West Ridge, Chicago

West Ridge
Community area
Community Area 02 - West Ridge
Location within the city of Chicago
Streetmap
Location within the city of Chicago
Coordinates: 42°00′N 87°41.4′W
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	Cook
City	Chicago
Neighborhoods	List Arcadia Terrace Peterson Park West Rogers Park Rosehill Cemetery Nortown East Ridge West Ridge Golden Ghetto North Lincoln Square East North Park West Edgewater
Area
• Total	3.53 sq mi (9.1 km^2)
Population  (2020)
• Total	77,122
• Density	22,000/sq mi (8,400/km^2)
Demographics 2019 [1]
• White	40.60%
• Black	11.6%
• Hispanic	18.9%
• Asian	23.8%
• Other	5.2%
Educational Attainment 2019[1]
• High School Diploma or Higher	80.7%
• Bachelor's Degree or Higher	38.4%
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP Codes	60645 and parts of 60659
Median Household income 2019[1]	$53,877
Source: U.S. Census, Record Information Services

West Ridge is one of 77 Chicago community areas. It is a middle-class neighborhood located on the far North Side of the City of Chicago. It is located in the 50th ward and the 40th ward.

Today West Ridge is one of Chicago's better off communities, filled with multi-ethnic culture lining Devon Avenue, historic mansions lining Ridge and Lunt Avenues, cultural institutions such as St. Scholastica Academy and one of the highest per capita incomes on the North Side of Chicago.

It is home to the Midwest's largest Hasidic community, as well as other Jewish, Irish American, German-American, Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Assyrian, Russian, Korean and Rohingya^[2] immigrant communities.

History

Historically called "North Town", and frequently referred to as "West Rogers Park", it is bordered on the north by Howard Street, on the east by Ridge Boulevard, Western Avenue, and Ravenswood Avenue, the south by Bryn Mawr Avenue and Peterson Avenue, and on the west by Kedzie Avenue and the North Shore channel of the Chicago River. At one time joined with neighboring Rogers Park, it seceded to become its own village in 1890 over a conflict concerning park districts (known as the Cabbage War).^[3] West Ridge was annexed to Chicago on April 4, 1893, along with Rogers Park.^[4]

Geography

Neighborhoods and sub-areas

Golden Ghetto

The Golden Ghetto is bounded on the north by Warren Park and Pratt Avenue and on the south by Peterson Avenue. It acquired its name from the thriving Jewish community there from about 1930 to the mid-1970s. The Jewish community peaked at over 47,000 in the 1960s.^[5] That community began to drift into the suburbs in the 1960s, and the neighborhood began to be home to South Asians and Russian Jews from about that time.

The heyday of the area is the topic of Adam Langer's Crossing California,^[6] told from the perspective of the second-generation residents during their middle school and teenage years. There has been a recent resurgence in Jewish residents, up from a nadir of 20,000 to around 25,000 in the late 2010s, due to increased Orthodox residents.^[5]

Rogers Park Manor Bungalow Historic District

The Rogers Park Manor Bungalow Historic District is a residential historic district in the West Ridge neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. The district includes 329 buildings, 247 of which are Chicago bungalows built in the 1920s. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 15, 2005.^[7]

Talman West Ridge Bungalow Historic District

The Talman West Ridge Bungalow Historic District is a residential historic district in the West Ridge neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. 181 of the district's 272 buildings are either brick Chicago bungalows or older stucco bungalows built from 1919 to 1930.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1930	39,759		—
1940	43,553		9.5%
1950	47,930		10.0%
1960	63,884		33.3%
1970	65,477		2.5%
1980	61,129		−6.6%
1990	65,374		6.9%
2000	73,199		12.0%
2010	71,942		−1.7%
2020	77,122		7.2%
Sources:[8][1]

Government

Devon Avenue

West Ridge has supported the Democratic Party in the past three presidential elections, though relative support declined slightly from 2016 to 2020. In the 2020 presidential election, West Ridge cast 17,222 votes for Joe Biden (69.8%) and cast 7,281 votes for Donald Trump (28.9%).^[9] In the 2016 presidential election, West Ridge cast 16,712 votes for Hillary Clinton and cast 4,772 votes for Donald Trump, a relatively larger victory of 73.5% to 21.5%.^[10] In the 2012 presidential election, West Ridge cast 14,446 votes for Barack Obama and cast 5,345 votes for Mitt Romney.^[11]

It had been represented in the Chicago City Council by Alderman Bernard Stone from 1973 until May 2011. On April 5, 2011, Alderman Debra Silverstein defeated Stone in a runoff election^[12] and now represents the 50th Ward, which encompasses West Ridge.

Education

Public schools

Chicago Public Schools operates public schools.

• Clinton Elementary School
• Jamieson Elementary School
• Daniel Boone Elementary School
• Stephen Decatur Classical School
• George Armstrong Elementary School
• Philip Rogers Elementary School
• Stone Scholastic Academy
• West Ridge Elementary School
• Stephen Tyng Mather High School

Private schools

• Victor C. Neumann School^[13]
• Tzemach Tzedek Elementary School^[14]

Infrastructure

Bus service is operated by Chicago Transit Authority and Pace. Metra rail is accessible at Peterson/Ridge station.

