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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 is largely vacant.
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 (2010)
• Total	30,654
• Density	Bad rounding here9,900/sq mi (Bad rounding here3,800/km2)
Demographics (2010)[1]
• White	0.34%
• Black	97.37%
• Hispanic	1.06%
• Asian	0.11%
• Other	1.12%
Time zone	CST (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP Codes	part of 60621
Area code(s)	773
Median income[2]	$19,743
Source: U.S. Census, Record Information Services

Soccer team 1908

Shopping Center, circa 1974

Englewood is one of the 77 official community areas of Chicago, Illinois, United States. At its peak population, over 97,000 people lived in its approximately 3 square miles,^[3] 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.^[4] Englewood is bordered by 55th Street on the north, 75th Street on the south, Racine Ave on the west, and State St on the east. It is located on the southwest side of Chicago, Illinois.

Infrastructure [edit]

Both the Red Line (Chicago Transit Authority) and Green Line (Chicago Transit Authority) run through Englewood, as does the Dan Ryan Expressway.

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 will improve operations by replacing the diamond crossing between Metra and NS with an overpass for Metra. The project is expected to be completed in 2014.^[5]

History of Englewood [edit]

The original inhabitants of what is now Englewood were the Mascouten people. The land was swampy. In 1840, Englewood was officially documented as habitable land to the United States Government Land Office in Chicago. 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. 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; at one point over 1,000 trains would pass through Englewood every day in 1889.

Englewood was the home of Dr. H. H. Holmes, one of the first publicized serial murderers in America. His hotel located at Wallace and 63rd streets was the scene of most of his crimes. His story is chronicled in The Torture Doctor by David Franke (1975), Depraved: The Shocking True Story of America's First Serial Killer by Harold Schechter (1994), The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson (2003), and chapter VI "The Monster of Sixty-Third Street" of Gem of the Prairie: An Informal History of the Chicago Underworld by Herbert Asbury (1940, republished 1986).

Englewood Shopping Center [edit]

The Englewood community^[6] 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.

Kennedy-King College [edit]

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.^[7]

Groundbreaking for the new location occurred on November 9, 2005. and the 40-acre (160,000 m²) campus opened in 2007.

Socioeconomics [edit]

Englewood has a poverty rate of 44%, which is substantially higher than the overall poverty rate in Chicago of 20%.^[9]

The area is in dire need of improvement.^[10] The infrastructure is crumbling and there is a lack of medical care. Crime is still among the highest in the country.^[11]

Education [edit]

Chicago Public Schools operates public schools. Paul Robeson High School is in Englewood.^[12][13]

The community is also home to the Urban Prep Academies Englewood Campus.^[14]

Englewood is home to Johnson College Prep, a Noble Network charter high school.^[15]

Team Englewood Community Academy is operated in Englewood

Englewood Technical Prep Academy was originally operated in Englewood, but closed due to poor performance.

Notable residents [edit]

• Derrick Rose - Basketball player for the Chicago Bulls of the NBA and 2010-11 league MVP.
• Jennifer Hudson - American singer and actress
• Benn Jordan - Musician
• Isiah Thomas- Basketball Player
• Chief Keef - Rapper
• Lil Reese - Rapper
• Chaka Khan - Grammy Award winning singer

References [edit]

External links [edit]

	Chicago portal
	Illinois portal

• Official City of Chicago Englewood Community Map
• Englewood Map during the 1920s-1930s
• Team Englewood Non-Profit Group
• New security measures
• Chicago Housing Website, Englewood area
• History of the Englewood "L"
• Kennedy King College Architects
• History of Englewood from Jazz Age Chicago
• Book about Englewood
• Imagine Englewood if... community center and blog
• Resident Association of Greater Englewood (R.A.G.E.)

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