Austin, Chicago
Austin is one of the 77 officially-designated community areas of Chicago in Illinois, United States. Located on the city's West Side, it is the third-largest community area by population and the second-largest geographically. Austin's eastern boundary is the Belt Railway located just east of Cicero Avenue. Its northernmost border is the Milwaukee District / West Line. Its southernmost border is at Roosevelt Road from the Belt Railway west to Austin Boulevard. The northernmost portion, north of North Avenue, extends west to Harlem Avenue, abutting Elmwood Park. In addition to Elmwood Park, Austin also borders the suburbs of Cicero and Oak Park.
History
Early development
In 1835, Henry DeKoven purchased prairie land in the region. In 1857, a group of citizens formed the Town of Cicero, a ten-member local governing body that covered modern-day Cicero, Oak Park, Berwyn, and Austin. Eight years later, DeKoven's land was bought by Henry W. Austin. Austin, a businessman and real estate speculator, developed the namesake Austinville subdivision. Its population grew exponentially as the area's attractive amenities and access to suburban railroad service drew in population. In 1870, the Town of Cicero placed its town hall in Austin. However, by the 1890s, the heavily populated Austin area dominated town politics, but did not constitute a majority of voters. The Austin-controlled township government allowed the Lake Street Elevated to extend into Oak Park. Outraged, the other residents of Cicero Township voted to allow Chicago to annex the Austin area in an 1899 referendum. The residents of Austin voted against the referendum.Neighborhood growth
After its annexation, Austin continued to maintain an independent, suburban identity. By the 1920s, the area had developed significant street railways to serve its commuter population. This infrastructure attracted a large group of European immigrants to the community. In 1926, the area had an estimated 140,000 residents. In 1923, Austin Hospital opened. In 1938, the hospital, now called William Temperance Hospital, was taken over by Sisters of Saint Casimir, who operated the hospital as Loretto Hospital.In 1949, construction began on the Eisenhower Expressway, which bisected the southern portion of Austin.
African-American migration, white flight, and economic decline
After World War II, African Americans increasingly moved into the surrounding community areas of East Garfield Park, North Lawndale, and West Garfield Park. After the arrival of African Americans during the Great Migration, race-related prejudices such as a case of the White flight movement, with a dramatic decrease in White residents, White-owned businesses, equal city services support and resources, racially motivated realtor practices, and industrial jobs. By 1970, the Austin community was 32% Black. A decade later, it was 73% Black. These trends of a decline in city services and resources and jobs would continue for the rest of the 20th century with Austin.The Austin community became known for violence after the loss of free-flowing capital during white flight when prostitution, drug dealing, gang activity, and shoot-outs became commonplace in the Austin neighborhood. Many trace the problems that impacted this community to the crack cocaine epidemic, as well as the opioid crisis, mass incarceration, and the HIV epidemic, which resulted in further economic decline and the loss of many social safety nets. This led to many middle- and upper middle-class African Americans leaving for the suburbs. In 1992, the 15th District of the Chicago Police Department located at 5327 West Chicago Avenue at the time recorded about 48 homicides, which covers most of the Austin neighborhood, making the Austin District the fourth-deadliest police district at the time, before the 11th District, which had 93 homicides, 7th District, which had 80 homicides, and the 2nd District, which had 69 homicides.
The latter half of the 20th century saw significant divestment from the community. The Central station of the Chicago Transportation Agency's Congress Line was closed on September 2, 1973. In 1988, Westside Health Authority was formed after the closure of St. Anne's Hospital. In 1991, the Sisters of Saint Casimir gave control of Loretto Hospital to a management company.
In 1999, developers agreed to turn the abandoned Galewood railyard into an industrial park.
During the development of the property, then-Alderman Ike Carothers solicited a bribe to allow the permitting process and zoning changes to move forward. The subsequent trials created a political scandal, and ended with the conviction of the developer and Carothers on various felony charges. The $60 million development ultimately brought new homes and a movie theater to the neighborhood.
Neighborhoods
Austin is Chicago's second-largest community area both by population and by land area. The Austin community area is made up of four neighborhoods: Galewood, The Island, North Austin, and South Austin.Galewood
Galewood is named for Abram Gale, who bought a farm on the area in 1838. The neighborhood is bordered by the Milwaukee District / West Line to the north, Harlem Avenue to the west, North Avenue to the south, and Narragansett Avenue to the east. The area is a historically Italian-American community with a sizable population of Chicago city employees. Since the 1980s, it has seen an increase in African-American and Latino residents, but this integration has occurred peacefully in contrast with other areas of Chicago.Galewood has two stations on the Milwaukee District West Line. The first, Mars station functions as a stop for employees of the nearby Mars, Incorporated factory, which closed in 2024, and Shriners Hospitals for Children, the latter of which is located in Montclare. The Mars station only stops during traditional commuting hours. The second, Galewood station is located east of Mars station and is a regular service station. Canadian Pacific operates freight trains on the line via trackage rights.
