Content deleted Content added
Snowman304 (talk | contribs) moved more citations needed, added conversion |
|||
| (815 intermediate revisions by more than 100 users not shown) | |||
Line 1:
{{Short description|Community area in Chicago, Illinois}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2019}}
{{more citations needed|date=March 2015}}
{{Infobox settlement
<!-- Basic info -->
|name = Edgewater
|official_name = Community Area 77 - Edgewater
|other_name =
|nickname =
|settlement_type = {{nowrap|[[Community areas of Chicago|Community area]]}}
|motto =
<!-- images and maps -->
|image_map =EdgewaterMap.png
|mapsize =
|image_skyline = Edgewater Beach Chicago.JPG
|imagesize =280px
|image_caption = Edgewater, Chicago, Illinois
|image_map1 = US-IL-Chicago-CA77.svg
|mapsize1 =
|map_caption1 = Location within the city of Chicago
|pushpin_map =
|pushpin_label_position =
|pushpin_map_caption =
|pushpin_mapsize =
<!-- Location -->
|subdivision_type = Country
|subdivision_name = United States
|subdivision_type1 = State
|subdivision_name1 = Illinois
|subdivision_type2 = County
|subdivision_name2 = [[Cook County, Illinois|Cook]]
|subdivision_type3 = City
|subdivision_name3 = Chicago
|parts_type = [[Neighborhoods of Chicago|Neighborhoods]]
|parts_style=
|parts = list
|p1 = [[#Andersonville|Andersonville]]
|p2 = [[Bryn Mawr Historic District]]
|p3 = [[#Edgewater|Edgewater]]
|p4 = [[#Edgewater Beach|Edgewater Beach]]
|p5 = [[#Edgewater Glen|Edgewater Glen]]
|p6 = [[#Lakewood-Balmoral|Lakewood-Balmoral]]
|p7 = [[#Magnolia Glen|Magnolia Glen]]
<!-- Area -->
|unit_pref = Imperial
|area_footnotes =
|area_total_km2 =4.43
|population_as_of = 2020<ref name="cmap">{{cite report |date=August 2021 |title=Community Data Snapshot - Edgewater|url=http://www.cmap.illinois.gov/documents/10180/126764/Edgewater.pdf|website=Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning|access-date=August 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211106000413/https://www.cmap.illinois.gov/documents/10180/126764/Edgewater.pdf|archive-date=2021-11-06}}</ref>
|population_footnotes =
|population_total = 56,296
|population_note =
|population_density_km2 = auto
|demographics_type1 =[[Demographics of the United States|Demographics]] 2019<ref name="cmap" />
|demographics1_footnotes =
|demographics1_title1 =[[Race and ethnicity in the United States Census|White]]
|demographics1_info1 = 56.6%
|demographics1_title2 =Black
|demographics1_info2 = 12.3%
|demographics1_title3 =Hispanic
|demographics1_info3 = 15%
|demographics1_title4 =Asian
|demographics1_info4 = 12.4%
|demographics1_title5 =Other
|demographics1_info5 = 3.6%
<!-- General information -->
|timezone = [[Central Time Zone (North America)|CST]]
|utc_offset = -6
|timezone_DST = [[Central Time Zone (North America)|CDT]]
|utc_offset_DST = -5
|coordinates = {{coord|41|59.4|N|87|39.6|W|region:US|display=inline,title}}
<!-- Area/postal codes & others -->
|postal_code_type = [[Zip code|ZIP Codes]]
|postal_code = 60660 and part of 60640
|area_code =
|blank_name = [[Household income in the United States|Median income]] 2019
|blank_info = $55,768<ref name="cmap" />
|website =
|footnotes = Source: U.S. Census, Record Information Services
}}
'''Edgewater''' is a lakefront [[Community areas of Chicago|community area]] on the North Side of the city of [[Chicago]], Illinois, {{convert|6|miles|0}} north of [[Chicago Loop|the Loop]]. The most recently established of the city's 77 official community areas, Edgewater is bounded by [[Foster Avenue (Chicago)|Foster Avenue]] on the south, [[Devon Avenue (Chicago)|Devon Avenue]] on the north, Ravenswood Avenue on the west, and [[Lake Michigan]] on the east.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cityofchicago.org/content/dam/city/depts/doit/general/GIS/Chicago_Maps/Community_Areas/CA_EDGEWATER.pdf |title=Edgewater |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241216120559/https://www.chicago.gov/content/dam/city/depts/doit/general/GIS/Chicago_Maps/Community_Areas/CA_EDGEWATER.pdf |archive-date=2024-12-16 |date=June 2015 |website=City of Chicago |department=Department of Innovation and Technology}}</ref> Edgewater contains [[Chicago beaches#Berger Park|several beaches]] for residents to enjoy. Chicago's largest park, [[Lincoln Park]], stretches south from Edgewater for {{convert|7|miles}} along the waterfront, almost to downtown.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lincoln (Abraham) Park |website=Chicago Park District |url=https://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/parks-facilities/lincoln-abraham-park |access-date=2020-05-25}}</ref> Until 1980, Edgewater was part of [[Uptown, Chicago|Uptown]], and historically it constituted the northeastern corner of [[Lake View, Chicago#Lakeview Township|Lake View Township]], an independent suburb annexed by the city of Chicago in 1889. Today, Uptown is to Edgewater's south, [[Lincoln Square, Chicago|Lincoln Square]] to its west, [[West Ridge, Chicago|West Ridge]] to its northwest and [[Rogers Park, Chicago|Rogers Park]] to its north.
