Racial Restriction and Housing Discrimination in the Chicagoland Area

This interactive map geo-locates all the subdivisions with racial restrictive covenants on a contemporary map of Cook County, IL. Subdivisions on the map appear as colored dots rings, with each color representing a different decade, starting in the 1920s. The current scale of the map shows the concentration of racial restrictive covenants in different parts of Cook County, south, west, and north, and indicates the date each subdivision adopted its covenant. To view the subdivisions populate the map, drag or scroll horizontally on the date bar below the map. Click each subdivision to reveal a pop-up window with basic information about the subdivision. Individual elements on this window—racial restrictive covenant language,  demographic data, images—link to the subdivision page where you can explore additional information. You can also link to individual subdivision pages through the list on the right side of the map.

Note: racial restrictive covenants were adopted for set periods, often ranging from 10 to 20 years, after which they would be reapproved. Thus, while racial restrictive covenants were outlawed in 1968, most of them, including those reapproved shortly before 1968, remained until they expired a decade or two later in 1980. The language of racial restrictive covenants remains in some deeds to date, although they are no longer legally enforceable.

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