North Lawndale

North Lawndale (Chicago Community Area 29) is located on Chicago 's West Side and has become one of the city's well known communities boasting a rich history and a unique identity. 1 North Lawndale is about five miles west of the Chicago Loop. The community is defined by railways on three sides and extends north almost to the south edge of the Eisenhower Expressway. Nearly all of North Lawndale lives well below the poverty line where the average income is $18,342. 1

In the early nineteenth century, a portage trail named Southwest Plank Road extended through prairie land from the Des Plaines River to Lake Michigan. 1 This thoroughfare was the beginning of North Lawndale and is now one of Chicago 's best-known streets, Ogden Avenue. 1 Throughout its early history North Lawndale was home to many European immigrants, including a large Jewish population. In the 1950s, the neighborhood became the destination of many African-Americans from the southern United States who came north to look for employment. Because of North Lawndale's poverty and predominantly African-American population, Martin Luther King Jr. used North Lawndale as the northern home base for his 1966 Civil Rights Movement. 1

In 1960, 91 percent of North Lawndale's 124,937 residents were African American. 2 Due to increased unemployment, crime and physical deterioration, North Lawndale 's population dropped precipitously. The 2000 census counted 41,768 residents, a 67 percent decrease from 1960. 2 African Americans comprise 93.8% of the community's population. 2

Starting in the late 1990s, hints of revitalization were beginning to appear. Today, for example, Homan Square , a new development in North Lawndale , consists of new residences, retail, and a community center. It is on the site of the old Sears Roebuck headquarters. 1

In 2004, REACH 2010's Lawndale Health Promotion Program (LHPP) conducted a food assessment in North Lawndale . The area was designated a "food desert," an area of relative exclusion where people experience economic and physical barriers with very limited options to access healthy food. 3 For example, only three of 15 grocery stores had high quality fresh produce. 4 In response to this need, North Lawndale residents advocated for a Farmers Market program, which is now available to residents during summer. 4

  1. North Lawndale . Encyclopedia of Chicago . Retrieved on March, 2009 at LINK.
  2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Diabetes Fact Sheet: General Information and National Estimates on Diabetes in the U.S. , 2005. Atlanta , GA : U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, CDC.; 2005
  3. Examining the impact of food deserts on public health in Chicago . Chicago , IL : Mari Gallagher Research & Consulting Group; 2006.
  4. Chicago Department of Public Health. Chicago Community Health Profile. Retrieved on April, 2006 at LINK.

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