East Garfield Park, Chicago

Before non-native settlement East Garfield Park, along with all of Chicago, lies on the ancestral lands of indigenous tribes, including the Council of Three Fires—comprising the Ojibwe, Odawa and Potawatomi Nations—and the Miami, Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Sac, Fox, Kickapoo and Illinois Nations. On May 28, 1830, President Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act which forced the area's indigenous tribes to relocate west of the Mississippi River. Early development The East Garfield Park community was undeveloped prairie and farmland until the late 1860s, with residential growth in the area curtailed by limited transportation facilities and few public improvements to the area. In 1869, the area became part of Chicago when the land from current-day Western Avenue to Pulaski Road and from North Avenue to about 39th Street was annexed to the city by the state legislature. At the same time, the state legislature created three West Side parks, including a vast, 182-acre tract in the northwestern corner of the community, Land speculators invested in the land adjacent to the park, and the horse-drawn car line on Madison Street was extended to the park. In a pattern common to many other areas, however, the growth in the community and other factors led some of the area's most affluent and some of its middle class residents to move to the suburbs, such as Oak Park and Maywood on the city's western boundary. By 1960, East Garfield Park demographics had changed considerably from earlier years, with black residents constituting 62 percent of the population. By 1970, East Garfield Park suffered from stagnation and apathy. The commercial base of the community waned and the all-important Merchant's Bank at Kedzie and Madison closed, leaving only a small bank supported by area employer Sears at the community area's southern end. In 1978, the once beautiful and busy Graemere Hotel located in the East Garfield Park community was torn down. Community spirit rose quickly after the 1983 mayoral election and aldermanic elections brought increased community participation in its wake. A demand for improved city services accompanied more citizen involvement, led by community groups and block clubs. Especially active were the Midwest Community Council and Fifth City Development Project. == Demographics ==

According to a 2022 Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning report citing 2020 data, there were 19,992 people and 7,828 households residing in the area. The racial makeup of the area was 5.90% White, 84.90% African American, 0.90% Asian, 3.50% from other races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.80% of the population. Age distribution for the area is similar to other nearby communities, with 29.40% under the age of 19, 23.90% from 20 to 34, 19.20% from 35 to 49, 16.50% from 50 to 64, and 11.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32.4, just below the Chicago median age, which was 34.8. The median household income for the area was $23,067 as opposed to $62,097 for the city. The area's residents were disproportionately lower income with 52.0% of residents earned less than $25,000, 21.8% of residents earned between $25,000 and $49,999, 9.8% earned between $50,000 and $74,999, 5.4% earned between $75,000 and $99,999, 6.6% earned between $100,000 and $149,999, 4.4% earned $150,000 or more. There were 7,447 residents in the labor force. In 2019, 18.4% of workers were employed in the healthcare industry, 10.0% were employed in retail, 12.5% were employed in administration, 8.9% worked in education, and 9.7% worked in hospitality and food services. The area had an unemployment rate of 19.0% during the analysis period. ==Arts and culture==

Nearly 20% of the neighborhood is managed by the Chicago Park District, with Garfield Park occupying the northwest corner of the neighborhood. The neighborhood is home to the Garfield Park Conservatory, one of the largest conservatories in the United States. ==Government==

The East Garfield Park community area has supported the Democratic Party in the past two presidential elections by overwhelming margins. In the 2016 presidential election, the East Garfield Park cast 6,690 votes for Hillary Clinton and cast 141 votes for Donald Trump (96.22% to 2.03%). In the 2012 presidential election, East Garfield Park cast 9,046 votes for Barack Obama and cast 100 votes for Mitt Romney (98.51% to 1.09%). ==Education==

Chicago Public Schools operates district public schools. Laura Ward Elementary School is in Humboldt Park. The building was formerly the Martin Ryerson Elementary School. Ryerson School closed in 2013, was moved to the former Ryerson building, which became the new Ward Elementary building; both school populations merged into one. There were members of the Ryerson community who were afraid that the Ward community would cause violent incidents at their school. Providence St. Mel School, a private school, is in East Garfield Park. ==Infrastructure==

Transportation Two of Chicago Transit Authority's train lines, the Blue Line and the Green Line, serves this neighborhood. The Green Line has stations at California, Kedzie, and Central Park Drive. The Blue Line has a station in the neighborhood in the median of the Eisenhower Expressway, Kedzie-Homan. The neighborhood is also served by the CTA's bus service. East-west bus routes include 20 along Madison Street, 126 along Jackson Street, and 7 along Harrison Street. North-south bus routes include 94 along California Avenue, 52 along Kedzie Avenue, and 82 along Homan Avenue. ==Notable people==

• Lupe Fiasco (born 1982), Grammy Award-winning rapper & producer • Alfonzo McKinnie (born 1992), professional basketball player, currently active for the Chicago Bulls • Louis J. Sebille (1915–1950), pilot in the United States Army Air Forces and recipient of the Medal of Honor. He resided at 2840 West Washington Street. • Isiah Thomas (born 1961), former professional basketball player and hall of famer, coach and sports analyst. He was a childhood resident of East Garfield Park living at 3340 West Congress Parkway. == See also ==