Latino Neighborhoods in Chicago
The Latino Neighborhoods in Chicago are generally grouped into three areas based on Location and shown in the map below: Far Southeast Side, West Side, and Northwest Side.
West Side Latino Neighborhoods:
While only two neighborhoods in southern West Side are generally considered Lation, Pilsen is considered the heart of Latino Chicago and both it and Little Village have extremely high percent Latino populations.
Pilsen:
The Pilsen neighborhood is located on the southwest side of downtown Chicago [do i need to cite google maps?]. Although originally dominated by eastern European immigrants, the neighborhood started to see an influx of Mexican immigrants in the 1970’s as their homes to the North were demolished to make way for the University of Chicago. The population includes some elderly European immigrants but is predominantly made up of people of Mexican descent, peaking at 89% in 2000. Recently the neighborhood has seen the return of economic development, and contains many Mexican shops, bakeries, and the Mexican Fine Arts Center Chicago. The latter was the first and largest Mexican art and Latino culture museum in the Midwest, and Karen Davalos, in an entry for the Encyclopedia of Chicago, says that the museum’s location and focus represents how Mexican culture has no borders. Unfortunately, the recent developments have begun to push out some of the Pilsen’s lower income residents.
Little Village:
Little Village is located directly west-southwest of Pilsen and was originally settled by Europeans in the 1930’s, coaxed by the industrial job prospects. The construction of the University of Illinois Chicago and continued job prospects brought in Mexican immigrants and Mexican-American citizens to the neighborhood. They brought with them a massive influx of Latino culture, highlighted by a variety of Mexican restaurants and the annual Mexican independence day parade. There is also a prominent business district running down west 26th street.
Far Southeast Latino Neighborhoods:
The four Latino neighborhoods in far southeast Chicago are those which arose from the steel industry's demand for Mexican labor.
