Oakland

The district of Oakland on Chicago’s South Side was once home to the Savoy and Walrick Ballrooms, the Palm Tavern, and the Regal Theatre. After forty years of deterioration, Oakland is attempting to reclaim the pride and unity of its citizens as well as its position of prominence.

Mayor Richard M. Daley declared Oakland a conservation district in the late 1990s, allowing for the city to buy and tear down many of this rough, inner-city neighborhood’s abandoned buildings. Conservation councils made up of local residents determined that in order to attract new home owners, the area would first need to develop better real estate properties. Resulting projects secured public and private financing to build grocery stores and retail outlets, and aim to lure private developers to the area. Through the allegiance and hard work of its community, Oakland is gradually beginning to recapture its former glory.

Oakland already has some exciting features going for it, including its proximity to the lakefront, the 9.5 million dollar shopping center at 47th and Lake Park, the Hyde Park Coop grocery, and a branch of the Harris bank, not to mention the affordable price of housing. The median cost of a home in Oakland is around $240,000.