Hey, it's Curious City Digital and Engagement Producer Maggie Sivitt.

And this week, Curious City heads to Pilsen to kick off an occasional series we're doing about Chicago's neighborhoods.

And we wanted to start in Pilsen because it's a neighborhood we get asked about a lot.

Perhaps the thing we heard most frequently when we spent some time in the neighborhood

is that there's a resounding sense of community.

And all of you know, it's a very friendly, you know.

I think this neighborhood is very unique.

It has great spaces for the families to do things around.

I do feel like there's a strong sense of community

amongst the people that spend a lot of time in this neighborhood. Pilsen is a

place amigable. Pilsen is a place where we know all. I feel at home, you know, and I'm from

the north side. I grew up in Homo Park. That area is obviously very,

very gentrified right now. So I go outside and I don't see people that look like myself.

So I love that, like, here I could walk to La Casa de Pueblo, and it's just like I feel like

I'm at home with my Tias or something. Definitely the community, like the sense of community you get

within your neighbors, they look out for you.

Hilsen is a community built through decades of social activism, civic engagement, artistic expression, and appreciation.

The neighborhood was first settled by Irish and German immigrants, who were soon supplanted by a large influx of Czech immigrants.

They gave the neighborhood its name.

But it's known today for its Mexican and Mexican-American population,

who first began moving in during the 50s and 60s,

some who'd been displaced by the construction of expressways or by the creation of the UIC campus.

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