Farmers were the first settlers in the area currently known as Riverdale, in the 1837 which was previously known as Wildwood, north of the bend at the Calumet River.
After the Pullman Strike in 1894, new hiring practices brought new industries as well as new settlers to the area. The Calumet Paint Company bought land near the lake and began what would become one of the biggest paint factories in the United States, and an industrial area where many people were employed. The factory was later bought by Sherwin-Williams.
After World War II, Federal Public Housing Authority, and the Chicago Housing Authority opened a huge housing project and turned the neighborhood into a largely residential area.
Riverdale includes several neighborhoods, Altgeld Gardens, Eden Green, Golden Gate and Riverdale .
The CTA’s is extending the Red Line into the area. The I-94 borders the area to the east.
