Canaryville/Fuller Park, Hyde Park and Lawndale

Canaryville and Fuller Park are two small Chicago neighborhoods, yet important enough to note. Bound by Halsted, Canal, 39th and 49th Streets, Canaryville is located next to the old Stockyards on the South Side. Since 1889, when it was annexed from Lake Township, Canaryville has been part of Chicago. Though there are many conflicting stories of explanation, the origins of Canaryville’s name are shrouded in mystery.

Fuller Park is also a tiny neighborhood, comprised of only about 4000 people. It is sandwiched between the Metra and Conrail tracks, with Halsted on the west and Canal on the east. Once significantly larger in size, Fuller Park was reduced substantially by the construction of the Dan Ryan Expressway.

Following this major development, the area did recover to the point where now vacant lots are being renovated into usable areas for businesses and homes. Connecting the community with vital activity and unity, the Fuller Park Fieldhouse offers community members access to three gyms and an auditorium for both recreational and educational purposes.

Hyde Park, another South Side Chicago neighborhood, was formerly thought of as a suburb of Chicago. It has been acclaimed as one of the most successfully integrated neighborhoods in the entire nation, and has been home to such famed personages as: Muhammad Ali, Marshall Field, former Senator Carol Mosely-Braun and present Senator Barack Obama. It has a family-oriented appeal that visitors and prospective residents alike relish. Today, Hyde Park is considered to be a secure and stable neighborhood with much to give to the many different types of people who call it home.

The Promontory Point on Lake Michigan provides a favorite spot for swimmers, picnickers, and dog-owners. Hyde Park, in addition to housing the renowned University of Chicago, also encompasses an abundance of cultural destinations including: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Robie House and the Museum of Science and Industry. Specifically, for dramaturges and artists pertaining to the University, there exists the Court Theater, the Renaissance Society, and the 57th Street Art Fair, an annual attraction for many art-lovers.

Lawndale is a Chicago neighborhood that once housed many of the Chicago industries dating back to the early 1900s, a list which includes: the Sears, Roebuck & Co. mail order facility. At that time, the neighborhood’s population experienced rapid growth, but since, has greatly stabilized. The neighborhood has experienced many ups and downs, but nothing recently more notable then in the 90s when there was an influx of new businesses including a new major shopping center, new construction housing projects, and the inception of several daycare facilities.

Situated on Chicago’s West Side, Lawndale is bound by Western and Cicero Avenues. Both branches of the “El” Blue Line run thorough Lawndale, which may also be reached by several CTA bus lines, as well as, the off | on ramp to I-290.