Edgewater, Chicago
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Edgewater is a lakefront community area on the North Side of the city of
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
, Illinois, six miles north of the Loop. The most recently established of the city's 77 official community areas, Edgewater is bounded by
Foster Avenue Foster Avenue (5200 N) is a major east-west street on the North Side of Chicago as well as the northwestern suburbs. Foster Avenue serves as the boundary line for the Chicago community areas of Edgewater to the north and Uptown to the sout ...
on the south, Devon Avenue on the north, Ravenswood Avenue on the west, and
Lake Michigan Lake Michigan ( ) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and depth () after Lake Superior and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the ...
on the east. Edgewater contains several beaches for residents to enjoy. Chicago's largest park,
Lincoln Park Lincoln Park is a park along Lake Michigan on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. Named after US president Abraham Lincoln, it is the city's largest public park and stretches for from Grand Avenue (500 N), on the south, to near Ardmore Avenu ...
, stretches south from Edgewater for seven miles along the waterfront, almost to downtown. Until 1980, Edgewater was part of
Uptown Uptown may refer to: Neighborhoods or regions in several cities United States * Uptown, Chicago, Illinois * Uptown Manhattan, New York City, New York * Uptown, Richmond, Virginia * Uptown, Dallas, Texas * Uptown, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania * Upt ...
, and historically it constituted the northeastern corner of Lake View Township, an independent suburb annexed by the city of Chicago in 1889. Today, Uptown is to Edgewater's south, Lincoln Square to its west, West Ridge to its northwest and
Rogers Park Rogers Park is a neighborhood on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois, and one of the city's 77 municipally recognized community areas. Located north of the Loop along the shore of Lake Michigan, it features green spaces, early 20th-century ...
to its north. Edgewater transitioned from agriculture and small settlement to residential development around the 1880s with summer homes for Chicago's elite. Today, it provides the northern terminus of both
Lincoln Park Lincoln Park is a park along Lake Michigan on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. Named after US president Abraham Lincoln, it is the city's largest public park and stretches for from Grand Avenue (500 N), on the south, to near Ardmore Avenu ...
and
Lake Shore Drive Lake Shore Drive (officially Jean Baptiste Pointe du Sable Lake Shore Drive; also known as DuSable Lake Shore Drive, the Outer Drive, the Drive, LSD or DLSD) is a semi-limited access Limited-access highway, expressway that runs alongside the sh ...
. With the exception of pockets acknowledged as
historic History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some theorists categ ...
districts (like the
Bryn Mawr Historic District The Bryn Mawr Historic District (pronounced from Welsh language, Welsh for "big hill") is on the Lake Michigan, lakefront of the Edgewater, Chicago, Edgewater neighborhood of far-north Chicago, Illinois. It extends along Bryn Mawr Avenue betwe ...
), eastern Edgewater (Edgewater Beach) has a skyline of high-rise
apartment building An apartment (American English, Canadian English), flat (British English, Indian English, South African English), tenement ( Scots English), or unit (Australian English) is a self-contained housing unit (a type of residential real estate) ...
s,
condominium A condominium (or condo for short) is an ownership regime in which a building (or group of buildings) is divided into multiple units that are either each separately owned, or owned in common with exclusive rights of occupation by individual own ...
complexes, and mid-rise homes. To the west, Edgewater is characterized by single-family homes; and two-, three-, or four-story flats, including the historic village and now commercial district of Andersonville.


History


Early development

Developers began buying up orchards and truck farms and cutting down the dense woods in 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. 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 The Lakewood Balmoral Historic District is a historic district in the Edgewater community area of Chicago, Illinois. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 12, 1999. The district covers an area of about ; its bou ...
. After a few years, Edgewater was celebrated as a wonder as it became "the only electric lighted
suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...
adjacent to Chicago".


Etymology of street names

Cochran was originally a
tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...
salesman from
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
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 PRR Main Line, and most still exist to this day. This includes: * Ardmore Avenue (5800 N), located in
Ardmore, PA Ardmore is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) spanning the border between Delaware and Montgomery counties in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The population was 12,455 at the time of the 2010 census and had risen to ...
. * Thorndale Avenue (5900 N), located in Thorndale, PA, also became a CTA station. * Bryn Mawr Avenue (5600 N), located in Bryn Mawr, PA, also became a CTA station. * Berwyn Avenue (5300 N), located in
Berwyn, PA Berwyn is a census-designated place (CDP) in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. Berwyn is located in Tredyffrin and Easttown townships. The area is part of the Philadelphia Main Line suburbs. History In 1877, the town received its ...
, also became a CTA station. * Devon Avenue (6400 N), named after Devon, PA * Rosemont Avenue (6300 N), named after Rosemont, PA * Wayne Avenue (1332 W), named after
Wayne, PA Wayne is an unincorporated community centered in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States, on the Main Line, a series of highly affluent Philadelphia suburbs located along the railroad tracks of the Pennsylvania Railroad and one of the w ...


