Neighborhood News: Meet the affordable, eclectic, cultural Rogers Park!
Spanning the lakefront from Devon Avenue to Howard Street, at the Northernmost edge of the city, Rogers Park today is a diverse, vibrant neighborhood with a strong community, affordable housing options, an arts/theatre community, and activities for every season.
In the interest of full disclosure, I lived in Rogers Park for a decade, and found that the area’s eclectic mix of cultures, dining options, green spaces, early 20th-century architecture, live theater, bars, restaurants, and beaches, and public transportation options made my years there some of the most enjoyable of my life.
After all, who could say that Lake Michigan was their backyard?
In some of Rogers Park’s lakefront apartments, you can actually say that.
History
According to Wikipedia sources and the Rogers Park/West Ridge Historical Society, the area was home to small groups of Potawatomi, Ojibwe, Odawa, and others in the 19th Century. It was a land of birch trees and majestic dunes crossed by Indian trails running along glacial ridges.
By the 1830s, immigrants, mostly German and Swedish, made the area their home. Philip McGregor Rogers, an Irishman from New York, acquired 1,600 acres of land from today’s Howard Street south to Devon Avenue. This land became the foundation of the Village of Rogers Park.
The modern suburb was officially annexed into the city of Chicago in 1893. By the turn of the 20th century, it was a residential hub for well-off business executives, high-ranking government officials and other wealthy people looking for the latest infrastructure of suburban life with ready access to the city. Real estate entrepreneurs and developers flocked to the area to fulfill the needs of this new market, and one of the most prolific was Charles Henry Thompson.
As the Northwestern elevated line was extended from Wilson (4600N) to Howard Street (7600N), St. Ignatius College moved to the lakefront in 1912 and changed its name to Loyola University in 1915. Successive generations brought about vast cultural changes to the former village. By 1930 the population was 57,094 making Rogers Park one of Chicago’s most densely populated areas. Chicagoans began to move to new planned communities in the north suburbs by the 1930s, which ushered in the migration of German, English, Irish, and Jewish families to Rogers Park. With the devastation in Europe following World War II, many additional immigrants found their way to Chicago and the Rogers Park neighborhood. A growing and vibrant Hispanic community has grown along Clark Street since 2000.
Today
Rogers Park has over 130 restaurants plus coffee shops and cafes and has been ranked “very walkable” by Walk Score. Rogers Park is also home to the Glenwood Sunday Market, a farmers market devoted to providing local, sustainable foods.
The Mile of Murals, as Choose Chicago notes, is a community-based, free public art initiative, along Glenwood Avenue. The murals include 14 bold, vibrant large-scale works reflecting the history, culture, and spirit of Rogers Park spanning five block-long pieces, seven viaducts, and one overpass.
And art lovers can’t miss the Glenwood Arts District, home to a vibrant mix of art studios and galleries, live music venues, and acclaimed theatres, including The Factory Theatre (creating original shows for 25 years) and newcomers like The Rhapsody Theater (bringing magic, cabaret, and more to a historic space). Lifeline Theatre interprets and reimagines books and other literary works for the stage.
Beach, Beach Beach
Leone Beach, as Choose Chicago notes, is perfect for anyone looking to unwind on the sand, swim, or try out some water activities.
There’s access to the Lake Michigan Water Trail for kayaking, canoeing, and other non-motorized paddle sports.
The nearby park has almost two acres of native dune and oak savanna.
Or, Loyola Beach is a 40-acre park that’s popular for swimming and walking. In addition, there’s a fieldhouse, baseball field, courts for basketball, sand volleyball, and tennis, and a playground. The beach also features a 600-foot wall filled with colorful murals and beachfront eatery Ropa Beach Cabana, offering bites and refreshing treats.
Event: Pride North
Rogers Park is celebrating Pride Month this Saturday, June 28 and Sunday, June 29, on Glenwood between Morse and Lunt Avenues, at the Glenwood Alfresco, with two days of music, food and fun from 12pm–10pm. Featuring DJs and live entertainment, this is a FREE event that takes place right off the Morse stop on the CTA Red Line. For more information about Pride North, click here.
Alison Moran-Powers and Dean’s Team Chicago