Edgewater
==History==
===
Developers began buying up orchards and truck farms and cutting down the dense [[forest|woods]] in [[Lake_View,_Chicago#Lakeview_Township|Lake View Township]] (of which Edgewater was a part) in the 1880s to make way for future development. From 1870 to 1887 the population of the township, then north of the City of Chicago, grew from 2,000 citizens to 45,000. As a result, there was growing need of more public-service access, and Lake View was annexed to Chicago in 1889 as a way of meeting those demands.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/714.html|title= Lake View Township<!-- Bot generated title -->|access-date= July 10, 2010|archive-date= March 3, 2016|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160303171611/http://encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/714.html|url-status= live}}</ref>
In 1885, the northeastern section of Lake View was given the name Edgewater by prominent developer John Lewis Cochran. He built the first residential subdivision in the area. Many of his homes can still be found in the [[Lakewood Balmoral Historic District]]. After a few years, Edgewater was celebrated as a wonder as it became "the only electric lighted [[suburb]] adjacent to Chicago".
====Etymology of street names====
Cochran was originally a [[tobacco]] salesman from [[Philadelphia]] who moved to the area in 1885. Upon arrival, he took his Philadelphia culture and geography with him to the area. This can be seen best by the names of the streets in Edgewater. Every street in Edgewater at the time was named after a train station on the former [[Main Line (Pennsylvania Railroad)|PRR Main Line]], and most still exist to this day.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.edgewaterhistory.org/ehs/tours/050918 |title=Street name history |access-date=March 22, 2014 |archive-date=March 13, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140313100455/http://www.edgewaterhistory.org/ehs/tours/050918 |url-status=live }}</ref> This includes:
*[[Ardmore (SEPTA station)|Ardmore Avenue]] (5800 N), located in [[Ardmore, PA]].
*[[Thorndale (SEPTA station)|Thorndale Avenue]] (5900 N), located in [[Thorndale, PA]], also became a [[Thorndale (CTA station)|CTA station]].
*[[Bryn Mawr (SEPTA station)|Bryn Mawr Avenue]] (5600 N), located in [[Bryn Mawr, PA]], also became a [[Bryn Mawr (CTA station)|CTA station]].
*[[Berwyn (SEPTA station)|Berwyn Avenue]] (5300 N), located in [[Berwyn, PA]], also became a [[Berwyn (CTA station)|CTA station]].
*[[Devon (SEPTA station)|Devon Avenue]] (6400 N), named after [[Devon, PA]]
*[[Rosemont (SEPTA station)|Rosemont Avenue]] (6300 N), named after [[Rosemont, PA]]
*[[Wayne (SEPTA station)|Wayne Avenue]] (1332 W), named after [[Wayne, PA]]
===Beginning of the 20th century===
[[File:Edgewater Beach, Chicago.jpg|thumb|left|Historic Edgewater Beach]]
By the early 1900s, Edgewater was regarded as one of Chicago's most prestigious communities. Mansions dominated the lakefront, while large single-family homes spread inland to the former farming village of Andersonville (then also called Somerdale). A prominent symbol of Edgewater's affluence and desirable ___location on the lake was the [[Edgewater Beach Hotel]], which opened in 1916 at 5349 N. Sheridan. The famed "sunrise" yellow [[hotel]] was razed in 1970, though the remaining "sunset" pink Edgewater Beach Apartments building is still a landmark at the north tip of Lake Shore Drive. The Edgewater building boom peaked in 1926 and property values reached their height in 1928.
Around 1900, the burgeoning affluent population grew so much that developers expanded Edgewater and renamed a portion of the neighborhood community [[Uptown, Chicago|Uptown]] (which still exists today). Uptown quickly became the commercial hub of the area, with storied nightlife, entertainment and tall commercial buildings.<ref>{{cite book | title=Welcome to the Urban Revolution: How cities are changing the World | publisher=Bloomsbury Press | author=Brugmann, Jeff | year=2009 | ___location=New York | pages=[https://archive.org/details/welcometourbanre00brug/page/251 251] | isbn=9781608190928 | url=https://archive.org/details/welcometourbanre00brug| url-access=registration | quote=Uptown chicago entertainment. }}</ref> Thus, in the late 1920s, when [[Community areas of Chicago|Community Areas]] were first designated, the Edgewater area was included as a section of Uptown.
===Revival===
Uptown's affluence declined in the 1950s, as Chicago's suburbs were developed and opened, absorbing some of Uptown's families, both middle and upper class. With the flight of some residents came disrepair and crime for what once was one of the most affluent districts of the city. At the same time, with the extension of [[Lake Shore Drive]] to Hollywood Ave. in the 1950s, into the 1970s, highrise condominium developments along Edgewater's lakefront took off, and Andersonville was seeking to promote its unique heritage.
In 1980, the [[Chicago City Council]] and local business owners orchestrated a revival for the Edgewater community. Edgewater was separated from Uptown and once again called itself its own community. New businesses came into the community, older buildings were refurbished, and homes touched up to harken back to Edgewater's past. Since 2000, there have been several new additions to the neighborhood, including The Clarovista, Edgewater Glen, and Catalpa Gardens condominium developments. This neighborhood of Chicago is also well known for its antique shops, as the Broadway Antique Market and Brownstone Antiques call the Edgewater area their home.
