Edison Park | |
|---|---|
| Community Area 09 - Edison Park | |
 Fieldhouse in Edison Park on the Northwest Highway | |
 Location within the city of Chicago | |
| Coordinates:42°0.6′N87°48.6′W / 42.0100°N 87.8100°W /42.0100; -87.8100 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Illinois |
| County | Cook |
| City | Chicago |
| Named after | Thomas Edison |
| Neighborhoods | |
| Area | |
• Total | 1.17 sq mi (3.03 km2) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 11,525 |
| • Density | 9,850/sq mi (3,800/km2) |
| Demographics 2015[1] | |
| • White | 87.32% |
| • Black | 1.07% |
| • Hispanic | 9.46% |
| • Asian | 1.46% |
| • Other | 0.70% |
| Educational Attainment 2015[1] | |
| • High School Diploma or Higher | 94.8% |
| • Bachelor's Degree or Higher | 46.3% |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP Codes | part of 60631 |
| Median household income[2] | $86,300[1] |
| Source: U.S. Census, Record Information Services | |
Edison Park (formerly Canfield) is one of the 77community areas ofChicago, Illinois, United States, located on the northwest side of Chicago.
It consists entirely of the Edison Parkneighborhood, and is named afterThomas Alva Edison,[3] who gave his blessing to this community namesake in 1890. According to the 2000Census, its population is 11,259. Edison Park has one of the highest concentrations ofIrish ancestry in Chicago, where they make up over three-fourths of the neighborhood's population.
Located between theDes Plaines River and theChicago River, this area served as a local watershed divide. The Des Plaines River feeds into theIllinois River and theMississippi River to reach theGulf of Mexico. Like nearbyPortage Park, Edison Park was a common portage for early travelers, who would carry their canoes across it.
Edison Park's settlement history dates back to 1834 and the arrival of pioneers John and Katherine Ebinger along with their 21-year-old son Christian Ebinger and his new bride, the former Barbara Ruehle. The Ebingers had emigrated fromStuttgart, Germany, toAnn Arbor, Michigan, and then to Chicago seeking suitable farmland, but had found it too swampy.[4] As they traveled northwest from Chicago on the Indian trail toMilwaukee, Wisconsin (now Milwaukee Avenue), they crossed the North Branch of theChicago River. However, their only horse was bitten by a snake and died, leaving them stranded. Consequently, the Ebingers decided to settle between what became Touhy and Devon avenues. They laid claim to 80 acres around their single-story 12x14 foot cabin, and were soon joined by Christian's older brothers (Frederick and John) along with their sister Elizabeth and her husband John Plank. That area eventually becameNiles Township, but as their joint families expanded, the Ebingers moved across Harlem Avenue into what becameMaine Township. Barbara Ruehle Ebinger gave birth to a son, Christian Jr., in November 1834. He became the first white child born in the area, which became known as "Dutchman's Point" because of their German ancestry. The senior Christian Ebinger was a friend of local Native Americans in the area, among them Chief Blackhawk andBilly Caldwell. Christian Ebinger Jr. became the first minister to be ordained in their German Evangelical Association, and then was elected the Village Collector (1852), Village Assessor (1852–1865) and Highway Commissioner (1854–1858); he died in 1879, survived by seven children, including another Christian Ebinger.[4]
Eventually, Chicago grew and annexed part of Ebinger's homestead. Germans began moving into nearbyNorwood Park (originally settled by English immigrants; but the German Evangelicals established a church as well as a Sunday School in the Ebinger home). Developers targeted the area circa 1868, Norwood Park incorporated out of Niles Township in 1874, and was annexed to Chicago in 1893.[5] It was a stop on the Chicago and Milwaukee Railroad (later theChicago and North Western Railway line) beforePark Ridge, Illinois (in Maine Township and also partly from what was once Ebinger property), and became astreetcar suburb in the 20th century.[6] Today, its oldest church building, a frame construction dating from 1894 and now known as One Hope United Methodist Church, traces its ministry's beginnings to Christian Ebinger (Methodists having united with the historic United Brethren congregation circa 1960), and a modern Ebinger descendant became a Methodist pastor nearBaltimore, Maryland.[7][8]
