Pilsen's center is at 18th and Halsted and it radiates out mainly to the west and south from there. Centered at Halsted and 18th streets just southwest of the Loop.
Pilsen, founded one year before the Great Chicago Fire, derives its name from a city in Czechoslovakian. It was originally home to the nation's largest settlement of Bohemian-Americans. At the turn of the century it was the principal port of entry in Chicago for German immigrants, followed by immigrants from Ireland, Poland, and Lithuania. During the 1950s, Mexican families began to move into the neighborhood.
Pilsen now contains the largest Mexican-American community in Chicago. A reproduction of Mexico City's symbolic eagle sits perched on a stone pedestal at 18th Street and Blue Island Avenue The main hub of the Mexican community extends along side 18th Street, where taquerias, food markets, restaurants, and clothing stores can be found. Spanish is commonly heard along the sidewalks and Tejano music in the shops. This street also has a large collection of colorful murals and mosaics that liven up buildings.
Pilsen hosts several notable festivals of Latino origin that attract visitors from throughout the city. Twenty-sixth Street is the site of the Mexican Independence Day Parade, the largest Latino parade in the city. During the first weekend in August, there is the three-day Fiesta del Sol, one of the city's largest neighborhood festivals. And in September, the neighborhood's annual Day of the Dead celebration begins.
A large artist community has been drawn to Pilsen partly by the availability of loft space since the mid-1950s. The Pilsen East Artists Open House occurs during the last weekend of September, when artists who live around 18th and 19th streets near Halsted Street open their studios to the public. It is a true open studio walk, and the interior courtyards are also used as exhibit space. The Podmajersky family have supported artists and the Pilsen community for over forty years and started the event in the mid-1960s.
Pilsen is home to some of the oldest housing in the city of Chicago. Many of the warehouses and factories that were built around the rail lines are still standing. In contrast are the old stone commercial spaces and walk-ups along 18th Street some dating back to before the 1877 Chicago Fire. Each block in Pilsen is an unusual mix of residential, commercial, and industrial buildings with some vacant lots. In recent years, new single-family homes have been built to encourage families to stay in Pilsen.
L stop at 18th Street, in the northwest corner of Pilsen. Buses run on Cermak, 18th Street and Blue Island.
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