Norwood Park, Chicago

For township, see Norwood Park Township, Cook County, Illinois.

Norwood Park
—  Community area  —
Community Area 10 - Norwood Park
Location within the city of Chicago
Coordinates: 41°58.8′N 87°48.0′W / 41.98°N 87.8°W / 41.98; -87.8Coordinates: 41°58.8′N 87°48.0′W / 41.98°N 87.8°W / 41.98; -87.8
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	Cook
City	Chicago
Neighborhoods	list Norwood Park West Norwood Park East Old Norwood Park Oriole Park Union Ridge Big Oaks O'Hare
Area
- Total	4.3 sq mi (11.11 km2)
Population (2000)
- Total	37,669
- Density	8,781.5/sq mi (3,390.5/km2)
	population down 0.13% from 1990
Demographics
- White	88.4%
- Black	0.88%
- Hispanic	6.40%
- Asian	3.23%
- Other	1.13%
Time zone	CST (UTC-6)
- Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP Codes	parts of 60631, 60646, 60656
Median income	$53,402
Source: U.S. Census, Record Information Services

Norwood Park is one of 77 well-defined Chicago, Illinois community areas. It encompasses the smaller neighborhoods of Big Oaks, Norwood Park East, Norwood Park West, Old Norwood Park, Oriole Park, and Union Ridge.

Originally organized in 1872 from adjacent townships (Jefferson, Leyden and Niles) as a village, and named after Henry Ward Beecher's novel Norwood, or Village Life in New England (1868), Norwood Park was annexed to the City of Chicago in 1893.

The community is now home to many of the city's firefighters, police officers, and other blue collar workers. Norwood Park is known especially for its abundance of green: lawns, parks, churchyards, and trees are its visual hallmarks.

Every Memorial Day there is a parade that runs through Norwood Park. The parade has been a local tradition for almost 90 years, starting in 1922. The community area also boasts the oldest extant building in Chicago, the Noble-Seymour-Crippen House, and Taft High School.

Neighborhoods

Norwood Park Historical District (Old Norwood)

See Norwood Park Historical District

Big Oaks

Big Oaks is bounded by Foster Avenue to the north, Nagle Avenue to the east, Gunnison Street to the south, and Harlem Avenue to the west. Opposite of the neighborhood's southern border at Gunnison Street are the suburb Harwood Heights, and an unincorporated area housing Ridgemoor Country Club. Many of the city's police officers live in Big Oaks, and in recent years the area has seen an increase in the number of Polish immigrants.

At one time, the area was dominated by a large golf course called Big Oaks Golf Course. In the early 1950s, the golf course was demolished and hundreds of homes replaced it.

The neighborhood contains two schools: Daniel Carter Beard School, located on West Strong Avenue, and St. Monica Catholic School, located on North Mont Clare Avenue.

Union Ridge

Union Ridge is bounded by Bryn Mawr, Foster, Nagle, and Harlem Avenues. Union Ridge contains one school, John W. Garvy Elementary School, located on Foster and Rutherford Avenues. Union Ridge Cemetery is located on Higgins and Talcott Avenues.

Oriole Park

Oriole Park is bordered by the I-90 to the north, Foster Ave to the south, Harlem Avenue to the east, and Canfield Avenue to the west.

The area is home to Oriole Park, which is located in the center of the neighborhood south of Bryn Mawr Avenue. The park covers over 18 acres (7.3 ha) of land. The park is a Chicago Park District facility.

The Oriole Park Library is located on Balmoral Avenue next to Oriole Park School. It operates under the Chicago Public Library.

Oriole Park Elementary School is located on Oketo and Balmoral Avenues and is the only school in the area. The school operates under Chicago Public Schools.

Relation to Grease Musical

A 2011 reproduction of the original Grease (musical) by American Theater Company in Chicago revisited Norwood Park's influence on the production. Creator Jim Jacobs attended Taft High School, which was used as the backdrop to Grease. Much of what is in the play is based on his experience growing up in Norwood Park during the 1950s and 1960s. He has stated that the characters of Grease were based on actual people he attended school with. During the reproduction, many Chicago references were put in, including references to the characters living on "Chicago's Northwest side" as middle class first-generation Americans with parents who worked in local factories. Also mentioned were local favorites, including Superdawg.

External links

• Grease gets its grit back, Chicago Times Article
• Official City of Chicago Norwood Park Community Map
• Chicago landmarks
  • Noble-Seymour-Crippen House
  • Wingert House
• Chicago Park District
  • Norwood Park
  • Oriole Park