Chatham · Cook County · IL
Homes for sale in
Chatham.
- Active listings
- 15
- Median list
- $180K
- Avg time on market
- 98 days
- Sold · last year
- 0
Active listings
15 homes on the market
About the community
Living in Chatham.
Chatham sits on Chicago's South Side, roughly 9 to 10 miles south of the Loop, spanning about 2.92 square miles and bordered by neighbors including Greater Grand Crossing, Avalon Park, Burnside, Park Manor, and West Chesterfield. It is one of the city's 77 official community areas, Community Area 44, and folds in the smaller neighborhoods of Chatham, East Chatham, West Chatham, and part of West Chesterfield. The housing stock is its signature: blocks of solid brick Chicago bungalows and Georgian-style homes, including the West Chatham Bungalow Historic District, with 283 bungalows built between 1913 and 1930 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Since the late 1950s, Chatham has been a central area for Chicago's middle-class African American residents, long prized for intact property standards and strong community organization. The neighborhood earns a Walk Score of 77, rated Very Walkable, and a Transit Score of 67, rated Good Transit, served by CTA Red Line and Metra Electric stations. Per Redfin, a recent median sale price was about $240,000, making Chatham an affordable ownership market relative to the wider city.
At a glance
Population about 31,700
Chatham had 31,710 residents at the 2020 Census, at a density of roughly 10,900 people per square mile.
South Side location
A community area about 9 to 10 miles south of the Loop, covering 2.92 square miles in ZIP codes 60619 and 60620.
Bungalow and Georgian stock
Streets are lined with solid brick Chicago bungalows and Georgians, including the National Register West Chatham Bungalow Historic District.
Walk Score 77
Chatham is rated Very Walkable, meaning most errands can be accomplished on foot.
Transit Score 67
Good Transit, with CTA Red Line stops at 79th and 87th plus Metra Electric service along the eastern edge.
Black middle-class anchor
Since the late 1950s Chatham has been a center of Chicago's Black middle class, home to figures like Mahalia Jackson and Ernie Banks.
Affordable ownership market
Redfin reported a recent median sale price around $240,000, well below the citywide figure.
Cole (Nat King) Park
A 5.86-acre Chicago Park District park named in 1967 for singer Nat King Cole, who grew up nearby.
What it’s actually like to live here
Daily life in Chatham centers on its commercial corridors and parks. The 75th Street Boardwalk, promoted by the Greater Chatham Initiative, anchors local dining, while 79th Street and Cottage Grove Avenue carry much of the neighborhood's everyday shopping and services. Longtime food institutions like Lem's Bar-B-Q, opened by the Lemons brothers in 1954 and at its 75th Street home since 1968, draw visitors from across the city for rib tips. Walk Score counts roughly 97 restaurants, bars, and coffee shops in the area, and residents can typically reach about three within a five-minute walk.
Chatham remains a neighborhood defined by homeownership and civic engagement. Its housing is overwhelmingly owner-occupied single-family brick bungalows and Georgians, and the community has long sustained strong block clubs, civic groups, and business associations such as the Chatham Business Association. Green space is woven through the area, with Cole (Nat King) Park and Tuley (Murray) Park serving as gathering places offering playgrounds, courts, fieldhouses, and seasonal programming. That combination of stable ownership, walkable corridors, transit access, and deep cultural heritage continues to define Chatham's identity.
Neighborhoods
Detailed Chatham community pages coming soon.
Browse the listings above. Detailed neighborhood pages with market stats, school info, and lifestyle take-downs land here as we roll them out.
Around town
What there is to do in Chatham.
A handful of the places people who live here actually use. Not a directory.
- Parks
Cole (Nat King) Park
A 5.86-acre Chicago Park District park named in 1967 for Nat King Cole, with a playground, ball diamonds, basketball, and a clubroom.
- Recreation
Tuley (Murray) Park
One of the neighborhood's largest parks, established in the early 1900s, with tennis courts, a gym, and a playground.
- Dining
Lem's Bar-B-Q
A legendary Chatham mainstay at 311 E 75th St, open since 1954 and famed for some of Chicago's most celebrated rib tips.
