| New City, one
of the 77 official community areas, is located on the
southwest side of Chicago. It is a blend of Irish-Americans
in Canaryville, Mexican-Americans in Back Of The Yards,
& African-Americans south of 49th Street. The area
was home to the famous Union Stock Yards that were on
Chicago's south side until they closed in 1971.
Back of the Yards is an industrial
and residential neighborhood (located in the New City
community area) on the Southwest Side of Chicago so
named because it is near the site of the former Union
Stock Yards.
Life in this neighborhood at
the beginning of the 20th century is profiled in Upton
Sinclair's The Jungle. This area was formerly known
as the Town of Lake until it was annexed by Chicago
in 1889. The area was once an Eastern-European neighborhood
until the 1970s. It then became a Mexican-American neighborhood.
Back in the 60's & 70's this was a predominantly
Polish community. It consisted of many Polish churches,
bakeries, taverns, and small stores. It was a long desired
neighborhood by Polish immigrants to settle and have
gainful employment and raising their families.
This neighborhood was famously
organized by Saul Alinsky in the 1930s.
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