Brighton Park is a community area located on the southwest side of

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

. It is number 58 of the 77

community areas of Chicago The city of Chicago is divided into 77 community areas for statistical and planning purposes. United States Census, Census data and other statistics are tied to the areas, which serve as the basis for a variety of urban planning initiatives on ...

. Brighton Park is bordered on the north by the former

Illinois and Michigan Canal The Illinois and Michigan Canal connected the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. In Illinois, it ran from the Chicago River in Bridgeport, Chicago to the Illinois River at LaSalle-Peru. The canal crossed the Chicago ...

and the current

Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal The Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, historically known as the Chicago Drainage Canal, is a canal system that connects the Chicago River to the Des Plaines River. It reverses the direction of the Main Stem and the South Branch of the Chicago ...

, on the east by Western Avenue, on the south by 49th Street, and on the west by Drake Ave. The neighborhood is a mix of residential areas, commercial zones, industrial works and transportation (primarily

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

and

trucking Road transport or road transportation is a type of transport using roads. Transport on roads can be roughly grouped into the transportation of goods and transportation of people. In many countries licensing requirements and safety regulations ...

) facilities. It is relatively peaceful, according to

Chicago Police Department The Chicago Police Department (CPD) is the primary law enforcement agency of the city of Chicago, Illinois, United States, under the jurisdiction of the Chicago City Council. It is the second-largest Law enforcement in the United States#Local, ...

statistics (2004 CPD Annual Report).

History

After the expulsion of the

Potawatomi The Potawatomi (), also spelled Pottawatomi and Pottawatomie (among many variations), are a Native American tribe of the Great Plains, upper Mississippi River, and western Great Lakes region. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, ...

, the land in what is now Brighton Park was platted and subdivided in anticipation of the opening of the

Illinois-Michigan Canal The Illinois and Michigan Canal connected the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. In Illinois, it ran from the Chicago River in Bridgeport, Chicago to the Illinois River at LaSalle, Illinois, LaSalle-Peru, Illinois, Peru ...

. In the 1850s, private investors, notably John McCaffrey bought it with the hopes of turning it into a center of commerce. In 1851, the area was incorporated as a municipality. Named Brighton to invoke livestock markets in, among other places, the Brighton neighborhood of

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

and its livestock markets. Brighton Park had an active livestock market in the late 1850s, but it was overshadowed by the

Union Stock Yards The Union Stock Yard & Transit Co., or The Yards, was the meatpacking district in Chicago for more than a century, starting in 1865. The district was formed by a group of railroad companies that acquired marshland and turned it into a vast cen ...

in the 1860s. In 1855,

mayor "Long" John Wentworth built the Brighton Park horse racetrack (whose name conveniently alluded to the more famous

Brighton Racecourse Brighton Racecourse is an English horse racing venue located a mile to the northeast of the centre of Brighton, Sussex, owned by the Arena Racing Company. Location and layout It is situated on Whitehawk Hill, on the edge of the South Downs, ...

in England) directly east of the village, in what is now the

Chicago Park District The Chicago Park District is one of the oldest and the largest park districts in the United States. As of 2016, there are over 600 parks included in the Chicago Park District as well as 27 beaches, 10 boat docking harbors, two botanic conservat ...

's McKinley Park. The

Great Chicago Fire The Great Chicago Fire was a conflagration that burned in the American city of Chicago, Illinois during October 8–10, 1871. The fire killed approximately 300 people, destroyed roughly of the city including over 17,000 structures, and left mor ...

spared Brighton Park. In 1889, after Lake Township voted to allow for annexation, Brighton Park became part of the City of Chicago. By 1871, the year of the

, Brighton Park was served by the

Archer Avenue Archer Avenue, sometimes known as Archer Road outside the Chicago, Illinois city limits, and also known as State Street only in Lockport, Illinois and Fairmont, Illinois city limits, is a street running northeast-to-southwest between Chicago's ...

horsecar A horsecar, horse-drawn tram, horse-drawn streetcar (U.S.), or horse-drawn railway (historical), is a tram or streetcar pulled by a horse. Summary The horse-drawn tram (horsecar) was an early form of public transport, public rail transport, ...

and the

Alton Railroad The Alton Railroad was the final name of a railroad linking Chicago to Alton, Illinois; St. Louis, Missouri; and Kansas City, Missouri. Its predecessor, the Chicago and Alton Railroad , was purchased by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in 1931 an ...

. (Brighton Park was not affected by the fire). The

built a roundhouse in the neighborhood, and various factories were built. Later the

streetcar A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some include s ...

was electrified and extended and

interurban The interurban (or radial railway in Canada) is a type of electric railway, with tram-like electric self-propelled railcars which run within and between cities or towns. The term "interurban" is usually used in North America, with other terms u ...

electric railway service was provided by the

Chicago and Joliet Electric Railway The Chicago and Joliet Electric Railway, or C&JE, was an electric interurban railway linking the cities of Chicago and Joliet, Illinois. It was the only interurban between those cities and provided a link between the streetcar network of Chicago ...

until 1934. Most of the residential buildings now in Brighton Park were built in the early part of the 20th century, between 1905 and 1925, after more electric

lines (on Western Ave, Kedzie Ave, 35th St and 47th St) had been extended into the neighborhood, providing cheap and quick transport to work. By the turn of the century, Brighton Park was becoming a destination for many European immigrants, particularly those arriving from Italy, Poland and Lithuania. The neighborhood's Polish identity was evidenced along Archer Avenue, which became the neighborhood's main street for Polish owned businesses.

