Chicago’s first depot. The Galena & Chicago Union Railway Station at Canal and Kinzie, Chicago. 1855

The first railroad constructed out of Chicago, the Galena and Chicago Union (G&CU), was chartered January 16, 1836, to connect Chicago with the lead mines at Galena, Illinois. The "Pioneer," the first locomotive on the road, arrived at Chicago on October 10, 1848, nearly thirteen years after the charter was granted.

Chicago’s first train depot at Canal and Kinzie, The Galena & Chicago Union Railway Station, Chicago. (1855) Although the Galena & Chicago Union won the distinction of being the first railroad to turn a wheel in Cook Countyand Chicago.

In 1850, the G&CU was completed as far as Elgin, Illinois. The railroad and the canal were vital in the development of Chicago and the population of the city tripled in the six years after the opening of the canal. Eventually other railroads were built and Chicago became the largest railroad center in the world.

The “Pioneer.” Light Passenger Locomotive, 1851.

In 1862 the G&CU leased in perpetuity the Cedar Rapids and Missouri Railroad which was to be the first railroad to reach Council Bluffs, Iowa and the First Transcontinental Railroad. The G&CU consolidated with the Chicago and North Western Railway in 1864, which merged with the Union Pacific Railroad over a century later in 1996.

Today, the G&CU's main line between Chicago and West Chicago is a busy commuter service, jointly operated by Union Pacific and Metra as the Union Pacific / West Line.

Compiled by Neil Gale, Ph.D.

A Primer about the Difference Between a Chicago Community and a Chicago Neighborhood.

Chicago consists of 77 communities.

The 77 Chicago Community Names.
CLICK FOR A FULL-SIZE VIEW

Many of those communities have named multiple neighborhoods

People who grew up in Chicago may know the neighborhood name but would call the community by the neighborhood name because that is what most Chicagoans did. Not to be confusing, but some communities have the same name for one of their neighborhoods.

West Ridge and Rogers Park communities (in bold black) have neighborhoods (in blue). Throughout Chicago's history, many neighborhood boundaries have changed or shifted as 'progress,' like new highway construction, forced some of these changes.

West Ridge Community, Chicago, Boundaries: 

NORTH: Howard Street (7600 N)

SOUTH: Bryn Mawr Avenue  (5600 N) west of Western Avenue  (2400 W) and Peterson Avenue  (6000 N) east of Western Avenue.

EAST: Ridge Boulevard (diagonal 2100-1800 W)

WEST: North Shore Channel of the Chicago River.

Rogers Park Community, Chicago, Boundaries: 

NORTH: The city of Evanston borders along Juneway Terrace (7800 N) from the lakefront (1200-1850 W) and Howard Street (7600 N) from (1600-2100 W).

SOUTH: Devon Avenue (6400 N).

EAST: Lake Michigan Shoreline.

WEST: Ridge Boulevard (diagonal 2100-1800 W).

Alphabetical List of Chicago Communities and its Neighborhoods in PDF.

In Chicago, Cook County property deeds and mortgage documents include these community and/or neighborhood names.

Homan Square is Outlined in the White Area.
CLICK THE MAP FOR FULL-SIZE VIEW

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Mortgage Loan № S82423945891-R

EXHIBIT A

LOT 12 IN HOMAN SQUARE PHASE THREE, SECTION 1, BEING A SUBDIVISION OF LOTS 26 THROUGH 32 AND LOTS 43 TO 49 IN HOMAN SQUARE PHASE 3, BEING A SUBDIVISION OF PART OF THE SOUTHEAST 1/4 OF SECTIONS14, TOWNSHIP 39 NORTH, RANGE 13, EAST OF THE THIRD PRINCIPAL MERIDAN, RECORDED SEPTEMBER 15, 2008 AS DOCUMENT NUMBER 12345678, IN COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS.

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On some modern maps of Chicago neighborhoods, the names of subdivisions of those neighborhoods are shown. The subdivision names were added as neighborhoods reconstructed some of the area neighborhoods. 

Example of community and neighborhood loss of area:

In the "Near West Side Community (with neighborhoods of Columbus Circle, Greektown, Little Italy, Medical Center, Near West Side, Tri-Taylor, Fulton River District, and University Village), the "Little Italy" neighborhood used to be larger, but like many other neighborhoods of Chicago was affected by the construction of new expressways. It lost considerable land when the Eisenhower Expressway was built in the 1950s. It lost even more real estate when the University of Illinois-Chicago moved into the area in the 1960s.

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Some Chicagoans will respond with their Parishes' names when asked what neighborhood they're from. Asking or stating a Parish as a Chicago neighborhood assumes the other person knows the church AND its location. What you, your friends and family call a Chicago area is up to you, but a parish name, unlike New Orleans, Louisiana, is not official.

Copyright © 2017 Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.