Clearing is the 64th of the 77 Chicago community districts. The Midway International Airport on the Southwest side of Chicago has a community partition straight across it. Clearing, a recognized Chicago municipality, is situated on the southern half of the airport. The neighborhood is part of Cook County and occupies a total land area of 2.6 square miles (6.63 km2).
The Clearing neighborhood gets its name from its historical association with the city’s transportation services, like airplanes and railway (railroad lines also went through it) “cleared” the area’s agriculture commodities. Of course, there’s no longer farmland down here, and it hasn’t been in a long time, so now, Clearing is home to many commuters and families.
Being a former agricultural area, it is obvious that Clearing is home to some beautiful parkland. Minuteman Park, Clearing Hale Park, Lawler (Michael) Park and the famous Nottingham Park are some of the sites the residents of Clearing have access to. These parks provide opportunities for calm recreation. Park visitors can unwind in an open green environment while admiring nature’s magnificence. Moreover, people may find water fountains and seating in many of these parks. Lawler Park has a brick recreation center, sandboxes, other playground equipment and organized Little League softball to amuse the residents. Likewise, Clearing residents may find an outdoor swimming pool, field house, ball fields, and playground equipment at Hale Park.
Moreover, Clearing boasts a significant chunk of offices, restaurants, and shopping establishments because of its proximity to Midway. Moreover, there are numerous bars and parks in Clearing. If you’re hungry, there are two locations to look in Clearing. The first is 63rd Street, which runs through the area horizontally. The second best place to eat is on the east side of the community called Cicero Avenue. These serve a wide range of cuisines; Mexican, deli sandwiches, brunch, burgers, hot dogs and pizzas are locals’ favorite options.
Another feature that adds to the attractions of living in Clearing is its convenience to the Downtown Loop. Clearing is only 13.8 miles (22.2 kilometers) away from the downtown Chicago loop; it takes around forty-five minutes to travel to and from Clearing and the Loop by subway. The CTA Orange Line’s arrival has made the area even more accessible, and many cops and firefighters opt to live in Clearing because of its proximity to downtown.
Map
It is bordered on the south by 65th Street, the north by 59th Street, the west by Harlem, and the east by Cicero. The neighborhood encompasses nearly half of Midway Airport.
The Clearing neighborhood is part of the 60638 zip code.
Population
By the mid-nineteenth century, the Clearing area was populated by Dutch and German farmers. After it evolved into a developed community, people of different ethnicities started shifting due to the newly created job opportunities. Today, Clearing is well-known for its diverse cultural background, so much that the percentage of whites is less than people of some other races.
The neighborhood has a middle-class population, making it a moderate-income neighborhood. According to various data sources, the Clearing community has a greater income than 57.5 percent of American neighborhoods. Furthermore, 11.3 percent of the neighborhood’s children aged 17 and younger live below the federal poverty line, a lower proportion of childhood poverty than observed in 54.1 percent of America’s areas.
The total population in Chicago’s Clearing region was 24,473 people as of 2020. This population experienced an increase of 5.8 percent from the 2010 demographics. Native Americans constitute 82.9 percent of this figure, while the remaining 17.1 per cent go to foreign settlers.
In Clearing, Hispanics constitute more population percentage than whites and any other castes. Their share in the population is 54.1 per cent. Following immediately after are the whites at 41.8 per cent, Blacks at 2.3 per cent, and Asians at 0.5 per cent. Other non-Hispanic races cover 1.3 per cent of the demographic structure.
Real Estate
Schools are new, there are vast parks, numerous summer events, nice neighbors, and many retailers are within walking distance. Recent statistics show that there are a total of 8,884 households in Chicago’s Clearing neighborhood. 27.7 percent of these households comprise a single person, while 27.3 percent inhabit two people. Three-person households account for 14.7 per cent, and four persons make up 30.3 percent of the Clearing households.
The abundance of schools, parks, and other recreation and commercial sites in the vicinity makes it a desired locality for Americans and people of other races. The Clearing neighborhood has proven to be a friendly place for many newcomers to Chicago. There are several cultural businesses, restaurants, and churches catering to a wide spectrum of cultures and faiths throughout the area.
Parks in the Clearing area arrange Night Outs that bring residents together to chat, dance, sing, and immerse in cultural programs throughout the area. The series supports the artists, enables community-based partnerships and initiatives, cultivates civic involvement, and ensures equity in access to the arts for all Clearing dwellers through theater, music, cinema, dance, site-specific performances, nature programs, and community festivals.
