3) Background on the Community

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BACKGROUND ON THE COMMUNITY

BORDERS

The North Center community area on Chicagos north side encompasses neighborhoods such as Roscoe Village,St. Bens, and Hamlin Park. Its borders are:

North Center Community Area

Northern boundary: MONTROSE AVENUE (4400 N.)

Eastern boundary: RAVENSWOOD AVENUE (1800 W.) Southern boundary: DIVERSEY PARKWAY (2800 N.) Western boundary: THE CHICAGO RIVER

Sources: Wikipedia, Lucid Realty


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Although boundaries for Chicago neighborhoods are typically more fluid than the demarcations of community

areas, the borders of the North Center neighborhood have traditionally been recognized as the community areas

northern half:

Northern boundary: MONTROSE AVENUE (4400 N.) Eastern boundary: RAVENSWOOD AVENUE (1800 W.) Southern boundary: ADDISON AVENUE (3600 N.) Western boundary: THE CHICAGO RIVER

North Center neighborhood boundaries

Sources: ChicagoHome.com

http://www.chicagohome.com/viewNHMap.cfm?NH_ID=32


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The neighborhood is an area approximately 1 sq. mi. Both the community area and the neighborhood fall within

the citys 47

th

Ward, and the current Alderman is Ameya Pawar.

The North Center Chamber of Commerce includes the boundaries of the North Center neighborhood but alsoextends east into the Lakeview community area.

North Center Chamber of Commerce boundaries

Source: North Center Chamber of Commercehttp://www.northcenterchamber.com/northcenter-map


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HISTORY

In the 1840s, most of the land in North Center was owned by John H. Kinzie and William B. Ogden. Ogden sold a

large tract to John Turner, who in turn rented out smaller parcels to German truck farmers.1

At the time, the areawas only accessible by water via the Chicago River and by land via Lincoln Avenue, known at the time as LittleFork Road.

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By the 1870s, North Centers proximity to the Chicago River made it one of many riverfront areas being targeted

by industrialists. The riverbanks produced clay suitable to the new brick buildings being demanded by Chicagos

residents, now wary of wood-frame buildings in the wake of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. European working-

class immigrants worked at the brickyards and clay pits scattered along the North Branch of the Chicago River, andsettled in North Centers residential areas to save on transportation costs.

The brickyards and clay pits were so numerous that these areas becamecollectively known as Bricktown.

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After 1900, an L station opened on Ravenswood Avenue (the easternborder of the neighborhood), prompting a light industrial corridor and

further residential development. Eventually, other working-classChicagoans became attracted to the communitys combination oftransportation and affordable homes and settled there. These new North

Source: North Center Neighborhood Association

1 Encyclopedia of Chicago. North Center.2http://www.dreamtown.com/neighborhoods/north-center.html

3Northcenter Neighborhood Association


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Center residents protested against the industrial ugliness and noisiness of the nearby clay pits, but the city only

eventually responded by turning the pits into landfills.4

North Center also once housed a famous silent movie film studio at 3900 N. Claremont. The Selig PolyscopeCompany employed over 200 people and produced hundreds of early commercial films, including slapstickcomedies starring Fatty Arbuckle.

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Sources Encyclopedia of Chicagohttp://encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/452.html

4Encyclopedia of Chicago. North Center.5

Encyclopedia of Chicago. Film.


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POPULATION

Census records indicate that the North Center community area reached a population zenith of 48,759 people in

1940. Over the next 50 years, the population slowly dwindled to 33,010 people in 1990 and leveled off at 31,895people in 2000.

Table 1: North Center Community Area, Population from 1930-2000

Sources: Encyclopedia of Chicagohttp://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/899.html

The North Center community area currently comprises U.S. census tracts 51, 501-503, 505-509, 511-514, & 8437.Its population at the 2010 Census was 31,867 people.

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62010 U.S. Census Data. http://projects.nytimes.com/census/2010/map

YearTotal

Foreign Born

1930 47,651 27.3%

1960 43,877 18.1%

1990 33,010 19.7%

2000 31,895 14.5%


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Table 2: North Center Community Area, 2010 Population by Census Tract

Census Tract Population

51 1,503

501 2,290

502 4,837

503 2,365

505 4,754

506 2,071

507 1,418

508 1,289

509 1,391

511 1,556

512 1,516

513 2,683

514 2,077

TOTAL 31,867


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The North Center neighborhood comprises U.S. census tracts 501-503, 505-506, and the northern part of 8437.7

There are currently just over 16,000 residents in this neighborhood.

North Center neighborhood census tracts

Table 3: North Center neighborhood, 2010Population by Census Tract

72010 population for this tract was 2,117. Much of tract 8437 is outside the boundary area of the neighborhood, and the portion within the

neighborhood boundaries is mostly commercial. As a result, this census tract has been excluded from the neighborhood population estimate.

Census Tract Population

501 2,290

502 4,837

503 2,365

505 4,754

506 2,071

TOTAL 16,317

503 502 501

505 506


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NORTH CENTER AS A NEIGHBORHOOD

North Center Town Square is located at 4054 N. Lincoln. The Town Square hosts a Farmers Market on Saturdaysfrom June-October and annual events provided by the North Center Chamber of Commerce include:

Eggstravaganza Spring Egg Hunt (April)

Ribfest Chicago (June)

North Side Summerfest (August)

North Center Shop N Stroll (September)

Halloween Trick-or-Treating and Costume Contest (October)

Veterans Day Observance (November)


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Additionally, St. Benedict Parish hosts their annual Benfest festival, a neighborhood family-oriented festivalwhich helps support programs for the community.

Source: www.planet99.comhttp://www.planet99.com/chicago/events/155043.html

3) Background on the Community

Documents

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