Greektown and Chicago

The first Greeks arrived in the Chicago area in the 1840's. These men worked as sailors and merchants around the Great Lakes area. After the Chicago fire, a Greek named Christ Chakonas began to recruit Greeks from his native Sparta to come to America and help establish am ethnic community on the Near North Side. Later the Greek community moved to the Near West Side around the streets of Halsted, Harrisson, and Blue Island. At the beginning of the 19th century, Chicago became the center for Greek immigration in the entire country. Originally the men got construction work, but soon most Greeks were involved in the food business, either as food peddlers or restaurateurs. Many Greeks also opened shops selling ethnic goods, ice cream, and flowers. Hull House was opened in the vicinity in 1889 and contributed greatly to the success of the Greek immigrants. An ethnic enclave with its own Greek culture was established that was mostly unchanged until the 1960's. Most children of Greek parents went to Chicago Public Schools, although most were also enrolled in afternoon and Saturday schools teaching Orthodox Christianity, and the Greek Language. In the 1960's Greektown began to change. The Eisenhower Expressway was built and so was the University of Illinois in Chicago. The University of Illinois brought a new college atmosphere to the area, and many students of various ethnicities moved into the area. Also in 1968 the first Gyro in America was made in Chicago's Greektown, and this soon brought many Americans to Greektown to try this new food. The area's many restaurants began to be visited by Chicagoans and tourists interested in the cuisine and culture. Many new small businesses, shops, and restaurants grew up in the area as interest in Greek culture increased. The taste of Greece was created to showcase the various foods the neighborhood had to offer, and parades were hosted to show off Greek pride. In 1996 Greektown was renovated by the City and several Greek Style pavilions were added around the neighborhood. A Greek cultural Museum was opened in the area in 2005 showing the history of Greek immigration in America, and the effects Hull House had on it. Since UIC's opening many Greeks have moved on to the Northern and Western Suburbs, and Greektown is mainly a cultural center. Today, Greektown is an ethnically mixed neighborhood, yet it is still dotted with dozens of shops and restaurants showing off the area's historically

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