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Sadly, it seems DC and Atlanta may be the only cities left experiencing an influx of Black professionals and Black owned businesses in predominantly 70%-90% Black neighborhoods.
Other than Ward 7 and Ward 8 in DC and Castleberry Hill and West End in Atlanta, there doesn't appear to be any other neighborhoods seeing an influx of new Black owned businesses and new Black professionals. Even in Atlanta, that percentage seems to be in jeopardy as some tracts in Castleberry Hill seem to be falling into the 60%-70% range recently and West End is also seeing pressure coming from the east, so I don't know what the future is for that area.
Do you have any other examples in Chicago? I looked at Bronzeville earlier, but the income is very low in that neighborhood. Do you see the income rising without the racial demographics changing? That would be an indicator that the neighborhood is attracting new Black professionals.
Just reading through this thread now so apologies for bringing up an older post.
Bronzeville is actually the epitome of what you mentioned. In addition to being the cultural heart of Black Chicago (47th St being a hub for black commerce & nightlife for the better part of a century), Bronzeville is one of a handful of predominantly black Chicago neighborhoods that are bucking the trend of population decline. It’s been widely reported in the Chicago media that Bronzeville is undergoing somewhat of a renaissance with the fastest pace of new home sales in Chicago, several major developments in the pipeline, and a growing black middle class.
It will be a while before Bronzeville will be as amenity-rich as the North Side, but given the cultural importance of this area and proximity to the lake, as well as the development potential being just a stone’s throw from downtown and accessible to 2 L lines are a promising indication. Evidently something is going well because Bronzeville grew more than 10% from 2010-2020, in a city whose black population has declined by almost as much.
(One silver lining with the many abandoned lots in Bronzeville today, is that new growth can happen with minimal displacement. A large portion of new housing stock is infill development. The entire neighborhood is basically being redeveloped on a block-by-block basis.)
I will also add that, per the source you linked, Bronzeville's per-capita income is only 20% below the metro as a whole. The much larger disparity in median household incomes only reveals that Bronzeville households are smaller. Case in point: only 25% of households are traditional married couples, with the remaining 3/4 comprised of "non-families" i.e. one person living by themselves, single-parent households, etc.
Just reading through this thread now so apologies for bringing up an older post.
Bronzeville is actually the epitome of what you mentioned. In addition to being the cultural heart of Black Chicago (47th St being a hub for black commerce & nightlife for the better part of a century), Bronzeville is one of a handful of predominantly black Chicago neighborhoods that are bucking the trend of population decline. It’s been widely reported in the Chicago media that Bronzeville is undergoing somewhat of a renaissance with the fastest pace of new home sales in Chicago, several major developments in the pipeline, and a growing black middle class.
It will be a while before Bronzeville will be as amenity-rich as the North Side, but given the cultural importance of this area and proximity to the lake, as well as the development potential being just a stone’s throw from downtown and accessible to 2 L lines are a promising indication. Evidently something is going well because Bronzeville grew more than 10% from 2010-2020, in a city whose black population has declined by almost as much.
(One silver lining with the many abandoned lots in Bronzeville today, is that new growth can happen with minimal displacement. A large portion of new housing stock is infill development. The entire neighborhood is basically being redeveloped on a block-by-block basis.)
This is great to hear! Which areas of Bronzeville would you say have the highest concentration of middle-class Black households?
I will also add that, per the source you linked, Bronzeville's per-capita income is only 20% below the metro as a whole. The much larger disparity in median household incomes only reveals that Bronzeville households are smaller. Case in point: only 25% of households are traditional married couples, with the remaining 3/4 comprised of "non-families" i.e. one person living by themselves, single-parent households, etc.
Bronzeville has some of the largest swings in income I have ever seen. There are census block groups in the $169k range next to census block groups in the $10k - $20k range. There is definitely something going on there. I look forward to studying what is happening in there. Apparently, this neighborhood in Forestville right here is where the money is.
Bronzeville Forestville
Population: 1,077
Median Income: $169,375
Black Population: 95%
Age Range: 20-49 (39%), 50-79 (25%)
Grand Boulevard
Population: 1,798
Median Income: $76,473
Black Population: 85%
Age Range: 20-49 (50%), 50-79 (23%)
Grand Boulevard
Population: 944
Median Income: $66,417
Black Population: 94%
Age Range: 20-49 (47%), 50-79 (28%)
(One silver lining with the many abandoned lots in Bronzeville today, is that new growth can happen with minimal displacement. A large portion of new housing stock is infill development. The entire neighborhood is basically being redeveloped on a block-by-block basis.)
The Forestville/Grand Boulevard area in Bronzeville is definitely seeing massive new construction and it's great to see that young Black professionals are buying the houses. This is yet another example that proves this is possible in the city!
