South Chicago

Situated at the mouth of the Calumet River, between the Chicago Skyway and Lake Michigan, South Chicago originally was a fishing and farming area. By the end of the 19th century, the neighborhood had become home to workers in the many steel plants that prospered on the South Side throughout most of the 19th century. The largest was U.S. Steel’s South Works, which at one time employed 20,000 workers on a 600-acre site jutting into Lake Michigan south of 79th Street. The South Works closed in 1992, leaving one of the largest tracts of land available for redevelopment in Chicago. Long-range plans call for building housing, factories, retail stores and parks.

Read, Learn, Discover at the Chicago Public Library. Search programming and event information at your neighborhood branch.