West Ridge, Chicago

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. Also 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).[2] West Ridge was annexed to Chicago on April 4, 1893, along with Rogers Park.[3]

Devon Avenue

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
CountryUnited States
StateIllinois
CountyCook
CityChicago
Neighborhoods
List
Area
 • Total9.14 sq mi (23.7 km2)
Population
 (2018)
 • Total77,212
 • Density8,400/sq mi (3,300/km2)
Demographics 2018 [1]
 • White41.70%
 • Black13.37%
 • Hispanic18.36%
 • Asian22.00%
 • Other4.57%
Educational Attainment 2018[1]
 • High School Diploma or Higher82.17%
 • Bachelor's Degree or Higher39.30%
Time zoneUTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP Codes
60645 and parts of 60659
Median Household income 2018[1]$52,039
Source: U.S. Census, Record Information Services

Today West Ridge is one of Chicago's better off communities, filled with thriving 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 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[4] and now represents the 50th Ward, which encompasses West Ridge.

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

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]

Schools

Public schools

Chicago Public Schools operates public schools.

Private schools
  • ABC Academy
  • Bais Yaakov High School
  • Bethesda Evangelical Lutheran School
  • Bnos Rabbeinu High School
  • Cheder Lubavitch Girls Elementary / High School
  • Hanna Sacks Bais Yaakov High School
  • Joan Dachs Bais Yaakov / Tiferes Tzvi Elementary School
  • Keshet High School
  • Lubavitch Mesivta of Chicago
  • Native American Educational Services College
  • Victor C. Neumann School[7]
  • Sofer Nathan's Vocational College
  • St. Hilary Elementary School
  • St. Margaret Mary School
  • St. Philips Evangelical Lutheran School
  • Tzemach Tzedek Elementary School (Opened 2002)[8]
  • Yeshivas Brisk / Brisk Rabbinical College
  • Yeshiva Migdal Torah School
  • Yeshivas Netzach Eliyahu (ADHD)
  • Yeshiva Ohr Baruch-Veitzner Chedder

Politics

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 and cast 7,281 votes for Donald Trump.[9] In the 2016 presidential election, West Ridge cast 16,712 votes for Hillary Clinton and cast 4,772 votes for Donald Trump.[10] In the 2012 presidential election, West Ridge cast 14,446 votes for Barack Obama and cast 5,345 votes for Mitt Romney.[11]

Religion

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago operates Catholic churches. On July 1, 2020, St. Henry, St. Margaret Mary, and St. Timothy churches will merge.[12]

Historical population
Historical population
CensusPop.%±
193039,759—
194043,5539.5%
195047,93010.0%
196063,88433.3%
197065,4772.5%
198061,129−6.6%
199065,3746.9%
200073,19912.0%
201071,942−1.7%
2018 (est.)77,2127.3%

Source:[13][1]

Bus routes

CTA:

  • 11 Lincoln
  • 49B North Western
  • 82 Kimball-Homan
  • 84 Peterson
  • 93 California/Dodge (Monday–Saturday only)
  • 96 Lunt (Weekdays only)
  • 97 Skokie
  • 155 Devon
  • 206 Evanston Circulator (Weekday rush hours only)

Pace:

  • 215 Crawford-Howard
  • 290 Touhy

Notable people

References
  1. "Community Data Snapshot West Ridge" (PDF). Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on March 30, 2017. Retrieved March 30, 2017.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. https://chicagology.com/wp-content/themes/revolution-20/chicagoimages/annexation1930.jpg
  4. "Election results Stone v. Silverstein". Retrieved May 18, 2011.
  5. The rise, fall and rise again of a historically Jewish Chicago neighborhood Retrieved April 29, 2020
  6. Langer, Adam (2004). Crossing California.
  7. 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,[...]"
  8. "General Information." Tzemach Tzedek Elementary School. Retrieved on February 5, 2011.
  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. Anderson, Javonte (February 7, 2020). "23 Chicago-area Roman Catholic parishes to close, merge in latest round of restructuring". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  13. Paral, Rob. "Chicago Community Areas Historical Data". Retrieved August 29, 2012.
  14. "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 September 26, 2005. Retrieved April 6, 2006.
  15. Staff Report (August 8, 1948). "20 Streets in New City To Be Named for Men in War II". Chicago Tribune – via ProQuest.
  16. "With America's Fighters". Chicago Daily Tribune. June 11, 1944. p. N1 – via ProQuest.
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