Bridgeport is one of the 77 community areas in Chicago, on the city's South Side, bounded on the north by the South Branch of the Chicago River, on the west by Ashland Avenue, on the south by Pershing Road, on the east by the Union Pacific Railroad tracks, and on the northeast by the Dan Ryan Expressway. Neighboring communities are Pilsen across the river to the north, McKinley Park to the west, Canaryville to the south, and Armour Square to the east. Bridgeport has been the home of five Chicago mayors. Once known for its racial intolerance, Bridgeport today ranks as one of the city's most diverse neighborhoods.
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Bridgeport, Chicago in the context of Illinois and Michigan Canal
The Illinois and Michigan Canal connected the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River. In Illinois, it ran 96 miles (154 km) from the Chicago River in Bridgeport, Chicago to the Illinois River at LaSalle-Peru. The canal crossed the Chicago Portage, and helped establish Chicago as the transportation hub of the United States, before the railroad era. It was opened in 1848. Its function was partially replaced by the wider and deeper Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal in 1900, and it ceased transportation operations with the completion of the Illinois Waterway in 1933.
Illinois and Michigan Canal Locks and Towpath, a collection of eight engineering structures and segments of the canal between Lockport and LaSalle-Peru, was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964.
Bridgeport, Chicago in the context of South Side, Chicago
The South Side is one of the three major geographical "sides" of the city of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Geographically, it is the largest of the three sides of the city, with the other two being the North and West Sides. It radiates from and lies south of the city's downtown area, the Chicago Loop.
Much of the South Side came from the city's annexation of townships such as Hyde Park. The city's Sides have historically been divided by the Chicago River and its branches. The South Side of Chicago was originally defined as all of the city south of the main branch of the Chicago River, but it now excludes the Loop. The South Side has a varied ethnic composition and a great variety of income levels and other demographic measures. It has a reputation for crime, although most crime is contained within certain neighborhoods, not throughout the South Side itself, and residents range from affluent to middle class to poor.South Side neighborhoods such as Armour Square, Back of the Yards, Bridgeport, and Pullman host more blue collar and middle-class residents, while Hyde Park, the Jackson Park Highlands District, Kenwood, Beverly, Mount Greenwood, and west Morgan Park range from middle class to more affluent residents.
Bridgeport, Chicago in the context of List of neighborhoods in Chicago
There were 178 official neighborhoods in 1993 in Chicago, although the current list contains more than 240 due to the ever changing complexities of the cities neighborhoods names and identities that evolve due to real estate development and changing culture. Chicago is also divided into 77 community areas which were drawn by University of Chicago researchers in the late 1920s to track demographics. Chicago's community areas are well-defined, generally contain multiple neighborhoods, and depending on the neighborhood, less commonly used by residents.