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The West Side is one of the three major sections of the city of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois along with the North Side and the South Side.〔http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/53.html〕 The West Side consists of communities that are of historical, cultural, and ideological importance to the history and development of Chicago. On the municipal flag of Chicago,〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Municipal Flag of Chicago )〕 the West Side is represented by the central white stripe. Often referenced by the media as a largely poor, crime-ridden area of the city,〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Taking sides on the city's geography )〕 the West Side has gone through many transitions in its ethnic and socioeconomic makeup due to its historic role as a gateway for immigrants and migrants as well as its role for funneling poorer residents away from the wealthier lakeside neighborhoods and central business district.〔http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/93.html〕 Today, the West Side consists of large communities of widely working class, low-income, and poverty-stricken Black, Puerto Rican, and Mexican residents; very small communities of blue-collar, lower middle class and middle class white residents of historically Polish, Italian, Czech, and Greek, descent; and newer communities of middle-class and upper-middle class white residents designed and created by gentrification. Major shifts continue to happen due to forces such as rapid gentrification, selective corporate investments, and unequal distribution of city resources.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Humboldt Park residents feel sting of foreclosures )〕〔http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/511.html〕 There are a range of services available on the West Side, especially educational, cultural, and medical institutions. One of the nation's largest urban medical districts, the Illinois Medical District, is located on the West Side.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Facts / Figures - Illinois Medical District )〕 Three of Chicago's largest parks, along with much of the city's boulevard system, are located in this part of the city: Humboldt Park, Garfield Park, and Douglas Park. The West Side is very accessible by the interstate and public transportation via the Chicago Transit Authority's many bus routes, the Chicago 'L', the Metra commuter rail, and the Eisenhower Expressway. Additionally, Cook County Jail, the United States' largest single site jail, and a secretive interrogation facility maintained by the Chicago Police Department, are both located on the West Side.〔http://abc7chicago.com/news/cpd-releases-fact-sheet-on-homan-square-facility/539346/〕 ==Boundaries== As with the other sides of the city, there is no consensus as to the exact boundaries of the West Side. The city's annexation of land beyond the original western border at Wood Street gave way to the development of the West Side.〔 The city legislature added more land in 1869 through the annexation of West Town area, and the rest of the area was absorbed in 1899 through the annexation of the Austin area. Before the 1909 re-numbering of Chicago's street addresses, all addresses west of the Chicago River were designated as "west," but this changed with the establishment of the address numbering system Chicago uses today.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Chicago Street Numbering )〕〔http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/3876.html〕 Madison Street is designated as the north-south axis and State Street as the east-west axis, but State Street is not included in and geographically very distant from the West Side. The most commonly referenced borders by officials that are assigned to the West Side are North Avenue to the north and 31st Street to the south.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=City of Chicago :: West Side TIF District Map )〕 The western border is where the edge of the city meets the western suburbs of Oak Park and Cicero. These two suburbs border the communities of Austin, Lawndale, and Little Village. The eastern border is often the most disputed border by residents, real estate brokers, and city officials.〔 While some will claim Western Avenue is the eastern border, those in the communities east of Western Avenue such as West Town, the Near West Side, and Pilsen have more historical and cultural ties to the West Side and the central, inner city area more so than to the North Side or South Side. In certain texts, the communities within West Town and Pilsen are grouped together as the Near Northwest Side and Near Southwest Side respectively.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Chicago's Neighborhood Borders - Illinois Humanities Council )〕 Therefore, using the Chicago River as an eastern border of the West Side becomes suitable. Regardless of how the boundaries are defined, the West Side is the smallest in area of the three sections of the city, with an area of 34.7 square miles.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Chicago Neighborhoods )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「West Side, Chicago」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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