{{US Census population
|1930=53938
|1940=55503
|1950=54606
|1960=51579
|1970=61598
|1980=58561
|1990=60703
|2000=62198
|2010=56521
|2020=56296
|footnote=<ref>{{cite web|title=Chicago Community Area Data|url=http://www.robparal.com/ChicagoCommunityAreaData.html|website=robparal.com|publisher=Rob Paral and Associates|access-date=24 August 2018|archive-date=December 28, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141228094153/http://www.robparal.com/ChicagoCommunityAreaData.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="cmap" />
}}
==Neighborhoods==
Edgewater consists of several neighborhoods. In the southwest quadrant is Andersonville. North of it is Magnolia Glen and Edgewater Glen—and Edgewater Beach is located in the eastern part of the neighborhood, the portion of the community that borders the lake, east of the elevated tracks of the Red Line.
===Andersonville===
[[File:Welcome to Andersonville Sign.jpg|thumb|left|Welcome sign at Clark and Ashland Avenue]]
[[File:Andersonville, Chicago.JPG|thumb|left|[[Andersonville Commercial Historic District]]]]
[[File:Lakewood Balmoral Historic District 090315.jpg|thumb|left|A row of houses in the Lakewood Balmoral Historic District]]
[[File:Gerald Farinas Chicago Saint Ita Bell Tower Detail.jpg|thumb|left|The [[St. Ita's Church|Saint Ita Catholic Church]] bell tower, on Broadway, has long been used by community residents and businesses as a symbol of Edgewater on signage and other media.]]
Andersonville is a [[neighborhood]] in western Edgewater and northwestern [[Uptown, Chicago|Uptown]]. Once a sleepy little village made up primarily of [[Swedish people|Swedish]] immigrants, the community is particularly known for its diversity, including a continued Swedish cultural presence led by the [[Swedish American Museum]] and other Swedish businesses.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.falconliving.com/andersonville|title=Andersonville Chicago Real Estate, Homes for Sale - Falcon Living|access-date=August 24, 2006|archive-date=April 18, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150418230017/http://www.falconliving.com/andersonville/|url-status=dead}}</ref> From the 1980s through the present time, the neighborhood has been well known as a neighborhood where many lesbians live, although the reality is more akin to the diversity mentioned above. Swedish businesses include the bar Simon's Tavern, a former [[speakeasy|basement speakeasy]], which serves the Swedish wine drink ''as [[glögg]],'' and Svea restaurants.<ref name = Gregory>{{cite news | title=Swedish Chicagoans move to center ice |newspaper=Chicago Tribune | date = June 23, 2013 | author=Gregory, Ted |at=Section 1; p. 12}}</ref> At one time there were more Swedes in Chicago than any city outside of Stockholm. Many of Andersonville's Swedes were carpenters, contractors and architects, and played a significant role in building the city.<ref name = Gregory/>
A significant number of Middle-Eastern businesses and a new influx of families with children all make this a very diverse population. Andersonville is also known for its unique commercial district, made up almost entirely of a variety of independent locally owned specialty shops, restaurants, and service providers.
The [[Andersonville Commercial Historic District]], which runs along [[Clark Street (Chicago)|Clark Street]] from Ainslie Street to Rosehill Drive, was added to the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in March 2010.<ref>Daarel Burnette II. "IBM Building, Andersonville District deemed 'Historic'". Chicago Tribune. 2010-03-29.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Andersonville Commercial Historic District |url=https://www.edgewaterhistory.org/ehs/content/andersonville-commercial-historic-district |access-date=2025-03-29 |website=Edgewater Historical Society |archive-date=March 29, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250329161407/https://www.edgewaterhistory.org/ehs/content/andersonville-commercial-historic-district |url-status=live }}</ref> It joined the nearby residential [[Lakewood Balmoral Historic District]].
The approximate street boundaries of Andersonville, as defined by the Andersonville Chamber of Commerce, are Lawrence (4800 N) to the south, Victoria (5800 N) to the north, Ravenswood (1800 W) to the west, and Magnolia (1250 W) to the east. The heart of the Andersonville commercial district is Clark and Berwyn (5300 N).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.andersonville.org/the-neighborhood/where-we-are/|title=WHERE WE ARE | andersonville|access-date=May 29, 2018|archive-date=May 30, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180530062146/http://www.andersonville.org/the-neighborhood/where-we-are/|url-status=live}}</ref>
The stretch of Clark Street south of Foster Avenue in Uptown is sometimes called South Foster, or SoFo.
Andersonville's roots as a community extend well back into the 19th century, when immigrant Swedish farmers started moving north into what was then a distant suburb of Chicago. The neighborhood traces its name to a parcel of land in Uptown bounded by Clark Street, Ravenswood Avenue, Foster Avenue, and Winnemac Avenue,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2011 |title=Andersonville Historic District Exhibit |url=https://www.edgewaterhistory.org/ehs/articles/v22-1-2 |access-date=2025-03-29 |website=Edgewater Historical Society |series=Vol. XXII No. 1 - Spring 2011}}</ref> which was then surrounded by a large cherry orchard. As families began to move to the area, the neighborhood's first school, the Andersonville School, was built on the parcel in 1854. It served as the area's primary school until 1908.
After the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, wooden homes were outlawed in Chicago. Swedish immigrants, who could not afford to build homes of stone or brick, began to move outside of the city's northern limits. Swedish immigrants continued to arrive in Andersonville through the beginning of the 20th century, settling in the newly built homes surrounding Clark St. Before long, the entire commercial strip was dominated by Swedish businesses, from delis to hardware stores, shoe stores to blacksmiths, and bakeries to realty companies. The local churches, such as Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church, Ebenezer Lutheran Church, and First Evangelical Free Church were also built by Swedes, and reflected the religious diversity of the new arrivals.
