Pilsen

(Back to Map)

The Pilsen community is located south of the University of Illinois Chicago campus. The area is bounded by 16th Street to the north, the curving Chicago River to the east and south, and Western Avenue to the west. Pilsen has served as a port of entry for many immigrant groups that have come to Chicago seeking work and a better life: Germans at the turn of the century, followed by immigrants from Ireland, Poland, Lithuania, Bohemia, and others. During the 1950s, Mexican families began to move into the neighborhood. This trend accelerated in the 1960s, when Latinos became the major ethnic group. Today, Pilsen is Chicago's largest Latino community. According to Claritas, Inc, of a total 1998 population of 44,133, 93.5% are Latino, predominantly of Mexican heritage. The median age in Pilsen is 18 years the youngest for any Chicago community. Land use in Pilsen is unusually mixed, with residential, commercial, and industrial buildings on the same blocks, together with numerous vacant lots. Pilsen is home to some of the oldest housing in the city of Chicago: 78% of its 13,689, housing units were built before 1939, and many buildings date back to before the 1877 Chicago Fire. Traditionally a workers' housing district, Pilsen's many inexpensive wood-frame buildings now show widespread physical deterioration, exacerbated by a high number of absentee landlords.  In Pilsen, more than 65% of housing units are occupied by renters, compared to 60% for the city of Chicago.  More Info (Wikipedia)

      Current Price Ranges in Pilsen