Beginning of the 20th century

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 The Edgewater Beach Hotel was a resort hotel complex on Lake Michigan in the far-north neighborhood community of Edgewater in Chicago, Illinois, designed by Benjamin H. Marshall and Charles E. Fox. The first multi-story building was built ...
, which opened in 1916 at 5349 N. Sheridan. The famed "sunrise" yellow
hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...
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 Uptown may refer to: Neighborhoods or regions in several cities United States * Uptown, Chicago, Illinois * Uptown Manhattan, New York City, New York * Uptown, Richmond, Virginia * Uptown, Dallas, Texas * Uptown, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania * Upt ...
(which still exists today). Uptown quickly became the commercial hub of the area, with storied nightlife, entertainment and tall commercial buildings. Thus, in the late 1920s, when 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 Lake Shore Drive (officially Jean Baptiste Pointe du Sable Lake Shore Drive; also known as DuSable Lake Shore Drive, the Outer Drive, the Drive, LSD or DLSD) is a semi-limited access Limited-access highway, expressway that runs alongside the sh ...
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 The Chicago City Council is the legislative branch of the Law and government of Chicago, government of the Chicago, City of Chicago in Illinois. It consists of 50 alderpersons elected from 50 Wards of the United States, wards to serve four-year t ...
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.


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

Andersonville is a
neighborhood A neighbourhood (Commonwealth English) or neighborhood (American English) is a geographically localized community within a larger town, city, suburb or rural area, sometimes consisting of a single street and the buildings lining it. Neigh ...
in western Edgewater and northwestern
Uptown Uptown may refer to: Neighborhoods or regions in several cities United States * Uptown, Chicago, Illinois * Uptown Manhattan, New York City, New York * Uptown, Richmond, Virginia * Uptown, Dallas, Texas * Uptown, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania * Upt ...
. Once a sleepy little village made up primarily of
Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
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. 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 basement speakeasy, which serves the Swedish wine drink ''as
glögg Glögg, gløgg or glögi is a spiced, often Alcoholic drink, alcoholic, mulled wine, or alcoholic spirit, spirit of Swedish origin. It is a traditional Swedish drink during winter, especially around Christmas. History In the Nordic countries, ...
,'' and Svea restaurants. 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. 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 The Andersonville Commercial Historic District is a historic district in Chicago, Illinois. It runs from 4800 North Clark Street to 5800 North Clark Street in the city's Uptown and Edgewater neighborhoods. The area is home to a heavily Swedi ...
, which runs along Clark Street from Ainslie Street to Rosehill Drive, was added to the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
in March 2010. It joined the nearby residential
Lakewood Balmoral Historic District The Lakewood Balmoral Historic District is a historic district in the Edgewater community area of Chicago, Illinois. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 12, 1999. The district covers an area of about ; its bou ...
. 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). 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, 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 Carl XVI Gustaf (Carl Gustaf Folke Hubertus; born 30 April 1946) is King of Sweden. Having reigned since 1973, he is the longest-reigning monarch in Swedish history. Carl Gustaf was born during the reign of his paternal great-grandfather, K ...
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, a bookstore focusing on feminist authors and topics. New gift shops and ethnic eateries opened up and gave Clark St. a new commercial vitality and diversity. Today, in addition to being one of the most concentrated areas of Swedish culture in the United States, Andersonville is home to a diverse assortment of devoted residents and businesses, including one of Chicago's largest LGBTQ+ communities, a collection of Middle Eastern restaurants and bakeries, and a thriving Hispanic commercial area north of Catalpa Avenue.


