Englewood

Englewood was born out of railroad lines crossing on a land that was originally mainly an oak forest with much swampland in the mid-1800s. Because these different railroad lines crossed in what was later called Junction Grove, a community of people working in the railroad industry settled in the area with their families and grew.

Today, although on one hand Englewood is associated with the poverty and crime rampant in its area, it has also inspired the 2019 television show, South Side, and the comic series, Englewood, to show that there is also much humor and heroism in everyday life at Englewood.

It takes only 18 minutes to travel by car the 9.4-mile distance between Englewood and The Loop, Chicago’s seat of government, main business district, and official downtown.

Map

As a community numbered 68 in Chicago’s 77 community areas, Englewood is located in Cook County, Illinois. It is bordered by Garfield Boulevard to the north, 75th Street to the south, Racine Avenue to the west, and an irregular border that runs along the Metra Railroad Tracks to the east. Its zip code is 60621.

Population

As of 2020, Englewood has a population of 24,369, distributed among 9,597 households, with an average household size of 2.5. This represents a 20.5% population decrease since 2010 and a 39.4% population decrease since 2000. At its peak population in 1960, there were 97,000 residents of Englewood. The neighborhood’s population has since dropped significantly.

The population’s racial and ethnic composition is mostly made up of Blacks (94.6%), then Hispanics or Latinos (3.7%), others of multiple races (0.8%), Whites (0.6%), and Asians (0.3%).

In the 1850s, Englewood’s original settlers were German and Irish workers who worked on truck farms, the railroads, and later on, the Union Stock Yard. By the 1880s, the largest ethnic groups were the Germans, Irish, and Scots, who were supplanted by the 1900s by the Poles and other Eastern European immigrants. By the 1940s, the expanding Black Belt population from the east changed Englewood’s racial and ethnic landscape. Redlining and disinvestment practices, along with declining real estate values, eventually consigned Englewood to becoming a low-income community.

Today, Englewood residents’ median income is $22,127, less than half of Chicago’s median income of $58,247. Most of them have attained a high school diploma or its equivalent (34.8%) or some college but no degree (26.5%).

Three-fourths (74.4%) of those in the labor force are employed, mostly in the top industry sectors of health care (19%), administration (13.8%), accommodation and food service (10.8%), retail trade (10.3%), and transportation (8.3%). Almost half (42%) are employed outside Chicago, while 15.5% work in The Loop. The rest work near North Side (7.2%), near West Side (4.8%), and in Hyde Park (1.4%).

Real Estate

A third (31.9%) of Englewood’s homes are 2-unit housing types, with 23% as single-family detached, 16% 3-or-4-unit housing types, and 15.8% 20-or-more-units housing types, which suggest apartments or condominiums.

As of December 2021, Englewood homes’ median sale price is around $62,450, much lower than Chicago’s median sale price of $335,000. Redfin considers Englewood’s housing market as “somewhat competitive”, with a score of 48 out of 100. This means that some homes get multiple offers but typically take weeks to sell.

Last September 18, 2021, Englewood kicked off its first-ever Englewood Music Fest, which will now be an annual festival, celebrating Englewood’s bustling community of artists, musicians, and creators and their talents. Last September 17 to 18, 2021, the 20th Annual Englewood Jazz Festival was held at Hamilton Park as part of the Chicago Humanities Festival Neighborhood Initiative and the Chicago in Tune city-wide festival.

Englewood Connect, a $10.3 million dollar development project and part of Chicago’s INVEST South/West initiative launched in October 2019 to uplift and revitalize underinvested communities on Chicago’s South and West sides, works with local businesses, community organizations, artists, makers, and residents to reinvigorate Englewood again as they address the community’s evolving needs.

a Schools

Primary and secondary schools in Englewood are mainly served by the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) system, while post-secondary education is served by the Kennedy-King College which was relocated to Englewood in 2005 as part of the neighborhood’s revitalization program. Englewood STEM High School, a public school, was also opened in September 2019 to serve students especially interested in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education in the area.

