Hermosa

Hermosa, the 20th Chicago community area, is located on the city’s northwest side. Hermosa is well known for its tall, triangle-like shape on the Chicago community map. It occupies 1.17 square miles (3.03 km2) of the total land area in Chicago.

The neighborhood is primarily a Hispanic blue-collar city with a solid industrial base. The average household in the Hermosa district earns $46,915. Despite having a lower median household income than the rest of the city, just 19.9 percent of Hermosa households are poor, which is lower than Chicago’s 22.6 per cent poverty rate. According to the University of Illinois, Chicago’s gentrification index, Hermosa has experienced a modern decline from 1970 to 2010.

Hermosa is surrounded by various Chicago Northwest and Westside communities and provides easy access to several parks, shops, and community amenities. The various eateries, cafes, grocery stores and shopping centers add to the neighborhood’s charm. Hermosa Park and Kelvyn Park are two famous parklands in the community; people usually describe the neighborhood as these parks. Ken-Well Park and Keystone Playlot Park are other favorite recreational spots in Hermosa.

People prefer to live in Hermosa because of its accessible location to work, proximity to downtown, and healthy public transportation alternatives. It is 8.3 miles (13.3 km) away from the downtown Chicago Loop. The quickest way to travel to the city’s central business district is via car – the journey takes around ten minutes. The transit opportunities for Hermosa residents are pretty diverse. Apart from boasting a good walkability index, the neighborhood is served by several CTA bus routes, the Blue Line and Metra’s Milwaukee District / North and West Line.

Map

Railroad tracks and embankments determine the majority of Hermosa’s boundaries. Hermosa’s southernmost border is formed by the Metra Milwaukee District / West Line, which runs along Bloomingdale Avenue (1880 N). Cicero Ave. (4800 W.) serves as the westernmost boundary, while the Metra Milwaukee District / North Line is the easternmost.

Logan Square to the east, Avondale and Irving Park to the north/northeast, Belmont-Cragin to the west, and Humboldt Park to the south give the area a centralized community atmosphere.

Hermosa is part of 60639, 60641 and 60647 zip codes.

Population

Hermosa is one of Chicago’s best neighborhoods, brimming with culture and diversity. Even though Hermosa is one of Chicago’s smaller community areas, it is one of the most thickly populated. The 2020 census reveals that the neighborhood houses 24,062 individuals, out of which 65% are native and the rest are foreigners.

In the 1980s, most of Hermosa was occupied by Hispanics and Latinos; they represented various nations and dialects. Fast forward four decades, the neighborhood is still predominantly inhabited by Hispanics and Latinos (82.5%). The second biggest racial sector in the Hermosa community is the whites; they constitute 10.7% of the total population.

Minority races in Hermosa include blacks and Asians, constituting 3.9 and 2.2 per cent of the neighborhood’s population. Additionally, people from multicultural backgrounds have a 0.8% share of Hermosa’s population.

Real Estate

The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning’s August 2021 release shows 7,544 households in the Hermosa community. Each home accommodates 3.2 persons.

The majority of the Hermosa residents (31.1%) prefer living in two-unit houses. Single-family, detached houses are the second most famous housing option, constituting 27.7% of the neighborhood’s houses. Three to four-unit residences make up 26.5% of Hermosa’s domestic real estate market.

It has lovely residential units, excellent schools, and a diverse range of successful small businesses. However, Hermosa’s residents frequently complain that there are no community events in the area. Nevertheless, the neighborhood holds significant importance due to its abundance of historical sites. The region is home to famous places such as Forgotten Chicago, the Illinois Centennial Memorial Column and the historic headquarters of the Schwinn Bicycle Company. But what makes the Hermosa neighborhood features the iconic Walt Disney birthplace.

All these tourist spots substantially increase Hermosa’s real estate worth. The average real estate listing price in the neighborhood is $349K. This average selling price experienced a 5% decline compared to 2021 but is still notably higher than the Chicago average of $335K.

Schools

The educational attainment rate in Hermosa is below average. The majority of people (34.3%) have less than a high school diploma. 27.5% have a high school diploma, while 16.5% of Hermosa residents attended some college but couldn’t get a degree.

Around 5.8% of the individuals have an Associate’s degree, while Bachelor’s degree holders constitute 10.8% of the neighborhood’s population. Graduate and professional degree holders account for 5.2% of Hermosa’s residents. 

