Illinois's 1st congressional district

Illinois's 1st congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Illinois. Based in Cook County, the district includes much of the South Side of Chicago, extending into the city's southwest suburbs until reaching the border of Will County, and covers 97.84 square miles (253.41 km²), making it one of the 40 smallest districts in the U.S. (although there are four smaller districts in Illinois). The district is the heaviest African American district in the nation and includes the home of President Barack Obama.

The district is represented by Democrat Bobby Rush.

Composition

Illinois's 1st Congressional District is adjacent to the 2nd Congressional District to the east and south, the 7th Congressional District to the north, and the 3rd and 13th Congressional Districts to the west, and also borders the 11th Congressional District at its southwest corner. The district's northeast border follows Lake Michigan's shoreline for almost a mile.

The district was created following the 1830 U.S. Census and came into existence in 1833, five months before Chicago was organized as a town; the state was previously represented in the U.S. House of Representatives on an at-large basis. The 1st Congressional District initially included Southwestern Illinois until 1853 and the state's northern edge until 1863. Since that...
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