Avalon Park

      Prayer Points

• The Nation of Islam has a strong presence in the broader community in Avalon Park. Pray for young African American men to discover their true identity in Christ.

• Numerous businesses in the neighborhood are struggling, making the availability of local job opportunities scarce for the residents. Pray for economic renewal of the community.

• Like many other neighborhoods in Chicago, the community is a “food desert” with a lack of fresh fruits and vegetables for families resulting in an improper diet and health concerns. Pray for initiatives to educate residents in healthy eating patterns and for affordable alternatives.

      Ethnic Breakdown

• Asian (0.3%)
• Black or African American (98.1%)
• Hispanic or Latino (0%)
• White (0.4%)

Neighborhood Background

One of the unique attributes of Avalon Park is the swamps that used to occupy this territory. To avoid flooding, many houses were built on stilts during early settlement. Swamp conditions also discouraged attempts at permanent settlement, causing Avalon Park to serve as a site for waste disposal rather than family living.

By the 1880s, German and Irish descendants began to reside in the community. Also, the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893 and the installation of drainage in 1900 stimulated residential growth. Then, in 1910, the former “Pennytown” changed its name officially to Avalon Park. The 1920s brought a second housing boom of single-family brick bungalows and a few apartments.

African Americans began to move into Avalon Park during the 1960s and made up 96 percent of the population by 1980. They did not experience the same struggles usually brought on by white flight. Owner-occupancy rates have remained consistently over 70 percent in recent decades.