Global Studies - Neighborhood Research: Digging Deeper: Primary & Secondary Sources

Search this archive of one of Chicago's Black newspapers; years of coverage are 1909-2010.

Search for newspaper articles from the Chicago Tribune (1849-1996) and other major U.S. newspapers.

Perform a keyword search to find scholarly and general information about your topic.

Make an account and search census data for Chicago zip codes and neighborhoods.

Find general information on your topic by doing a keyword search. This is a great alternative to Wikipedia that can be cited as a credible source (unlike Wikipedia).

Search archived materials (photographs, papers, etc) organized by neighborhood and topic. When you find your neighborhood/community area, narrow your results on the left side of the page.

Browse digital collections containing photographs and documents, organized by topics including Chicago parks, theaters, civil rights, etc.

Browse a list of historic maps of Chicago.

This census data is from the last 10 years only. View data from Chicago compared to national data.

Browse this Library of Congress exhibit to find primary source documents on the Great Migration.

Browse the original color-coded maps, digitized and made interactive by University of Virginia researchers, created by Home Owners Loan Corporation (HOLC) between 1935-40, from which we derive the word "redlining." Click on neighborhoods to read area descriptions, many of which denote the racial composition of neighborhoods.

To cite this source, use the following information:
Where is it?: Website
What is it?: Map or Chart, published in an archive
Container website: American Panorama
Publisher of the site: University of Richmond
Contributors: Robert K. Nelson, LaDale Winling, Richard Marciano, Nathan Connolly
Title: Mapping Inequality
Year created: (leave blank)

Sources compiled by the Newberry Library and the Chicago Historical Society. Be sure to check the "See Also" box at the top of your search results for further search suggestions.

Offers detailed history of Chicago's L stations and lines. Select "History and Chronology" or select an L station in your neighborhood by selecting "Stations."

This website does not have a search function, however there are several articles here on important sites around Chicago. Click "articles" and browse the articles on this site.

Browse articles and summaries related to politics, housing, policing, etc.

Browse article titles and summaries from Chicago History Magazine to locate articles you want to find in the archive (link below).

Use the index (link above) to find articles you want to find in this collection.

Community Data Snapshots summarize demographic, housing, employment, transportation, land use, revenue, and water data in northeastern Illinois. Each year, CMAP updates these snapshots for the region’s seven counties, 284 communities, and 77 Chicago neighborhoods.
Find a printable PDF of your community’s information by using the Community Data Snapshot map or by selecting the county, municipality, or Chicago neighborhood links.