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Near the end of the nineteenth century, Chicagoans created a variety of carefully designed residential suburbs that allowed wealthy persons to escape the dirt and grime of the city.  Commuting made these elite suburbs possible. As early as 1869, Riverside was built along rail lines and included amenities such as curved streets, landscaping, and water, sewer and gas lines. However, the Calumet region never attracted large concentrations of wealthy commuters.  Instead, the region developed a large market for working-class housing and a much smaller market for housing a resident middle class.

By the twentieth century, the working class created neighborhoods throughout the Calumet region with clearly defined community centers.  Ethnic Catholics, especially, established churches and then built communities to surround the parish.  Ironically, the community plans of Progressive reformers never included religious institutions.

However, during World War I, local factory and business owners became concerned with a housing shortage.

 They feared that builders could not meet the demand created by a war economy.  The Lake County Times encouraged various new solutions to meet the demand for war housing.  These plans included progressive ideas about planning for workers’ housing.  Most notably, Howard Van Doren Shaw designed the community of Marktown in East Chicago.

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