Dunning

Dunning is the 17th of Chicago’s 77 officially sanctioned community zones. It is located on the city’s northwest side and is part of Precinct 16 of the Chicago Police Department. Dunning is a quiet and calm oasis in Chicago’s Northwest neighborhood for people seeking a respite from the commotion and crowds of the city’s downtown and Wrigleyville areas.

Dunning is a sizable residential community adjacent to the enormous Schiller Woods. Dunning residents enjoy a beautiful suburban atmosphere, with the majority of individuals owning their homes. In Dunning, there are various bars, restaurants, coffee shops, and parks. Wilbur Wright College, Zion Gardens Cemetery, Mount Olive Cemetery, and Eli’s Cheesecake Factory are all the area’s famous landmarks. It also houses the Chicago-Read Mental Health Center, known as the Cook County Insane Asylum or simply the “Dunning Asylum” back in the day.

Moreover, the neighborhood is okay for commuters: the distance between Dunning and the Downtown Loop is 12.4 miles (19.9 km). Traveling from Dunning to Chicago’s commercial zone takes approximately 50 minutes, but there is a faster way that reduces the duration to 15 minutes – taking a taxi! There isn’t a bus that runs directly from Chicago to Dunning. However, some routes run from State and Van Buren to Irving Park and Oak Park through Irving Park and Fremont.

Map

Dunning is bordered on the north by Montrose Avenue, Forest Preserve Avenue, and Irving Park Road, and on the south by Belmont Avenue, Cumberland Avenue, and Austin Avenue.

Dunning is part of the 68833 zip code.

Population

The population of Dunning experienced a massive increase to 4,019 after World War I, with individuals predominantly of Swedish, German, and Polish ancestry. After the Wright Junior College was established in the eastern part of the city in 1934, the population peaked at 43,856 in 1970 but dropped to 36,957 by 1990.

According to the 2020 census, Dunning has a total population of 43,147 people. This population increased by a solid increase of 2.9% over a decade since 2010. 67.5% of this population consists of natives, while the remaining 32.5% are foreign-borns.

Dunning is a culturally diverse neighborhood with a significant proportion of foreign-born people. The country has a mixed racial structure, with the greatest share belonging to the whites at 62.3%. Other casts residing in the community include Hispanics (29.6%), Asians (5.8%), Blacks (1.7%), and other non-Hispanic races (0.6%).

Real Estate

The Dunning neighborhood has a total of 15,746 households. A single person makes up 26.6 percent of these homes, while two people make up 29.3 percent of Dunning households. Three-person households account for 18.4 percent of these homes, while four-person households account for 25.7 percent. There are 2.7 people in the average home.

Within the blocks of this area, houses are the most prevalent residential choice, while there are a few condos and apartments for individuals wanting smaller accommodations. Renters will have more alternatives in the neighborhood’s east end, while those wishing to settle down may choose the west end’s colonies of small homes.

In the Dunning neighborhood, 93.4 percent of the houses are inhabited, with only 6.6 percent empty. Owners live in 77.3 percent of the dwellings that are inhabited. Dunning is a pedestrian-friendly neighborhood with pathways for baby strollers and power walkers. Many people visit Merrimac Park and adjoining Portage Park for field house events and the green space and Chicago Park District events. The locals say that the Dunning neighborhood is dog-friendly, the streets are well-lit, yards are well-kept, and there is a holiday feel to the area. Because Dunning is located just south of the expressway and near the blue line train station, the Dunning neighborhood offers a diverse range of restaurants, shopping/nightlife (especially given its proximity to nearby Norridge and Rosemont), fitness centers, excellent public elementary schools, and easy access to a variety of transportation options.

Moreover, some active families and community members living in Dunning find a comfortable balance between the amenities of this area and the hustle and bustle of the city itself in Schiller Park. This famous natural habitat supports many local businesses. Other than that, Dunning offers a variety of cuisines to its residents, including Mexican, Italian, sushi, and pizza. Because many restaurants are locally owned, residents can expect their food to have a distinct Chicago taste. Eli’s Cheesecake Factory, which sells baked goods worldwide but makes its fresh items available in Dunning, is also located.

Another notable site in the Dunning neighborhood is Shabbona Park, an 18.83-acre park that offers an all-inclusive experience of health and fitness and recreation activities to Dunning residents. The Park is famous for its unique recreation activities and facilities for disabled people, including Special Olympics training. Shabbona Park also provides entertaining yearly events for the community, such as a Halloween Party, a Build Your Own Chocolate Holiday House, and an outdoor Movie in the Park, in addition to seasonal activities.

Housing prices in Dunning increased by 5% in December 2021 due to increasing demand. The average market price of a home in Dunning is $315,000. The average selling price in Chicago is $335,000, so, when compared, Dunning real estate’s average selling price is much lower than the Chicago median average.