Adjacent to the north, Edison Park (originally known as "Canfield") also developed around an intermediate railway stop between Norwood Park and Park Ridge.[9][7] It incorporated as a village in 1881[10] and developers promoted the availability of electricity; with the blessing ofThomas Alva Edison it renamed itself Edison Park in 1890.[3] Chicago annexed Edison Park on November 8, 1910.[11] A localpublic elementary school was named after Christian Ebinger.[12] According to the2000 Census discussed below, Edison Park's population is 11,259.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930 | 5,370 | — | |
| 1940 | 5,999 | 11.7% | |
| 1950 | 7,843 | 30.7% | |
| 1960 | 12,568 | 60.2% | |
| 1970 | 13,076 | 4.0% | |
| 1980 | 12,457 | −4.7% | |
| 1990 | 11,426 | −8.3% | |
| 2000 | 11,178 | −2.2% | |
| 2010 | 11,187 | 0.1% | |
| 2020 | 11,525 | 3.0% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[1][13] | |||
According to a 2016 analysis by theChicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, there were 11,208 people and 4,400 households in Edison Park. The racial makeup of the area was 87.3%White, 1.1%African American, 1.5%Asian, and 0.7% fromother races.Hispanic orLatino residents of any race were 9.5% of the population. In the area, the population was spread out, with 21.9% under the age of 19, 19.5% from 20 to 34, 23.7% from 35 to 49, 19.6% from 50 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years.[1]
Themedian household income was $86,300 compared to a median income of $47,831 for Chicago at-large. The area had anIncome distribution in which 8.2% of households earned less than $25,000 annually; 19.7% of households earned between $25,000 and $49,999; 14.7% of households earned between $50,000 and $74,999; 16.4% of households earned between $75,000 and $99,999; 16.6% of households earned between $100,000 and $149,999 and 24.4% of households earned more than $150,000. This is compared to a distribution of 28.8%, 22.8%, 16.1%, 10.7%, 11.3% and 10.3% for Chicago at large.[1]
Edison Park Fest has been held in the area since 1972.[14]
The Chicago band Reaction released the albumEdison Park on January 15, 2015. The band explains the title was selected because Edison Park was "the neighborhood in Chicago where we used to rehearse... It's a time in our lives when possibilities seemed endless." Their album cover features Edison Park's commuter rail station.[15]
Edison Park narrowly voted for theDemocratic Party in the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections. In2012, Edison Park cast 2,736 votes forBarack Obama (50.9%) and 2,525 votes forMitt Romney (47.0%).[16] In2016, Edison Park cast 2,910 votes forHillary Clinton (49.4%) and 2,653 votes forDonald Trump (45.0%).[17]
Edison Park is entirely within the 41st ward in theChicago City Council, where it is represented by AldermanAnthony Napolitano, who is the only Republican member of the City Council as of 2019.[18]
| Years | 27th Warda | 41st Ward | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1893 – 1894 | Mathew J. Conway, Republican | Frederick F. Haussen, Republican | No such ward |
| 1894 – 1895 | Hubert W. Butler, Republican | ||
| 1895 – 1897 | George S. Foster, Democratic | ||
| 1897 – 1899 | Spencer S. Kimbell, Republican | ||
| 1899 – 1900 | Arthur F. Keeney, Republican | ||
| 1900 – 1902 | Henry Wulff, Independent | ||
| 1902 – 1903 | Hubert W. Butler, Republican | ||
| 1903 – 1905 | Silas F. Leachman, Democratic | ||
| 1905 – 1906 | Henry J. Siewert, Republican | ||
| 1906 – 1908 | Hans Blase, Democratic | ||
| 1908 – 1909 | James F. Clancy, Republican | ||
| 1909 – 1910 | Joseph F. Capp, Republican | ||
| 1910 – 1911 | Frank J. Wilson, Democratic | ||
| 1911 – 1913 | Jens N. Hyldahl, Democratic | ||
| 1913 – 1914 | George E. Trebing, Democratic | ||
| 1914 – 1915 | Oliver L. Watson, Independent | ||
| 1915 – 1919 | John C. Kennedy, Socialist | ||
| 1919 – 1920 | Edward R. Armitage, Republican | ||
| 1920 – 1923 | Christ A. Jensen, Democratic | ||
| 1923 – 1930 | Not in ward | Thomas J. Bowler, Democratic | |
| 1930 – 1931 | Vacant | ||
| 1931 – 1935 | James C. Moreland, Republican | ||
| 1935 – 1947 | William J. Cowhey, Democratic | ||
| 1947 – 1958 | Joseph P. Immel Jr., Republican | ||
| 1958 – 1959 | Vacant | ||
| 1959 – 1963 | Harry Bell, Democratic | ||
| 1963 – 1972 | Edward T. Scholl, Republican | ||
| 1972 – 1973 | Vacant | ||
| 1973 – 1991 | Roman Pucinski, Democratic | ||
| 1991 – 2011 | Brian Doherty, Republican | ||
| 2011 – 2015 | Mary O'Connor, Democratic | ||
| 2015 – present | Anthony Napolitano, Republican | ||
| ^a Prior to 1923 Chicago comprised 35 wards, each electing two aldermen in staggered two-year terms.[19] | |||
TheUnion Pacific Northwest Line has astation in the Edison Park community.
Places adjacent to Edison Park, Chicago | |
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