Like most other European-American ethnic groups, Swedes began to move to the suburbs during the Depression and post-war periods, and the neighborhood began to decline. Concerned about the deteriorating commercial situation, the Uptown Clark Street Business Association renewed its commitment to its Swedish heritage by renaming itself the Andersonville Chamber of Commerce. On October 17, 1964 Andersonville was rededicated in a ceremony attended by Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley and Illinois Governor Otto Kerner. At about the same time, the annual Swedish tradition of celebrating the summer solstice blossomed into Midsommarfest, which has since grown into one of Chicago's largest street festivals.
While some of the Swedish-owned businesses gave way to stores and restaurants owned by Koreans, Lebanese, and Cubans, many remained in Andersonville, serving the remaining second- and third-generation Swedes as well as the new arrivals to the neighborhood. In 1976, a Swedish American Museum that had been on the drawing boards for fifty years was opened to the public in a ceremony attended by King [[Carl XVI Gustaf]] of Sweden. He was also present when it later moved into larger quarters at 5211 N. Clark, where it remains today.
In the late 1980s, Andersonville began a period of revival as professionals rediscovered its lovely housing stock and proximity to the lakefront. A large lesbian and gay population developed, spurred by the opening of such businesses as [[Women & Children First (bookstore)|Women & Children First]], a bookstore focusing on feminist authors and topics.
===Edgewater Glen Historic District===
[[File:Edgewater Glen Historic Streetscape Hood Avenue.jpg|thumb|right|Historic streetscape along Hood Avenue in Edgewater Glen Historic District]]
[[File:Edgewater Glen Queen Anne Home.jpg|thumb|right|A well-preserved Queen Anne-style home in the Edgewater Glen Historic District, showing typical architectural detailing of the period.]]
[[File:Edgewater Glen Historic District Weber-Kransz Home.jpg|thumb|right|A brick Queen Anne residence with a turret, located at the corner of Greenview Avenue within the Edgewater Glen Historic District.]]
Edgewater Glen Historic District is a residential area located within the Edgewater neighborhood on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. In 2024, it was officially listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] as the Edgewater Glen Historic District.<ref name="Savedra2025">{{cite web |last=Savedra |first=Madison |date=2025-01-28 |title=Edgewater Glen Named To National Register Of Historic Places |url=https://blockclubchicago.org/2025/01/28/edgewater-glen-named-to-national-register-of-historic-places/ |access-date=2025-07-09 |website=Block Club Chicago |archive-date=July 9, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250709011921/https://blockclubchicago.org/2025/01/28/edgewater-glen-named-to-national-register-of-historic-places/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
The name "Edgewater Glen" originated in 1972 with the incorporation of the Edgewater Glen Association (EGA), a volunteer-led neighborhood organization. The name was derived from Glenwood Avenue and Glenlake Avenue, two streets that intersect near the center of the neighborhood, along with its association with the greater Edgewater community.<ref name="EHS">{{cite web |title=Edgewater Glen |url=https://www.edgewaterhistory.org/ehs/tours/060917 |website=Edgewater Historical Society |access-date=2024-07-01 |archive-date=July 9, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250709020033/https://www.edgewaterhistory.org/ehs/tours/060917 |url-status=live }}</ref> The Edgewater Glen Association continues to be active, organizing seasonal events, beautification initiatives, and an annual neighborhood-wide yard sale.<ref name="EGAevents">{{cite web |title=Events |url=https://edgeglen.com/garden-walk/ |website=Edgewater Glen Association |access-date=2024-07-01 |archive-date=June 22, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240622141052/https://edgeglen.com/garden-walk/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
The historic district is generally bounded by West Hood Avenue to the north, West Granville Avenue to the south, Broadway to the east, and Clark Street to the west.<ref name="NPS">{{cite web |title=National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Edgewater Glen Historic District |url=https://dnrhistoric.illinois.gov/content/dam/soi/en/web/dnrhistoric/documents/Chicago%20-%20Edgewater%20Glen%20Historic%20District.pdf |website=National Park Service |access-date=2024-07-01 |archive-date=November 8, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241108091954/https://dnrhistoric.illinois.gov/content/dam/soi/en/web/dnrhistoric/documents/Chicago%20-%20Edgewater%20Glen%20Historic%20District.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> It comprises over 400 contributing structures, primarily single-family homes constructed between 1900 and 1928. The prevailing architectural style is American Foursquare, with vernacular influences from Queen Anne and Prairie School design.<ref name="NPS"/>
The neighborhood is noted for its uniform lot sizes, mature tree canopy, and consistent building setbacks, contributing to a cohesive streetscape. <ref name="NPS"/>
In 2022, following the unnecessary damage and removal of old growth trees by the City and utility companies, EGA embarked on an effort to catalogue old growth parkway trees. Heritage trees—those which are 50 years old or more—are considered critical to the environment, public health, and neighborhood beauty. That effort resulted in a toolkit that can be used by any organization to identify and track heritage trees.<ref name="HeritageTrees">{{cite web |title=Heritage Trees |url=https://edgeglen.com/heritage-trees/ |website=Edgewater Glen Association |access-date=2024-07-01 |archive-date=July 9, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250709011318/https://edgeglen.com/heritage-trees/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
The district falls within the attendance boundary of Helen C. Peirce School of International Studies, a public elementary school in the [[Chicago Public Schools]] system serving grades pre-K through 8. The school offers an [[International Baccalaureate]] curriculum.<ref name="Peirce">{{cite web |title=Enrollment Information |url=http://peirce.cps.edu/enrollment-information.html |website=Helen C. Peirce School of International Studies |access-date=2024-07-01 |archive-date=May 19, 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250519232325/http://peirce.cps.edu/enrollment-information.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
===Broadway===
[[Broadway Street (Chicago)|Broadway]] (along with Andersonville's Clark St., to the west) is the main commercial street running North and South through Edgewater. It separates the Edgewater Beach area (dominated by highrises and apartment buildings) to the east, from Andersonville and Edgewater Glen (dominated by single-family homes) to the west. In the 1920s, Broadway became a center of the new automobile trade with elaborate stylized showroom buildings.<ref>{{cite web |last=Strazzabosco |first=Peter |date=June 3, 2010 |title=City of Chicago :: Landmark recommendation for Edgewater's Riviera Motor Sales Building |url=http://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/zlup/provdrs/hist/news/2010/jun/in_gear_landmarkrecommendationforedgewatersrivierabuilding.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101112202613/http://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/zlup/provdrs/hist/news/2010/jun/in_gear_landmarkrecommendationforedgewatersrivierabuilding.html |archive-date=2010-11-12 |access-date=2010-07-09}}</ref> While these businesses are now gone, the street maintains commercial trade and at least one of those car palaces remains. In addition, a wide array of dining is available including Ethiopian, French, Japanese, Thai, and fine American, as well as pubs, fast food, and pizza.
