In the late 19th century, it was inhabited by
German,
Polish,
Italian, and
Czech immigrants. Czech immigrants were the most prominent and named the district after
Pilsen (German for
Plzeň), the fourth largest city of the
Czech Republic. They replaced the
Germans and
Irish who had settled there before them, in the mid-nineteenth century. These German and Irish residents lived in poor conditions throughout the 1850s and ‘60s. The Pilsen area was overcrowded and suffered from flooding, lack of indoor plumbing, and illness. A
cholera outbreak that killed hundreds, eventually led the German and Irish residents to move in search of better living conditions. The population also included smaller numbers of other ethnic groups from the
Austro-Hungarian Empire, such as
Slovaks,
Slovenes,
Croats and
Austrians, as well as immigrants of
Polish and
Lithuanian heritage. Many of the immigrants worked in the
stockyards and surrounding factories. Like many early 20th century American urban neighborhoods, however, Pilsen was home to both wealthy professionals and the
working class, with the whole area knitted together based on the ethnicities, mostly of Slavic descent, who were not readily welcome in other areas of the city. Although there was some increase in the
Hispanic presence in the late 1930s, it was until the late 1960s that there was a great spurt in the numbers of
Latinos in Pilsen. south of
Hull House, and from other urban revitalization projects. In the 1980s, the Mexican-origin population grew. During that decade 95% of the people in Pilsen had some Mexican descent, and 80% of the overall population of Pilsen were first or second generation immigrants from Mexico and Mexican-Americans. Mexican growth continued into the 1990s. During that decade 40% of the Mexican-origin population in Pilsen had migrated directly there from Mexico, and about 33% of the Mexican-origin population in the Chicago area lived in Pilsen. The non-Latino population in Pilsen is still a minority as of the
2020 Census. The
Chicago Housing Authority's plan for
transformation of the
ABLA projects has spilled over into Pilsen proper, with the now nearly complete Chantico Loft development, Union Row Townhomes, as well as the defunct Centro 18 on 18th Street in East Pilsen.
Infill construction of condominiums and single-family homes is now in full force on the east side of the neighborhood, as Pilsen becomes one of the next major development areas for infill construction. Some local
advocacy groups have formed, urging the neighborhood's alderman to curtail
gentrification to preserve the
Mexican-American culture. ==Neighborhoods and sub-areas==