Notable people

• Joe Aiello (1890–1930), organized crime leader. He resided at 2553 West Lunt Avenue.^[15]
• Sidney Blumenthal (born 1948), journalist, political operative, and Senior Advisor to President Bill Clinton. He resided at West Birchwood Avenue in West Rogers Park as a child.^[16]
• Howard W. Carroll (1942–2021), member of the Illinois Senate from 1973 to 1999. He resided at 6014 North Francisco Avenue during his political career.^[17]
• Philip H. Corboy (1924–2012), trial lawyer. He was a childhood resident of West Rogers Park, living at 2836 West Lunt Street.^[18][19]
• Leo Lerner (1907–1965), newspaper publisher. According to the 1940 United States Census, he resided at 2120 West Lunt Avenue.^[20]
• Louis A. Lerner (1935–1984), United States Ambassador to Norway during the Carter administration. According to the 1940 United States Census, he resided at 2120 West Lunt Avenue.^[20]
• John H. Leims (1921–1985), Captain in the United States Marine Corps and recipient of the Medal of Honor.^[21] He resided in West Ridge at 5837 North Talman Avenue.^[22][23]
• "Big Tim" Murphy (1885–1928), labor racketeer. He resided at 2525 West Morse Avenue until his murder outside the residence.^[15]
• Harry Spanjer (1873–1958), lightweight and welterweight boxer. He resided at 2501 West Lunt Avenue.^[24]
• Louis Trinca-Pasat (born 1991), American football player, raised in West Rogers Park^[25]

References

1. "Community Data Snapshot West Ridge" (PDF). Retrieved August 1, 2021.
2. Ramos, Manny (January 30, 2022). "Refugees drive West Ridge's growing Asian population". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
3. "Rogers Park? West Ridge? East Rogers Park? 'Hood Border Confusion Continues - Rogers Park - DNAinfo Chicago". Archived from the original on March 30, 2017. Retrieved March 30, 2017.
4. "Chicago Images". chicagology.com.
5. "The Fall and Rise Again of a Historically Jewish Neighborhood". timesofisrael.com.
6. Langer, Adam (2004). Crossing California. Riverhead Books. ISBN 9781573222747.
7. Martin, Beth; Ramsey, Emily (May 16, 2005). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Rogers Park Manor Bungalow Historic District". Illinois Historic Preservation Division. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
8. Paral, Rob. "Chicago Community Areas Historical Data". Retrieved August 29, 2012.
9. "Board of Election Commissioners for the City of Chicago". chicagoelections.gov. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
10. Ali, Tanveer (November 9, 2016). "How Every Chicago Neighborhood Voted In The 2016 Presidential Election". DNAInfo. Archived from the original on September 24, 2019. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
11. Ali, Tanveer (November 9, 2012). "How Every Chicago Neighborhood Voted In The 2012 Presidential Election". DNAInfo. Archived from the original on February 3, 2019. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
12. "Election results Stone v. Silverstein". Retrieved May 18, 2011.
13. Banas, Casey. "SCHOOL MAY REOPEN TO EASE CROWDING." Chicago Tribune. July 17, 1985. Chicagoland 4. Retrieved on February 5, 2011. "Neumann School, a private school for emotionally disturbed children,[...]"
14. "General Information." Tzemach Tzedek Elementary School. Retrieved on February 5, 2011.
15. Martin, Beth; Ramsey, Emily (May 16, 2005). "Nomination: Rogers Park Manor Bungalow Historic District". National Park Service. Retrieved September 4, 2024 – via Internet Archive.
16. "STREET SMARTS; A FUTURE WHITE HOUSE ADVISER GETS HIS POLITICAL EDUCATION, CHICAGO- STYLE". Chicago Tribune. May 25, 2003 – via ProQuest.
17. Illinois Blue Book 1973-1974. p. 84. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
18. Year: 1930; Census Place: Chicago, Cook, Illinois; Page: 19A; Enumeration District: 1916; FHL microfilm: 2340230. Via Heritage Quest Online.
19. Star, Jack (April 3, 1977). "The milliondollar attorney for the maimed". Chicago Tribune. p. H24.
20. "Louis Lerner in the 1940 United States Federal Census". April 2, 1940. Retrieved November 24, 2021.
21. "Medal of Honor — 2ndLt John H. Leims (Medal of Honor citation)". Who's Who in Marine Corps History. History Division, United States Marine Corps. Archived from the original on February 22, 2007. Retrieved April 6, 2006.
22. Staff Report (August 8, 1948). "20 Streets in New City To Be Named for Men in War II". Chicago Tribune – via ProQuest.
23. "With America's Fighters". Chicago Daily Tribune. June 11, 1944. p. N1 – via ProQuest.
24. Freund, Sara (April 8, 2020). "Built in 1926, West Rogers Park 'bungalow mansion' asks $685K". Curbed. Retrieved September 4, 2024.
25. "Iowa Football Star with Chicago Roots Has NFL Aspirations - West Rogers Park - Chicago - DNAinfo". Archived from the original on September 25, 2017. Retrieved September 25, 2017.

External links

• Official City of Chicago West Ridge Community Map