===Sheridan Road and Edgewater Beach===
[[File:edgewaterbeach.jpg|thumb|right|Hollywood Beach - Edgewater]]
[[Sheridan Road|Sheridan Rd.]], which follows the lakefront in eastern-Edgewater is the main North–South thoroughfare for traffic to/from [[Lake Shore Drive]] -- at the Hollywood exit all traffic is routed onto either Hollywood Ave. or Sheridan Rd. As it is the north end terminus of Chicago's scenic Lake Shore Dr., this part of the neighborhood is sometimes congested with traffic along 4 lane roadways such as Clark St., Broadway and Ridge Avenues. The area around Sheridan Rd., west to Broadway Ave., is called Edgewater Beach. The neighborhood beaches are [[Chicago beaches#Foster Avenue Beach|Foster Beach]] and [[Chicago beaches#Kathy Osterman Beach (formerly Hollywood Beach)|Osterman (Hollywood) Beach]]. This area includes the northern reaches of [[Lincoln Park]], Chicago's largest public park.
North of Ardmore Ave. (5800 N) to [[Devon Avenue|Devon Ave.]] (6400 N), there are 4 lakefront parks, [[Chicago beaches|Osterman (Hollywood) Beach]], George Lane Park, [[Chicago beaches#Berger Park|Berger Park]], and a newly unnamed park just south of Granville (6200 N) between the Tiara & El Lago condominiums. There is also a park on the southwest corner of Thorndale and Sheridan.
Accompanied by uniformly tall, grand old locust trees lining the road, Edgewater's portion of Sheridan (North of Foster Ave., south of Devon Ave.) is a dense section of high-rise residential buildings on both sides of the Sheridan Rd. corridor. These include, Park Edgewater Condominiums, Hollywood Towers, Beach Point Tower, Horizon House Condominium, [[6030 N Sheridan|6030 N. Sheridan]], The Malibu, Malibu East, East Point Tower, The Tiara, El Lago, Granville Beach, Granville Tower, Sovereign Apartments, Shoreline Towers, Sheridan Shores Condominiums, Sheridan Point, and [[Park Tower and Mall]]. Many of these towers were built in the late 1950s to early 1970s. [[TV]]'s fictional characters Bob and Emily Hartley of [[The Bob Newhart Show]] called this area home, residing in the Thorndale Beach North Condominiums, 5901 N. Sheridan Rd., as seen in the shows title credits.
There are a handful of mansions still remaining on Sheridan Rd., remnants of the 1880s to 1920s. Many of the original lakefront mansions that once lined Sheridan were razed with landfill added along the shoreline to make way for the high-rise buildings that exist there today. A few notable exceptions are [[Colvin House]], at Thorndale Ave., [[Chicago beaches#Berger Park|Berger Park.]] and [[Sacred Heart Schools (Chicago, Illinois)|Sacred Heart School]] at Granville Ave., as well as two belonging to nearby [[Loyola University Chicago]]. To the South, at Sheridan, near Foster, there also remains a private tennis, pool and three par golf club, from the days when this area was dominated by mansions and the Edgewater Beach Hotel.
