Connections to Community: PilsenBen Bissell, Allen Duoji, Saskia Henn, and Yianna Papadeas

Pilsen Location and Directions

The neighborhood of Pilsen is located in the Lower West Side of Chicago. To get there, it is about an hour by train from Loyola University Chicago’s Lake Shore Campus, and requires to ride both the Red Line and the Pink Line. At the Loyola stop, take the Red Line south towards 95th/Dan Ryan and transfer to the Pink Line going towards 54th/Cermak at the Lake stop. From there, ride the Pink Line to the 18th stop, where the middle of Pilsen is located.

A Brief History of PilsenPilsen was established in the 1840s, encouraged by new ways of transportation into the City of Chicago. The creation of unskilled jobs in the 1870s allowed for lots of Bohemian immigrants to settle along 18th Street. After several labor strikes in the mid 1900s, Mexican migrants became predominant in the 1950s and 1960s. This ethnic shift spurred cultural changes, as Mexican artists decorated the neighborhood with colorful murals and mosaics. Today, Pilsen’s residents have resisted attempts to modernize their neighborhood, and have preserved the area as a community for Hispanic immigrants. During the first weekend in August, the Fiesta del Sol festival shows the pride of the residents of Pilsen to continue its rich, working-class legacy.

Demographics

- Total Population: 72,013- Male: 37,870 (52.6%) - Female: 34,144

(47.4%)- Racial/ethnic Makeup: 78% Latino, 14%

White, 3% African American- Median Household Income: $36,154- Average Household Income: $50,708- Total Households: 24,927- Annual Precipitation: 38.01 in/yr

Points of Interest

1.Pilsen Murals 2.National Museum of Mexican Art3.Redmoon Theater 4.Benito Juarez Park5.Pink Line Station Murals6.Nuevo Leon Restaurant7.Saint Adalbert Church

Personal Reflection: Ben The trip to Pilsen was definitely one to remember. Pilsen is a lot different from our community of Rogers Park. The Hispanic influence in Pilsen is very apparent as you walk the streets. Decorations and restaurants show the different aspects of Hispanic life. This trip certainly makes me want to explore the different areas of Chicago and it makes me want to experience other neighborhoods on my own or with a group. The experience definitely gave me a viewpoint on how lucky we are to be attending Loyola and everything that our school has to offer us. Pilsen also showed me how truly diverse the Chicago area is and how different areas truly come together to make one city. The makeup of this diverse city truly is owed to all of the different cultures that live within it. This is what I pulled away from our trip to Pilsen.

Personal Reflection: Allen

Pilsen was a very unique town with a heavy influence on the Hispanic culture. From churches to the food stands, everything at Pilsen displayed an image of the unique culture. For me specifically I loved the food because it was made from a nice local family business versus corporate/processing food like taco bell. The food had a very different taste than the mexican food I previously had, It taste it great with some additional traditional ingredients with the meal. it was great to have an opportunity like that to experience the hispanic culture. I would highly suggest the rest of the class to go out and explore Pilson and get a taste of the Hispanic culture in Chicago.

Personal Reflection: YiannaDespite it being a long train ride to Pilsen, our group was entertained by all the diversity surrounding downtown Chicago on our way there. We could see culture and differences just in the neighborhoods passing on our way to explore another one. I really thought this was cool because it got me excited to see what was in store for us at Pilsen. Immediately after getting off the train we were surrounded by these beautiful, colorful murals all over the train station. It really gave such an ordinary, daily sight something so much life and vibrancy. As we walked the streets of Pilsen, the murals were alive on most of the walls we passed. We got to take some pictures in front of them and as we kept walking we found a local taco restaurant. We stopped for some food and as we walked inside it felt as though I was in a whole other place because of how culturally well it was decorated. There was TV playing on in the background all in Spanish, and all over the walls were signs and flags depicting the owner’s heritage. After this delicious stop and seeing more of the shops around the town, we boarded the L and came back to campus. It was a really great excursion, and it expanded my horizons by showing me something a lot different than what I’m used to experiencing around Loyola and downtown.

Personal Reflection: SaskiaFor me, going to Pilsen was a good experience, because I found the Mexican influence to be interesting. I was surprised at the extent to which the Mexican culture seemed to be ingrained into the neighborhood. There were beautifully colored murals everywhere, and the decorations in the streets were vibrant and festive. Many of the people spoke Spanish, perhaps even more fluently than English, and the restaurants we passed all sold Mexican food. I enjoyed it because, being from Texas, I was raised in a somewhat similar atmosphere. A large number of the people I grew up with spoke Spanish, and my school celebrated Mexican holidays just the same as if it were any American holiday. I already was aware that Chicago is a very diverse city, but knowing that there is a neighborhood that has so many aspects of my hometown makes me feel a little more connected to Chicago.

Works Cited"Getting to Know Pilsen." Loyola Phoenix. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2014.

<http://www.loyolaphoenix.com/pilsen>.

"Pilsen." Demographics & Statistics. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2014.

<http://www.point2homes.com/US/Neighborhood/IL/Chicago/Pilsen-

Demographics.html#Population>.

Rail (‘L’) System Map (n.d.): n. pag. Web. 20 Sept. 2014.

"Things to Do in Pilsen - Chicago Neighborhoods - Choose Chicago." Things to Do in Pilsen - Chicago

Neighborhoods - Choose Chicago. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2014.

<http://www.choosechicago.com/neighborhoods-and-communities/pilsen/things-to-do/>.

"United States Census Bureau." CPS Definitions. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2014.

<http://www.census.gov/cps/about/cpsdef.html>.