Edgewater Glen

Edgewater Glen is located in the north central part of Edgewater. It was named from the streets Glenwood Ave. and Glenlake Ave. that cross in the center of Edgewater Glen. A local residents and businesses organization called Edgewater Glen Association (EGA), incorporated in 1972, invented the name. The association, which is still active (2024), determined the boundaries of Edgewater Glen as: the south side of Granville Ave (north), the west side of Broadway Ave (east), the south side of Norwood St (south), and the east side of Clark St (west). EGA hosts and participates in neighborhood annual events and programming, including public forums with elected officials, plant swaps, corner beautification, the Edgewater Yard Sale, and the EGA Garden Walk which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2023. EGA also is notable for its work to maintain the tree canopy within Edgewater, including regular inventories and coordination for the planting of parkway trees. In 2022, EGA embarked on an effort to catalogue old growth parkway trees resulting in the publication of a study of the heritage trees (50 years and older) of Edgewater Glen as well as a toolkit that can be used by any organization to identify and track heritage trees. An exhibit was held to feature the toolkit and study at the Edgewater Historical Society on Arbor Day, 2023 which marked the kickoff of an effort by the Edgewater Historical Society to work with the Edgewater Environmental Coalition and all Edgewater Block Clubs to inventory ALL of the heritage parkway trees in Edgewater.


Broadway

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...
(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. 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

Sheridan Rd., which follows the lakefront in eastern-Edgewater is the main North–South thoroughfare for traffic to/from
Lake Shore Drive Lake Shore Drive (officially Jean Baptiste Pointe du Sable Lake Shore Drive; also known as DuSable Lake Shore Drive, the Outer Drive, the Drive, LSD or DLSD) is a semi-limited access Limited-access highway, expressway that runs alongside the sh ...
-- 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 Foster Beach and Osterman (Hollywood) Beach. This area includes the northern reaches of
Lincoln Park Lincoln Park is a park along Lake Michigan on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois. Named after US president Abraham Lincoln, it is the city's largest public park and stretches for from Grand Avenue (500 N), on the south, to near Ardmore Avenu ...
, Chicago's largest public park. North of Ardmore Ave. (5800 N) to Devon Ave. (6400 N), there are 4 lakefront parks, Osterman (Hollywood) Beach, George Lane 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, 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 ''The Bob Newhart Show'' is an American television sitcom produced by MTM Enterprises that aired on CBS from September 16, 1972, to April 1, 1978, with a total of 142 half-hour episodes over six seasons. Comedian Bob Newhart portrays a psychol ...
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., Berger Park. and Sacred Heart School at Granville Ave., as well as two belonging to nearby
Loyola University Chicago Loyola University Chicago (Loyola or LUC) is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1870 by the Society of Jesus, Loyola is one of the largest Catholic Church, ...
. 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

Beginning in the 1990s, Edgewater's population of lesbian couples significantly increased. Residents named the relocation of the Andersonville
feminist bookstore Feminist bookstores sell material relating to women's issues, gender, and sexuality. These stores served as some of the earliest open spaces for feminist community building and organizing. Prior to the spread of feminist bookstores, bookselling ...
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 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. At the time of the 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. This compares with the US national average of 1.1%. 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 Trulia is an American online real estate marketplace which is a subsidiary of Zillow. It facilitates buyers and renters to find homes and neighborhoods across the United States through recommendations, local insights, and map overlays that offer ...
rated Edgewater as one of the ten gayest neighborhoods in America. In 2017, Trulia and dating website
OkCupid OkCupid (often abbreviated as OKC, but officially OkC) is a U.S.-based, internationally operating online dating, friendship, and formerly also a social networking website and application. It features multiple-choice questions to match members. ...
stated that Edgewater had the highest percentage of gay single people in the city, more than Lakeview and Hyde Park/Kenwood.


International community

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. 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 in the past two presidential elections. In the
2016 presidential election This national electoral calendar for 2016 lists the national/ federal elections held in 2016 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *7 January: Kiri ...
, the Edgewater cast 22,676 votes for
Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...
and cast 2,546 votes for
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
(86.07% to 9.66%). In the
2012 presidential election This national electoral calendar for 2012 lists the national/ federal elections held in 2012 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *3–4 January: ...
, Edgewater cast 20,028 votes for
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
and cast 3,083 votes for
Mitt Romney Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American businessman and retired politician. He served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Utah from 2019 to 2025 and as the 70th governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 ...
(84.67% to 13.03%).


