ROGERS PARK, CHICAGO

'Rogers Park' or often incorrectly 'East Rogers Park' is the northernmost of the Chicago community areas in Chicago, Illinois. It is bounded by the City of Evanston at Juneway Terrace and Howard Street to the north, Ridge Boulevard to the west, Devon Avenue to the south and Lake Michigan to the east. The neighborhood just to the west is often called West Rogers Park, although its formal name is West Ridge. Rogers Park is anchored by Loyola University Chicago and the Jesuit religious order. Historic places of interest include Madonna Della Strada and the site of the former palatial Granada Theatre.

Contents

Native American roots

Becoming part of Chicago

Cultural diversity

Current Issues

Schools

Transportation

Notable Residents

Elected Officials

Aldermen

County

State

Senate

Representative

Federal

Representative

Senate

External links

References

Native American roots

The Rogers Park area was developed on what once was the convergence of two Native American trails, now known as Rogers Avenue and Ridge Boulevard, pre-dating modern metropolitan Chicago. The Potawatomi and various other regional tribes often settled in Rogers Park from season to season. The name of Indian Boundary Park in Rogers Park reflects this history.
Rogers Park was named after a pioneer settler and developer Phillip Rogers. Rogers often traded and worked with the local tribes. Envisioning a future settlement, Rogers eventually purchased the land from the tribes for later development.

Becoming part of Chicago

From 1830 and 1850, waves of immigrants from Luxembourg and Germany came to Rogers Park, where farming was the main industry. The average price of land at the time was $1.25 an acre ($309/km²), and the dominant crops were hay and cucumbers for pickles and onions. On April 29, 1878, Rogers Park was incorporated as a village of Illinois governed by six trustees. In 1893, the village was annexed to the City of Chicago. Successive generations brought about vast cultural changes to the village. Elite Chicagoans began to move to new planned communities in the suburbs by the 1930s, which ushered in the migration of Germans, English and Irish and Jewish families to Rogers Park. With the settlement of these migrants, their cultural traditions flourished.

Cultural diversity

Rogers Park continued to see massive changes in its demographics
into the twenty first century. The 2000 census data showed it to be one of the most diverse communities in the country, with a robust mix of ethnic backgrounds, languages, age diversity, and a wide range of family incomes. This diversity has been affected by the gentrification of the community. Much of the rental housing converted to condominiums since 2000 housed racial and ethnic minority households, while more than 90% of the new homeowners are white households, according to the Woodstock Institute [1], a nonprofit advocacy and research organization.
Rogers Park contains many houses of prayer of different religions and denominations.

Current Issues

Rogers Park is currently going through a period of gentrification. The population is divided on the issue.
Both alderman, Loyola University, and many property owners in Rogers Park support the gentrification currently going on in Rogers Park. Among those actively organizing against gentrification are the Rogers Park Community Action Network, Organization of the Northeast, the North of Howard Leadership Forum, and many individual block clubs and community groups.
Those in favor of gentrification point out that property values increase, that it brings investment to the community, increases property ownership and reduces crime in general.^[1][2]
Those opposed point out that gentrification causes displacement of low-income families and the elderly in favor of younger, more affluent singles and couples, loss of diversity and does not establish long term residence. ^{[2] [4]}

Schools

★ Chicago Waldorf School

★ Field Elementary School

★ Gale School

★ Hayt Elementary School

★ Kilmer Elementary School

★ Loyola University Chicago

★ North Shore School

★ PACTT Learning Center

★ St. Margaret Mary School

★ St. Scholastica Academy

★ Sullivan High School

★ Swift Elementary Speciality School

Transportation

Rogers Park has several elevated Red Line stations. Travel times to The Loop are at least 45 minutes due to the general disrepair of the tracks as well as reconstruction of the Belmont and Fullerton stations. There is also the Metra Rogers Park station, where travel times to downtown Chicago are 20 to 23 minutes.

Notable Residents

★ Edward Gorey (childhood)

★ Phil Foglio (no longer resident)

★ Shecky Greene (former Sullivan High School student)

★ Elizabeth Bloomer, better known as Betty Ford

Elected Officials

Aldermen

40th Ward Patrick O'Connor (D)

49th Ward Joe Moore (D)

County

10th District Mike Quigley (D)

State

Senate

7th District Carol Ronen (D)

8th District Ira Silverstein (D)

9th District Jeffery M. Schoenberg (D)

Representative

14th District Harry Osterman (D)

Federal

Representative

9th District Jan Schakowsky (D)

Senate

Richard "Dick" Durbin (D)

Barack Obama (D)

External links

★ Official City of Chicago Rogers Park Community Map

★ Rogers Park Historical Society

★ Rogers Park Community Council

★ History of Rogers Park on Encyclopedia of Chicago

★ Lakeside Community Development Corporation

★ DevCorp North

★ Rogers Park Community Action Network

★ Rogers Park Builders Group

References

1. Studies: Gentrification a boost for everyone
2. What is Gentrification?
3. What is Gentrification?
4. Fighting Gentrification Chicago Style