Kenwood | |
|---|---|
| Community Area 39 - Kenwood | |
 Obama Family Home | |
 Streetmap | |
 Location within the city of Chicago | |
| Coordinates:41°48.6′N87°36.0′W / 41.8100°N 87.6000°W /41.8100; -87.6000 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Illinois |
| County | Cook |
| City | Chicago |
| Neighborhoods | |
| Area | |
• Total | 1.09 sq mi (2.82 km2) |
| Population (2020)[1] | |
• Total | 19,116 |
| • Density | 17,600/sq mi (6,780/km2) |
| Demographics 2020[1] | |
| • White | 20.9% |
| • Black | 66.0% |
| • Hispanic | 2.2% |
| • Asian | 6.0% |
| • Other | 4.8% |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP Codes | parts of 60615 and 60653 |
| Median household income 2020 | $52,336[1] |
| Source: U.S. Census, Record Information Services | |
Kenwood, one ofChicago's 77community areas, is on the shore ofLake Michigan on theSouth Side of the city. Its boundaries are 43rd Street, 51st Street, Cottage Grove Avenue, and the lake. Kenwood was originally part ofHyde Park Township, which was annexed to the city of Chicago in 1889. Kenwood was once one of Chicago's most affluent neighborhoods, and it still has some of the largest single-family homes in the city. It contains twoChicago Landmark districts,Kenwood andNorth Kenwood. A large part of the southern half of the community area is in theHyde Park-Kenwood Historic District. In recent years, Kenwood has received national attention as the home of former U.S. PresidentBarack Obama.
Kenwood was settled in the 1850s by wealthy Chicagoans seeking respite from the increasing congestion of the city. The first of these residents was John A. Kennicott, who built his home near theIllinois Central Railroad at 48th Street. He named the home Kenwood after his ancestral land in Scotland, and when the Illinois Central Railroad built a small depot near 47th Street, they named the station Kenwood as well. Shortly afterwards, the name Kenwood began to be applied to the whole area.[2]
The southeastern portion of Kenwood contains theIndian Village neighborhood, which features theChicago LandmarkPowhatan Apartments and theNational Register of Historic Places-recognized Narragansett Apartments. The 1902Blackstone Library is another well-known landmark in the neighborhood. It continues to be part of theChicago Public Library system. The recently reopenedHyde Park Art Center, located on Cornell Avenue just north of 51st Street and East Hyde Park Boulevard, is Chicago's oldestalternative exhibition space,[citation needed] with an on-site school and studio.
TheHyde Park community area is to the south of Kenwood and the southern half of Kenwood (south of 47th Street) is sometimes referred to as Hyde Park-Kenwood.[3]
In the 1890s, theKenwood Astrophysical Observatory, established by astronomerGeorge Ellery Hale, was located in Kenwood close to the new (at that time)University of Chicago.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930 | 26,942 | — | |
| 1940 | 29,611 | 9.9% | |
| 1950 | 35,705 | 20.6% | |
| 1960 | 41,533 | 16.3% | |
| 1970 | 26,890 | −35.3% | |
| 1980 | 21,974 | −18.3% | |
| 1990 | 18,178 | −17.3% | |
| 2000 | 18,363 | 1.0% | |
| 2010 | 17,841 | −2.8% | |
| 2020 | 19,116 | 7.1% | |
| [1][4] | |||
As with much of the South Side, the Kenwood community area has supported theDemocratic Party in national elections by vast margins. During the2016 presidential election in particular, Kenwood cast 7,639 votes forHillary Clinton and 251 votes forDonald Trump (94.19% to 3.09%).[5] In the2012 presidential election, Kenwood cast 8,712 votes forBarack Obama and 331 votes forMitt Romney (95.63% to 3.63%).[6]
The public schools in Kenwood areKenwood Academy, Canter Middle School,King College Prep High School, Ariel Community Academy, William C. Reavis Math and Science Specialty School and Beulah Shoesmith Elementary School. Private Schools in Kenwood include the Ancona Montessori School, Cambridge School of Chicago, Akiba-Schechter Jewish Day School, and Hales Franciscan High School.
The infamous murderersNathan Leopold and Richard Loeb, and their victimBobby Franks, were all residents of Kenwood.
Places adjacent to Kenwood, Chicago | |
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