Irving Park

      Prayer Points

• There has been a large influx of the Latino community in this area, many have struggled to find gainful employment. Pray for increased economic opportunities for these neighborhood residents.

• Pray for a healthy interaction of cultures within the community, valuing and learning from each other, especially as the cultural demographic has changed dramatically.

• Pray for the existing churches to find ways to creatively reach out to their neighbors and for an even greater increase of the body of Christ to serve the community.

• Praise God for efforts within the community that are helping strengthen families and caring for their children within the Foster Care System.

      Ethnic Breakdown

• Asian (7.2%)
• Black or African American (3.5%)
• Hispanic or Latino (44.3%)
• White (43.2%)

Neighborhood Background

Irving Park began as a commuter suburb, with “shady streets, fine schools, churches and stores” attracting many rich and middle-class Protestants. Following annexation to Chicago in 1889, public transportation was established and streets were reconstructed, leading to an influx of new residents and a dramatic shift in housing composition.

Well known for its past and present ties to preserving historic housing buildings, Irving Park neighborhoods are known for having notable architecture: the bungalows of the Villa District, Victorian and Italianate houses of Old Irving Park, and vintage homes in Independence Park. Two associations were formed in the 1980s for the preservation of neighborhood houses and notable landmarks.

Irving Park’s population grew between 1980 and 2000, but has since begun a slow decline. During that time the Hispanic population grew from nine percent to forty-six percent, including immigrants from places throughout Central and South America.