West Side, Chicago
in Chicago, United StatesCategory: Attraction
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One Museum Park, Chicago, IL 60605, USA Print route »
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The West Side is one of the three major sections of the city of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois along with the North Side and the South Side. The West Side consists of communities that are of historical, cultural, and ideological importance to the history and development of Chicago. On the municipal flag of Chicago, the West Side is represented by the central white stripe.Often referenced by the media as a largely poor, crime-ridden area of the city, the West Side has gone through many transitions in its ethnic and socioeconomic makeup due to its historic role as a gateway for immigrants and migrants as well as its role for funneling poorer residents away from the wealthier lakeside neighborhoods and central business district. Today, the West Side consists of large communities of widely working class, low-income, and poverty-stricken Black, Puerto Rican, and Mexican residents; very small communities of blue-collar, lower middle class and middle class white residents of historically Polish, Italian, Czech, and Greek, descent; and newer communities of middle-class and upper-middle class white residents designed and created by gentrification. Major shifts continue to happen due to forces such as rapid gentrification, selective corporate investments, and unequal distribution of city resources.
There are a range of services available on the West Side, especially educational, cultural, and medical institutions. One of the nation's largest urban medical districts, the Illinois Medical District, is located on the West Side. Three of Chicago's largest parks, along with much of the city's boulevard system, are located in this part of the city: Humboldt Park, Garfield Park, and Douglas Park. The West Side is very accessible by the interstate and public transportation via the Chicago Transit Authority's many bus routes, the Chicago 'L', the Metra commuter rail, and the Eisenhower Expressway. Additionally, Cook County Jail, the United States' largest single site jail, and a secretive interrogation facility maintained by the Chicago Police Department, are both located on the West Side.
