Chippendale's progress from Gadigal forest and wetland, to farm and nursery, was followed by industrial development that made it a polluted and deprived suburb. Community, charity and religion helped inhabitants, but poor drainage and unplanned development persisted until the end of the nineteenth century. As the number of factories grew, population fell, and recent migrants moved in. From the 1970s, as the factories closed, Chippendale again became an attractive place to live, drawing students, artists and others who wanted an inner-city life.