==LGBTQ community==
[[File:Beacon at Kathy Osterman beach with rainbow flag.jpg|thumb|Beacon at Kathy Osterman beach with a painted rainbow flag]]
[[File:Edgewater Beach Hotel 060325.jpg|thumb|Site of the Edgewater Beach Hotel]]
Beginning in the 1990s, Edgewater's population of lesbian couples significantly increased. Residents named the relocation of the Andersonville [[feminist bookstore]] Women and Children First from Lakeview as a major catalyst, though others also sought to escape gentrification in Lakeview and Lincoln Park. Lesbian bars and other lesbian-centered businesses opened in Andersonville, and for a period of time the neighborhood was sometimes referred to as "Girlstown," an alternative to [[Boystown, Chicago|Boystown]] in Lakeview. However, by the late 2000s, rising rents and the subsequent closing of many of those businesses led to a decline in the lesbian population.<ref>{{cite web |last1=McGhee |first1=Josh |title=Saying Goodbye To 'Girlstown': Andersonville's Lesbian Population Shrinks |url=https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20160822/andersonville/saying-goodbye-girlstown-andersonvilles-lesbian-population-shrinks/ |website=DNAInfo |access-date=24 July 2018 |date=22 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180725003123/https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20160822/andersonville/saying-goodbye-girlstown-andersonvilles-lesbian-population-shrinks/ |archive-date=25 July 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
At the time of the [[United States Census, 2000|2000 United States Census]], the proportion of same-sex couples in Edgewater was 6.6% in the 60660 zip code and 8.0% in the 60640 zip code.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gaydemographics.org/USA/states/illinois/2000Census_state_il_zipcode.htm |title=Gayest zip codes in Illinois |access-date=2007-09-30 |work=gaydemographics.org |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070812163009/http://gaydemographics.org/USA/states/illinois/2000Census_state_il_zipcode.htm |archive-date=August 12, 2007 }}</ref> This compares with the US national average of 1.1%.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gaydemographics.org/USA/2000Census_Gay_zipcode.htm |title=2000 Census information on Gay and Lesbian Couples, by zip code |access-date=2007-09-30 |work=gaydemographics.org |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928055621/http://www.gaydemographics.org/USA/2000Census_Gay_zipcode.htm |archive-date=2007-09-28 }}</ref> Starting in the 2000s, rising rent and gentrification in the Lakeview and Boystown neighborhoods caused many LGBT people to move further north. In 2012 [[Trulia]] rated Edgewater as one of the ten gayest neighborhoods in America.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Pinckney |first1=Renee |title=Edgewater among top 10 gayest neighborhoods in America |url=http://articles.redeyechicago.com/2012-06-21/news/32355855_1_lesbian-couples-neighborhoods-lgbt |access-date=24 July 2018 |work=RedEye |date=21 June 2012}}</ref> In 2017, Trulia and dating website [[OkCupid]] stated that Edgewater had the highest percentage of gay single people in the city, more than Lakeview and Hyde Park/Kenwood.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Rice |first1=Linze |last2=Ali |first2=Tanveer |title=More Gay, Bisexual Singles Live In Edgewater Than Boystown: Report |url=https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20170614/edgewater/gay-singles-map-lesbian-bisexual-same-sex-dating-what-neighborhoods-have-the-most-edgewater-boystown-kenwood-andersonville-lakeview-uptown/ |website=DNAInfo |access-date=24 July 2018 |date=14 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180725003125/https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20170614/edgewater/gay-singles-map-lesbian-bisexual-same-sex-dating-what-neighborhoods-have-the-most-edgewater-boystown-kenwood-andersonville-lakeview-uptown/ |archive-date=25 July 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
==International community==
[[File:Gerald Farinas Church of the Atonement.jpg|thumb|left|upright|The historic Church of the Atonement is home to the Anglican faithful of Edgewater.]]
Recognizing the proximity to Chicago's Lakefront and access to the Red Line elevated train, an influx of new residents have relocated to Edgewater over the past 20 years. Many of Edgewater's new residents are immigrants from the Horn of Africa and the former Yugoslavia. The area has a great density of Bosnian, Serb and Croat residents. These people, troubled by civil war and tough conditions in their homeland, have been encouraged to settle in the area. Ethiopians, Eritreans and Somalis from the Horn region live and socialize in Edgewater.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rhor |first=Monica |date=2015-03-05 |title=Immigrants from around the world are transforming Houston |url=https://www.houstonchronicle.com/local/themillion/article/How-diversity-culture-demographics-of-Houston-6117301.php |access-date=2024-05-04 |website=Houston Chronicle |language=en}}</ref> The city is known for accepting new, thriving enclaves of ethnicities in centuries past. This new settlement is a modern revival of that tradition. Of recent, many new residents have come from the neighboring Lakeview and Lincoln Park neighborhoods, due to the affordable housing and Edgewater's proximity to the city's rapid transit (CTA) system which allows for an easy commute into the city's downtown. On the streets of Edgewater, one can encounter women in traditional dress and grandmothers strolling with their grandchildren, while the middle generation is out making a living in the new world of Chicago.
==Politics==
The Edgewater community area has supported the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]] in the past two presidential elections. In the [[United States presidential election in Illinois, 2016|2016 presidential election]], the Edgewater cast 22,676 votes for [[Hillary Clinton]] and cast 2,546 votes for [[Donald Trump]] (86.07% to 9.66%).<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/numbers/president-vice-president-every-neighborhood-map-election-results-voting-general-primary-illinois/|last=Ali|first=Tanveer|title=How Every Chicago Neighborhood Voted In The 2016 Presidential Election|newspaper=[[DNAInfo]]|date=November 9, 2016|access-date=October 4, 2019|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190924090904/https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/numbers/president-vice-president-every-neighborhood-map-election-results-voting-general-primary-illinois/|archive-date=September 24, 2019}}</ref> In the [[United States presidential election in Illinois, 2012|2012 presidential election]], Edgewater cast 20,028 votes for [[Barack Obama]] and cast 3,083 votes for [[Mitt Romney]] (84.67% to 13.03%).<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/numbers/obama-romney-president-vice-president-every-neighborhood-map-2012-election-results-voting-general-primary-illinois/|last=Ali|first=Tanveer|title=How Every Chicago Neighborhood Voted In The 2012 Presidential Election|newspaper=[[DNAInfo]]|date=November 9, 2012|access-date=October 4, 2019|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190203045330/https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/numbers/obama-romney-president-vice-president-every-neighborhood-map-2012-election-results-voting-general-primary-illinois/|archive-date=February 3, 2019}}</ref>
==Education==
[[File:CPSSennHS001.jpg|thumb|[[Senn High School]]]]
Edgewater is home to several [[Chicago Public Schools]] (CPS) campuses. The local public high school is Nicholas [[Senn High School]], established in 1913. In addition, four of the neighborhood's elementary schools — Hayt, Swift, Peirce and Goudy — achieved a level 1 (excellent) status from CPS in 2013. Those schools feed into Senn, which will help it maintain its ranking.{{citation needed|date=December 2016}}
There are several Catholic and other religiously affiliated schools also in the neighborhood including Northside Catholic Academy's campus at St. Gertrude church.
