Rogers Park - wikipedia

Rogers Park: The Wikipedia information.

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.

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.

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[citation needed]. 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

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.

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. [3] [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


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.[citation needed] 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)

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

Rogers Park Chamber of Commerce
Official City of Chicago Rogers Park Community Map
History of Rogers Park on Encyclopedia of Chicago


References


^ Studies: Gentrification a boost for everyone.
^ What is Gentrification?.
^ What is Gentrification?.
^ Fighting Gentrification Chicago Style.