Various Chicago Public Schools are operating in the Hermosa neighborhood, some of which have been listed below:

1- Kelvyn Park High School

Student population: 410 students in grades 7-12

Teacher-student ratio: 13-to-1

2- North Grand High School

Student population: 1011 students in grades 9-12

Teacher-student ratio: 15-to-1

3- Barry Elementary School

Student population: 560 students in grades PK, K-6

Teacher-student ratio: 12-to-1

4- McAuliffe Elementary School

Student population: 669 students in grades PK, K-8

Teacher-student ratio: 14-to-1

5- Nixon Elementary School

Student population: 714 students in grades PK, K-6

Teacher-student ratio: 15-to-1

6- Alfred Nobel Elementary School

Student population: 691 students in grades PK, K-8

Teacher-student ratio: 17-to-1

Hermosa also has some amazing private educational institutes for the residents. Here are some of the top-ranked ones:

7- Wolcott College Prep

Student population: 150 students in grades 9-12

Teacher-student ratio: 3-to-1

8- St. John’s Lutheran School

Student population: 147 students in grades PK, K-8

Teacher-student ratio: 12-to-1

Crime Ratings

Hermosa has a safety rating of 67 on a range of 60 to 76. According to the locals, the Hermosa neighborhood is not safe for children. Moreover, most neighborhood residents complain of hearing gunshots late at night.

Hermosa lies in District 025 of the Chicago Police Department. The crime reports in the area are upsetting: three murder cases were reported in the first three months of 2022 compared to seven in the whole of 2021. The neighborhood’s residents reported sixty-nine robberies and seventy-four burglary cases to the local police. The police filed a hundred and four theft and one hundred and twenty-four motor vehicle theft FIRs. 

History

The CM&SP had a terminal in Hermosa as early as 1875, although it was not a regular stop until 1886. In the 1880s, Scottish immigrants landed here, naming the woodlands and prairie Kelvyn Grove region after the ninth Lord Kelvyn. Soon after, German and Scandinavian farmers settled in the northwest and southern reaches of what became Hermosa.

The Dreyer Company attempted to develop a locomotive works facility where the two CM&SP lines intersected in 1882. However, the building was sold to the Laminated Wood Company two years later when it was still unoccupied. By 1886, the tracks were home to various additional businesses, including the Expanded Metal Company, the Eclipse Furnace Company, and a warehouse owned by the Washburn and Moen Manufacturing Company.

Real-estate developers started construction in the southwest to accommodate manufacturing workers; they named the area Garfield after the recently deceased president. J. F. and C. P. Keeney, one of the development businesses, built cottage-style residences and guaranteed each of the 150 home buyers that if they died before the contract was completed, their heirs would receive a free deed to the land. Keeney was very concerned about the neighborhood. He became involved in local politics, convinced the railway to add a station at Garfield, and then gave funds to build a depot. Chicago acquired the region in 1889 under the name Hermosa, the origin of which is unknown.

Although railroads brought some industry and annexation gradually added public service and street improvements, it wasn’t until 1907 that increased growth occurred when streetcar lines were expanded along North, Armitage, and Fullerton Avenues. Polish, Irish, and Italian immigrants settled in the Swedish and German communities. In 1920, the population was 15,152, and construction was brisk in the newly formed Kelvyn Park neighborhood. Industrial development along the railroads, on the other hand, hampered residential construction.

The expansion continued until the Great Depression. By 1942, framed and brick residences and two-flats had taken over. Dead-end streets, bordered by railroads, geographically distanced residents from other villages while simultaneously providing them with a sense of protection. Many homes had 25-foot frontages, and the proximity of the dwellings created a sense of community on the block.

Hermosa’s population varied hardly slightly between 1970 and 1980 but increased from 19,547 to 23,131 in the following decade. Hispanics became the leading ethnic group in the area, rising from 31 per cent in 1980 to 68 per cent in 1990 and 84 per cent in 2000. More than half of the Hispanic population was Puerto Rican, with the remainder being Mexican.

Residents were concerned about criminal activities as early as the 1970s when the community’s crime rate climbed considerably. A 17.4 percent poverty rate in 1989 and a 10.9 percent unemployment rate in 1990 accounted for a drop in property investors and an increase in tenants.

Residents worked together in block clubs, religious groups, and other organizations to avoid further deterioration. In 1982, organizations such as United Neighbors in Action arose to express their opposition to proposed subsidized housing. Some groups began policing their blocks to ensure safety and combat rising gang problems. Residents of Kelvyn Park formed the Kelvyn-Ken-Wel Community Organization to support the renovation of two derelict sites where gangs were conducting drug deals. Other efforts included creating a community reinvestment programme to encourage local banks to interact with prospective house purchasers.