Research Guides: SBNM 5910: Health Law: Community Information

Chicago Community Areas

General information about Chicago community areas.

Community Area Maps
The city of Chicago has several maps here that show the official boundaries of each community area.
Community Area Map with Zipcodes
This map shows you which zipcodes coincide with each community area.
Chicago Retail Market Analysis
An abbreviated version of the Citywide Retail Market Analysis. Includes 16 submarket profiles that represent Chicago’s neighborhood retail activity.
Chicago Neighborhood Resources Directory
Contains listings of health care, nutrition, social services, education, senior services, and employment for Chicago’s 77 Community Areas.
Community Area Populations
Chicago community area population comparisons from 2000 and 2010 census.

Education

Data and reports about Chicago area public schools.

School & City Wide Reports
Individual school and city-wide data. Includes demographics, school report cards and student/parent survey results.
Illinois Report Card
Information about public schools across Illinois. Each report card includes student characteristics (race, ethnicity, and the percentage of students at each school who do not have permanent/adequate homes or live in a low-income household). TIP: You can also click the "highlights" link to find out if the school offers physical education and health/nutrition courses.
Illinois State Board of Education
Information about School Report Cards and enrollment figures can be found under "School Information" and then "Data Analysis." You can also find interesting health data about the number of schoolchildren who are immunized, or lead screening in the schools, etc.
Chicago Public School Tiers
A student's chance of getting into the city's top, selective schools depends on where he or she lives. CPS places every part of the city into one of four socio-economic "tiers." Use this tool to find what tier you are in.
5 Essentials School Reports
Learn how schools across the city perform on the five factors that matter most for student learning. Project developed by the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research.

Health and Wellness

Information about health and wellness.

Department of Public Health
The mission of the Chicago Department of Public Health is to make Chicago a safer and healthier place by working with community partners to promote health, prevent disease, reduce environmental hazards and ensure access to health care for all Chicagoans.
Illinois State Snapshot
You can see the Department of Health and Human Service's overall statistics for health care in Illinois here. You can also compare this to other states.

Crime and Safety

Information about crime, safety, and sources of protection.

Chicago Police Department
Get a sense of the crime problems in your neighborhood. 1) Click the "My District" link to find your district and beat. You can also view city-wide data by clicking "From Police" and then "Other Statistical Reports"
Everyblock Chicago
Crime statistics by ward, type of crime, by neighborhood and other categories as compiled by the Chicago Police Department
Crime in Chicago
Crime in Chicago is a data visualization by Open City that lets you explore crime trends in Chicago's 50 wards. It was built using open data about Chicago crimes released by the Chicago Police Department.
Gang Map of Chicago
Map of gang territories in the city.
Neighborhood Scout
Crime rates and statistics by neighborhood.
FBI's Crime in the U.S Report
The FBI tracks crime by state and city across the country. Data is from the 2011 Crime in the U.S Report

Encyclopedia of Chicago (Print)

The Encyclopedia of Chicago
Call Number: F548.3 .E53 2004 REF
Historical reference work covering Chicago and the entire Chicago metropolitan area published by the University of Chicago Press.

Historical Information

Encyclopedia of Chicago (Online)
Online version of the print encyclopedia. Short articles on all aspects of Chicago such as history and neighborhoods.
Chicago Public Libraries
Use the "Hours and Location" search box (upper right corner) to find the local library for your community. Public libraries are a good source for community information, community history, and photos.

Helpful Maps

Use these maps to locate resources and public instiutions.

City of Chicago Interactive Map
Under "Map Layers" in the menu on the left, you can select a public institution (such as hospitals, police stations, CTA stops, or schools) to see where those institutions are located.
CTA Bus and Train Maps
Find out what transportation is available in and through your community.
Google Maps
1) Enter in a major intersection (or address) located in the neighborhood you are researching and click "search." 2) Under "Explore this area" click "Search Nearby." 3) Enter in the name of what you would like to find. For example, search for nearby hospitals, schools, grocery stores, parks, etc.

CTA Ridership Data

CTA Ridership Reports
Provides the latest data and information about ridership of the CTA system.

More about your community

Community Organizations
Does your community have a community association, commerce group or newspaper? Search Google for [your community] AND IL AND association. Other terms you can use include: organization, chamber, council or alliance. These organizations may show you what are the concerns and strengths of the community may be.

Wards and Aldermen
Many wards and aldermen have their own webpages or facebook pages. They will give news about events and news (and what they are are doing that their constituents want). Check these out. Be sure you get the official webpages, not third party pages about the wards or aldermen. To see what wards or aldermen are in your community:

SBNM 5910: Health Law: Community Information