Pilsen

By Hayley, Jillian & Juan

History of Pilsen

The first settlers: Germans and Irish

During the late 19th century, Czech immigrants settled in Pilsen.

The origin of the districts name came from the 4th largest city in the Czech Republic
Other ethnic groups in Pilsen at the time: Slovaks, Croats, Austrians, Polish, Lithuanians.

Pilsen was home to the wealthy and the working class

The population was mostly Mexican in the 1970s because they were
forced to move there when a small region north of Pilsen was developed
for the University of Illinois at Chicago.

It is now the largest Mexican neighborhood in Chicago

Author Stuart Dybeck is from Pilsen and writes his short stories about ethnic change

Demographics
Population (as of 2010) 47,352
78% Latino, 14% White, 3% African American
Median household income $36,154 (up nearly 25%
from 2000)
port-of-entry community for 130+ years

How to Get There

Pilsen is located in the lower west side of Chicago.
From Loyola, use the Red Line towards 95th/Dan Ryan.
Get off the L at Cermak & Chinatown.
Board a CTA 21 Cermak Bus.
Exit the bus at Cermak & Loomis.
This trip takes approximately 70 minutes
(we had a little detour because of a festival in Chinatown!)

What We Did

Walked around the town and

discovered what the popular areas
were

Had lunch at La Michoacana

Got desserts at a local bakeshop

panaderia

Visited the National Museum of

Mexican Art visited different
exhibits and the gift store

Went to a local candy store/dulceria

(lots of authentic Mexican candies,
plants & knick-knacks)

Group Reflection

Going to Pilsen has given us a new sense of culture in Chicago. We loved

trying new foods at lunch, seeing Mexican art at the museum, and looking
at murals around the area.
It was a trek to get to there, especially since we ran into traffic with the
Chinatown festival, but it was definitely worth it.

Photos

Sources
San Jose Obrero Mission. History of Pilsen and Little Village. Retrieved from http:
//www.sjom.org/About-us/PILSEN-HISTORY/index.html
LISC Chicago. Pilsen. Retrieved from http://www.lisc-chicago.
org/news/category/188