South Lawndale is a
community area on the
West 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 ...
. Over 80% of the residents are of
Mexican descent and the community is home to the largest foreign-born Mexican population in Chicago. The community is home to two distinct neighborhoods, Little Village and Marshall Square.
Neighborhoods
Little Village
Little Village, often referred to as the "Mexico of the Midwest," is a dense community in the western and central areas of South Lawndale, with a major commercial district along 26th Street. The area was originally settled by
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is a subregion of the Europe, European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural and socio-economic connotations. Its eastern boundary is marked by the Ural Mountain ...
an and
Czech
Czech may refer to:
* Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe
** Czech language
** Czechs, the people of the area
** Czech culture
** Czech cuisine
* One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus
*Czech (surnam ...
immigrants mainly from Bohemia in the late 19th century, after 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 ...
sent the population of Chicago rippling out from the city's center to the outlying countryside. Jobs created by industrial development in the early 20th century also attracted residents to the area. Little Village saw a marked increase in
Polish immigrants in the mid-20th century.
The
Mexican population of the
Near West Side moved southward into
Pilsen and westward into South Lawndale after the expansion of the
University of Illinois Chicago
The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) is a public research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its campus is in the Near West Side community area, adjacent to the Chicago Loop. The second campus established under the Universi ...
campus in the mid-1960s which razed numerous blocks of housing. Scholar Juan C. Guerra notes that "the contiguous communities of Pilsen and Little Village merged and emerged as the newest and largest Mexican neighborhood in Chicago."
Little Village celebrates
Mexican Independence Day every September with a parade down 26th Street. It is the largest Hispanic parade in Chicago. The Parade attracts thousands of spectators each year who flock to the neighborhood to show support and pride for their heritage.
Little Village is also a significant economic engine for Chicago, with its 26th Street constituting the second highest grossing shopping district in the city. In 2015, the two mile street generated roughly $900 million in sales. By comparison Michigan Avenue, Chicago's highest grossing street, made approximately $1.8 billion that same year.
Little Village residents enjoy access to green space and recreation through a number of community parks. Washtenaw Park has a baseball diamond and offers a variety of arts and crafts classes for adults as well as day camps for kids. Shedd Park is a smaller park in Little Village named for John G. Shedd (known to most Chicagoans as the founder of the
Shedd Aquarium
Shedd Aquarium (formally the John G. Shedd Aquarium) is an indoor public aquarium in Chicago. Opened on May 30, 1930, the aquarium holds about 32,000 animals. It is the third largest aquarium in the Western Hemisphere (after the Georgia Aquariu ...
). Piotrowski Park is the neighborhood's largest public park and is the most popular outdoor retreat for Little Village residents.
Famous past residents of Little Village include former Mayor
Anton Cermak
Anton Joseph Cermak (May 9, 1873 – March 6, 1933) was an American politician who served as the 44th Mayor of Chicago from April 7, 1931, until his death in 1933. He was killed by Giuseppe Zangara, whose likely target was President-elec ...
, who lived in the 2300 block of S. Millard Avenue, across the street from Lazaro Cardenas Elementary.
Pat Sajak
Patrick Leonard Sajak ( ; né , born October 26, 1946) is an American game show host, television personality, and creative consultant. He is best known as the host of the television game show '' Wheel of Fortune'', a position which he held fr ...
was also a Little Village resident. He attended Gary Elementary School and
Farragut High School.
The bulk of Little Village falls within the
alderman
An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law with similar officials existing in the Netherlands (wethouder) and Belgium (schepen). The term may be titular, denotin ...
ic boundaries of the 22nd Ward, represented by
Michael Rodriguez.
In 2011, a music festival called Villapalooza was founded to promote non-violent spaces for arts, culture, and community engagement. This festival has been held yearly and has grown into one of Chicago's most popular and diverse grassroots music festivals drawing both local and international musicians. The festival is free and open to the public.
On August 26, 2018, a fire began early in the morning and killed ten children, including six children under the age of 12.
Investigators stated that
the fire started in the back of the building in a ground-floor apartment, which was vacant.
[ The fire was the deadliest residential fire to have occurred in Chicago since 1958.] In the aftermath of the fire, multiple violations were found in the apartment where the fire occurred with apartment owner, Merced Gutierrez, appearing in court for the 40 violations found at the site of the fire.
On April 11, 2020, the city of Chicago permitted the demolition
Demolition (also known as razing and wrecking) is the science and engineering in safely and efficiently tearing down buildings and other artificial structures. Demolition contrasts with deconstruction (building), deconstruction, which inv ...
of an old smokestack at the Crawford Generating Station in Little Village by Hilco Redevelopment Partners to proceed. This action sent a large cloud of dust particles into the neighborhood sparking outrage and plans for a class action lawsuit. As reported by Mauricio Peña, community activists in Little Village had called upon mayor Lori Lightfoot
Lori Elaine Lightfoot (born August 4, 1962) is an American politician and attorney who was the mayor of Chicago#List of mayors, 56th mayor of Chicago from 2019 until 2023. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, she ...
to stop the demolition before it was carried out, concerned with exposing residents to asbestos
Asbestos ( ) is a group of naturally occurring, Toxicity, toxic, carcinogenic and fibrous silicate minerals. There are six types, all of which are composed of long and thin fibrous Crystal habit, crystals, each fibre (particulate with length su ...
and lead
Lead () is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol Pb (from Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a Heavy metal (elements), heavy metal that is density, denser than most common materials. Lead is Mohs scale, soft and Ductility, malleabl ...
