Englewood

Once known as Junction Grove for the railroad lines that crisscrossed the area, Englewood officially became part of Chicago in 1889. The original home of Cook County Normal School (later Chicago State University), this large neighborhood has experienced near-constant demographic change. Today, it is predominantly an African American neighborhood with residents striving to build and repair intra-community bonds. Residents and institutions, faced with the effects of decades of disinvestment, have renewed efforts to address civic challenges and revitalize the business district near 63rd and Halsted, once among the busiest in the city. Right nearby, an ambitious 1.75-mile-long rails-to-trails project is also gathering steam. Dubbed the Englewood Nature Trail, it would include a band of adjacent land as a unique eco-agro-district--productive urban farms for building a resilient local food system.