West Pullman · Cook County · IL
Homes for sale in
West Pullman.
- Active listings
- 54
- Median list
- $157K
- Avg time on market
- 39 days
- Sold · last year
- 265
Active listings
54 homes on the market
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About the community
Living in West Pullman.
West Pullman sits on Chicago's Far South Side, Community Area 53, roughly 14 miles south of the Loop and a short distance west of the historic Pullman district and the Calumet industrial corridor. The neighborhood was first settled by Pullman company workers who wanted to escape the corporate control of George Pullman's company town, and it soon filled with industrial workers of every background. It was launched as an industrial and residential subdivision in 1891 by the West Pullman Land Association, which recruited factories to its own industrial district and built homes for the working families who staffed them. Located along several major railways and the Calumet Sag Channel, it was, and remains, a mostly blue-collar community. Much of the heavy industry the area relied on disappeared in the late twentieth century, and the neighborhood lags behind the rest of Chicago economically. Today the housing stock is dominated by modest single-family homes, and prices are among the lowest in the city, with homes around a $193,000 median and roughly $109 per square foot. The neighborhood is home to four stations on the Metra Electric District's Blue Island branch, giving residents a direct rail link toward downtown. Walk Score rates the area car-dependent at 49 but credits it with good transit and decent bikeability, making it one of the most affordable entry points for ownership in Chicago.
At a glance
Far South Side, Area 53
West Pullman is Community Area 53, about 14 miles south of the Loop on Chicago's Far South Side.
Population about 24,470
The neighborhood had roughly 24,470 residents as of 2023 across a 3.58 square mile area.
Industrial heritage
It was launched in 1891 by the West Pullman Land Association as its own industrial and residential subdivision.
Very affordable single-family stock
Homes list around a $193,000 median, among the lowest prices in Chicago.
Walk Score 49
Rated car-dependent, where most errands require a car.
Transit Score 54
Good transit, with about six bus lines passing through.
Metra Electric access
West Pullman hosts four Metra Electric Blue Island branch stations: Racine, State Street, Stewart Ridge, and West Pullman.
West Pullman Park
A 16.33-acre Chicago Park District park with an indoor pool, two gymnasiums, a natural savanna area, and ball fields.
What it’s actually like to live here
West Pullman is one of Chicago's most affordable places to buy a home. The market is built around modest single-family houses, with homes listing at about a $193,000 median and a median of roughly $109 per square foot. The median household income in the neighborhood is about $33,898, reflecting its working-class character. Habitat for Humanity has built and continues to build single-family homes throughout the community, adding to the ownership stock. It is a quiet, predominantly residential area that scores 49 on Walk Score but offers good transit at a Transit Score of 54 and reasonable bikeability.
Daily life centers on the parks and the rail line. West Pullman Park anchors the neighborhood with 16.33 acres, an indoor pool, two gymnasiums, multi-purpose clubrooms, a natural savanna area, and seasonal day camps and after-school programs. Four Metra Electric Blue Island branch stations sit inside the neighborhood, giving commuters a rail link toward downtown, though the West Pullman station itself is lightly used. Challenges remain real, as the neighborhood lags the rest of Chicago economically, has carried high unemployment, and has worked for years to clean up old industrial sites, including turning a former brownfield into a community garden.
Around town
What there is to do in West Pullman.
A handful of the places people who live here actually use. Not a directory.
- Parks
West Pullman Park
A 16.33-acre Chicago Park District park with an indoor pool, two gymnasiums, a natural savanna area, and ball fields, at 401 W. 123rd St.
- Parks
Major Taylor Trail
A 6-mile rail-trail running through the Far South Side near West Pullman, named for cyclist Marshall Major Taylor.
- Family
Salvation Army Kroc Center
A large community recreation and aquatics center serving West Pullman and the greater Far South Side.
- Culture
Pullman National Historical Park
A National Park Service unit in the adjacent Pullman area, the 19th-century planned company town and site of the 1894 Pullman Strike, just north of West Pullman.
- Parks
Kensington Park
A small Chicago Park District park near West Pullman's northern edge with a basketball court and playground equipment.
