Rogers Park, Chicago

Community area
name = Rogers Park
picture =

---

number = 01
latdegree = 42
latarc = 0.6
longdegree = 87
longarc = 40.2
neighborhoods = * Loyola
* Rogers Park
zips = 60626
kilos = 4.79
miles = 1.85
density = 63,484
capita = 13,249.4
percent = 9.35
status = down
year = 2000
prevyear = 1990
white = 31.8
black = 29.6
hispanic = 27.8
asian = 6.40
other = 4.48
income = 31,602

Rogers Park is the northernmost of Chicago community areas in the far North Side of 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 AvenueEdgewater 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, the chapel motherchurch of the Jesuit Province of Chicago (one of the largest Jesuit provinces).

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 Pottawatomi 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 as does Pottawatomi Park near Clark St and Rogers Ave.

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 onionsFact|date=May 2007. 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 flourishedFact|date=May 2007. With the devastation in Europe following WWII, many additional immigrants found their way to Chicago and Rogers Park. Also, a growing and vibrant Hispanic community has grown along Clark Street.

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, if not, the most diverse communities in the entire country, with a robust mix of ethnic backgrounds, languages, age diversity, and a wide range of family incomes. However, this diversity has been affected by the gentrification of the community. Much of the rental housing converted to condominiums since 2000 formerly housed racial and ethnic minority households. More than 90% of the new homeowners are white households, according to the Woodstock Institute, a nonprofit advocacy and research organization.Fact|date=June 2008

Rogers Park contains many houses of prayer of different religions and denominations.

Current issues

Rogers Park is currently going through a period of gentrification and the population is divided on the issue.

Both aldermen, Loyola University, and many property owners in Rogers Park support the gentrification currently going on in Rogers Park.Fact|date=August 2007 Those favoring gentrification point out that property values increase, that it brings investment to the community, increases property ownership and reduces crime in general. [cite web| url = http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-04-19-gentrification_x.htm| title = Studies: Gentrification a boost for everyone ] cite web| url = http://www.pbs.org/pov/pov2003/flagwars/special_gentrification.html| title = What is Gentrification?] 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. These groups 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 residents. [cite web| url = http://www.luc.edu/curl/escd/discussions/archives/paper1.shtml| title = Fighting Gentrification Chicago Style ]

Beaches

Rogers Park is unique in that it is one of the few Chicago neighborhoods that has direct public access to Lake Michigan. Every East/West street in the neighborhood has a beach. [http://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/resources/beaches/pdf/Lakefront]

chools

*Chicago Math & Science Academy
*Chicago Waldorf School
*Field Elementary School
*Gale School
*Hayt Elementary School
*Kilmer Elementary School
*Loyola University Chicago/Lake Shore Campus
*North Shore School
*PACTT Learning Center
*St. Margaret Mary School
*St. Scholastica Academy
*Sullivan High School
*Swift Elementary Speciality School

Transportation

Rogers Park has four elevated ('L') Red Line stations: Howard, Jarvis, Morse, and Loyola. [RTA Trip Planner http://tripsweb.rtachicago.com/] The Howard Street "L", the initial CTA stop in the city proper, has experienced major renovation during 2008. The Howard Street/Rogers Park station is a major transportation hub for the far Northside of Chicagoland. Both the Skokie Swift and the Evanston Express begin in Rogers Park. In addition to the above, there are also several bus routes which traverse to the Loop and to the suburbs. They consist of the #22 (Clark to Polk), #97 (Old Orchard Shopping Mall/Cook County Courthouse), #147 (Outer Drive/Congress/Michigan Ave), #151 (Sheridan Road) and the #N201 (Central/Sherman in Evanston). The Metra Rogers Park station, is centrally located in the Rogers Park neighborhood.

Community policing

In 1993, Rogers Park was selected as one of only 5 Chicago neighborhoods to implement a new concept for Chicago Law Enforcement; community policing or CAPS. A merging of police and community efforts was implemented and resulted in a noticeable effect on crime statistics. Weekly beat meetings (planning and strategy sessions) were held across the 24th Police District (Rogers Park). Within 3 years, after the success of CAPS in Rogers Park, all of Chicago's police districts had put CAPS into practice. "CAPS is the most ambitious and comprehensive community policing program in the country," said Susan M. Hartnett, project director and research associate at Northwestern's Institute for Policy Research. "The success of the CAPS program in comparison to efforts in other big cities is attributable to Chicago's commitment to the program and the resources allocated to it. A unique CAPS feature that is also vital to the success of the program is the improved delivery of city services throughout the city." [cite book |title=Not in My Backyard - Northwestern study finds major concerns about crime motivates high citizen participation in Chicago's Community Policing Program| origdate=December 6, 1996 | origyear=1996 |origmonth=December |quote=Citizens of Chicago cited crime as "the number one problem" facing the city and their own neighborhoods, and such concerns motivated a significant number of them to attend community policing beat meetings to solve neighborhood problems, according to a just released study from Northwestern University. Citizens affiliated with community organizations were particularly likely to have an impact on citizen participation in the policing partnership and on decision making, according to the findings. ] .

Notable residents

* Edward Gorey........ (Childhood)
* Phil Foglio............. Science Fiction Graphic Artist
* Shecky Greene...... (former Sullivan High School student)
* Elizabeth Bloomer.. better known as Former First Lady Betty Ford
* Lara Flynn Boyle.... (Childhood)
* Dan Savage........... (Childhood)

References

External links

* [http://egov.cityofchicago.org/webportal/COCWebPortal/COC_ATTACH/Community_Areas_ROGERS_PARK.pdf Official City of Chicago Rogers Park Community Map]
* [http://www.rpwrhs.org/rpwrhs/ Rogers Park Historical Society]
* [http://www.rogerspark.org Rogers Park Community Council]
* [http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/1086.html History of Rogers Park on Encyclopedia of Chicago]
* [http://www.lakesidecdc.org Lakeside Community Development Corporation]
* [http://www.rogers-park.com DevCorp North]
* [http://rogersparkparents.com/ Rogers Park Parents Group]
* [http://www.forgottenchicago.com/ ForgottenChicago.com] [Little known elements of Chicago’s infrastructure, architecture, neighborhoods and general cityscape, existing and historical]

Geographic Location
Center = Rogers Park, Chicago
North = Evanston, Illinois
East = Lake Michigan
South = Edgewater, Chicago
Southwest = Lincoln Square, Chicago
West = West Ridge, Chicago