Edison Park

Edison Park might be small in population and land area relative to other Chicago neighborhoods, but it is big in resources. With a median annual income of $105,233, it has almost double the size of Chicago’s median annual income of $58,247. It is considered one of Chicago’s most livable neighborhoods today.

It takes around 22 minutes to travel by car the 15.3-mile distance from Edison Park to The Loop — the seat of government, main business district, and official downtown of Chicago.

Map

Located in Cook County, Illinois, Edison Park is community area no. 9 in Chicago’s 77 designated community areas. Edison Park lies in the far northwest corner of Chicago, a little more than a mile west of the Chicago River, ending a Metra commuter line. It is situated between the Des Plaines River and Chicago River, serving as a local watershed divide. Its area covers 1.17 square miles or 3.03 square kilometers and is part of zip code 60631.

Population

As of 2020, Edison Park had a population 0f 11,525, distributed among 4,733 households, with an average household size of 2.4. This translates to a population density of 9,900 individuals per square mile or 3,800 per square kilometers. Its population has remained relatively stable, growing by 3% since 2010, and by 1.7% since 2000.

Composed of mostly Whites (83.2%), Edison Park is also home to Hispanics or Latinos (10.2%), Asians (3.5%), those from other or multiple races (2.9%), and Blacks (0.4%). Around three-quarters of its population have Irish ancestry.

Edison Park’s landscape has evolved in four waves of types of residents and nature of land use. It began as a home to Native Americans, then changed into a farming community, then transitioned into a railroad suburb, and ended up as one of the 20 best neighborhoods in Chicago that it is today.

Before the 1830s, the wooden areas along the river were summer camps for Native Americans. In the 1830s, German farmers, including the Ebinger family who were influential in Edison Park’s development, staked their claim to the land. By the 1850s, developers tried to stimulate two nearby suburbs which today are part of Edison Park: Canfield and Ridgelawn. In fact, Edison Park was formerly known as Canfield.

However, it took almost 40 years for Edison Park to truly grow as a community, but when it did, it was one of the first communities with electricity. In 1890, the inventor Thomas Alva Edison gave his blessing to have the area named after him. By 1896, it was a successful railroad suburb, boasting of artesian water, a volunteer fire company, a large railroad depot, a hotel, and dozens of large houses.

Today, Edison Park’s population is generally young middle-aged with a median age of 41.9 years, and relatively affluent, with a per capita income (the amount of money earned per person) of $59,666, higher than Chicago’s per capita income of $37,103.

Its residents are highly educated, with a third (30.2%) having earned their bachelor’s degrees and around a fifth each having had some college but no degree (21.7%), having earned their high school diploma or its equivalent (19.4%) and having earned their graduate or professional degrees (18.9%).

Almost all (98.4%) of its workforce are employed, mostly in the top five industry sectors of public administration (15.2%), education (13.8%), healthcare (10.5%), professional services (7.9%), and retail trade (7.6%).

Real Estate

Almost all (80.9%) Edison Park residents own their homes, with two-thirds of the population living in single-family detached houses (67.3%), and 12% living in 5-to-9-unit housing types like apartments. The median number of rooms (including living rooms, dining rooms, kitchens, in addition to bedrooms) is 6.3, with the median year built in 1955.

As of December 2021, the median sale price for homes in Edison Park is around $392,000, higher than the Chicago median sale price of $335,000. Redfin considers the Edison Park housing market as “somewhat competitive” with a score of 31 out of 100. This means that some homes get multiple offers, and the average home sells for around 3% below list price and go pending for around 40 days. Hot homes, though, can sell for 1% below list price and go pending for only 15 days.

For 2022, Edison Park’s Chamber of Commerce has several events lined up: On the Rocks and Rolled (February 6), Irish Sunday Funday (March 6), Edison Park Goes Bald for Baldrick (March 27), Sip and Stroll Wine Walk (May 15), Edison Park Fest (August 12 to 14), Restaurant Week (September 25 to October 2), Sip and Stroll Wine Walk (October 2), Trunk or Treat (October 27), Monster Smashed Pub Crawl (October 28), Santa Express (December 3), and Ugly Christmas Sweater Pub Crawl (December 9).

The Edison Park Fest is now on its 50th year. It began as a sidewalk sale on Northwest Highway in 1972 and since then has grown into one of the most popular street festivals in Chicago. This annual fundraiser attracts around 20,000 attendees throughout the weekend. Funds raised are used for community beautification and development projects, free community programs, and the Chamber of Commerce operations.

Since 1938, the Edison Park Community Council of residents have been working together to improve and promote their neighborhood. They focus on jointly addressing civil and social welfare issues, to make Edison Park a consistently desirable place to live in.

