Auburn Gresham
Located 13 Miles Southwest of The Loop.
Neighborhoods include: Auburn, Gresham
Zip Codes Include: 60620
Auburn Gresham is located on the far south side of the city of Chicago, Illinois. It was the original location of the South Side Irish Parade before it was relocated to the Beverly neighborhood farther southwest in the city.
Auburn Gresham’s development as a community dates back to the early nineteenth century, when the area was defined primarily by small German and Dutch settlements. A later influx of Irish railroad workers and others lured to the South Side by newly extended city services in the late nineteenth century led to further residential and commercial growth. In the 1920s, the population increased nearly threefold, from 19,558 to 57,381. The plethora of bungalow-style housing and brick two-flat apartment buildings throughout Auburn Gresham serves as lasting evidence of the community’s formative years.
Tree-lined blocks of brick two-flats, many dating back to the early twentieth century, are commonplace in Auburn Gresham.
Chicago Public Library operates the Thurgood Marshall Branch in Auburn Gresham at W. 75th St. and S. Racine Ave. The 13,500 square foot library, which features a 125-seat auditorium, reading garden, and several artworks, opened in April 1994.
St. Sabina Church, dedicated in June of 1933, remains a popular place of worship for many Chicagoans. St. Sabina Church is located in the community, headed by Rev. Michael Pfleger. The church and Reverend have been pivotal in helping transform Auburn Gresham, with new housing and store fronts opening up in the neighborhood. One of the largest new single-family home developments in Chicago is nearly complete at W. 87th St. and S. Parnell Ave., in the southeast corner of Auburn Gresham.
Auburn Gresham is home to the St. Leo Campus for Veterans, which includes the Catholic Charities’ St. Leo’s Residence, the Auburn Gresham Community Based Outpatient Clinic, the St. Leo’s Veteran’s Garden, and the Pope John Paul II Residence. The Auburn Gresham community is also home to the first urban S.O.S. Children’s Village in the U.S.
Transportation
Auburn Gresham is serviced by a Metra commuter rail stop at W. 87th St. and Vincennes Ave., which provides daily inbound service to LaSalle Street Station in Chicago and outbound service to Joliet. Community leaders have long encouraged the construction of an additional Metra rail stop at W. 79th St. As of 2012, one has yet to be constructed. CTA red line stops at 79th St. and 87th St. are also available along the Dan Ryan Expressway in nearby Chatham.
Demographics
Population (2010)
• Total 48,743
• Density 13,000/sq mi (5,000/km2)
Demographics (2010)
• White 0.27%
• Black 97.78%
• Hispanic 0.94%
• Asian 0.07%
• Other 0.94%
Neighborhood Links
• 17th Ward & Alderman
• 18th Ward & Alderman
• 19th Ward & Alderman
• 21st Ward & Alderman