- Landmark
West Chatham Bungalow Historic District
A National Register district of 283 classic Chicago bungalows built between 1913 and 1930.
- Shopping
75th Street Boardwalk
A revitalized dining and small-business corridor anchoring the neighborhood's commercial life.
- Culture
Choose Chicago: Chatham
Choose Chicago's official overview of Chatham's culture, history, and South Side attractions.
How Chatham got here
A bit of history.
Chatham developed in earnest in the 1880s, when the area's formerly swampy open land was subdivided and drew Irish, Italian, Hungarian, and later Swedish railroad and steel workers into new housing. Historically the community area knit together three neighborhoods, Avalon Highlands, Chesterfield, and Chatham Fields, and early settlement followed the Illinois Central Railroad tracks. A 1914 subdivision brought strict zoning codes and property standards that shaped the brick bungalows and Georgians still defining the streetscape, and two areas, the West Chatham Bungalow Historic District of 283 bungalows built from 1913 to 1930 and the Garden Homes Historic District, eventually earned listing on the National Register of Historic Places.
In the 1950s and 1960s Chatham underwent a swift demographic transition and emerged as one of the most prominent African American middle-class communities in the country. Doctors, lawyers, teachers, entrepreneurs, and city officials bought homes, founded churches, and opened businesses, drawn by good schools, intact property standards, and high levels of community organization. The neighborhood became home to notable residents including gospel legend Mahalia Jackson, who lived on South Indiana Avenue from 1956 until 1972, Cubs Hall of Famer Ernie Banks, former U.S. Senator Roland Burris, and, more recently, Chance the Rapper, who was raised in West Chatham.
The questions buyers actually ask
Chatham FAQ
The questions I get most from buyers shopping Chatham. If yours isn't here, text 815-355-0582, same-day reply.
- Where is Chatham located?
- Chatham is a community area on Chicago's South Side, roughly 9 to 10 miles south of the Loop, covering about 2.92 square miles in ZIP codes 60619 and 60620.
- What is the housing like in Chatham?
- It is known for solid brick Chicago bungalows and Georgian-style homes, including the National Register West Chatham Bungalow Historic District of 283 bungalows built from 1913 to 1930.
- Is Chatham walkable?
- Yes. Chatham has a Walk Score of 77, rated Very Walkable, meaning most errands can be accomplished on foot.
- How is the commute and transit?
- Chatham has a Transit Score of 67, rated Good Transit, served by CTA Red Line stops at 79th and 87th and by Metra Electric District stations along its eastern border.
- What is Chatham known for?
- It has been a center of Chicago's middle-class African American community since the late 1950s, with notable residents including Mahalia Jackson, Ernie Banks, and Roland Burris.
- What is the price range for homes?
- Redfin reported a recent median sale price of roughly $240,000, making it an affordable ownership market relative to the wider city. Figures update monthly.
- What parks and amenities does Chatham have?
- Gathering places include Cole (Nat King) Park and Tuley (Murray) Park, plus dining corridors like the 75th Street Boardwalk and Cottage Grove Avenue.
Your local agent
Joe knows Chatham
Most agents will list anything. I focus on the places I actually know, and the things that move value here don't show up in the MLS write-up: which streets and buildings hold demand, what the HOA or assessments really cover, how the comps read once you account for condition and location, and where buyers consistently want to be.
When you're ready to tour or list, you want someone who has read the last 50 closed comps in this specific market, not a national average, and can tell you what they actually mean for your price. That's how I work. Text or call any time, and I'll give you a real take, not a brochure.
- Licensed Illinois broker
- Comp-driven pricing
- Chatham specialist
- Honest local market take
- Brokerocity
Thinking of selling?
What's your home actually worth?
Not a Zestimate. A real CMA from someone who's sold this neighborhood, knows the floor plan premiums, and can tell you which upgrades the buyer pool here actually pays for.
- Pricing range with comp-by-comp logic
- Pre-list improvements that pay back, and the ones that don't
- No obligation, no spam, no auto-dialer