What are Chicago's French-Canadian neighborhoods? (Kankakee, Bourbonnais: homes, school, to live)

[1972Impala]

We've been talking about Italians, Poles, Latinos, AAs etc. but what about the French-Canadian Americans?

Are there any areas of Chicago that still have a visible French Canadian-American presence and where you will still hear French spoken on the streets, and Canadian French will be a primary language in ethnic homes, as was the case with neighborhoods Harwood Heights, Garfield Ridge, Robert Taylor Homes and Pilsen as recently as the Mid 1980s?

I've been told that there are still some French Canadian parts of Chicago even if Rahm want's to replace them all with Israeli's.

[jdiddy]

It's mainly clustered around the neighborhood of Montreal.

[BigLake]

I would love it if there were a few French bakeries around. I'd really love a good baguette. Let me know what you find out.

[chicagobear]

I've never heard of any French neighborhoods in Chicago. I think the French have completely assimilated into the generic white population.

[emathias]

Originally Posted by BigLake

I would love it if there were a few French bakeries around. I'd really love a good baguette. Let me know what you find out.

The French Market in the West Loop has some good patisserie sweets, and a location of Pastoral which has decent crusty-type baguettes they sell along with the cheese. Not as good as in Paris, but not bad for Chicago.

[andrew61]

Originally Posted by chicagobear

I've never heard of any French neighborhoods in Chicago. I think the French have completely assimilated into the generic white population.

I've never heard of any either, although I did hear French spoken occasionally when I lived in Chicago, and there was a French school across the street from where I used to live.

[knitgirl]

Originally Posted by BigLake

I would love it if there were a few French bakeries around. I'd really love a good baguette. Let me know what you find out.

Location - La Boulangerie Chicago : La Boulangerie Chicago by the Belmont L, and supposed to be opening soon near Wilson and Damen.

[Acajack]

The French I think were present historically in Chicago in some way but not for long and not many traces were left.

The main area of French Canadian settlement in Illinois was in the Kankakee-Bourbonnais region. I've met people from that area with French Canadian names who said their grandparents actually spoke French. So this was only maybe 100 years ago that there were still at least some French-speaking people in that area.

[knitgirl]

Originally Posted by andrew61

I've never heard of any either, although I did hear French spoken occasionally when I lived in Chicago, and there was a French school across the street from where I used to live.

The Lycee Francais is now in Ravenswood at Wilson just east of Damen. A couple of weeks ago I saw a couple of young students on the bus chattering away in really fast French.

[NealIRC]

Originally Posted by BigLake

I would love it if there were a few French bakeries around. I'd really love a good baguette. Let me know what you find out.

You never heard of Chicago French Market? Inside the Metra station.

Might be the 1 Emathias is talking about.