Chicago Ward Boundaries for City Council Elections

Chicago ward boundaries from May 2003 to May 2015, corresponding to City Council inauguration dates following elections. The dataset is published by data.cityofchicago.org and includes columns for ward number, alderman name, geometry, and administrative details. It was last updated in March 2026.

Use Cases

• Map ward boundaries over time using the_geom column and WARD numbers.
• Analyze changes in aldermanic representation by linking ALDERMAN names to WARD numbers across EDIT_DATE1 periods.
• Calculate ward perimeters and areas for demographic studies using SHAPE_LEN and SHAPE_AREA fields.
• Contact ward offices using HALL_PHONE or WARD_PHONE columns for civic engagement research.

Strengths

• 12-year temporal coverage from 2003 to 2015.
• Contains 13 columns including geospatial geometry and administrative contact details.

Limitations

• Dataset is not legally precise, as noted in the description.
• Temporal coverage ends in 2015, limiting analysis of recent electoral cycles.
• Sample data and row count are unavailable, hindering assessment of completeness.

Provenance

Source

data.cityofchicago.org

Collection Method

null

Time Range

May 2003 to May 2015

Freshness

Last updated March 2026, but underlying data covers up to 2015.

Geography

Chicago, Illinois, USA