History and Current State The Back of the Yards neighborhood developed along with the meatpacking industry, which was located largely in the New City area due to its expansive railroad connections. The Union Stock Yards were developed in 1865, quickly followed by the advent of the refrigerated rail-car in 1880. Both of these developments drove employment in the neighborhood, attracting Irish, German, and Czech immigrant families between the 1860’s and 1880’s. By the early 1900’s, the neighborhood was largely populated by Polish, Lithuanian, and Slovak working-class families, with Mexican immigrants settling in Back of the Yards in small numbers by the 1920’s. By the 1970’s, Back of the Yards had become predominantly Latino and had also attracted smaller numbers of African-American families.
The Union Stock Yards began to decline following World War II, due to the rise of the trucking industry and advanced refrigeration techniques which allowed livestock to be slaughtered much closer to where it is farmed. The yards formally closed in 1971, although smaller meat-packers and food distribution businesses remained. Today, the Stockyard Industrial Park is still active, with a range of food processing and distribution businesses, among others. The largest employers of neighborhood residents are the service, manufacturing, transportation, and administrative sectors. However, the decline of the meatpacking industry and the manufacturing sector overall have negatively impacted the local economy of the neighborhood. Population has declined by over 15,000 individuals since 1970, and the 2016 unemployment rate of 17.6% greatly exceeded the citywide average of 5.3%. Back of the Yards residents and organizations remain committed to improving their neighborhood. As early as the 1940’s, Back of the Yards had a very strong community organizing presence, notably through the Back of the Yards Neighborhood Council (BYNC). The BYNC collaborated extensively with existing neighborhood organizations to unite the community around labor practices, homeownership expansion, economic development, and increased employment opportunities. BYNC’s notable accomplishments include assisting in the rehabilitation of 90% of the neighborhood’s housing stock in the 1950’s and 60’s, and driving development of the Damen Yards shopping plaza in 1990. Today, BYNC collaborates with numerous other community organizations in the neighborhood to provide social and cultural activities, youth and adult education programs, and community services, and to drive economic development and job creation.
The entrance gate to the Union Stock Yards, designed by notable Chicago architects Burnham & Root, 1879. Source: NPR, courtesy of Dominic A. Pacyga/University of Chicago Press.
(Sources: Chicago Public Library, ESRI, LISC Chicago, The Newberry Library, United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, University of Chicago Press.)
Back of the Yards Neighborhood Plan
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