South Chicago
Neighborhood Intelligence

South Chicago is a community area on Chicago's Southeast Side, bounded by 79th Street to the north, 87th Street to the south, Lake Michigan and the Calumet River to the east, and the railroad tracks and Commercial Avenue to the west. The neighborhood was historically one of Chicago's major steelmaking centers, home to the former U.S. Steel South Works plant that once employed thousands of workers. The closing of the steel mills in the 1980s and 1990s profoundly shaped the community.

South Chicago's housing stock includes brick bungalows, two-flats, and workers' cottages from the steel era. Commercial Avenue serves as the main commercial corridor, with a mix of local businesses serving the neighborhood's diverse Latino, African American, and Eastern European populations. The former U.S. Steel South Works site along the lakefront has been the subject of major redevelopment proposals.