Norridge, IL

Norridge is a village in Leyden Township, Cook County, Illinois, United States. The village and its neighbor to the east, Harwood Heights, together form an enclave within the city of Chicago. Norridge is sometimes referred to as the "Island Within a City". The area that would eventually become Norridge was settled by farmers in 1830. The first names of what would become Norridge were "Goat Village", due to a local resident's goat farm, and "Swamp" due to a lack of streets and the area's swamp-like conditions. Norridge's early borders were Ozanam Ave, Olcott Avenue, Irving Park Road, and Montrose Avenue. In 1948, a local improvement association incorporated Norridge as a village, stymieing an effort by Chicago to annex the area.

Name origin

The name "Norridge" was suggested by resident Mrs. Link. "Nor" comes from Norwood Park Township, and "Ridge" comes from the nearby suburb of Park Ridge. Norridge is sometimes referred to as the "Island Within a City".

History

Farmers first established settlements in the area in the 1830s.
Located in Norwood Park Township, the first names of what would become Norridge were "Goat Village", due to a local resident's goat farm, and "Swamp" due to a lack of streets and the area's swamp-like conditions. Norridge began as an subdivision that ran from Ozanam Avenue in the west to Olcott Avenue in the east and from Irving Park Road in the south to Montrose Avenue in the north. In 1948, a local improvement association incorporated Norridge as a village, stymieing an effort by Chicago to annex the area.
The 1950s was a decade of growth and development, encouraged by the paving of sidewalks, streets, and curbs, and the installation of storm and sanitary sewers. In 1954 Norridge annexed land north from Montrose to Lawrence.

Norridge borders the Cook County Forest Preserves and was home to several horse stables, including Happy Days Stables at Montrose and Cumberland. Most of the stables were gone by the late 1970s.

Geography

Norridge is located at (41.965030, -87.823859).
According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Norridge has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

2020 census

The population was 15,251 at the 2020 census. The population density was . There were 5,956 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 82.94% White, 0.43% African American, 0.38% Native American, 6.08% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 4.36% from other races, and 5.74% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race were 11.74% of the population.

The village's age distribution consisted of 18.5% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 22% from 25 to 44, 27.5% from 45 to 64, and 25.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.7 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $78,300, and the median income for a family was $93,170. Males had a median income of $58,365 versus $39,837 for females. The per capita income for the village was $36,959. About 1.9% of families and 3.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.8% of those under age 18 and 4.7% of those age 65 or over.

Government

As of the 2023 elections, the current elected officials of the Village of Norridge are: The current President of Norridge is Daniel Tannhauser.

*Daniel Tannhauser – President (since 2019)
*Gabriela Krasinski – Clerk (since 2021)
*Donald Gelsomino – Trustee (since 2011)
*William Larson – Trustee (since 2019)
*Jack Bielak – Trustee (since 2019)
*Andrew Ronstadt – Trustee (since 2019)
*Debra Budnik – Trustee (since 2021)
*Frankie "Boom Boom" Avino Jr. – Trustee (since 2021)

Education

Public schools

Public elementary school districts serving Norridge include:
* Pennoyer Elementary School District 79
* Norridge School District 80 (James Giles School and John V. Leigh School)
* Union Ridge School District 86

Public high school districts include:
* Maine Township High School District 207 (Maine South High School)
* Ridgewood High School District 234

Churches

* Divine Savior Church (Merged with St. Eugene Church and Our Lady Mother of the Church)

Libraries

Eisenhower Public Library District serves Harwood Heights and Norridge.

Transportation

Bus service in the village is provided by both Pace and CTA.

Notable people

* Bruce Artwick, creator of the first consumer flight simulator software; founder of Sublogic
* Nicholas Calabrese, the first made man ever to testify against the Chicago Outfit
* James Fotopoulos, independent filmmaker of over 100 films, including '' Christabel''
* Robert F. Martwick Jr., Democratic member of the Illinois Senate; formerly a Norridge trustee
* Gene Nudo, head coach of the Arizona Rattlers, then of the Arena Football League
* Jeff Schroeder, season 11 and season 13 contestant on '' Big Brother'', season 16 contestant on ''The Amazing Race''
* Dino Stamatopoulos, comedy writer, actor and producer (''Mr. Show'', ''TV Funhouse'', ''Mad TV'', ''The Dana Carvey Show'', ''Late Show with David Letterman'' and ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'')
* Joseph A. Tunzi, author, publisher, self-publisher, producer, archivist, researcher and historian; has been described as "one of the foremost authorities on Elvis Presley"

References

External links

Village of Norridge official website

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Villages in Cook County, Illinois
Chicago metropolitan area
Populated places established in 1948
1948 establishments in Illinois
Enclaves in the United States
Villages in Illinois