Education

Edgewater is home to several
Chicago Public Schools Chicago Public Schools (CPS), officially classified as City of Chicago School District #299 for funding and districting reasons, in Chicago, Illinois, is the List of the largest school districts in the United States by enrollment, fourth-large ...
(CPS) campuses. The local public high school is Nicholas
Senn High School Senn High School is a public four-year high school located in the Edgewater neighborhood on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Senn is operated by the Chicago Public Schools system and was opened on 3 February 1913. The 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. 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 The Chicago Public Library (CPL) is the public library system that serves the Chicago, City of Chicago in the U.S. state of Illinois. It consists of 81 locations, including a central library, three regional libraries, and branches distributed thr ...
serves the area, and the nearby Bezazian Branch in
Uptown Uptown may refer to: Neighborhoods or regions in several cities United States * Uptown, Chicago, Illinois * Uptown Manhattan, New York City, New York * Uptown, Richmond, Virginia * Uptown, Dallas, Texas * Uptown, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania * Upt ...
also provides services to people in Edgewater. 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 Rogers Park is a neighborhood on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois, and one of the city's 77 municipally recognized community areas. Located north of the Loop along the shore of Lake Michigan, it features green spaces, early 20th-century ...
, in 1906.


Transportation

A majority of Edgewater's
public transportation Public transport (also known as public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) are forms of transport available to the general public. It typically uses a fixed schedule, route and charges a fixed fare. There is no rigid definition of whi ...
needs are met by the
Chicago Transit Authority The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) is the operator of public transport, mass transit in Chicago, Illinois, United States, and some of its suburbs, including the trains of the Chicago "L" and List of Chicago Transit Authority bus routes, CTA bu ...
, which provides resident and visitor access to the Red Line service of the Chicago Elevated
railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...
rapid transit Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT) or heavy rail, commonly referred to as metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport that is generally built in urban areas. A grade separation, grade separated rapid transit line below ground su ...
. The Red Line runs north to the city limits and south to
Wrigley Field Wrigley Field is a ballpark on the North Side, Chicago, North Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Chicago Cubs, one of the city's two MLB franchises. It first opened in 1914 as Weeghman Park for Charl ...
, the downtown
Chicago Loop The Loop is Chicago's central business district and one of the city's 77 municipally recognized Community areas in Chicago, community areas. Located at the center of downtown Chicago on the shores of Lake Michigan, it is the second-largest busi ...
,
Rate Field Rate Field (formerly named Comiskey Park, U.S. Cellular Field and Guaranteed Rate Field) is a baseball stadium located on the South Side, Chicago, South Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Chicago White ...
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, Bryn Mawr, Thorndale, and Granville. Along Edgewater's western border are the commuter rail tracks of
Metra Metra is the primary commuter rail system in the Chicago metropolitan area serving the city of Chicago and its surrounding suburbs via the Union Pacific Railroad, BNSF Railway, and other railroads. The system operates 243 train station, stati ...
's
North Line North Line may refer to: Transportation Asia *North Line, Chennai Suburban, India * North-Link Line, Taiwan *West North Line, Chennai Suburban, India Europe *Far North Line, Scotland *Gjøvik Line, Norway *Nordbanen, Denmark North America *Milwau ...
, 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 the Loop, via North Michigan Avenue and its
Magnificent Mile The Magnificent Mile (sometimes locally abbreviated to the Mag Mile) is the approximately one-mile-long stretch of Michigan Avenue (Chicago), Michigan Avenue from the Chicago River to Oak Street (Chicago), Oak Street on the Near North Side ...
. Private entities also offer many transportation services. The areas is served by car-sharing services such as
I-GO I-GO was a Chicago-based car sharing organization which is owned by Enterprise Holdings. It was established in 2002 by the Center for Neighborhood Technology as an independent 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization working in the fields of urban l ...
and
Zipcar Zipcar is an American car sharing, car-sharing company and a subsidiary of Avis Budget Group. Zipcar provides vehicle reservations to its members, billable by the minute, hour or day; members may have to pay a monthly or annual membership fee i ...
as well as bicycle-sharing services such as
Divvy Divvy is the bicycle sharing system in the Chicago metropolitan area, currently serving the cities of Chicago and Evanston. The system is owned by the Chicago Department of Transportation and has been operated by Lyft since 2019. As of May 2023, ...
.
Taxi A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a Driving, driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of thei ...
and
limousine A limousine ( or ), or limo () for short, is a large, chauffeur-driven luxury vehicle with a partition between the driver compartment and the passenger compartment which can be operated mechanically by hand or by a button electronically. A luxu ...
services are plentiful in the area.
Bicycle A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike, push-bike or cycle, is a human-powered transport, human-powered or motorized bicycle, motor-assisted, bicycle pedal, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, with two bicycle wheel, wheels attached to a ...
s and
rickshaws Rickshaw originally denoted a pulled rickshaw, which is a two- or three-wheeled cart generally pulled by one person carrying one passenger. The first known use of the term was in 1879. Over time, cycle rickshaws (also known as pedicabs or tri ...
can be found in the summer for rent near Foster Beach.
Bike paths A bike path or a cycle path is a bikeway separated from motorized traffic and dedicated to cycling or shared with pedestrians or other non-motorized users. In the US a bike path sometimes encompasses ''shared use paths'', "multi-use path", or " ...
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 The Chicago Lakefront Trail (LFT) is a partial shared-use path for walking, jogging, skateboarding, and cycling, located along the western shore of Lake Michigan in Chicago, Illinois. The trail passes through and connects Chicago's four major ...
, which is also popular with bicycle commuters.


