicago
County: Cook
Located at: 41°52.8′N 87°43.8′W
Neighboring communities: Humboldt Park, Austin,
East Garfield Park, and North Lawndale
3. History
1873: Most of the population that lived in West Garfield Park were mostly Scandinavians and
Irish.
1878: Community area was known for horse-racing in Madison Street, for which activities a
racing track was built, until a homicide incident sealed racing’s fate there.
- Positive: this led to the demolition of the race track and new space for residents and commerce
centers to be built.
Great Depression & WWII: was marked by bank closures, deprivation and neglect
1955: Great racial uproar (segregation between residents)
1960’s-1970’s: Susceptible to illegal trafficking, crime, increasing poverty and physical decline
due to open-housing laws.
4. Landmarks
Conservatory: recognized for its architectural landscaping
Golden Dome Fieldhouse: Olympic-sized gymnasium
The “Gazebo”: designed by J. L. Silsbee in 1896
5. Demographics
Area: 1.294 square miles
Population: 24,984
Population Density: 19,309 people per square mile
Median household income 2013: $24,447
Race and Ethnicity of total population:
African American 97.3%
White 1.5%
Hispanic 0.7%
Mixed 0.3%
Asian 0.1%
Other 0.1%
6. Crime
West Garfield Park is said to be one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in Chicago. West
Garfield Park has Chicagoland’s highest homicide rate and lowest life expectancy rate. From
September 3rd to October 3rd 2015 the following crimes were reported.
Violent Crimes 56
Robbery 26
Battery 16
Assault 10
Homicide 1
Sexual Assault 3
Property Crimes 66
Theft 43
Burglary 2
Motor Vehicle Theft 21
Arson 0
Quality-of-Life Crimes 171
Criminal Damage 35
Narcotics 131
Prostitution 5
8. Personal Reflection
This experience was a very surprising one for me because of all the occurrences that happened to
us during our visit to our original destination; the CTA running late, our student U-Pass not working, not
getting to Humbolt Park and instead venturing out and continuing to discover a new place we knew
nothing about definitely made this experience an unexpected one. Nevertheless, it did spark my curiosity
in wanting to eventually get to Humbolt, in order to appreciate the people where I come from: Puerto
Rico.
Because of this project, I now have a bigger sense of the diversity in Chicago and of the history of
the communities in it. I do not think that this was an authentic Chicago experience because the bad things
we heard about the community (West Garfield Park), as said from the people that live in it currently, does
not reflect the general feel of the Chicago population. I believe violence is found everywhere, but it is not
what Chicago is about primarily.
