Puerto Ricans began migrating to
Chicago in the 1920s. In the 1930s and 40s, a Puerto Rican enclave was established near 47th Street and
Michigan Avenue. La Clark emerged as a
Puerto Rican community in the 1940s, supported by the arrival of several groups of migrants, including
University of Chicago graduate enrollees and industrial contract laborers. La Clark was characterized by its subdivided
boarding houses and
hotels. Its population was primarily
working class. Rents were generally low, but insect and rat infestations were common. In the early 1950s, La Clark was subject to an
urban renewal campaign organized by Mayor
Richard J. Daley, with local landlords increasing rents and distributing notices to Puerto Rican residents asking them to move. Over 900 Puerto Rican families were displaced from the La Clark area during the 1950s and 1960s to make way for the construction of the
Carl Sandburg Village. Most moved to the
Lincoln Park and
Wicker Park neighborhoods. Among the displaced was the family of
José "Cha Cha" Jiménez, founder of the
Young Lords. ==See also==