Grand Boulevard, Chicago


Grand Boulevard, located on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois, is one of the well-defined Chicago Community Areas. The boulevard from which the community area takes its name now bears the name of Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive. The area is bounded by 39th to the north, 51st Street to the south, Cottage Grove Avenue to the east, and the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad tracks to the west.

Bronzeville

This is one of the two community areas that encompass the Bronzeville neighborhood, with the other being Douglas. Grand Boulevard also includes the Washington Park Court District neighborhood that was declared a Chicago Landmark on October 2, 1991.
The Harold Washington Cultural Center is one of its newer and more famous buildings. It arose on the site that from the 1920s through the 1970s housed a famous center of african American cultural life the Regal Theater Among the other notable properties in this neighborhood are Daniel Hale Williams House, Robert S. Abbott House and Oscar Stanton De Priest House

Demographics

According to a 2018 US Census American Community Survey, there were 22,784 people and 10,383 households in Grand Boulevard. The racial makeup of the area was 92.56% African American, 2.70% White, 0.70% Asian, and 2.26% from other races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race were 1.77% of the population. In the area, the population was spread out, with 27.3% under the age of 19, 19.4% from 20 to 34, 22.6% from 35 to 49, 16.4% from 50 to 64, and 14.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36.9 years.

Education

Grand Boulevard is part of City of Chicago School District #299 and City Colleges of Chicago District #508. The nearest City Colleges campus was Kennedy–King College in Englewood. A high school diploma had been earned by 85.5% of Grand Boulevard residents and a bachelor's degree or greater had been earned by 31.31% of residents compared to citywide figures of 82.3% and 35.6% respectively.

Transportation

The Chicago Transit Authority operates the Chicago "L" system in the Grand Boulevard community area. The Green Line provides rapid transit at four stations: Indiana, 43rd Street, 47th Street and 51st Street stations.

Politics

The Grand Boulevard community area has supported the Democratic Party in the past two presidential elections by overwhelming margins. In the 2016 presidential election, Grand Boulevard cast 10,081 votes for Hillary Clinton and cast 171 votes for Donald Trump. In the 2012 presidential election, Grand Boulevard cast 10,646 votes for Barack Obama and cast 81 votes for Mitt Romney.

Notable people