New City

New City is the official name of a community of nearly 52,000 people roughly edged by Pershing Road, Western Avenue, 55th Street and the railroad tracks east of Halsted Street. New City is composed of two neighborhoods, Back of the Yards and Canaryville, whose histories are linked to the stockyards that put Chicago on the map in the mid-19th Century.

The average age of residents in New City, Back of the Yards, and Canaryville is 23.9 years old with 50.2% Hispanics, 35.3% blacks, and 13.1% white.

Back of the Yards is situated “behind” the Union Stockyards, which are no longer in operation. Upton Sinclair’s “The Jungle” was based on these stockyards. Many of the workers at the stockyards were immigrants, predominantly from Germany and Ireland. After them came immigrants from Lithuania, Yugoslavia, and Poland, and after them came workers from Mexico.

One of Chicago’s older neighborhoods, Canaryville, founded in 1889 and located near the old stockyards, is also very small. The origin of Canaryville’ s name is totally unknown; although quite a few people offer speculations on the matter. Watch for impressive things from this little neighborhood over the next couple of years, as Canaryville is poised to become one of Chicago’s more desirable neighborhoods.

There are many educational opportunities and options in New City. The area boasts a number of pre-schools, elementary and high schools. This includes Coleman Elementary, Graham Elementary, Garfield Alternative High School, Graham Primary, McKinley Fellowship Head Start, Milton Olive APC, Parkman Elementary, St. Gabriel’s School, Thomas A. Hendrick’s Community Academy and Tilden High School.

This area is in the process of a residential homes and commercial properties revitalization. The Back of the Yards Neighborhood Council (BYNC), started in 1939, is one of the longest lasting community societies in the nation. The BYNC performs community services like elderly assistance, youth counseling, educational programs, and social activities. Many of the businesses are family owned and there is a lot of pride and a strong overall sense of community in New City.