What Is The Thirty Seven Community Area In Chicago?

Feb 6

Chicago is a city that thrives on culture, history, and diversity. One of the city’s identities that is most unique is the way that the city is divided into official community areas. These areas were created by the University of Chicago in the 1920s to be used for statistics and city planning but persist today for use by researchers, those who make policy decisions, and local identity. There are, in total, 77 of these community areas that exist within Chicago with their own flavor, history, and cultural status.

So, what exactly is the thirty-seven community area in Chicago? The answer: Douglas, a historic area on the South Side named after U.S. Senator Stephen A. Douglas.

Community Area 37 in Chicago is Fuller Park

A Brief History of Chicago’s Community Area System

The city’s 77 community areas are not neighborhoods. Though neighborhoods could change over time, become overlapping zones, even disappear from existence, the community areas are established and sharply defined. This allows city planners, researchers, as well as citizens to view long-range patterns of demographics, housing stock, status of health, and other essential data.

Each of the community areas is assigned a number from 1 to 77. So when you ask about the thirty-seven community area you’re actually referring to Douglas.

Douglas Location

Douglas is located on the South Side of Chicago. It borders 31st Street on the north, 39th Street (Pershing Road) on the south, Lake Michigan on the east, and the Dan Ryan Expressway on the west. It lies south of the Near South Side and north of Grand Boulevard.

This optimal position on the shore of Lake Michigan provides Douglas with spectacular Lake Michigan views and proximity to downtown Chicago, making it historically as well as geographically strategic.

Historical Background

Douglas is named after Stephen A. Douglas, who was an Illinois politician best known for the 1858 Lincoln-Douglas debates. Douglas had a large piece of property that included the present site of the university community of Douglas, parts of which he contributed towards the construction of the original campus of the University of Chicago in the mid-1800s.

Furthermore, the Douglas Tomb State Historic Site at Bronzeville, near 35th Street and Cottage Grove Avenue, is where he was buried. The monument remains a prominent element of the community area.

African American Community in Fuller Park — **Bronzeville and Cultural Legacy**

Perhaps best known is its association with Bronzeville, the South Side’s so-called “Black Metropolis.” Bronzeville was the hub of African American business, culture, and arts in Chicago’s Great Migration of the early twentieth century, when thousands of African American families migrated from the South to Chicago in search of opportunity.
Bronzeville, of which the majority of the neighborhood falls within the Douglas community area, drew in jazz clubs, printing companies, papers, and playhouses. Legendary figures like Louis Armstrong and Nat King Cole performed there, and the neighborhood bred thousands of artists, writers, and activists who created American culture.
Even today, Bronzeville remains a vibrant neighborhood that respects its heritage even as it does not fear change.
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Douglas the New Man

Douglas is also noted as the home of the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT), one of the nation’s leading research universities. The school’s campus is punctuated by exemplary examples of modernist architecture by the likes of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.

Other campus-based colleges such as the VanderCook College of Music and the Illinois College of Optometry also bring their innovation, faculty, and student population into the community.

Redevelopment has been the central theme of Douglas over the last few years. New residences, refurbished historic buildings, and building of infrastructures are changing the city while retaining its cultural heritage.

Fast and Efficient Cleaning Services in Chicago — **Truman Show**

One of Douglas’ treasures is Lake Meadows Park and adjacent lakefront access. Homeowners can participate in outdoor activities, sidewalks/walking paths, and beautiful Lake Michigan views. These amenities beautify the community area’s livability while providing an escape from the city’s hustle.
Being close to the city’s expansive lakefront parks also adds to the appeal of Douglas for families and students.
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Challenges and Renewal

Like many of the South Side neighborhoods, Douglas has faced its share of difficulties over the decades, including population declines, economic shifts, and disinvestment. But local groups and neighborhood leaders have continued with revitalization efforts.

Bronzeville’s cultural identity has become the subject of focus for the purpose of redevelopment that has seen resources and attention return to the neighborhood. Streetscape renovations, new construction, and public art installations are revitalizing Douglas, while city initiatives such as Deep Cleaning Chicago bring a new focus on keeping public areas clean and pleasant.

What Is The Thirty Seven Community Area In Chicago?

A Brief History of Chicago’s Community Area System

Douglas Location

Historical Background

Bronzeville and Cultural Legacy

Douglas the New Man

Truman Show

Challenges and Renewal

Why Douglas Matters

South Side Story Gains Citywide Impact

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