Hyde Park, Chicago: Community Area #41 Guide

Hyde Park is Chicago community area #41, on the South Side lakefront about 6 miles southeast of the Loop. It is home to the University of Chicago, the Museum of Science and Industry and Frank Lloyd Wright’s Robie House. CMAP estimates its population at 30,599 (2020–2024 ACS).

Fact	Details
Community area number	41
Side of the city	South Side
Population (2020–2024 ACS estimate, CMAP)	30,599
Neighborhoods within	Hyde Park, East Hyde Park, South Kenwood (often grouped)
Main Metra stations	Metra Electric: 51st/53rd St./Hyde Park, 55th-56th-57th St., 59th St./University of Chicago
Major parks	Jackson Park (northern end), Promontory Point, Midway Plaisance

Boundaries

Hyde Park runs from 51st Street (Hyde Park Boulevard) on the north to the Midway Plaisance on the south. Washington Park forms the west edge and Lake Michigan the east edge.

Neighborhoods within Hyde Park

Hyde Park proper, around the University of Chicago.
East Hyde Park, east of the Metra tracks.
South Kenwood, technically in Kenwood but often grouped as “Hyde Park–Kenwood.”

History

New York lawyer Paul Cornell bought 300 acres in 1853 and gave 60 acres to the Illinois Central in exchange for a station. Hyde Park was annexed to Chicago in 1889, and the University of Chicago, backed by John D. Rockefeller on land donated by Marshall Field, opened in the early 1890s.

The 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Jackson Park brought hundreds of new buildings. By the late 1950s, the first federally sponsored urban renewal plan was under way here; it took nearly a decade and displaced many residents.

Landmarks and parks

University of Chicago campus.
Museum of Science and Industry, in the former Palace of Fine Arts from the 1893 fair.
Robie House (1908), a Frank Lloyd Wright design and National Historic Landmark.
Promontory Point, a man-made peninsula at 55th Street.
Midway Plaisance, linking Jackson Park and Washington Park.

Getting there

Metra Electric serves Hyde Park with stops at 51st/53rd St./Hyde Park, 55th-56th-57th St. and 59th St./University of Chicago. Hyde Park has no L station; the nearest are on the Green Line at 47th and 51st and the Red Line at 47th, connected by CTA buses.

Frequently asked questions

Is the University of Chicago in Hyde Park?

Yes. The university’s main campus is in Hyde Park.

How do you get to Hyde Park from downtown?

Take the Metra Electric line to 51st/53rd, 55th-56th-57th or 59th Street. There is no L station in Hyde Park.

Is the Museum of Science and Industry in Hyde Park?

Yes. It occupies the former Palace of Fine Arts from the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition.