Apartments in Pilsen Chicago

Vibrant Vintage Meets Eclectic Culture in Chicago’s Pilsen

The neighborhood of Pilsen runs from 16th Street on the north to the Chicago River on the south and from Canal Street to the Chicago River on the east to Western Avenue on the west. Pilsen has a storied past beginning in the 1840s when German and Irish immigrants settled there. At that time the Southwestern Plank Road was a major thoroughfare up and down the Illinois Michigan Canal; the canal provided work for the immigrants. After the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 immigrants from Czechoslovakia settled in the area and soon after the McCormick Reaper Works opened in nearby South Lawndale, providing jobs for the Czech community. Much of the neighborhood developed around 18th Street and one of those businesses was a restaurant called At the City of Plzen. The name was an homage to a city in Bohemia, homeland of the Czech community and the neighborhood got its name from this restaurant. Pilsen was annexed by the City of Chicago in 1889 and roads were finally paved, making way for mass transit to the neighborhood. Many of the local industries were shuttered during the Depression and Pilsen sank into decline. In the 1950s a small wave of Mexican families moved to Pilsen from Texas and the neighborhood has retained their arts, culture and food. By the 2000s the neighborhood underwent repairs and in the 2010s Pilsen started becoming gentrified, much to the concern of the Latinx community who fear their Mexican heritage will be lost.

Who Lives There

The average rent for a 171 square foot apartment is around $950 per month, a two-bedroom 877 square foot place will run about $1250 per month and a three bedroom with 1,078 square feet can be rented for $1400 per month. The total population of Pilsen is 79,205 with the median age being 33 years. 54.13 % of Pilsen residents have little or no high schooling and only 7.89 % have bachelor’s degrees. 28.1 % of households have children and the average median income is $62,105.

Places of Interest

The National Museum of Mexican Art is found in Pilsen. And the community is home to the city’s largest collection of murals by local and international artists. Mana Contemporary Chicago is an art center in an enormous landmark building in Pilsen. Designed by noted Chicago architect George Nimmons, the building is now home to dozens of artist’s studios, exhibition spaces, classrooms, a central cafe, a library and more. Besides art there are many eclectic shops, bodegas and panaderias along with vintage record stores.