Get to Know Roseland, Pullman

Who’s kicking it on the Far South Side at the Taste of Pullman Saturday?

The area was developed by George M. Pullman for workers of his rail car company — an effort to avoid the railway strikes of the 1870s. Wage cuts led to conflict in Pullman and across the country, turning the company town into another Chicago neighborhood.

The legacy of the Pullman Company touched nearby Roseland. Today, the neighborhoods are intertwined.

Journalist Arionne Nettles is a Pullman resident. She told the City Cast Chicago podcast her favorite spots in the two neighborhoods.

Something to eat

Nobody else can make a corn beef sandwich like AP Deli. Get the brisket, rib tips, or gouda mac and cheese from Lexington Betty Smokehouse, a newcomer to the neighborhood. Plus, Arionne brought the team treats from Old Fashioned Donuts.

Something to see

Pullman National Monument opened to the public in 2021. The A. Philip Randolph Pullman Porter Museum honors the chief organizer of the first Black labor union to be recognized by the American Federation of Labor and to win a collective bargaining agreement against a major corporation in the U.S.

Something to do

Palmer Park is humongous. Growing up, Arionne loved it because of the size, and it was always bustling. As an adult and Park District proponent, she appreciates the big outdoor pool and all the programming.

+ Tour the Far South Side with historian Shermann “Dilla” Thomas.