Editing Community areas in Chicago (section)

==History==
During the 19th century [[ward (United States)|ward]]s were used by the [[United States Census Bureau|Census Bureau]] for data at the level below cities.<ref name="Encyclopedia"/> This was problematic as wards were political subdivisions and thus changed after each census, limiting their utility for comparisons over time.<ref name="Encyclopedia"/> [[Census tract#United States|Census tract]]s were first used in Chicago in the [[1910 United States Census|1910 Census]].<ref name="Encyclopedia"/> However, by the 1920s the Social Science Research Committee at the [[University of Chicago]] wanted divisions that were more natural and manageable than the arbitrarily-designated and numerous census tracts.<ref name="Encyclopedia"/><ref name="Tribune"/> The sociologist [[Robert E. Park]] led this charge, considering physical barriers such as railroads and the [[Chicago River]] to form distinctive and consistent areas within the city,<ref name="Encyclopedia"/> which he deemed "natural" areas that would eventually merge into a distinctive identity.<ref name="Encyclopedia"/><ref name="Tribune">{{cite news | last1=Reardon | first1=Patrick T. | title=Biggest and Best | url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1997-03-09-9703090135-story.html | url-access=limited | access-date=8 May 2020 | work=Chicago Tribune | date=March 9, 1997 | archive-date=November 26, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201126215526/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1997-03-09-9703090135-story.html | url-status=live }}</ref> [[Ernest Burgess]], a colleague of Park's who shared his thinking, was crucial in creating and naming the community areas.<ref name="Tribune"/> Initially able to identify 400&nbsp;neighborhoods of the city, he considered that number excessive and trimmed it down to 80 and thereafter&nbsp;75 by grouping related neighborhoods into a single community area.<ref name="Tribune"/> The Chicago Department of Public Health wished to present local differences in birth and death rates; it worked with the committee to produce the list of 75&nbsp;community areas, which were divided into 935 census tracts.<ref name="Encyclopedia">{{cite encyclopedia | title=Community Areas | last=Seligman | first=Amanda | url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/319.html | year=2004 | encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Chicago | publisher=Chicago Historical Society | access-date=May 8, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190630173123/http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/319.html | archive-date=June 30, 2019 | url-status=live }}</ref>

After the community areas were introduced, the [[University of Chicago Press]] published data sorted by them from the [[1920 United States Census|1920]] and [[1930 United States Census|1930 Censuses]],<ref name="Encyclopedia"/> as well as a citywide 1934 census to help collect data related to the [[Great Depression]],<ref name="Tribune"/> in what was known as the ''Local Community Fact Book''.<ref name="Encyclopedia"/> With the exception of [[1970 United States census|1970]] (whose data was published in 1980<ref name="Tribune"/>), it continued this publication for every subsequent census through 1990, expanding in the 1960s to also cover major suburbs of Chicago.<ref name="Tribune"/><ref name="Northwestern">{{cite web | title=Chicago Government Information: Communities | url=https://libguides.northwestern.edu/c.php?g=114856&p=748643 | publisher=Northwestern University | access-date=10 May 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180117105350/http://libguides.northwestern.edu/c.php?g=114856&p=748643 | archive-date=January 17, 2018 | url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning]] continues this work by periodically publishing "Community Snapshots" of the community areas and suburbs, the most recent being data from 2018 published {{as of | June 2020 | alt=in June 2020}}.<ref name="CMAP Snapshots">{{cite web | title=Community Snapshots | url=https://www.cmap.illinois.gov/data/community-snapshots | publisher=Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning | access-date=27 June 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200212233309/https://www.cmap.illinois.gov/data/community-snapshots | archive-date=February 12, 2020 | url-status=live }}</ref>

Only two major changes have occurred in the boundaries of the community areas.<ref name="Encyclopedia"/> [[O'Hare, Chicago|O'Hare]] was created from land that was annexed by Chicago in 1956 to control [[O'Hare International Airport]].{{efn | Since community areas postdate the large annexations of the late 19th century, this is the only major annexation-related community area change.<ref name="Encyclopedia"/>}}<ref name="O'Hare">{{cite encyclopedia | title=O'Hare | encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Chicago | year=2004 | publisher=Chicago Historical Society | last=Seligman | first=Amanda | url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/924.html | access-date=May 8, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190908213944/http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/924.html | archive-date=September 8, 2019 | url-status=live }}</ref> [[Edgewater, Chicago|Edgewater]] was separated from [[Uptown, Chicago|Uptown]] in 1980 as residents considered being joined to it a detriment to obtaining aid for local improvements.<ref name="Edgewater">{{cite encyclopedia | title=Edgewater | encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Chicago | year=2004 | publisher=Chicago Historical Society | last=Seligman | first=Amanda | url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/413.html | access-date=May 8, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191123234125/http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/413.html | archive-date=November 23, 2019 | url-status=live }}</ref> In addition to these two there have been minor changes due to further annexations and additions to the [[Lake Michigan]] shoreline.<ref name="Encyclopedia"/><ref name="Annexations">{{cite encyclopedia | title=Annexation | encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Chicago | year=2004 | publisher=Chicago Historical Society | last=Cain | first=Louis P. | url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/53.html | access-date=May 8, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080919135149/http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/53.html | archive-date=September 19, 2008 | url-status=live }}</ref>