West Pullman is a neighborhood located on the far south side of the
city 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 one of the 77
official community areas of Chicago. The neighborhood was initially inhabited by workers of the
Pullman Train Company looking to escape the grip of
the company town, but soon swelled with industrial workers of all stripes. The commercial corridor of Kensington/115th Street was one of many Italian communities within Chicago, and now hosts a Hispanic enclave.
It is bounded on the north by 115th Street, on the east by the former
Illinois Central Railroad, on the south by the
Calumet River and
Riverdale, on the west by
Calumet Park,
Blue Island and Ashland Avenue.
Demographics
According to a June 2017 analysis by the
Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, there were 27,982 people and 9,058 households in West Pullman. From 2000 to 2015, the area lost more than 20% of its residents. The
racial makeup of the area was 1% White, 93.39% African American, 0.24% Asian, 0.54% from other races. Residents who identify as Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.83% of the population. The age distribution was 29.7% under the age of 19, 19.3% from 20 to 34, 17.7% from 35 to 49, 18.5% from 50 to 64, and 14.8% 65 or older. The median age was 35 years. The median income is $33,898.
History

After the expulsion of the
Potawatomi as part of the
1833 Treaty of Chicago
The 1833 Treaty of Chicago was an agreement between the United States government and the Chippewa, Odawa, and Potawatomi tribes. It required them to cede to the United States government their of land (including reservations) in Illinois, ...
, the area that is now West Pullman was settled by
westbound settlers. In the 1880s, real estate speculators created the West Pullman Land Association to develop land between Wentworth and Ashland Avenues. The Association was successful in industrial development, and later residential development before the
Panic of 1893, the
Pullman Strike of 1894 dealt an economic blow that resulted in bankruptcy.
Like many of Chicago's community areas, West Pullman consists of multiple smaller communities. The oldest of these was
Kensington
Kensington is an area of London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, around west of Central London.
The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up by Kensingt ...
, founded in 1852 at the junction of the Illinois Central and Michigan Central railroads. Nicknamed "Bumtown", the commercial district around Kensington station was frequented by residents of neighboring Pullman, a dry town. The second of these communities was the village of Gano. The area of Gano was populated by Pullman workers who desired to own their own homes and escape from the corporate control of George Pullman's company town. Many ethnic groups called the area home, including Italians, Poles, Hungarians, Lithuanians, Ukrainians, Armenians, many of whom built houses of worship and cultural centers, like
St. Michael Ukrainian Catholic Church.
The Pullman Company shut down in 1968, dealing a major blow to the entire area. Further deindustrialization, combined with suburban development, led to a similar racial turnover in West Pullman as occurred in much of the South Side; the neighborhood was 99.8% white in 1960 and 94% black in 1980.
Economy
Located along several major railways and the Calumet Sag Channel, West Pullman was and remains a mostly blue collar community. Much of the heavy industry the area relied on disappeared in the late 20th century, and it lags behind the rest of Chicago economically. West Pullman has an unemployment rate of 19.9%, compared to a city-wide rate of 8.4%. Habitat for Humanity has built and is continuing to build homes in the community.
West Pullman has worked to clean up and rehabilitate old industrial sites. With the help of the EPA, community organizers managed to turn a brownfield into a community garden.
West Pullman is also home to the largest urban
photovoltaic solar plant in the United States. The 10 MW plant utilizes 32,800
SunPower solar panels, spans , and generates enough power to supply energy to approximately 1500 homes in the Midwest. It is owned and operated by
Exelon
Exelon Corporation is an American public utility headquartered in Chicago, and incorporated in Pennsylvania. Exelon is the largest electric parent company in the United States by revenue and is the largest regulated electric utility in the Uni ...
and came online in early 2010.
Parks
West Pullman Park - Indoor Pool
Kensington Park - Basketball Court with Seating. Playground equipment.

Major Taylor Trail - 6 Miles
Gano Park
Morgan Field Park
Cooper Park (Jack Leroy)
Sports / Community Facilities
Salvation Army Ray & Joan Kroc Community Center Corps
Lion's Field Kroc Community Center
Healthcare
According to the
Pritzker School of Medicine, fourteen percent (14%) of the West Pullman population is uninsured, though ninety-two percent (92%) report having a consistent primary care provider. The obesity rate is fifty-three percent (53%).
Politics
West Pullman is a stronghold of the
Democratic Party. In the
2016 presidential election, West Pullman cast 12,473 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 217 votes
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 ...
. It was Clinton's 11th largest margin of victory in the 76 community areas she won. In the
2012 presidential election, West Pullman cast 14,496 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 86 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 ...
. It was Obama's 8th largest margin of victory in the 76 community areas he won.
At the local level, West Pullman is located in Chicago's 9th and 34th wards represented by Democrats
Anthony Beale and
Carrie Austin respectively.
Transportation
West Pullman is home to four stations on the
Metra Electric District's Blue Island branch;
Racine,
State Street,
Stewart Ridge, and
West Pullman. Main line Electric District trains stop at
Kensington station, just across the community's northern boundary.
Red Ahead, a program to extend the Red Line south to 130th Street, would result in a new station at Michigan Avenue in West Pullman. In 2024, it was estimated that this project would begin construction in late 2025 and would be completed in 2030.
Improvement Projects
Habitat For Humanity is interjecting single-family homes throughout the neighborhood for improvement.
Cottage Grove Ave is being extended Southbound from E 115th St. to E 130th St. with light and visual improvements.
E 115th St. and S. Cottage Grove Ave will see train station improvements along with retail improvements.
Notable people
*
Robert A. Clifford (born ), trial lawyer notable for representing
Rachel Barton Pine in her lawsuit against
Metra
Metra is the primary commuter rail system in the Chicago metropolitan area serving the city of Chicago and its surrounding suburbs via the Union Pacific Railroad, BNSF Railway, and other railroads. The system operates 243 train station, stati ...
and representing the families of the victims of the respective
Alaska Airlines Flight 261
Alaska Airlines Flight 261 was a scheduled international passenger flight from Licenciado Gustavo Díaz Ordaz International Airport in Puerto Vallarta, Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico, to Seattle–Tacoma International Airport in Seattle, Washi ...
and
American Eagle Flight 4184 crashes. He was raised in West Pullman near 121st Street and South Laflin Street.
*
Ed Derwinski (1926–2012), 1st
United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs. He resided at 12109 South Parnell Avenue during his time as a Congressman.
*
Arthur Swanson (1926–2010), member of the
Illinois Senate from 1963 to 1971. He resided at 12556 South Harvard Avenue while serving as a legislator.
''Illinois Blue Book 1965-1966''
page 164
References
External links
Official City of Chicago West Pullman Community Map
Exelon and SunPower together In US Largest Solar Power Plant
{{Authority control
Community areas of Chicago
South Side, Chicago