Transportation

's role as transportation gateway has always been a major influence on the demographics and economy of Brighton Park. Two major

landmarks exist in Brighton Park. The Corwith Intermodal freight facility, once known as Corwith Yards, covering nearly a square mile, is one of the major industrial features of Brighton Park.

Brighton Park crossing The Brighton Park crossing is a major railroad crossing in Chicago, Illinois, hosting three major freight rail transport, railroads. The crossing is northwest of the intersection of Western Avenue, Chicago, Western Avenue and Archer Avenue, Chic ...

, near Western Avenue and Archer Avenue, is a major

railroad junction A junction, in the context of rail transport, is a place at which two or more rail routes converge or diverge. The physical connection between the tracks of the two routes (assuming they are of the same gauge) is provided by turnouts (US: switc ...

and the former site of Brighton Park's railway station. Access to, property values, and economic growth in the neighborhood have been improved by the 1964 opening of the

Stevenson Expressway Stevenson is an English language patronymic surname meaning "son of Steven". Its first historical record is from pre-10th-century England. Another origin of the name is as a toponymic surname related to the place Stevenstone in Devon, England. Th ...

Interstate 55 Interstate 55 (I-55) is a major Interstate Highway in the central United States. As with most primary Interstates that end in a five, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, connecting the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes. The ...

, the 1993 opening of the Orange Line rapid transit line, and the revitalization of the nearby

Midway International Airport Chicago Midway International Airport is a major commercial airport on the southwest side of Chicago, Illinois, located approximately 12 miles (19 km) from the city's Loop business district, and divided between the city's Clearing and ...

Government and infrastructure

The

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...

operates the Elsdon Post Office at 3124 West 47th Street. Post Office is closed as of June 2010. The neighborhood branch of the

Chicago Public Library The Chicago Public Library (CPL) is the public library system that serves the Chicago, City of Chicago in the U.S. state of Illinois. It consists of 81 locations, including a central library, three regional libraries, and branches distributed thr ...

is located at 4314 South Archer Avenue. The neighborhood has the headquarters of the

Politics

The Brighton Park community area has supported the Democratic Party in past presidential elections. In the

2016 presidential election This national electoral calendar for 2016 lists the national/ federal elections held in 2016 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *7 January: Kiri ...

, the Brighton Park cast 6,930 votes for

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...

and cast 842 votes for

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

(85.63% to 10.40%). In the

2012 presidential election This national electoral calendar for 2012 lists the national/ federal elections held in 2012 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *3–4 January: ...

, Brighton Park cast 5,699 votes for

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

and cast 874 votes for

Mitt Romney Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American businessman and retired politician. He served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Utah from 2019 to 2025 and as the 70th governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 ...

(85.47% to 13.11%). Portions of Brighton Park are located in the 12th, 14th, and 15th wards represented on the

Chicago City Council The Chicago City Council is the legislative branch of the Law and government of Chicago, government of the Chicago, City of Chicago in Illinois. It consists of 50 alderpersons elected from 50 Wards of the United States, wards to serve four-year t ...

Julia Ramirez Julia Ramirez (born April 19, 1991) is an American politician and community organizer from Chicago. She is the alderman for Chicago City Council's 12th ward, Chicago's southwest side, which includes portions of Brighton Park, and McKinley Park ...

, Jeylú Gutiérrez, and Ray Lopez respectively. Lopez serves as the Democratic Committeemen for his ward, while Cook County Board of Review Commissioner

George Cardenas George A. Cárdenas (born October 9, 1964) was Alderman of the 12th Ward of the City of Chicago. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected to his first term on the Chicago City Council in 2003. He was elected commissioner of the 1st di ...

serves as the Democratic Committeeman for the 12th war, and State Representative Aaron Ortiz serves as the Democratic Committeeman for the 14th ward. Rosa Pritchett is Lopez's Republican counterpart in the 15th ward while the 12th and 14th ward have no Republican committeeman.

Education

Chicago Public Schools Chicago Public Schools (CPS), officially classified as City of Chicago School District #299 for funding and districting reasons, in Chicago, Illinois, is the List of the largest school districts in the United States by enrollment, fourth-large ...

operate the following public schools: Burroughs School, CPS Brighton Park School, Calmeca Academy, Columbia Explorers School, N. Davis School, Gunsaulus Scholastic Academy, Shields Elementary, and Shields Middle School. The Acero Charter School Network operates the Sandra Cisneros School, Acero Brighton Park School and the Officer Donald J. Marquez School in Brighton Park.
." United Neighborhood Organization. Retrieved on June 16, 2012.

Notable people

* Edward J. Moskala (1921–1945), recipient of the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

for his actions during the

Battle of Okinawa The , codenamed Operation Iceberg, was a major battle of the Pacific War fought on the island of Okinawa Island, Okinawa by United States Army and United States Marine Corps forces against the Imperial Japanese Army during the Pacific War, Impe ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. He resided at 3120 West 38th Street at the time of his enlistment.Year: 1940; Census Place: Chicago, Cook, Illinois; Roll: m-t0627-00945; Page: 3B; Enumeration District: 103-789. Found via Ancestry.com

References

External links

Official City of Chicago Brighton Park Community Map
{{Authority control Community areas of Chicago South Side, Chicago Populated places established in 1851 1851 establishments in Illinois Former municipalities in Illinois Former populated places in Illinois