Arlingtoncardinal.com/ChicagoNeighborhoods
The Norwood Park neighborhood (Community Area 10) of Chicago borders Park Ridge, Harwood Heights and Norridge, and borders the Chicago neighborhoods of Edison Park, Jefferson Park, and O’Hare.
Norwood Park is one of 77 Chicago neighborhoods or community areas, and encompasses the smaller Chicago neighborhoods of Big Oaks, Norwood Park East, Norwood Park West, Old Norwood Park, Oriole Park, and Union Ridge.
The Norwood Park Metra train station on the UP Northwest Line is located at Northwest Highway and Raven Street.
Chicago Fire Department’s Battalion 11 is located at the fire station at 6030 N. Avondale Avenue with Engine 119, Truck 55, and Ambulance 39.
Extra-alarm at Harry’s Lumber Company in Chicago’s Norwood Park neighborhood on October 20, 2015 — occurred 25 years and a day after the business was destroyed by fire in 1990.
Norwood Park, once an incorporated village, was annexed to the City of Chicago in 1893. Norwood Park was incorporated as a village in 1874 and annexed to Chicago on November 7, 1893. Norwood Park was initially organized as a village in 1872 in adjacent townships (Jefferson, Leyden and Niles). Norwood Park was named after Henry Ward Beecher’s novel Norwood, or Village Life in New England (1868). “Park” was added because another Illinois post office already had the Norwood name. The Norwood Park neighborhood has the feel of a small town along the Metra/UP Northwest Line and Northwest Highway with many stores, service business, restaurants and bars.
Norwood Park Historical District or Old Norwood
Old Norwood is a historic district in the Norwood Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, which is bordered by Bryn Mawr, Avondale, and Harlem Avenues.
Old Norwood is home to the Noble-Seymour-Crippen House, which was built in 1833 and is widely considered to be the oldest house in Chicago. The house was not located in Chicago at the time it was built, and was built before Norwood Park was an incorporated village.
The historic district is also home to Norwood Park Public School, William Howard Taft High School, Norwood Park (Chicago Park District), Myrtle Park (Chicago Park District), and Norwood Circle Park (Chicago Park District).
The Chicago Park District’s 14-acre Norwood Park boasts the Chicago park district’s only outdoor swimming pool on the North Side with a water slide in 2017, making it a favorite destination for summer day camps and young swimmers in the neighborhood. Sports programs for youth include flag football, floor hockey, outdoor soccer, track & field, and tumbling. On the cultural side, they can enjoy classes in acting, piano & music, and tap dancing.
The park district’s Norwood Park is home to a state-of-the-art fitness center, equipped with circuit weight machines, free weights, and cardiovascular machines. Outside, a .22-mile oval [approx. 4.5 laps equals a mile] gravel running track with lights surrounds baseball diamonds. The park property also includes an outdoor inline skating area, dog park and four tennis courts.
The Norwood Park Senior Center opened in September 2009 on Park District property adjoining the existing Norwood Park Field house. The senior center offers fitness classes, computer classes, a dining room where hot meals will be served and health screenings for the elderly to the community.
The historical district was first settled in 1833, when Mark Noble, Sr., built his house northwest of Chicago, Illinois. However, the area remained sparsely populated when the Chicago and North Western Railway built a station there in 1864. The Norwood Park Land and Building Association (NPLBA) formed in 1868 to purchase 860 acres of farmland with the intention of developing a suburb. The organization was led by Thomas H. Seymour, a broker at the Chicago Board of Trade, and educator John Eberhart.
The historical district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.
Norwood Park East
Norwood Park East is bounded by Niles, the north branch of the Chicago River, Devon Avenue, Indian Road, Austin Avenue, Bryn Mawr Avenue, Avondale Avenue and Harlem Avenue. The Roden branch of the Chicago Public Library system is located in the neighborhood. The public school that is located in the central part of the area and that the area is mostly zoned to is William J. Onahan Public School, located on West Raven Street. Rufus M. Hitch Public School, located on North McVicker Avenue, is in the area and zoned to as well. The neighborhood is also home to St. Thecla Catholic School and Parish.
Norwood Park West
Norwood Park West is bounded by Devon Avenue, Harlem Avenue, the Kennedy Expressway and Canfield Road. Norwood Park West is home to Edison Park Elementary School (the school is not located in Edison Park). Norwood Park West is also home to Immaculate Conception Catholic School, Resurrection Medical Center and Resurrection High School.
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 is the suburb Harwood Heights, and an unincorporated area housing Ridgemoor Country Club. Many City of Chicago 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 Magnet School, located on West Strong Avenue, and St. Monica Catholic School, located on North Mont Clare Avenue.
Oriole Park
Oriole Park is a neighborhood bordered by the Kennedy Expressway (I-90) to the north, Foster Ave to the south, Harlem Avenue to the east, and Cumberland Avenue to the west.
The neighborhood contains two schools: Oriole Park Elementary School, located on Oketo and Balmoral Avenues, and St. Eugene Catholic School, located on Foster and Canfield Avenues.
The Oriole Park Library is located on Balmoral Avenue next to Oriole Park Elementary School, and operates as part of the Chicago Public Library system.
Oriole Park is a park with athletic fields, 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 with Oriole Park Elementary School located just to the east. The park is a Chicago Park District facility.
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 at Foster and Rutherford Avenues. Union Ridge Cemetery is located on Higgins and Talcott Avenues.
See also …
chicagoparkdistrict.com/parks/Norwood-Park
