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Englewood
Community area
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.
Location within the city of Chicago
Coordinates: 41°46′47.23″N 87°38′41.2″W / 41.7797861°N 87.644778°W / 41.7797861; -87.644778Coordinates: 41°46′47.23″N 87°38′41.2″W / 41.7797861°N 87.644778°W / 41.7797861; -87.644778
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	Cook
City	Chicago
Neighborhoods	list Englewood Hamilton Park
Area
• Total	3.09 sq mi (8.00 km2)
Population (2015)
• Total	26,121[1]
Demographics (2015)[1]
• White	0.76%
• Black	94.98%
• Hispanic	2.61%
• Asian	0.29%
• Other	1.36%
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP Codes	part of 60621
Area code(s)	773
Median income	$19,854[1]
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),^[2] 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.^[3] Englewood is bordered by Garfield Boulevard to the north, 75th Street to the south, Western Avenue to the west, and State Street to the east. It is located on the southwest side of Chicago.

History

Soccer team 1908

Shopping Center, circa 1974

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.

Englewood was the home of Dr. H. H. Holmes, one of the first publicized serial murderers in America. His hotel at Wallace and 63rd streets was the scene of most of his crimes and earned it the sobriquet "Murder Castle".^[4]

The Englewood community^[5] 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.^[6] Groundbreaking for the new, 40-acre (160,000 m²) campus occurred on November 9, 2005, and it opened in 2007.^[7][8]

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.^[9]

Demographics

In 2000, Englewood had a poverty rate of 44%, which was substantially higher than the overall poverty rate in Chicago of 20%.^[11]

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.^[12]

In 1960, Englewood had 67,216 black people and 51,583 white people; black people made up about 69% of the residents in Englewood. At the time most black people resided around 63rd Street. At the time the median income of Englewood was $5,579 ($46,150.69 according to inflation).^[13]

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.^[13] Edward McClelland of NBC Chicago stated "Not even ethnic cleansing in the Balkans achieved the levels of turnover that white flight in Chicago did."^[14]

Transportation

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.^[15]

Education

Chicago Public Schools operates public schools in the neighborhood.^[16]

• As of 2012^[update] zoned K–8 schools serving sections of Englewood include Sherwood, Nicholson, Dewey, Holmes, Woods, Banneker, Parker, Yale, Hinton, and Harvard^[17]
  • 
    Paul Robeson High School is in Englewood.^[18][19] In addition to Robeson, Hope High School and Dyett High School serve parts of Englewood.^[20] A small section is zoned to Hyde Park Academy.^[21]
    
  
  

Englewood is home to Johnson College Prep, a Noble Network charter high school.^[22] Team Englewood Community Academy and Urban Prep Academies Englewood Campus^[23] is operated in the Englewood High School building. Englewood High School was opened in 1873, but closed due to poor performance in 2008.

Englewood is home to Kennedy–King College.

In popular culture

• 
  Chiraq by Spike Lee is set in Englewood.


• 
  Takin' Place by Cyrus Dowlatshahi was filmed in Englewood.

Notable people

• 
  Jamie Foster Brown, magazine publisher, and her sister Stella Foster, who are both entertainment journalists^[24]
  


• 
  Young Chop, music producer.


• 
  Anthony Davis, basketball player for the New Orleans Pelicans
  


• 
  Bina Deneen, first lady of Illinois (1905–1913)


• 
  Charles Deneen, U.S. senator (1925–1931) and Illinois governor (1905–1913)


• 
  Lil Durk, rapper^[25]
  


• 
  H.H. Holmes, serial killer


• 
  Jennifer Hudson, singer and actress


• 
  Richard Hunt, sculptor^[24]
  


• 
  Benn Jordan, musician


• 
  Chief Keef, rapper^[26]
  


• 
  King Louie, rapper


• 
  Morgan F. Murphy, member of Congress from Illinois's 3rd congressional district. He graduated from Leo High School.^[27]
  


• 
  Lil Reese, rapper


• 
  Derrick Rose, basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves, former NBA MVP, former player for the Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, and Cleveland Cavaliers
  


• 
  Fredo Santana, rapper.


• 
  Kenny Golladay, NFL player.^[28]
  


• 
  Mavis Staples, singer

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Englewood, Chicago.

• Official City of Chicago Englewood Community Map


• Englewood Map during the 1920s-1930s

		Fuller Park	New City
	West Englewood	Englewood, Chicago	Washington Park
	Ashburn	Auburn Gresham	Greater Grand Crossing