Chicago is a big city with a lot of neighborhoods. There are over 200 neighborhoods and 77 community areas that make up Chicago. The neighborhood I grew up in is Avondale. Although, back then there wasn’t a big emphasis on neighborhoods like there is now. So, I didn’t know the name of my neighborhood was Avondale. I suspected it was, because we had an Avondale Park and Avondale Savings and Loan nearby, but no one could ever verify it. Other neighborhoods nearby had names that we knew, such as Logan Square and Belmont Cragin. I always felt my neighborhood was a little lesser (didn’t measure up) because it didn’t have a name to identify it.
Avondale is near the Kennedy expressway Kimball Avenue exit and the CTA Blue Line Belmont stop. When I lived there in the mid 60’s to early 80’s it was a blue collar primarily Polish area of modest frame houses. In the 80’s it saw an influx of Hispanics and Eastern Europeans and it is now a diverse area undergoing gentrification.
Growing up in Avondale was more like growing up in a small town than a big city. The stores, restaurants, churches, schools and parks were all within walking distance and we rarely went outside the neighborhood (especially Downtown) for any reason. We also had a nice yard where my family grew all our own vegetables and fruit. You could only tell by the large number of factories in the neighborhood that it was industrial and being so close to the Kennedy expressway made it feal like an urban environment. Some houses were right next to the expressway and had no backyards, because they were removed to build the expressway.
I have fond memories of growing up there, such as going to church, parks and shopping with my Mom and playing with my friends and going to the corner store for candy. And I also have memories of people (mostly immigrants) struggling to find and keep working to support themselves and their families through difficult times. While not idyllic, I would say Avondale is a realistic Chicago neighborhood that works hard to portray itself in a positive light….and succeeds!