Park Ridge, Illinois

Chicagoland municipality
muni-name = Park Ridge
muni = City
date = 1873
state = Illinois
county = Cook
township = Maine
head_label = Mayor
gov = Council-manager
gov_head = Howard P. Frimark
budget = $47,684,900 (2004-2005)
fy = 2006-07
pop = 37,775
status = up
percent = 1.27
prevyear = 1990
density-km = 3,698.6
density-mi = 9,584.1
pci =
mhi = 85,302 [http://www.parkridge.us/about/facts.asp The City of Park Ridge - Facts ] ]
mhv =
mnhv = 382,500
white = 95.4
black = 0.2
hispanic = 2.9
asian = 2.7
islander = 0.00
native = 0.9
other = 0.7
zips = 60068
acode = 847
area-km = 18.4
area-mi = 7.1
geocode =
website = www.parkridge.us

Park Ridge, Illinois, is a suburb of 37,775 residents. Fifteen miles northwest of downtown Chicago, it is close to O'Hare Airport, major expressways and rail transportation.

It is said Park Ridge is on the highest ridge in Cook County. While this is not true, it does lie on a ridge. The soil is abundant with clay deposits, which made it a brick-making center for the developing city of Chicago. Park Ridge was originally called Pennyville to honor George Penny, the businessman who owned the local brickyard along with Robert Meacham. Later it was named Brickton. The Des Plaines River divides Park Ridge from neighboring Des Plaines, Illinois, which is west of Park Ridge. Chicago is both south and east of Park Ridge, and Niles is to its north.Fact|date=March 2007

Park Ridge is the hometown of former First Lady & current U.S. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton. When she visited Park Ridge on the occasion of her 50th birthday in 1997, the city renamed the southeast corner of the intersection of Elm and Wisner Streets, next to her girlhood home, "Rodham Corner."

The city is also home to the headquarters of the Big Ten Conference.

Landmarks

Park Ridge's most recognizable landmark is the Pickwick Theatre, an art deco building dating back to 1928. In addition to being a movie theater, it is also a venue for plays and concerts. In 1975, the theater was named to the National Register of Historic Places. Although smaller theaters have been added to the rear of the building, the [http://www.architechgallery.com/arch_images/architech_images/iann/ian_pickwick.jpgmain auditorium theater] remains intact in its original large five-aisle state. The main auditorium can seat up to 1,250 people. In the 1980s, The Pickwick's facade was one of many used as the backdrop for the opening credits of Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert's "At the Movies." The uptown area is currently under development. There are new buildings, condominiums and stores located across from the Park Ridge Public Library.

Geography

Park Ridge is located at coor dms|42|0|43|N|87|50|30|W|city (42.011830, -87.841587)GR|1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.1 square miles (18.3 km²), of which, 7.0 square miles (18.2 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.57%) is water.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 37,775 people, 14,219 households, and 10,465 families residing in the city. The population density was 5,374.6 people per square mile (2,074.7/km²). There were 14,646 housing units at an average density of 2,083.8/sq mi (804.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.4% White, 0.2% African American, 0.06% Native American, 2.66% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.87% from other races, and 0.74% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.90% of the population.

There were 14,219 households out of which 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.4% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.4% were non-families. 24.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.13. The median cost of a house is $420,000.

The City's population consists of 24.5% persons under the age of 18, 5.5% aged 18 to 24, 24.5% aged 25 to 44, 25.8% aged 45 to 64, and 19.6% age 65 or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 90.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $73,154, and the median income for a family was $87,795. Males had a median income of $61,959 versus $39,794 for females. The per capita income for the city was $36,646. About 1.7% of families and 2.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.1% of those under age 18 and 3.1% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Park Ridge is served by elementary and middle school District 64. Area middle schools include Emerson Middle School (Illinois), home of the Eagles, and Lincoln Middle School, home of the Lions. There are also five public K-5 elementary schools: Carpenter, Field, Franklin, Roosevelt, and Washington.There is also Jefferson pre-kindergarten school.

St. Paul of the Cross and Mary Seat of Wisdom are the two Catholic elementary schools. St. Andrews is a Lutheran elementary school.

The town is served by Maine Township High School District 207, which includes Maine South High School, and Maine East High School. Students who live in northern Park Ridge have the option of attending either Maine East or Maine South. Maine West High School is located to the west in Des Plaines.

