West Ridge | |
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| Community Area 02 – West Ridge | |
.jpg) Aerial view of West Ridge | |
 Streetmap | |
 Location within the city of Chicago | |
| Coordinates:42°00′N87°41.4′W / 42.000°N 87.6900°W /42.000; -87.6900 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Illinois |
| County | Cook |
| City | Chicago |
| Neighborhoods | |
| Area | |
• Total | 3.53 sq mi (9.1 km2) |
| Population (2022) | |
• Total | 79,265 |
| • Density | 22,500/sq mi (8,670/km2) |
| Demographics 2022[1] | |
| • White | 39.7% |
| • Black | 11.5% |
| • Hispanic | 22.1% |
| • Asian | 20.9% |
| • Other | 5.7% |
| Educational Attainment 2022[1] | |
| • High School Diploma or Higher | 83.8% |
| • Bachelor's Degree or Higher | 41%% |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP Codes | 60645 and parts of 60659 |
| Median Household income 2022[1] | $68,091 |
| Source: U.S. Census, Record Information Services | |
West Ridge is one of the 77community areas ofChicago in Illinois, United States. It is historically a middle-class neighborhood located on the far North Side of the City ofChicago. It is located in the 50th ward and the40th ward.
West Ridge is an ethnically diverse neighborhood, being home to the Midwest's largestHasidic community, as well as other Jewish,Irish American,German-American,Indian,Pakistani,Bangladeshi,Assyrian,Russian,Korean andRohingya[2] immigrant communities.
Historically called "North Town", and frequently referred to as "West Rogers Park", it is bordered on the north byHoward Street, on the east byRidge Boulevard, Western Avenue, and Ravenswood Avenue, the south by Bryn Mawr Avenue and Peterson Avenue, and on the west by Kedzie Avenue and the North Shorechannel of theChicago River. At one time joined with neighboringRogers Park, it seceded to become its own village in 1890 over a conflict concerning park districts (known as the Cabbage War).[3] West Ridge was annexed to Chicago on April 4, 1893, along with Rogers Park.[4]
The area'sJewish community began to boom in the 1930s as new arrivals left behind older and more crowded Jewish neighbourhoods, such asNorth Lawndale.[5][6] The area's first synaogue, Ner Tamid, aConservative congregation, was built in 1938, followed by Congregation B'nai Jacob, also Conservative, in 1942.[5] The community peaked in the early-1960s with 47,000 Jewish residents, making up nearly 75% of the neighourhood.[6][5] The main throughfare, Devon Avenue was home to many Jewish businesses and stores, as well as the iconicBnei Ruven synagogue, which remains.[6] The remaining Jewish stores are mostly on what is known honorarily as Golda Meir Boulevard, a section of Devon Avenue.[6] In 1960 aJewish Community Center opened and the area was home to twelve synagogues from denominations such asReform,Conservative andOrthodox Judaism became active.[6][5]
The Golden Ghetto is bounded on the north by Warren Park and Pratt Avenue and on the south by Peterson Avenue. It acquired its name from the thrivingJewish community there from about 1930 to the mid-1970s. The Jewish community peaked at over 47,000 in the 1960s.[6]That community began to drift into the suburbs in the 1960s, and the neighborhood began to be home toSouth Asians andRussian Jews from about that time.
The heyday of the area is the topic ofAdam Langer'sCrossing California,[7] told from the perspective of the second-generation residents during theirmiddle school and teenage years. There has been a recent resurgence in Jewish residents, up from a nadir of 20,000 to around 25,000 in the late 2010s, due to increased Orthodox residents.[6][8]
The Rogers Park Manor Bungalow Historic District is a residential historic district in West Ridge. The district includes 329 buildings, 247 of which are Chicago bungalows built in the 1920s. The district was added to theNational Register of Historic Places on November 15, 2005.[9]
The Talman West Ridge Bungalow Historic District is a residential historic district in West Ridge. Of the district's 272 buildings, 181 are either brick Chicago bungalows or older stucco bungalows built from 1919 to 1930.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930 | 39,759 | — | |
| 1940 | 43,553 | 9.5% | |
| 1950 | 47,930 | 10.0% | |
| 1960 | 63,884 | 33.3% | |
| 1970 | 65,477 | 2.5% | |
| 1980 | 61,129 | −6.6% | |
| 1990 | 65,374 | 6.9% | |
| 2000 | 73,199 | 12.0% | |
| 2010 | 71,942 | −1.7% | |
| 2020 | 77,122 | 7.2% | |
| Sources:[10][1] | |||
West Ridge has supported theDemocratic Party in the past three presidential elections, though relative support declined slightly from 2016 to 2020. In the2020 presidential election, West Ridge cast 17,222 votes forJoe Biden (69.8%) and 7,281 votes forDonald Trump (28.9%).[11] In the2016 presidential election, the neighborhood cast 16,712 votes forHillary Clinton (73.5%) and 4,772 votes forDonald Trump (21.5%).[12] In the2012 presidential election, West Ridge cast 14,446 votes forBarack Obama (71.8%) and 5,345 votes forMitt Romney (26.6%).[13]
It was represented on the Chicago City Council by AldermanBernard Stone from 1973 until May 2011. On April 5, 2011,Debra Silverstein defeated Stone in a runoff election[14] and now represents the 50th Ward, which encompasses West Ridge.
Chicago Public Schools operates public schools.
Completed in 1996, it is the home for NCAAMen’s andWomen’sLoyola Soccer teams. In addition to the universitysoftball team. AFieldTurf synthetic field was installed in 2005.[17] The field lends its name toThomas Hoyne, a prominent lawyer and businessman who was elected asMayor of Chicago in 1876, despite never taking office.
Bus service is operated byChicago Transit Authority andPace.Metra rail is accessible atPeterson/Ridge station.
Places adjacent to West Ridge, Chicago | |
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