Introduction
South Lawndale (Little Village) is located on the west side of the city of Chicago, lllinois, Is one of the 77 well defined Chicago community areas.

History
After the great Chicago fire of October 1871, many residents of Chicago were looking to move away from the crowded city. Areas on the city’s outskirts were quickly being developed, even as the ashes and rubble from the great fire were still being cleared. In 1871, Chicago real estate investors wanted to build an affluent subdivision in the suburban area west of Chicago, choosing an area just short of the Chicago city limits. The original subdivision was bound by Twenty-second Street, Twenty-sixty Street, Hamlin Avenue and Homan Avenue. Investors decided to built all homes to be constructed of brick, ranging from $2,500 to $8,500. ( Chicago Littles Village)
By the turn of the 20th century, the west side of Chicago would become the largest industrial section of the city, and as a result, the more affluent residents began to move away from the Little Village area. They would eventually be replaced by immigrants, mostly of Eastern European extraction, from Czech Republican, Poland, Germany, and Hungary.
Fast forwarding to the early 1960’s, Little Village began showing some troubling signs of change. Many of the community’s residents were moving farther west to the Czech-dominated suburbs of Cicero and Berwyn. This was largely due to fear based on the rapid changes just north of Little Village community, which boarder this community. African Americans began moving North of Little Village community, and within two years, the neighborhood’s demographic shifted from 99 percent white to 9 percent white. Media in the early 1960s had branded North Lawndale as “slumdale,” or as being one of the most depressed and impoverished neighborhoods in the United States.
In the mid-1970’s the flow of Mexicans into Little Village was moving at the power and speed of a steam locomotive. By 1980, Mexicans had become the dominant ethnic group in Little Village, and by 2000, the overall neighborhood population had grown by 50 percent. Little Village continues to be an amazing place full of culture, and the general atmosphere of the neighborhood has taken on a life of its own. The Mexican people are very passionate about the Little Village Community, or La Villita as they call it. Little Village will continue to hold its title as the largest Mexican-American community in the State of Illinois well into the future. (Chicago’s Little Village)

Physical Environment

Little Village housing stock contributes to neighborhood stability. Of 19,000 units about 7,000 are owner-occupied and more than 12,000 are in two flats and three flats that provide rental income for the owners. Most homes are solid and well maintained, and their custom iron fences, fresh tuck-pointing and decorative gardens reflect the masonry, carpentry, painting and metalwork skills of the residents. The neighborhood has problems with overcrowding, neglectful landlords and predatory lending, but there are few vacant lots or empty buildings. Property values have risen steadily yet remain affortdable by Chicago standards, with a median sale price of $124,000 for a single-family home in 2012.
South Lawndale/Little Village is predominantly a rental market, with 61.5% of residents living in rental housing units in 2000. Vacancy and abandoned buildings are not a major issue in South Lawndale/Little Village as 91.5% of housing units are occupied. According to many real estate experts, the housing crisis of 2007-2008 hit South Lawndale/Little Village especially hard. Compared to the other 77 Chicago community areas, the neighborhood had one of the highest drops in sale prices in late 2007.
Little Village’s trademark is the arch that says “Bienvenidos a Little Village. This community has over 50 ethnic restaurants, and disperse street vendors selling everything from corn in a stick to home made foods. According to the Little Village Chamber of Commerce, more than 1000 businesses generated nearly $900 million in sales in 2001. Residents and business owners are recognized for their work ethic, family and community commitment and entrepreneurship. The economic heart of South Lawndale/Little Village is 26th Street, which some claim has the second highest business revenue in Chicago after Michigan Avenue. This main boulevard is also home to Chicago's Mexican Independence Day parade in mid-September. As for major industries in the area, manufacturing is the strongest industry in South Lawndale/Little Village, employing 32.6% of the neighborhood's population.
Little Village is served by a large number of resource organizations including churches the majority catholic and Methodist institutions.

Recreation
Little Village is one of Chicago’s most densely populated working-class neighborhoods, yet has few public recreational facilities. Enlace Chicago, Beyond the Ball, and their community partners have made expanding access to safe parks and open space a priority through a local quality-of-life plan developed in conjunction with LISC Chicago’s New Communities Program, which supports locally driven, comprehensive community development. Beyond the Ball will program the playing field to provide healthy activities for youth and to reclaim open green space for the public. Little Village residents do not have access to the same opportunities available to those who employ them. Neighborhood schools fall below state standards. Children play on the streets due to a lack of parks, playgrounds, and green space. Residents must consistently face the violence that sporadically erupts between gangs.