The Edgewater Branch of the [[Chicago Public Library]] serves the area,<ref>{{Cite web |title=About Edgewater Branch |url=https://www.chipublib.org/about-edgewater-branch |access-date=2024-01-14 |website=Chicago Public Library |language=en-US}}</ref> and the nearby Bezazian Branch in [[Uptown, Chicago|Uptown]] also provides services to people in Edgewater.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.chipublib.org/about-bezazian-branch/|title=About Bezazian Branch|publisher=[[Chicago Public Library]]|access-date=2024-01-13}}</ref>
[[Loyola University Chicago|Loyola University of Chicago's]] campus borders northeastern Edgewater and has crossed into the area. The college established itself on the lake at the north end of Sheridan Road, where it crosses into [[Rogers Park]], in 1906.
==Transportation==
[[File:Foster Beach, Edgewater, Chicago.jpg|thumb|Foster Beach, Edgewater]]
A majority of Edgewater's [[public transportation]] needs are met by the [[Chicago Transit Authority]], which provides resident and visitor access to the [[Red Line (Chicago Transit Authority)|Red Line]] service of the [[Chicago 'L'|Chicago Elevated]] [[railway]] [[rapid transit]]. The Red Line runs north to the city limits and south to [[Wrigley Field]], the downtown [[Chicago Loop]], [[Rate Field]] and ends on the South Side at 95th Street. Edgewater's elevated Red Line tracks run next to Broadway Avenue, and its four stations are [[Berwyn (CTA)|Berwyn]], [[Bryn Mawr (CTA)|Bryn Mawr]], [[Thorndale (CTA)|Thorndale]], and [[Granville (CTA)|Granville]].<ref>[http://www.transitchicago.com/maps/rail/rail.html CTA | Chicago Transit Authority - Train Schedules<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060716105937/http://transitchicago.com/maps/rail/Rail.html |date=2006-07-16 }}</ref>
Along Edgewater's western border are the commuter rail tracks of [[Metra]]'s [[Union Pacific/North Line|North Line]], with stations in the nearby surrounding community areas at Ravenswood and Rogers Park providing transit to downtown or to Chicago's North Shore Suburbs.
The Chicago Transit Authority also operates numerous bus routes in Edgewater, with several running along North Lake Shore Drive with express services to downtown Chicago, including [[Chicago Loop|the Loop]], via North [[Michigan Avenue (Chicago)|Michigan Avenue]] and its [[Magnificent Mile]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.transitchicago.com/maps/maps/2006N.html |title=CTA | System Map - North |access-date=2006-07-12 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060719070251/http://www.transitchicago.com/maps/maps/2006N.html |archive-date=2006-07-19 }}</ref>
Private entities also offer many transportation services. The areas is served by car-sharing services such as [[I-GO]] and [[Zipcar]] as well as bicycle-sharing services such as [[Divvy]]. [[Taxicab|Taxi]] and [[limousine]] services are plentiful in the area. [[Bicycle]]s and [[Cycle rickshaw|rickshaws]] can be found in the summer for rent near Foster Beach. [[Segregated cycle facilities|Bike paths]] are also available on some major streets. Manicured walking and running paths are found throughout the parkland near the lake, including the [[Chicago Lakefront Trail]], which is also popular with bicycle commuters.
==Notable people==
* [[Ian Barford]] (born 1966), actor. He resides in Andersonville.<ref name="Shapiro Crains"/>
* [[Hillary Clinton]] (born 1947), 67th [[United States Secretary of State]]. Her family resided in Edgewater until she was three years old at which point they moved to [[Park Ridge, Illinois]].<ref name="Hillary Clinton 1"/><ref name="Hillary Clinton 2"/>
** [[Dorothy Howell Rodham]] (1919–2011), homemaker and mother of [[Hillary Clinton]]. She resided in Edgewater until moving to [[Park Ridge, Illinois]] in 1950.