, especially during the 2019-2020 coronavirus pandemic.
In 2025, foot traffic in Little Village decreased as a result of rumors that Immigration Enforcement
Immigration Enforcement (IE) is a law enforcement command within the Home Office, responsible for enforcing immigration law across the United Kingdom. The force was part of the now defunct UK Border Agency from its establishment in 2008 unti ...
would raid the area and deport undocumented immigrants.
Crime and public safety
Cook County Jail is in South Lawndale.
Politics
The South Lawndale community area has supported the Democratic Party in the past two presidential elections. In the 2016 presidential election, South Lawndale cast 11,878 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
585 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 ...
(92.01% to 4.53%). In the 2012 presidential election, South Lawndale cast 9,391 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 688 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 ...
(91.88% to 6.73%).
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 ...
operates district public schools, including Farragut Career Academy
Farragut Career Academy High School is a public four-year high school located in the Little Village neighborhood on the West Side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. As a career academy, Farragut emphasizes a curriculum that combines academic ...
(the zoned school), Little Village Lawndale High School Campus and Spry Community Links High School and Joseph E. Gary Elementary.
Harrison Technical High School
Carter Henry Harrison Technical High School was a public 4–year high school located in the South Lawndale neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois.Alvarez, p. 88. Opened and operated by the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) district, Harrison was founded i ...
was previously in South Lawndale.[Alvarez, René Luis. "A Community that Would Not Take 'No' for an Answer: Mexican Americans, the Chicago Public Schools, and the Founding of Benito Juarez High School," '' Journal of Illinois History'' (2014) 17:1 pp 78-98. CITED: p. 88.]
Enlace Chicago operates within eight Chicago Public Schools in Little Village: Farragut, World Language, Infinity, Social Justice and Multicultural Arts High Schools and at Rosario Castellanos and Madero Middle Schools and Eli Whitney grammar school.
Enlace Chicago Community Schools
"
Our Lady of Tepeyac High School is in Little Village.
The United Neighborhood Organization operates the Octavio Paz School in Little Village.[UNO Charter Schools]
." United Neighborhood Organization. Retrieved on June 16, 2012.
Notable residents
* Stuart Dybek (born 1942), writer and poet. Dybek was a childhood resident of Little Village and nearby Pilsen.
* Jesús "Chuy" García (born 1956), member of the United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...
from Illinois's 4th congressional district since 2019. He is a longtime resident of South Lawndale and represents it in Congress.
* Pat Sajak
Patrick Leonard Sajak ( ; né , born October 26, 1946) is an American game show host, television personality, and creative consultant. He is best known as the host of the television game show '' Wheel of Fortune'', a position which he held fr ...
(born 1946), television personality and host of '' Wheel of Fortune''. He was a childhood resident of South Lawndale.
See also
* Mexicans in Chicago
There is a very large Mexican American community in the Chicago metropolitan area. Illinois, and Chicago's Mexican American community is the largest outside of the Western United States.
History
The first Mexicans who came to Chicago, mostly en ...
References
Further reading
* Sanchez, Casey. "Turf War: Little Village Fights for Park." ''Extra
Extra, Xtra, or The Extra may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Film
* The Extra (1962 film), ''The Extra'' (1962 film), a Mexican film
* The Extra (2005 film), ''The Extra'' (2005 film), an Australian film
Literature
* Extra (newspaper), ...
''. (date unknown) 2005
** Spanish version: Sanchez, Casey. Translator: Víctor Flores.
GUERRA EN EL CÉSPED: LA Mexico LUCHA POR PARQUE
" ''Extra
Extra, Xtra, or The Extra may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Film
* The Extra (1962 film), ''The Extra'' (1962 film), a Mexican film
* The Extra (2005 film), ''The Extra'' (2005 film), an Australian film
Literature
* Extra (newspaper), ...
''. (date unknown) 2005.
External links
Official City of Chicago South Lawndale Community Map
Enlace Chicago on Facebook
Little Village Chamber of Commerce
La Villita Community on Facebook
La Villita Community on Twitter
Marshall Square Online
Marshall Square Theater
Albaugh-Dover
St. Agnes of Bohemia in Little Village
St. Agnes of Bohemia School in Little Village
Restaurant Dennis B&k in Little Village
{{Chicago
Community areas of Chicago
Mexican-American culture in Chicago
Hispanic and Latino American culture in Chicago