Greater Grand Crossing, Chicago facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Greater Grand Crossing
Community area
Community Area 69 - Greater Grand Crossing
Lem's Bar-B-Q restaurant on Grand Crossing's 75th Street business district.
Location within the city of Chicago
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	Cook
City	Chicago
Neighborhoods	List Grand Crossing Greater Grand Crossing Park Manor Winneconna Parkway
Area
• Total	3.56 sq mi (9.22 km2)
Population  (2020)
• Total	31,471
• Density	8,841/sq mi (3,413.3/km2)
Demographics (2015)
• Black	96.07%
• White	1.44%
• Hispanic	1.11%
• Asian	0.01%
• Other	1.36%
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP Codes	parts of 60619, 60620, 60621 and 60637
Median income	$26,515
Source: U.S. Census, Record Information Services

Greater Grand Crossing is one of the 77 community areas of Chicago, Illinois. It is located on the city's South Side.

Features

The Oak Woods Cemetery, established in 1854, is located in Greater Grand Crossing.

Since 2006, Artist Theaster Gates has redeveloped several buildings in Grand Crossing as art and community centers.

• Profile: Greater Grand Crossing by Jeanette Almada Chicago Tribune (October 7, 1998)

		Washington Park, Chicago	Woodlawn, Chicago
	Englewood, Chicago
		Greater Grand Crossing, Chicago	South Shore, Chicago
	Auburn Gresham, Chicago	Chatham, Chicago	Avalon Park, Chicago

Demographics

By the 1930s, the railroad workers residing in the neighborhood were joined by Swedes and Italians. Throughout the next two decades, African Americans began moving into the neighborhood from the overcrowded Black Belt and that's when Grand Crossing's White residents began to move out of the neighborhood. During the 1950s, the Black population of the neighborhood rose from 6% to 86%.

According to data from the 2014-2018 American Community Survey compiled by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, there were 30,805 people and 12,230 households in Greater Grand Crossing. The racial makeup of the area was 1.1% White, 96.2% African American, and 1.5% from other races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.2% of the population.

In the area, the population was spread out, with 32.4% under the age of 19, 17.6% from 20 to 34, 18.6% from 35 to 49, 19.5% from 50 to 64, and 12.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35.2 years compared to 34.3 years.

Transportation

The CTA's Red Line provides 24/7 service to Grand Crossing at the 69th Street and 79th Street stations. Additionally, the Metra Electric line provides commuter rail service at the 75th Street station at the intersection of East 75th Street and South Chicago Avenue; the railroad crossing that gave the neighborhood its name.

Notable people

• Dayvon "King Von" Bennett (1994–2020), rapper and songwriter. He was a resident of Parkway Gardens.
• Gwendolyn Brooks (1917–2000), poet, author, and teacher who won the 1950 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for Annie Allen. She resided at 7428 South Evans Avenue from 1953 until 1994.
• Al Capone (1899–1947), Capone purchased a residence at 7244 South Prairie Avenue in 1923, but shortly after moved to Cicero, Illinois.
• Gary Comer (1927–2006), businessman and philanthropist who founded Land's End. He was a childhood resident of Grand Crossing.
• Robert Cooley (born 1943), Mafia attorney turned government informant and author of "When Corruption Was King". He was a childhood resident raised at 74th & Vernon.
• Shani Davis (born 1982), first African American athlete to win a gold medal in an individual event at the Olympic Winter Games. He lived in Greater Grand Crossing until the age of 6 when his family moved to Rogers Park.
• Wilton Daniel Gregory (born 1947), prelate of the Catholic Church and the first African-American cardinal. He was raised at 217 West 72nd Street.
• Albert "Sunnyland Slim" Luandrew (1906–1995), blues pianist credited with making Chicago a center of the genre after World War II. He resided for a time at 368 East 69th Strett in the 1970s.
• Michelle Obama (born 1964), 51st First Lady of the United States (2009-2017). She was a childhood resident of the Parkway Garden Homes. The family moved to South Shore when she was two years old.
• Craig Robinson (born 1962), college basketball coach, basketball executive, and broadcaster. The brother of Michelle Obama, he was a childhood resident of Parkway Garden Homes. The family moved to South Shore when he was four years old.