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 Devon Avenue'sLittle India in 2022 | |
 Interactive map of Devon Avenue | |
| Former name | Church Road |
|---|---|
| Part of |  CR 6 (DuPage)CR B11 (Cook) |
| Location | Chicago,Lincolnwood,Niles,Park Ridge,Rosemont,Des Plaines,Elk Grove Village,Bensenville,Wood Dale,Itasca,Roselle,Bartlett |
| Coordinates | 41°59′46″N87°50′49″W / 41.9962°N 87.8469°W /41.9962; -87.8469 |
| West end | Bartlett Road inBartlett |
| East end | Broadway Street/Sheridan Road (1200 W) inChicago |
Devon Avenue/dɪˈvɒn/ is a major east-west street in theChicago metropolitan area. It begins atSheridan Road near theLake Michigan lakeshore in the City ofChicago, and it runs west until merging with Higgins Road nearO'Hare International Airport. Devon continues on the opposite side of the airport and runs intermittently through Chicago's northwestern suburbs. In the northwest suburbs west of O'Hare Airport, Devon Avenue is the boundary betweenCook andDuPage Counties. The street is located at 6400 N inChicago's address system.
Devon Avenue was originally known as Church Road,[1] but it was renamed in the 1880s byEdgewater developerJohn Lewis Cochran afterDevon station on theMain Line north ofPhiladelphia.[2] The street has been settled by many Asian immigrant groups, which is perhaps most evident between Kedzie and Ridge Avenues inWest Ridge, Chicago. Here, one will encounter concentrations ofJewish Americans,Assyrian Americans,Russian Americans,Indian Americans,Pakistani Americans,Bangladeshi Americans, andPashtun Americans. Portions of Devon in this area have been renamed in honor ofGolda Meir,Mahatma Gandhi,Muhammad Ali Jinnah, andSheikh Mujibur Rahman.[3][4]
The organization "Friends of Refugees of Eastern Europe" (better known as "F.R.E.E. of Chicago") is headquartered in the Orthodox-Jewish section of Devon.[5] As a result, most Soviet/CIS immigrants of Jewish ancestry settled around this area upon arrival in Chicago. After acclimation, these residents would tend to move to the north suburbs (especiallySkokie andBuffalo Grove). Because the vast majority of the Jewish diaspora residing in the former Soviet Union have emigrated since its collapse, the vibrancy of this particular area of Devon is not as apparent as it was in the 1970s, 1980s, and early 1990s (which were periods of mass emigration). Nevertheless, a significant proportion of these immigrants, especially the elderly, have remained on Devon.
Devon'sDesi corridor, also known as Chicago'sLittle India, is one of the best-known and largest communities of its kind inNorth America. It exists mainly on Devon between Ravenswood Ave. and California Ave. South Asian shops, restaurants and grocery stores including the first location ofPatel Brothers, that opened in 1974, abound along this strip, and it has become a popular tourist destination. Vivek Mukherjee ofRediff.com writes, "There are similar desi markets in New Jersey, at the famousOak Tree Road or in the Bay Area, but nothing like Devon Street. [...] Devon Street's sidewalks are even speckled with thepaan stains".[3]
More recently, Devon has become a hub for a burgeoning population ofRohingya refugees fleeing persecution in Myanmar, with more than 2,000 Rohingya estimates to have settled nearby in West Ridge and Rogers Park.[6] TheRohingya Culture Center was established in 2016 to serve the needs of the growing community.
Other points of interest along Devon Avenue includeSuperdawg,Loyola University Chicago,DePaul University's O'Hare Campus, Bryn Mawr Country Club, Hanna Sacks Bais Yaakov High School, Edgebrook Golf Course,Thillens Stadium, Novelty Par Mini Golf Course,[7] parts of theForest Preserve and Misericordia/Heart of Mercy, serving children with developmental disabilities.
Devon Avenue is served by the 155 Devon betweenSheridan Road andKedzie Avenue. The 36 Broadway, 88 Higgins and 151 Sheridan serve the street for shorter segments.
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