Since 1988, homeowners in the Clearing area have participated in the Southwest Home Equity Assurance program, which protects them against the loss of their home’s value. Participants can have their properties appraised by paying a one-time fee. This guarantee program compensates for the difference if a member sells a home for less than the appraised value.
People usually live in condos in this neighborhood, but some older brick houses are also accessible. Around 95.7 per cent of the Clearing households are occupied, while 4.3 per cent of housing units are vacant.
Because of these amenities, housing prices in Chicago’s Clearing neighborhood have increased by 0.4% since December 2021. The current listed value of the Clearing real estate is $270,000, which is less than the Chicago median average of $335,000.
Schools
The literacy levels of Clearing are average, according to population statistics. According to recent estimates from the American Community Survey, 36.2 percent of the population had a high school diploma, 8.8 per cent had an Associate degree, 14.3 per cent had a Bachelor’s degree, and 5.0 per cent had a Graduate or Professional degree.
Clearing has a wide range of public and private schools. The following are some of the best Clearing neighborhood schools, along with their ratings:
1- John C. Haines Elementary School
Rating: B+
Student population: 634
Teacher-student ratio: 18: 1
2- Nathan Hale Elementary School
Rating: B-
Student population: 509
Teacher-student ratio: 14:1
3- Blair Early Childhood Center
Rating: B+
Student population: 145
Teacher-student ratio: 6:1
4- John F. Kennedy High School
Rating: C+
Student population: 1,544
Teacher-student ratio: 15:1
5- St. Symphorosa Elementary School
Rating: A
Student population: 240
Teacher-student ratio: 21:1
6- Louis Pasteur Elementary School
Rating: C+
Student population: 582
Teacher-student ratio: 15:1
Crime Ratings
Clearing is a safe region to live in. The residents are actively involved in the community, with a neighborhood watch group called the Clearing Night Force patrolling the area to keep it safe and tidy. In District 17, the murder remained o in both 2021 and 2022. Robbery cases saw a sharp decline from 22 to 7, burglary cases reduced from 21 to 14 and theft cases, following the same fashion, also reduced from 27 to 19.
History
The origins of Clearing’s history are buried in mystery. As early as 1870, maps began to reveal an unusual subdivision. A local novelist and historian, Robert Hill, referred to the neighborhood as the “Lost Village.”
Long John Wentworth, a U.S. Senator and former mayor of Chicago, was the area’s largest landowner. In 1868, Wentworth erected a residence on the corner of 55th and Harlem. Wentworth’s 4,700 acres included territory that would eventually become Clearing, Summit, and Garfield Ridge. The name Clearing comes from an intended railway switching yard. In 1888, A. B. Stickney, head of the Chicago Great Western Railway, drew up a one-mile circle plan for Stickney’s Circular. Workers would be able to unload and load items in this loop, avoiding rail jams closer to downtown. After this idea failed, Stickney attempted to rival the Union Stock Yard in 1891 by striking a partnership with the upstart Chicago National Stockyards. This initiative, however, failed, owing in part to a nationwide economic downturn that lasted from 1893 to 1897. “Stickney’s Circle” later emerged as “Stickney’s Folly.”
George Hill opened a hardware shop in 1909, one of the town’s early offices. Citizens voted to establish as a village three years later. The Chicago Transfer and Clearing Company had integrated the freight car changing hub with 18 industries by 1915, and the city had annexed Clearing.
The Clearing Industrial District increased from 18 industries in 1915 to over 90 by 1928. In 1926, the Chicago Public Schools rented land in Clearing and Garfield Ridge to the municipality to construct an airport on the Southwest Side. The Chicago Municipal Airport was established in 1927 by Mayor William Hale Thompson. There were four runways in 1928, but by 1941, there were sixteen. In 1949, the airport was later named Midway Airport to commemorate World War II successes at Midway Island.
Clearing saw a postwar housing and economic boom, with the population increasing from 6,068 in 1940 to 24,911 in 1970. By 1970, the Bedford-Clearing Industrial Zone had attracted more than 300 businesses. Over half of those companies departed Clearing for other sites during the economic downturn from 1974 to 1984, lowering the number of enterprises to 175 and employees from 50,000 to a little over 19,000. With the rebirth of Midway Airport in 1985, some stability has returned.