Notable people

*
Ian Barford Ian Barford is an American stage and television actor. He has appeared on Broadway in '' August: Osage County'' and ''The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time''. He was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play at the 74th ...
(born 1966), actor. He resides in Andersonville. *
Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...
(born 1947), 67th
United States Secretary of State The United States secretary of state (SecState) is a member of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States and the head of the U.S. Department of State. The secretary of state serves as the principal advisor to the ...
. Her family resided in Edgewater until she was three years old at which point they moved to
Park Ridge, Illinois Park Ridge is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States, and a suburb of Chicago. Per the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 39,656. It is located north of downtown Chicago. It is close to O'Hare International Airpo ...
. **
Dorothy Howell Rodham Dorothy Emma Rodham (née Howell; June 4, 1919 – November 1, 2011) was an American homemaker and the mother of former First Lady, U.S. Senator, United States Secretary of State, and 2016 Democratic Party presidential nominee Hillary Rodh ...
(1919–2011), homemaker and mother of
Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...
. She resided in Edgewater until moving to
Park Ridge, Illinois Park Ridge is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States, and a suburb of Chicago. Per the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 39,656. It is located north of downtown Chicago. It is close to O'Hare International Airpo ...
in 1950. ** Hugh Rodham (1911–1993), businessman and father of
Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...
. He resided in Edgewater before moving to
Park Ridge, Illinois Park Ridge is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States, and a suburb of Chicago. Per the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 39,656. It is located north of downtown Chicago. It is close to O'Hare International Airpo ...
in 1950. *
Lucas Neff Lucas Neff (born November 7, 1985) is an American actor. Known primarily for his work in television, Neff received mainstream recognition for his lead role as James "Jimmy" Chance on the Fox sitcom ''Raising Hope'' (2010–2014). After ''Raisin ...
(born 1985), actor best known for his lead role in ''
Raising Hope ''Raising Hope'' is an American television sitcom created by Greg Garcia that aired on Fox from September 21, 2010, to April 4, 2014. Following its first season, the show received two nominations at the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards. Martha Pli ...
''. He was raised in Andersonville. *
Ken Nordine Ken Nordine (April 13, 1920 – February 16, 2019) was an American voice-over and recording artist, best known for his series of Word Jazz, word jazz albums. His deep, resonant voice has also been featured in many advertising, commercial advertis ...
(1921-2019), poet recording artist known for his series of '' Word Jazz'' albums. He lived in Edgewater from 1951 until his death in 2019. His former home, a 120-year-old mansion located at 6106 N. Kenmore Avenue, was granted preliminary historic status in March 2020. * Anna D. Shapiro (born 1966), theatre director and professor. She resides in Andersonville. *
Harold Ramis Harold Allen Ramis ( ; November 21, 1944 – February 24, 2014) was an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. His film acting roles include Egon Spengler in ''Ghostbusters'' (1984) and ''Ghostbusters II'' (1989), and as Russell Ziskey in '' St ...
(1944-2014), actor, writer, director and filmmaker. He graduated from Stephen K. Hayt Elementary School in 1958 and Nicholas Senn High School in 1962.


References


External links


Official City of Chicago Edgewater Community Map

Andersonville Chamber of Commerce





Edgewater Branch, Chicago Public Library

Edgewater Chamber of Commerce

Edgewater Historical Society

Edgewater Historical Society eScrapbook

Edgewater Glen Association

Edgewater Community Council

Edgewater Development Corporation


- slideshow by ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
''
A Guide to Andersonville: Where to Eat, Shop, and Play

Senn High School's Big Transformation
{{Authority control Beaches of Cook County, Illinois Community areas of Chicago Gay villages in the United States Lesbian culture in Illinois Loyola University Chicago North Side, Chicago Populated places established in 1885