The neighborhood has strong ties with neighboring Montclare, including sharing a namesake library in the Chicago Public Library system, and is sometimes considered as part of that neighborhood and not the Austin community.
Galewood is significantly whiter than the remainder of Austin. Galewood is 22.51% White, 50.17% African American, and 1.77% from two or more races. Residents who self-identify as Hispanic or Latino of any race were 23.96% of the total Galewood population, with the western half of Galewood being 36% White and 31% African American.
The Island
The Island neighborhood is located in the southwest corner of the Austin community. It has a population around 1,700 residents. It encompasses roughly a square mile and its western and southern borders are to the suburbs of Oak Park and Cicero, respectively. It is further isolated from the rest of Austin by an industrial corridor to its east and railroad tracks and Interstate 290 to the north. It is only accessible from Austin Boulevard and Roosevelt Road.The Island was the last of Austin's neighborhoods to integrate. In the 1980s, when the rest of Austin was over 70% African American, The Island did not have a single African-American family. In 1984, when an African-American family attempted to move in on Roosevelt Road, they were met with violent resistance and shortly moved out. Politically, the area went heavily for Jane Byrne in the Democratic primary and for Edward Vrdolyak against Harold Washington in the 1987 mayoral election that broke down on racial lines. Today, The Island is an integrated community.
The area, once industrial, has a diverse economy. Chicago Studio City, the largest film studio in the Midwestern United States, is located here. The films Transformers: Dark of the Moon, The Dark Knight, and Public Enemies were partially filmed in The Island, as were episodes of Empire and Shameless.
North Austin
One of Austin's neighborhoods is North Austin; its boundaries start north at Milwaukee District/West Line and Armitage Avenue, western boundaries are Austin Avenue or Austin Boulevard south of North Avenue, eastern boundaries to Cicero Avenue, and southern boundaries to Division Street. The Robert LeFlore Jr. Post Office at 5001 West Division Street is in this neighborhood.South Austin
South Austin is the area's largest neighborhood. It is bordered by Division Street to the north, Austin Boulevard to the west, Roosevelt Road to the south, and Cicero Avenue to the east. During the Austin area's transition from a predominantly white community to a predominantly African-American community, the South Austin neighborhood was the first neighborhood to become African-American majority. The neighborhood is characterized by its numerous historic buildings. The neighborhood is home to six landmarks on the National Register of Historic Places: Austin Historic District, Midway Park, Austin Town Hall Park Historic District, Columbus Park, First Congregational Church of Austin, Joseph J. Walser House, and the Seth Warner House. Austin Town Hall Park, modeled after Philadelphia's Independence Hall, is also in this neighborhood.It is also home to an additional seven Chicago landmarks not listed on the National Register of Historic Places: Beeson House and Coach House, Hitchcock House, Laramie State Bank Building, Schlect House, F. R. Schock House, Marie Schock House, and the Third Unitarian Church.
Demographics
According to a 2016 analysis by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, 99,711 people and 32,277 households were residing in the area.The racial makeup of the area was 4.2% White, 84.2% African American, 0.5% Asian, and 0.80% from other races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 10.3% of the population.
In the area, the age distribution was 30.5% under 19, 20.8% from 20 to 34, 18.7% from 35 to 49, 18.4% from 50 to 64, and 11.60% who were 65 or older. The median age was 33.9 years.
The median household income for the area was $31,435 as opposed to $47,831 for the city. The area's residents were disproportionately lower income; 41.0% of residents earned less than $25,000, 27.6% of residents earned between $25,000 and $49,999, 14.1% earned between $50,000 and $74,999, 8.0% earned between $75,000 and $99,999, 6.4% earned between $100,000 and $149,999, and 2.9% earned $150,000 or more.
About 41,807 residents were in the labor force; 18.9% of workers were employed in the healthcare industry, 11.3% were employed in retail, 11% were employed in administration, 8.4% worked in education, and 8.3% worked in hospitality and food services. The area had an unemployment rate of 22.1%.