** [[Hugh Rodham (born 1911)|Hugh Rodham]] (1911–1993), businessman and father of [[Hillary Clinton]]. He resided in Edgewater before moving to [[Park Ridge, Illinois]] in 1950.<ref name="Hillary Clinton 1">{{cite magazine| last = Hanson| first = Cynthia| title = I Was a Teenage Republican| magazine = [[Chicago (magazine)|Chicago Magazine]]| date = September 1994| url = http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/September-1994/I-Was-a-Teenage-Republican/index.php?cparticle=1&siarticle=0#artanc| access-date = March 12, 2021| archive-date = September 30, 2020| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200930071005/https://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/September-1994/I-Was-a-Teenage-Republican/index.php?cparticle=1&siarticle=0#artanc| url-status = dead}}</ref><ref name="Hillary Clinton 2">{{cite book |last=Bernstein |first=Carl |author-link=Carl Bernstein |title = A Woman in Charge: The Life of Hillary Rodham Clinton |year=2007 |publisher=[[Alfred A. Knopf]] |___location=New York |isbn=978-0-375-40766-6}}</ref>
* [[Lucas Neff]] (born 1985), actor best known for his lead role in ''[[Raising Hope]]''. He was raised in Andersonville.<ref>{{cite news|author=Sun Times Wire|title=Comics with Chicago roots to perform here this weekend|date=December 19, 2013|newspaper=[[Chicago Sun-Times]]|access-date=August 12, 2020|url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/2013/12/19/18575792/comics-with-chicago-roots-to-perform-here-this-weekend|archive-date=April 7, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220407173214/https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/2013/12/19/18575792/comics-with-chicago-roots-to-perform-here-this-weekend|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Ken Nordine]] (1921-2019), poet recording artist known for his series of ''[[Word Jazz]]'' albums. He lived in Edgewater from 1951 until his death in 2019.<ref>{{cite news|last=Freund|first=Sara|title=A landmark designation halts the demolition of a historic home in Edgewater|date=March 6, 2020|newspaper=[[Curbed]]|access-date=March 9, 2020|url=https://chicago.curbed.com/2020/3/6/21166792/edgewater-house-historic-preservation-demolition-landmark|archive-date=April 29, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200429130816/https://chicago.curbed.com/2020/3/6/21166792/edgewater-house-historic-preservation-demolition-landmark|url-status=live}}</ref> His former home, a 120-year-old mansion located at 6106 N. Kenmore Avenue, was granted preliminary historic status in March 2020.<ref>{{cite web |last=Ward |first=Joe |date=July 31, 2020 |title=Edgewater's Ken Nordine Mansion, At Heart Of Preservation Fight, Sold For $1.38 Million |url=https://blockclubchicago.org/2020/07/31/edgewaters-ken-nordine-mansion-at-heart-of-preservation-fight-sold-for-1-38-million/ |access-date=August 6, 2020 |website=Block Club Chicago}}</ref>
* [[Anna D. Shapiro]] (born 1966), theatre director and professor. She resides in Andersonville.<ref name="Shapiro Crains">{{cite news|last=Rodkin|first=Dennis|title=Steppenwolf pair list Andersonville greystone|date=July 27, 2020|newspaper=[[Crain's Chicago Business]]|access-date=July 27, 2020|url=https://www.chicagobusiness.com/residential-real-estate/steppenwolf-pair-list-andersonville-greystone}}</ref>
* [[Harold Ramis]] (1944-2014), actor, writer, director and filmmaker. He graduated from Stephen K. Hayt Elementary School in 1958 and [[Nicholas Senn High School]] in 1962.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cpsalumni.org/honor_roll/jan/01/2008/harold-ramis |title=Chicago Public Schools Alumni: 'Senn, Nicolas Senn High School' |publisher=Cpsalumni.org |access-date=February 24, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120216193821/http://www.cpsalumni.org/honor_roll/jan/01/2008/harold-ramis |archive-date=February 16, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
{{Commons category|Edgewater, Chicago}}
* [http://www.cityofchicago.org/dam/city/depts/doit/general/GIS/Chicago_Maps/Community_Areas/CA_EDGEWATER.pdf Official City of Chicago Edgewater Community Map]
* [http://www.andersonville.org/ Andersonville Chamber of Commerce]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100726065802/http://www.explorechicago.org/city/en/neighborhoods/andersonville.html Andersonville neighborhood guide & map on ExploreChicago.org]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100809162527/http://www.explorechicago.org/city/en/neighborhoods/edgewater.html Edgewater neighborhood guide & map on ExploreChicago.org]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100630212448/http://www.chipublib.org/branch/details/library/edgewater Edgewater Branch, Chicago Public Library]
* [http://www.edgewater.org/ Edgewater Chamber of Commerce]
* [http://www.edgewaterhistory.org/ Edgewater Historical Society]
* [http://
* [https://edgeglen.com/ Edgewater Glen Association]
* [http://www.edgewatercommunitycouncil.org/ Edgewater Community Council]
* [http://www.edgewaterdev.org/ Edgewater Development Corporation]
* [https://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2010/10/13/travel/20101017-SURFACING.html In Chicago, Village Life in a Big City] - slideshow by ''[[The New York Times]]''
* [http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/January-2013/A-Guide-to-Andersonville-Where-to-Eat-Shop-and-Play/ A Guide to Andersonville: Where to Eat, Shop, and Play]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20140101084926/http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20131017/edgewater/senn-high-schools-big-transformation-whats-happening-here-is-real/ Senn High School's Big Transformation]
{{Geographic Location
| Center = Edgewater, Chicago
| North = [[Rogers Park, Chicago]]
| East = [[Lake Michigan]]
| South = [[Uptown, Chicago]]
| West = [[Lincoln Square, Chicago]]
| Northwest = [[West Ridge, Chicago]]
}}
{{Community areas of Chicago}}
{{Neighborhoods in Chicago}}
{{American gay villages}}
{{Chicago}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Beaches of Cook County, Illinois]]
[[Category:
[[Category:Gay villages in the United States]]
[[Category:Lesbian culture in Illinois]]
[[Category:Loyola University Chicago]]
[[Category:North Side, Chicago]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1885]]
| |||