Jefferson Park

      Prayer Points

• Although a primarily white community, the neighborhood experiences more racial diversity each decade with more Latino and Asian Americans.

 

• Pray for ongoing stability and a healthy interaction of cultures.

 

• Jefferson Park is a large transportation hub. Pray for the thousands of people traveling through Jefferson Park each day; that they could come to know their savior.

 

• Post-modern religious influence is growing in the community, especially within the younger generation. Pray that the enemy would not use this movement as a foothold in this generation.

 

• Jefferson Park is home to many aging Eastern Europeans. Pray that their heritage is remembered through generations and that these residents would not be overlooked by the churches in the area.

      Ethnic Breakdown

• Asian (6.9%)
• Black or African American (0.3%)
• Hispanic or Latino (19.9%)
• White (70.3%)

Neighborhood Background

Jefferson Park has been called the “Gateway to Chicago” throughout its history. This identity was originally established in the 1800s when traders and hunters would transport goods in and out of Chicago and use Jefferson Park a resting stop along the way.

 

In the early 1900s, street railways were introduced into the neighborhood, bringing with it a flood of new residents. Against the desires of many residents, the neighborhood continued its role as the “Gateway to Chicago” in 1959 due to the construction of the Kennedy Expressway, which cut diagonally through Jefferson Park. Shortly after the construction of the Kennedy Expressway, the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) built a terminal connecting CTA and Regional Transit Authority bus routes, a greyhound bus stop, a Chicago & North Western commuter railroad station and an Elevated line.

 

The area continues to attract many commuters with the Metra serving 10,000 a day and 800 buses traveling through Jefferson Park’s main channels.