Just reading through this thread now so apologies for bringing up an older post.
Bronzeville is actually the epitome of what you mentioned. In addition to being the cultural heart of Black Chicago (47th St being a hub for black commerce & nightlife for the better part of a century), Bronzeville is one of a handful of predominantly black Chicago neighborhoods that are bucking the trend of population decline. It’s been widely reported in the Chicago media that Bronzeville is undergoing somewhat of a renaissance with the fastest pace of new home sales in Chicago, several major developments in the pipeline, and a growing black middle class.
It will be a while before Bronzeville will be as amenity-rich as the North Side, but given the cultural importance of this area and proximity to the lake, as well as the development potential being just a stone’s throw from downtown and accessible to 2 L lines are a promising indication. Evidently something is going well because Bronzeville grew more than 10% from 2010-2020, in a city whose black population has declined by almost as much.
(One silver lining with the many abandoned lots in Bronzeville today, is that new growth can happen with minimal displacement. A large portion of new housing stock is infill development. The entire neighborhood is basically being redeveloped on a block-by-block basis.)
Bronzeville definitely looks great.
Aside from history, is there a reason black Chicagoans are choosing Bronzeville? Are there any institutions or universities nearby or anything specific catering to black folks?
Bronzeville has some of the largest swings in income I have ever seen. There are census block groups in the $169k range next to census block groups in the $10k - $20k range. There is definitely something going on there. I look forward to studying what is happening in there. Apparently, this neighborhood in Forestville right here is where the money is.
Bronzeville Forestville
Population: 1,077
Median Income: $169,375
Black Population: 95%
Age Range: 20-49 (39%), 50-79 (25%)
Grand Boulevard
Population: 1,798
Median Income: $76,473
Black Population: 85%
Age Range: 20-49 (50%), 50-79 (23%)
Grand Boulevard
Population: 944
Median Income: $66,417
Black Population: 94%
Age Range: 20-49 (47%), 50-79 (28%)
Bronzeville is certainly economically diverse owing to its history as one of a handful of neighborhoods that black Chicagoans were allowed to live in in the late 19th/early 20th century. The appeal obviously slipped a bit in the post-civil rights era as upwardly mobile black families began to trickle into the suburbs, but has come back in the past decade with the removal of some of the housing projects that deterred investment in the area as well as the general growth of Downtown Chicago.
The lower end of the income spectrum is still overrepresented in Bronzeville relative to the City of Chicago, but the middle/high-income demographic is growing and more robust than the majority-black neighborhoods in the more interior South Side.
Aside from history, is there a reason black Chicagoans are choosing Bronzeville? Are there any institutions or universities nearby or anything specific catering to black folks?
History & affordability. Bronzeville is probably the cheapest neighborhood within 5 miles of the Loop that is simultaneously viewed as desirable. The $550K average sales price includes plenty of new builds.
For better or for worse, there are parts of Bronzeville / neighboring Oakland that look downright suburban:
Not sure I can answer to black schools or universities, but UChicago is an anchor institution for much of the South Side and within a short commute of Bronzeville. But Hyde Park is far more expensive and predominantly white, though it also has significant Asian & black populations.
EDIT: I do note that your Forestville block includes Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church, which is credited for having the US' first gospel choir. Not sure how incidental that is to the income levels on the surrounding street, but it's possible that that helped stabilize this part of the neighborhood / made it more attractive in the present.
Last edited by garyjohnyang; 05-04-2022 at 08:47 AM..
History & affordability. Bronzeville is probably the cheapest neighborhood within 5 miles of the Loop that is simultaneously viewed as desirable. The $550K average sales price includes plenty of new builds.
For better or for worse, there are parts of Bronzeville / neighboring Oakland that look downright suburban:
Not sure I can answer to black schools or universities, but UChicago is an anchor institution for much of the South Side and within a short commute of Bronzeville. But Hyde Park is far more expensive and predominantly white, though it also has significant Asian & black populations.
From looking at Google Maps, it's a beautiful neighborhood. Thanks for the response.
Bronzeville is certainly economically diverse owing to its history as one of a handful of neighborhoods that black Chicagoans were allowed to live in in the late 19th/early 20th century. The appeal obviously slipped a bit in the post-civil rights era as upwardly mobile black families began to trickle into the suburbs, but has come back in the past decade with the removal of some of the housing projects that deterred investment in the area as well as the general growth of Downtown Chicago.
The lower end of the income spectrum is still overrepresented in Bronzeville relative to the City of Chicago, but the middle/high-income demographic is growing and more robust than the majority-black neighborhoods in the more interior South Side.
The Black professional class is definitely moving into Grand Boulevard. I’ve been looking for retail, but I haven’t been able to find much. Is there an area with retail commercial strips or maybe plans for commercial strips?
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