- Family
West Pullman Metra Station
A Metra Electric Blue Island branch commuter rail stop over Halsted Street, one of four such stations in the neighborhood.
By the numbers
West Pullman taxes + market stats.
Property tax rates vary by exact township and assessor district. Confirm per address before pricing a purchase.
Median sold price
$180,000
MRED · last 12 mo (265 sales)
How West Pullman got here
A bit of history.
West Pullman grew out of several older settlements that University of Chicago sociologists merged into one community area in the 1920s. The oldest was Kensington, founded in the 1850s at the junction of the Illinois Central and Michigan Central railroads, followed by the village of Gano, settled by Pullman workers who wanted to own their own homes and escape the corporate control of George Pullman's company town. The neighborhood itself was launched as an industrial and residential subdivision in 1891 by the West Pullman Land Association, which recruited factories to its own industrial district, separate from Pullman's company town, and built homes for the working families who depended on them. Immigrant working-class families settled in, including Germans, Scandinavians, Italians, Poles, Hungarians, Lithuanians, and Armenians, many of whom built their own churches and ethnic institutions. Mechanics and laborers worked at International Harvester, Whitman and Barnes, Carter White Lead Paint, and other plants in the West Pullman industrial area.
The area boomed after World War II, reaching over 35,000 residents by 1960, and then went through a rapid demographic change, shifting from almost entirely white in 1960 to about 94 percent Black by 1980. The Pullman Company shut down in 1968, dealing a major blow to the entire area, and further deindustrialization combined with suburban development drove the turnover. In the 1980s residents lost both industrial and professional jobs, making unemployment the community's single biggest problem, and the numerous closed factories left a legacy of lead and other contaminants that led to a brownfield designation. The International Harvester West Pullman works, which had employed thousands, was closed and demolished in the mid-1980s.
The questions buyers actually ask
West Pullman FAQ
The questions I get most from buyers shopping West Pullman. If yours isn't here, text 224-385-8779, same-day reply.
- Where is West Pullman?
- It is Community Area 53 on Chicago's Far South Side, about 14 miles south of the Loop, just west of the historic Pullman district and the Calumet industrial corridor.
- Why is West Pullman so affordable?
- The neighborhood was built as a blue-collar factory community, and after the area's heavy industry disappeared in the late twentieth century, it fell behind the rest of Chicago economically, which keeps home prices very low, with homes listing around a $193,000 median and about $109 per square foot.
- What is West Pullman's industrial history?
- It was launched in 1891 by the West Pullman Land Association as its own industrial subdivision, separate from George Pullman's company town, with factories like International Harvester, Whitman and Barnes, and Carter White Lead Paint employing immigrant workers. Most of that industry, including the International Harvester works demolished in the mid-1980s, is gone.
- How do I commute downtown from West Pullman?
- The neighborhood has four Metra Electric District Blue Island branch stations, Racine, State Street, Stewart Ridge, and West Pullman, all connecting toward Millennium Station downtown.
- What parks are nearby?
- West Pullman Park is the main one, a 16.33-acre park with an indoor pool and savanna area, and the 6-mile Major Taylor Trail and Kensington Park are also close.
- How does West Pullman relate to the historic Pullman district?
- West Pullman was founded by workers who wanted to own homes and escape the corporate control of George Pullman's company town, and it is a separate community west of historic Pullman, which is now a National Park Service unit.
- Who is the real estate agent for West Pullman?
- Joe Keegan is the local licensed Illinois real estate broker who covers West Pullman in West Pullman, IL through Subdiview, a neighborhood-first home search for the Chicago suburbs and collar counties. Joe prices and negotiates from the live MRED sold comps for West Pullman specifically, not national averages, and can help you buy or sell here. Reach Joe at 224-385-8779 or joe@joekeeganhomes.com.
Nearby
Neighborhoods near West Pullman.
If you’re cross-shopping the area, these are the neighborhoods right next to West Pullman.
Your local agent
Joe knows West Pullman
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
- West Pullman 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
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