Avalon Park

The south side neighborhood of Avalon Park, much like neighboring Chatham, is a community that bucked the trend during the 1960s "white flight." In fact, in the 1960 census, only six of the neighborhood's 12,710 residents were African American. Ten years later, African Americans made up 83% of the population. Unlike most neighborhoods in Chicago that experienced such rapid racial transition, "the average educational level increased in Avalon Park, while the poverty rate decreased" during this period of change. Many of the new residents "were for the most part middle-class doctors, lawyers, businessmen, and other professionals," factors that helped keep homeownership rates high and maintained the middle-class character of the community.

* Here is an article by Lee Bey about one of Avalon Park's most interesting buildings.