South Lawndale
South Lawndale (Chicago Community Area 30) is located fives miles from the Loop on Chicago 's Southwest Side. More commonly known as Little Village, or La Villita, its boundaries are the Stevenson Expressway to the south, Cermak Road on the north, Cicero and Western Avenues, respectively, on the west and east.
In the aftermath of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, South Lawndale was first settled by Germans and Czechs. 1 Other groups such as Poles, and now Hispanics, have followed to take advantage of opportunities in nearby industry. 1
According to the 2000 census, 91,071 people called South Lawndale home. 1 Eighty-three percent of the population was Hispanic-nearly half of them foreign-born. 1 The increase of Hispanics in South Lawndale's population rose dramatically from just four percent in 1970 and 47 percent in 1980. 1 South Lawndale houses the largest Mexican-American population in all the Midwest. 2
South Lawndale has an extremely young population-forty percent under 20 years of age. 1 This youthful population means that local public schools are filled to capacity and overcrowded schools are a significant problem for the community. 1
Gentrification, deteriorating housing and increasing property value is becoming a challenging issue. In 1990, only five percent of the 20,000 housing units were less than 20 years old. 2 Yet, commercial revitalization along thriving 22nd and 26th Streets has started to drive property values higher. The median home value in 1990 was slightly less than $50,000, compared to $105,000 in 2000. 2 The average median income per household is just $32,320. 1
Hospitalizations as a result of diabetes are very high in the area. According to a 2003 Community Health Profile, South Lawndale and Humboldt Park had the two highest rates in all of Chicago. 2