There are 177 public schools in the Chicago metropolitan area that can serve Englewood residents, with five A+-rated schools listed below:

(1) Payton College Preparatory High School

Population: 1,220 students in grades 9 to 12

Student-Teacher Ratio: 16-to-1

(2) Northside College Preparatory High School

Population: 1,078 students in grades 9 to 12

Student-Teacher Ratio: 18 to 1

(3) Whitney M. Young Magnet High School

Population: 2,198 students in grades 7 to 12

Student-Teacher Ratio: 18 to 1

(4) Jones College Prep High School

Population: 1,968 students in grades 9 to 12

Student-Teacher Ratio: 18 to 1

(5) Lane Tech College Prep High School

Population: 4,500 students in grades 7 to 12

Student-Teacher Ratio: 19 to 1

There are 223 private schools in the Chicago metropolitan area that can serve Englewood residents, with ten A+-rated schools listed below:

(1) University of Chicago Laboratory Schools

Population: 2,051 students in PK, K-12

Student-Teacher Ratio: 8 to 1

(2) Latin School of Chicago

Population: 1,155 students in PK, K-12

Student-Teacher Ratio: 8 to 1

(3) British International School of Chicago South Loop

Population: 604 in PK, K-12

Student-Teacher Ratio: 8 to 1

(4) St. Ignatius College Prep

Population: 1,480 in grades 9 to 12

Student-Teacher Ratio: 16 to 1

(5) Morgan Park Academy

Population: 423 students in PK, K-12

Student-Teacher Ratio: 8 to 1

(6) The Chicago Academy for the Arts

Population: 145 students in grades 9 to 12

Student-Teacher Ratio: 4 to 1

(7) GEMS World Academy Chicago

Population: 440 students in PK, K-12

Student-Teacher Ratio: 5 to 1

(9) Wolcott College Prep

Population: 150 students in grades 9 to 12

Student-Teacher Ratio: 3 to 1

(10) GCE Lab School

Population: 50 students in grades 9 to 12

Student-Teacher Ratio: 7 to 1

There are 55 colleges or universities in the Chicago metropolitan area that can serve Edgewater residents, with two A+-rated schools listed below:

(1) Northwestern University

Population: 8,284 undergraduate students

Student-Teacher Ratio: 6 to 1

(2) University of Chicago

Population: 6,847 undergraduate students

Student-Teacher Ration: 5 to 1

Crime Rate

With a 2020 total crime record of 8,821 per 100,000 residents, Englewood’s total crime rate is 275% higher than the U.S. national average. With 5,984 property crimes per 100,000 residents, Englewood’s property crime rate is 206% higher than the national average. With 2,837 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, Englewood’s violent crime rate is 632% higher than the national average. This is why Englewood is known as the fourth most dangerous neighborhood in Chicago, next only to West Garfield Park, Washington Park, and East Garfield Park.

As of the fourth week of January 2022, there were 35 crime complaints in District 7, where Englewood belongs: 11 for robbery, 9 for motor vehicle theft, 6 each for aggravated battery and theft, 3 for burglary, plus 5 shooting incidents. These represent a 14% increase over the previous 28 days, with a 29% increase for shooting incidents alone. Over the last year, these represent a 24% increase, with a 36% increase for shooting incidents alone.

Indeed, locals rate Englewood low for “people would walk alone at night” (24%), quietness (30%), and they’re planning to stay for at least five years (37%). However, they also rate Englewood high for sidewalks (91%), easy parking (74%), and well-kept yards (69%), among several features.

History

Formerly known as Junction Grove, Englewood got its new name in 1868 from Henry B. Lewis, a wool merchant at The Loop and Board of Education member, who derived it from his close association with Englewood, New Jersey. Residents hoped that the new name would improve the lower-class image of the railroad community.

Also in 1868, developer L.W. Beck gave ten acres of land to Englewood for the establishment of the Cook County Normal School — a teacher’s college serving the entire Chicago region — and which later became the Chicago State University. Normal Park developed around the school, which later attracted middle-class home buyers. In the 1870s, Englewood High School was opened to serve a growing population.

By 1920, Englewood’s population reached 86,619. Its shopping district at Halsted and 63rd was the second busiest in the city of Chicago. In 1929, Sears even built a $1.5 million store here. Although the Great Depression years did not severely affect the operation of the larger stores, many small stores and banks closed.

By the 1940s, real estate values in Englewood declined. Materials needed to redevelop Englewood were scarce. As more African-Americans moved in while the Whites moved out, redlining and disinvestment further depressed the community economically.

By the 1970s, Sears and Wieboldt’s had closed, and the Chicago State University had moved to 95th Street in Roseland. By the end of the 20th century, around 100 shops were still operating, mostly owned by Koreans and Pakistanis. Public works projects like the Dan Ryan Expressway and housing abandonment and deterioration led to a massive loss of housing stock. Despite attempts at restoring the shopping district and building new apartments through public funds and by the Antioch Baptist Church, Englewood’s population and housing stock continued to decline.

Today, it is hoped that the Englewood Connect project, utilizing community collaboration, entrepreneurship, and technology, will transform the Englewood community as a revitalized force to reckon with in the Chicago region in the 21st century.