Riverdale is one of the 77 official community areas of Chicago, Illinois and is located on the city's far south side.

As originally designated by the Social Science Research Committee at the University of Chicago and officially adopted by the City of Chicago, the Riverdale community area extends from 115th Street south to the city boundary at 138th Street and from the Illinois Central Railroad tracks east to the Bishop Ford Freeway.

[2] Another early resident, George Dolton, settled near the Calumet River by the Chicago-Thornton Road (today's Indiana Avenue).

At Kensington, a small settlement of stores, boarding houses and saloons sprang up to serve the construction crews and immigrant tradesmen who came to work at the Pullman shops.

The notorious saloons prompted the modest Dutchmen of nearby Roseland to nickname Kensington, "Bumtown."

Italian Americans flourished working not only at Pullman but Illinois Terra Cotta and other nearby industries.

[7] In 1953, Illinois established the Chicago Regional Port District to coordinate with the opening of the Saint Lawrence Seaway to deep water ships.

[8] The lake was converted to a deep water turning basin linked to huge grain elevators, petroleum storage tanks, and public and rail terminals.

It treats wastewater from areas of Chicago and the south suburbs totalling approximately 300 square miles and is the oldest of seven such facilities in the region.

[10] Over half of Riverdale's area is made up of the water reclamation plant, rail yards, land fills and industrial sites.

[12][13] The Riverdale neighborhood extends from the Calumet River in the north to 138th Street in the south, and from Indiana Ave. in the west to the Union Pacific railroad tracks in the east.

[18] The Riverdale community area is located in Illinois's 2nd congressional district and is represented by Congresswoman Robin Kelly (D-Matteson).

However, as PACE is a suburban service, it runs express through the City of Chicago to the CTA Red Line Station at 95th Street.

[24] As part of the Red Line extension, the proposed 130th Street terminal would be near the Altgeld Gardens Homes.