Greater Grand Crossing got its name from a railroad fight. In 1853 the Illinois Central laid track across the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern line without permission, and a crash at the crossing later killed 18 people. Trains had to stop dead at the junction after that, and industry grew around it. The crossing is still there, at 75th Street and South Chicago Avenue, where the Metra Electric 75th Street station sits today.
The rails explain a lot about picking up a car here.
Rail lines and street patterns in Grand Crossing
By the early 1900s, trains at the crossing were killing pedestrians every year. The city ordered the tracks separated from street traffic, and that work was finished by 1912. Rail lines still cut through the area, so a good number of homes sit a short walk from the tracks.
For a pickup that matters in a practical way. If your car sits on a short block next to the tracks, a dead-end or a street that passes under a rail line, mention it when you call. The driver can then plan which way to come in and how to back the truck out. Most pickups here are ordinary curb or alley jobs, though. The area became a bungalow neighborhood early in the 1900s, and those homes have rear garages on alleys like most of the South Side.
Park Manor, Brookdale and the other old Grand Crossing names
The community grew out of five railroad-era neighborhoods: Grand Crossing, Brookline, Essex, Brookdale and Park Manor. People still use those names, and they help us place a car before the truck leaves.
The community area runs from 79th Street on the south up to about 67th Street across most of its width, with a narrow strip reaching farther north along the Dan Ryan into the low 60s. On the east it meets South Shore near the Metra Electric tracks. Its addresses spread over four ZIP codes: mostly 60619 and 60637, with smaller shares in 60621 and 60620.
Getting a truck from South Yale Avenue to 71st Street
From our base on South Yale Avenue in West Pullman, the driver heads up Princeton Avenue, east on 115th Street, north on Michigan Avenue and onto the Dan Ryan. For most Greater Grand Crossing pickups the exit is 71st Street. It’s about seven miles. Cars near 79th are reached sooner, since 79th is the area’s southern edge.
Cottage Grove, 79th and a car that won’t move
Two winter ban streets touch the area. Cottage Grove Avenue runs north to south through it from about 67th to 79th, and the city bans overnight parking on it from the Midway Plaisance to 103rd Street. 79th Street, along the south edge, is banned from Cicero Avenue to South Shore Drive. The ban runs from 3 am to 7 am, December 1 to April 1, even on dry nights.
There’s a second rule worth knowing if your car has been parked a long time. Under Chicago’s criteria, a vehicle that hasn’t been moved for more than seven straight days and looks deserted can be classed as abandoned, and so can one left on the street without current registration for two days. Those cars can be towed after a 311 report and, if nobody claims them, sold for scrap. Our guide to an abandoned car on your block explains what neighbours and owners can each do.
If the dead car is yours, selling it is simpler than waiting for that tow.
Oak Woods, the 69th Street stop and other Grand Crossing markers
These are easy to find from the expressway or the main streets:
- Oak Woods Cemetery, founded in 1854 and older than most of the streets around it.
- The 69th Street Red Line station in the Dan Ryan, with the 79th Street stop at the south edge.
- The 75th Street Metra Electric station at 75th and South Chicago Avenue.
Several buildings in Grand Crossing have also been turned into art and community spaces by artist Theaster Gates, starting in 2006.
Wrecked and worn-out cars around Grand Crossing
Two situations come up most here. One is a car that’s been in a crash and isn’t worth fixing. The other is an older car that simply stopped running on the block. We buy both. Our page on selling a wrecked car covers airbags, frame damage and insurance write-offs, and the non-running car page covers the rest. The tow is free, and payment happens at pickup. If you’d rather see the steps first, read how our pickups work.
Communities on its borders
South across 79th Street is Chatham, where Cottage Grove keeps going under the same winter ban. On the east side, South Shore starts around the Metra Electric tracks and runs to the lake. To the southeast, Avalon Park meets Greater Grand Crossing between 76th and 79th Streets.