West Pullman, Chicago
Encyclopedia
West Pullman is a neighborhood located on the far south side of the city of Chicago, Illinois
. It is one of the 77 official community areas
of Chicago. West Pullman is not a part of the historic Pullman company town.
It is bounded on the north by 115th Street, on the east by the former Illinois Central Railroad
, on the south by the Calumet River
and Riverdale
, on the west by Calumet Park
, Blue Island and Ashland Avenue.
A high number of jobs were lost in the 1980s and 1990s making unemployment one of West Pullman's biggest problems. The other is the high amount of toxic waste left behind from the factories. A joint effort from community leaders, residents, city officials and the government is attempting to reduce the levels of toxicity.
West Pullman is also home to the largest urban photovoltaic solar plant in the United States. The 10 MW plant utilizes 32,800 SunPower
solar panels, spans 39 acres (157,827.5 m²), and generates enough power to supply energy to approximately 1500 homes in the Midwest. It is owned and operated by Exelon
and came online in early 2010.
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. It is one of the 77 official community areas
Community areas of Chicago
Community areas in Chicago refers to the work of the Social Science Research Committee at University of Chicago which has unofficially divided the City of Chicago into 77 community areas. These areas are well-defined and static...
of Chicago. West Pullman is not a part of the historic Pullman company town.
It is bounded on the north by 115th Street, on the east by the former Illinois Central Railroad
Illinois Central Railroad
The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, is a railroad in the central United States, with its primary routes connecting Chicago, Illinois with New Orleans, Louisiana and Birmingham, Alabama. A line also connected Chicago with Sioux City, Iowa...
, on the south by the Calumet River
Calumet River
The Calumet River refers to a system of heavily industrialized rivers and canals in the region between the neighborhood of South Chicago in Chicago, Illinois, and the city of Gary, Indiana.-Background:...
and Riverdale
Riverdale
-Places:United States*Riverdale, California, in Fresno County*Riverdale, Mendocino County, California*Riverdale, Georgia*Riverdale, Chicago, Illinois*Riverdale, Illinois, in Cook County*Riverdale, Iowa*Riverdale, Anne Arundel County, Maryland...
, on the west by Calumet Park
Calumet Park
Calumet Park is a 198 acre park in Chicago, Illinois. It provides access to Lake Michigan from the East Side neighborhood on the city's Southeast Side. The park contains approximately 0.9 miles of lake frontage from 95th Street to 102nd Street...
, Blue Island and Ashland Avenue.
A high number of jobs were lost in the 1980s and 1990s making unemployment one of West Pullman's biggest problems. The other is the high amount of toxic waste left behind from the factories. A joint effort from community leaders, residents, city officials and the government is attempting to reduce the levels of toxicity.
West Pullman is also home to the largest urban photovoltaic solar plant in the United States. The 10 MW plant utilizes 32,800 SunPower
SunPower
SunPower Corporation designs and manufactures high-efficiency crystalline silicon photovoltaic cells, roof tiles and solar panels based on a silicon all-back-contact solar cell invented at Stanford University. SunPower Corporation is publicly traded on the NASDAQ as SPWRA and SPWRB...
solar panels, spans 39 acres (157,827.5 m²), and generates enough power to supply energy to approximately 1500 homes in the Midwest. It is owned and operated by Exelon
Exelon
Exelon Corporation is an electricity generating and distributing company headquartered in the Chase Tower in the Chicago Loop area of Chicago. It was created in October, 2000 by the merger of PECO Energy Company and Unicom, of Philadelphia and Chicago respectively. Unicom owned Commonwealth Edison...
and came online in early 2010.
External links
- Official City of Chicago West Pullman Community Map
- Exelon and SunPower together In US Largest Solar Power Plant
- Encyclopaedia Chicago: West Pullman