Schools

Dunning has a higher than average literacy rate. Between 2015 and 2019, 31.2 percent of people had a high school diploma, and associate degree holders comprised 7.9 percent of the population. 17.5 percent of people had completed their bachelor’s education, and 9.3 percent had a master’s or doctorate.

Residents have access to several top-rated schools in the Dunning neighborhood. Some of the best-rated institutions in and near the community include the following:

1- Dever Elementary School

Rating: B

Student population: 742

Teacher-student ratio: 15:1

2- Bridge Elementary School

Rating: B

Student population: 1,118

Teacher-student ratio: 17:1

3- New Horizon Center

Rating: NA

Student population: 53

Teacher-student ratio: 6:1

4- St. Patrick’s High School

Rating: A

Student population: 697

Teacher-student ratio: 15:1

5- Westinghouse College Prep

Rating: A

Student population: 1,238

Teacher-student ratio: 17:1

6- Morgan Park Academy

Rating: A+

Student population: 423

Teacher-student ratio: 8:1

Crime Ratings

District 16 has a moderate crime rate, with some parts being better than others. For instance, the murder ratio in Dunning has been 0 consecutively for the past five years. Robbery cases decreased from 9 to 7 from 2021 to 2022. Likewise, burglary cases also experienced a decrease from 24 to 20, and theft cases moved in the same fashion from 34 to 33 in the same time frame. However, motor vehicle theft cases increased by 5% from 21 to 26 from 2021 to 2022.

History

In 1851, Cook County proposed to create a poor farm, a potter’s field, and a mental asylum on this distant grassland. The 160 acres surrounded by Irving Park Road, Montrose, Narragansett, and Oak Park Avenues were sold by Peter Lundby. A three-story building perched on a ridge held both facilities.

Residents of the poor farm dwelled on the property with their families, growing vegetables, washing clothes, and attending school. Patients with tuberculosis were admitted to the institution after 1863. In 1870, the county constructed a separate structure for the mental asylum. In the 1880s, two additional buildings were constructed to accommodate more than 1,000 patients. Andrew Dunning purchased 120 acres directly south of the county land after the Civil War to establish a nursery and arrange the groundwork for a settlement. He allocated 40 acres for the community, but nearby mental asylum drove people away.

Moreover, the transportation connections were inadequate in Dunning. The county farm was a two-and-a-half-mile journey from the depot, even though trains were used to transport employees and travelers from the city. After a single three-mile track was built to the facility in 1882, the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul “crazy train” brought patients, supplies, and medicines. In Dunning’s honor, the county built a station.

Dunning’s rolling countryside remained little inhabited in the 1880s and 1890s. Mount Olive Cemetery was established in 1886 when the Scandinavian Lutheran Cemetery Association acquired 65 acres of property south of Dunning. The Jews bought 40 acres of land between the Scandinavian cemetery and Addison for burying the dead.

At the beginning of the new century, Henry Kolze got a bar and a woodland area in heritage near Narragansett and Irving Park. He converted into Kolze’s Grove, or Kolze’s Electric Park, a picnic orchard. The idyllic scenery, as well as the bar, lured guests. When the Irving Park Boulevard street railway opened, picnics were conducted in the orchard by clubs, churches, and corporations. According to reports from the Chicago Department of Revenue, similar places, such as Kosciuszko, existed in Dunning in 1910. Over time, the clinic, poorhouse, and asylum became overcrowded. Many patients died due to a lack of heat in the winter, inadequate hot water, and poor ventilation. An official examination into hiring medical workers in 1886 discovered mismanagement, gambling, patient abuse, and “influence.” The impoverished farm was relocated to Oak Forest after 1910, and the state purchased the mental institution and grounds for one dollar two years later. Even though it was known as the Chicago State Hospital, many people still called it Dunning.

Human remnants were discovered in 1989 during construction along Irving Park Rd. and Narragansett Ave. The Cook County Potter’s Field was rediscovered through research. Between the 1850s and the 1920s, around 38,000 persons were buried there. In 2002, the Read Dunning Tribute Park was constructed as a remembrance for individuals who had been buried in the region.

By 1909, the number of inhabitants had risen to only 1,305 people outside the state establishment. The first housing boom began in 1916 when Schorsch Brothers Real Estate acquired property west of Austin and south of Irving Park. The area was later renamed West Portage Park. In the 1980s and 1990s, Dunning experienced a resurgence of institutional, commercial, and residential growth. Schorsch Village, Belmont Terrace, Belmont Heights, and Irving Woods all saw increased popularity. Ridgemoor Estates, located northwards of Irving Park on Narragansett, had luxury residences near a golf court. At Chicago-Read Mental Health Center, there were new, sophisticated facilities. At Narragansett and Montrose, Wright Junior College extended with futuristic-style facilities and a learning resource center.

The population had increased to 42,164 by 2020. According to the U.S. Census conducted in 2010, one in every three persons in Dunning has Polish heritage, the greatest rate of any cultural sect in any Chicago neighborhood. But Dunning is home to more than just one race!