Education

There are 26 elementary schools, three middle and six high schools in the county. A school for special needs students, an alternative school for students dealing with behavioral issues and other issues are available to students. The community lacks trade schools, community colleges. The nearest college campus University of Illinois at Chicago has established The Early Outreach Program at the University of Illinois at Chicago was established in 1979 to serve as the pre-college program implementation unit for the University's Urban Health Program. The first Early Outreach Program, Saturday College, was implemented in January 1980. It has been the model from which all other programs have been developed. Early Outreach operates one of the most comprehensive Saturday College Programs in the country. Saturday College has been recognized as a successful or exemplary program by the U.S. Department of Education, the American Association for Higher Education, and the Association of American Medical Colleges. In 1998, it received President Clinton's High Hopes for College for America's Youth Award for the Hispanic Math/Science Education Initiative (HMSEI). In 1999, Early Outreach was listed as a model program on the United States Department of Education's website and the Director was invited to a Congressional Hearing to provide testimony on the need to continue funding programs like the Early Outreach Program.
The goal of Early Outreach is to identify talented minority and underrepresented students early in their academic careers and design, implement, and coordinate programs that groom students for college and professional careers. Each year, Early Outreach coordinates academic enrichment programs for approximately 800-1,300 students in grades three through twelve (depending on the funding). we currently have partnerships with eighteen elementary schools, four high schools, one community college, and the Golden Apple Foundation. We conduct in-house programs at five elementary schools, all students except those participants of HMSEI (including those from the five in-house programs) attend programs that convene on UIC's campus, either daily or weekly depending on the program. HMSEI conducts the vast majority of its activities at Malcolm X College. There are currently three occasions during the year when students and their parents from our various programs meet jointly.

Younger children are included in educational offerings in Cleveland County. There are 72 licensed and regulated child care facilities in the county offering programs for pre-school students as well as after-school care. 7.2% or 7,056 individuals of the total population of the county is five years of age or under. This percentage mirrors that of North Carolina which has 6.6% of the total population five years of age or under. 1,871 children ages 0-12 are served by these child care facilities with 906 or 48% receiving subsidized care. An additional 412 children are on the waiting list for child care subsidies. Two agencies serve the families of preschool children. The Cleveland County Partnership for Children oversees programs funded by the Smart Start initiative and provides administrative oversight for the NC-Pre-K program formerly known as More at Four. Child Care Connections of Cleveland County serves as a resource and referral site for providers and parents and maintains a data base of available training opportunities for child care providers and a listing of licensed and regulated facilities for parents seeking child care. Head Start services are provided through Cleveland County Schools and are administered by the Office of School Readiness.
Data provided by the Cleveland County School system in December 2011 reveals the following information:

The 2010 average SAT score for the county was 1,450 compared to the state average score of 1,485.
Cleveland County is fortunate to have an active “C lose the Gap” Committee working to decrease the educational achievement gap between white and minority students for fifteen years. This committee sponsors an annual education summit to keep the community informed about progress in meeting achievement goals, challenges to the schools and recruitment of volunteer support for minority students in the schools. The committee has also worked to diversify the faculty and staff of the school system to reflect the racial/ethnic makeup of the population of the county.
Additional data provided by the 2010 Census regarding the educational status of individuals ages 25 and older documents the following:
Educational status affects an individual’s ability to understand and manage identified health issues and is one of the social determinants of health.
“The area’s schools are packed beyond capacity, are cultivating a generation of frustrated youth, many of whom drop out and join street gangs.”
Safey-
Communication
“The church is seen as a continuation of their lifestyle, not only religiously but culturally. It is a social gathering place as well as a place to get help finding jobs” The church remains a social and political center for residents of Little Village. These churches form the core of the United Neighborhood Organization (UNO), the only citywide Hispanic grassroots organizing effort.

Politics and Governemnt

Economics

Safety

Health and Social Services

Health Statues

Conclusion