District 207 shares student run radio and television stations operating with the call letters WMTH-FM (W Maine Township High). Actor Harrison Ford mostly known as playing the lead role on Indiana Jones, went to Maine East, and has been credited as being the radio station's first sports announcer. Since 2007, WMTH Radio can be heard live on any of the district high school homepages. [http://webpages.maine207.org/district/wmth/]

The town is a part of the Oakton Community College district

Park Ridge in Film

The 1980 film "The Blues Brothers" had some scenes filmed in Park Ridge. Specifically, the scenes where the brothers are first pulled over by the state police, and the beginning of the subsequent chase were filmed here. The Nelson Funeral Home and Shell gas station which the brothers drive past as the police pull out to intercept them are still in business at the intersections of Talcott and Cumberland Avenues. The borthers are pulled over at the intersection of Talcott and Greenwood. As the chase progresses, a trooper radios that the chase is "proceeding on Courtland Avenue". The scene where the Blues Brothers and the police spin out in a three–way interection occurs at the intersection of Devon Avenue, Talcott Road, and Courtland Avenue. [ [http://www.movie-locations.com/movies/b/bluesbros.html Blues Brothers location guide; accessed 12 Aug 2008] ] [ [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080455/locations filming locations for "The Blues Brothers" at imdb.com] ] [ [http://www.dailypress.com/topic/mmx-0129movie_scenesjan29,0,7337785.story?page=2 "Lost Chicago Found on Film", p. 2, Patrick T. Reardon, "Chicago Tribune", 29 January 2008; accessed 12 August 2008] ] [ ["The Blues Brothers: 25th Anniversary Edition", 2005, scene 4] ]

In Home Alone one of the cousins wears a Maine South letterman's jacket.

Part of The Breakfast club is filmed in Park Ridge.

Notable residents

* Dr. Dante "Dan" Amidei - physicist
* Craig Anderson - NHL player [ [http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/players/2911 yahoo sports stat page with brief biography] ]
* Rosie Barresi - news reporterFact|date=July 2008
* Karen Black - actressFact|date=July 2008
* Family Bransen [ [http://www.cbs.com/primetime/amazing_race8/teams/bio_bransen.shtml Profile on CBS] ] - Participants of the reality show
* Dave Butz - NFL player for the Washington RedskinsFact|date=July 2008
* Hillary Rodham Clinton - former First Lady, Senator from New YorkFact|date=July 2008
* Gary Cole - actorFact|date=July 2008
* Danny Corkill - child actorFact|date=July 2008
* Harrison Ford- American actor (Indiana Jones, Han Solo)Fact|date=July 2008
* Greg Glienna - movie writer, "Meet the Parents"Fact|date=July 2008
* Rick Hader - also known as Myron Noodleman, the Clown Prince of BaseballFact|date=July 2008
* Jim Hendry - Chicago Cubs General ManagerFact|date=July 2008
* Hannah Hightower - SingerFact|date=April 2008
* Thomas Hoff - 2008 Beijing Olympic Gold Medalist and Team Captain of USA Men's Volleyball [ http://www.pioneerlocal.com/norridge/sports/highschools/1092264,no-tomhoff-080708-s1.article ]
* Alfonso Iannelli - historic Prairie Design-era sculptor, artist, architect and designer. Founder of Park Ridge's own Iannelli Studios along with wife Margaret. Primary designer of the Pickwick Theater.Fact|date=July 2008
* Vincent A. Mahler - political science professorFact|date=July 2008
* Scott Mutter - American photographer
* Mike North - radio host Fact|date=July 2008
* Dana Olsen - screenwriter, "George of the Jungle", "The 'Burbs" and "Inspector Gadget"Fact|date=July 2008
* Ray Ozzie - software engineer, now Chief Software Architect at MicrosoftFact|date=July 2008
* James Pankow - founding member of the rock band ChicagoFact|date=July 2008
* John Pankow - film and stage actorFact|date=July 2008
* Ron Santo - former professional baseball playerFact|date=July 2008
* Marshall Seese - anchor/meteorologist - The Weather Channel
* Janet Shamlian - national correspondent NBC NewsFact|date=July 2008
* Carrie Snodgress - actressFact|date=July 2008
* Dougie Thomson - bassist for Supertramp, manager of Disturbed and Dark New Day.Fact|date=July 2008
* Tommy Tokarczyk - Professional Downhill Mountain Bike RacerFact|date=April 2008
* Steve Wilkos - Talk show host "The Steve Wilkos Show", and ex-security/host "The Jerry Springer Show" [ [http://www.suntimes.com/pcds/cgi/transfers.cgi?X=-87.852149963378906&Y=42.007778167724609&target=1831+Prairie+Ave&sort=City&year= Chicago Sun-Times - Recent home sales] ]
* Grant Wood - painter, most famous for painting American Gothic [ [http://www.grantwoodstudio.org/wood_time.html A timeline from Grant Wood's Studio showing he moved to Park Ridge c. 1913] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.parkridge.us/ Park Ridge city website]
* [http://www.park-ridge.il.us/ Park Ridge Community Network, from Park Ridge Public Library] Park Ridge has two middle school named Lincoln and Emerson.
* [http://cdm.digitalpast.org/cgi-bin/docviewer.exe?CISOROOT=/parkridg002&CISOPTR=292 A history of Park Ridge, Illinois]
* [http://www.parkridgelibrary.org/index.html Park Ridge Public Library]

Geographic Location
Center = Park Ridge, Illinois
North = Unincorporated Cook County
Northeast = Niles, Illinois
East = Edison Park, Chicago
Southeast = Norwood Park, Chicago
South = O'Hare, Chicago
Southwest = Rosemont, Illinois
West = Des Plaines, Illinois