Where is the Polish neighborhood in Chicago? (Mount Prospect, Elk Grove Village: restaurants, shops)

[MassVt]

Amazing how European immigration isn't really an issue these days. Now, when you think back to the 1880s to the 1920s, it was a whole 'nother matter..

[Drover]

Originally Posted by MassVt

Amazing how European immigration isn't really an issue these days. Now, when you think back to the 1880s to the 1920s, it was a whole 'nother matter..

There was a significant wave from Eastern Europe after the collapse of the Soviet Union, particularly from Russia and, in the case of Chicago, Poland. This is why the far NW side neighborhoods are still as strongly Polish as they are while most other ethnic European neighborhoods -- Greektown, Little Italy, Andersonville (Swedish), Lincoln Square (German), etc. -- are ethnic in appearance only along the business corridors with few people strongly identifying with the respective cultures still living there.

[MassVt]

Originally Posted by Drover

There was a significant wave from Eastern Europe after the collapse of the Soviet Union, particularly from Russia and, in the case of Chicago, Poland. This is why the far NW side neighborhoods are still as strongly Polish as they are while most other ethnic European neighborhoods -- Greektown, Little Italy, Andersonville (Swedish), Lincoln Square (German), etc. -- are ethnic in appearance only along the business corridors with few people strongly identifying with the respective cultures still living there.

Chicago still seems to be a draw for Polish immigrants, without question. Perhaps that old quote about Chicago "having the most Poles outside of Warsaw" still resonates in eastern Europe.

Nothing remains constant for very long. Look at neighborhoods in and around Chicago that were formally of European descent, now have large Hispanic or Asian populations, largely because the older generations left for suburbia ( starting right after WW2). In 30 years, they might be something else again..

[MannheimMadman]

I think our inflow of western Europeans has already seen its heyday. If I were a resident of Germany or Sweden or any other really nice country in the EU, there is no way in hell I'd leave for the U.S.

If anything, we're going to receive more immigrants from really poor eastern European countries along with more Indians and Chinese.

[Manigault]

Originally Posted by MassVt

Amazing how European immigration isn't really an issue these days. Now, when you think back to the 1880s to the 1920s, it was a whole 'nother matter..

There are a ton of undocumented Irish around NYC.

[Lorielicious]

Originally Posted by Drover

Des Plaines

Norridge/Harwood Heights

Dunning

western edge of Portage Park and Belmont Cragin

Yeup. Hell, even eastern edge of Portage Park. I lived right at the border of Portage and Old Irving for four years, and it was pretty much the lovechild of Poland and Mexico. I was incapable of reading half the signs in my neighorhood. Miss it terribly, but enough about me.

Far NW Chicago is your answer, OP.

[jonnynonos]

You can take a lot of the guesswork out of it with this map, on page 8, but as the stats are from 2000, you can pretty much bank on the numbers being approximately halved.

You are probably looking at a handful of NW side neighborhoods and around Midway with somewhere around 20 percent Polish these days in the city proper. Most of them are probably older, which actually jibes with the school demographics and explains quite a bit.

http://www.robparal.com/downloads/Po...%20Chicago.pdf

Cragin, where everyone sees the signs in Belmont, was only 15 percent Polish in 2000, likely close to zero today, although so many of those old store fronts remain.

I'd seen this before but forgot about it.

[homenj]

Originally Posted by eureka1

This is the place we found riding the Belmont bus. LOTS of Polish stores, shops, restaurants.

Where exactly is this Polish enclave in Belmont? I can't find it on Google Maps.

[jwaiter]

Milwaukee Ave and Central Park Ave walk north on Milwaukee

[Alacran]

This post is old but Belmont and Central is the answer.