Schools

There are 150 public schools in the Chicago metropolitan area that can serve Edison Park residents, with six A+-rated schools listed below:

(1) Payton College Preparatory High School

Population: 1,220 students in grades 9 to 12

Student-Teacher Ratio: 16-to-1

(2) Northside College Preparatory High School

Population: 1,078 students in grades 9 to 12

Student-Teacher Ratio: 18 to 1

(3) Whitney M. Young Magnet High School

Population: 2,198 students in grades 7 to 12

Student-Teacher Ratio: 18 to 1

(4) GCE Lab School

Population: 50 students in grade 9 to 12

Student-Teacher Ratio: 7 to 1

(5) Jones College Prep High School

Population: 1,968 students in grades 9 to 12

Student-Teacher Ratio: 18 to 1

(6) Lane Tech College Prep High School

Population: 4,500 students in grades 7 to 12

Student-Teacher Ratio: 19 to 1

There are 156 private schools in the Chicago metropolitan area that can serve Edison Park residents, with seven A+-rated schools listed below:

(1) Roycemore School

Population: 239 in K-12

Student-Teacher Ratio: 6 to 1

(2) Northridge Preparatory School

Population: 330 students in grades 6 to 12

Student-Teacher Ratio: 10 to 1

(3) Christian Heritage Academy

Population: 420 students in PK, K-12

Student-Teacher Ratio: 11 to 1

(4) Sacred Heart Schools Chicago – The Academy and Hardey Prep

Population: 634 students in PK, K-8

Student-Teacher Ratio: 7 to 1

(5) Loyola Academy

Population: 2,000

Student-Teacher Ratio: 13 to 1

(6) Ida Crown Jewish Academy

Population: 214 students in grades 9 to 12

Student-Teacher Ratio: 6 to 1

(7) Regina Dominican High School

Population: 258 students in grades 9 to 12

Student-Teacher Ratio: 9 to 1

There are 55 colleges or universities in the Chicago metropolitan area that can serve Edison Park residents, with two A+-rated schools listed below:

(1) Northwestern University

Population: 8,284 undergraduate students

Student-Teacher Ratio: 6 to 1

(2) University of Chicago

Population: 6,847 undergraduate students

Student-Teacher Ration: 5 to 1

Crime Rate

As of 2020, with an estimated 907 per 100,000 people total crime record, Edison Park’s total crime rate is 61% below the U.S. national average of 2,346 per 100,000 people. With an estimated 720 per 100,000 people property crime record, Edison Park’s property crime rate is 63% below the national average of 1,958. With an estimated 157 per 100,000 people violent crime record, Edison Park’s violent crime rate is 53% below the national average of 388. In other words, Edison Park is a safe neighborhood. In fact, AreaVibes assigns it a livability score of 82, which is considered as exceptional livability.

As of the fourth week of January 2022, District 16, where Edison Park is designated by the Chicago Police District, had a total crime complaint record of 34 cases, distributed among theft (9), motor vehicle theft (9), burglary (5), aggravated battery (5), robbery (3), and criminal sexual assault (3). This represents a 6% decrease in the total number of cases when compared to the previous 7 days, an 8% increase when compared to the previous 28 days, and a 5% increase when compared to 2021,

Locals rate Edison Park high for sidewalks (98%), being dog friendly (97%), having well-lit streets (91%), and being walkable to grocery stores (90%). They rate it mid-low for wildlife (40%), friendly neighbors (54%), and they’re planning to stay here for at least 5 years (57%).

History

Edison Park’s settlement history goes back to 1834, when pioneers John and Katherine Ebinger and their 21-year-old son, Christian, and his new bride, Barbara Ruehle, emigrated from Stuttgart, Germany to Ann Arbor, Michigan, and then to Chicago, seeking suitable farmland to settle in. They found the Chicago lands too swampy, though, so they traveled further northwest on the Indian trail to Milwaukee, Wisconsin (now Milwaukee Avenue), crossing the north branch of the Chicago River. However, their only horse was bitten by a snake and died, so they decided to settle in what later became Touhy and Devon Avenues.

Christian and Barbara Ebinger gave birth to their son, Christian Jr., in November 1834, who became the first White child born in the area, which became known as “Dutchman’s Point” due to their German ancestry. Christian Ebinger, Sr. was a friend of the local Native Americans. Christian Ebinger, Jr. became the first minister to be ordained in their German Evangelical Association, and was also elected Village Collector (1852),, Village Assessor (1852-1865), and Highway Commissioner (1854-1858).

The Ebingers laid claim to 80 acres of land and were soon join by other family members and their respective families. The area they settled in eventually became Nile Township, but as the joint families grew, they expanded into what became Maine Township. They incorporated their community as a village in 1881. Developers promoted the availability of electricity. As their village grew, they established a church, a Sunday school, and other amenities. By the turn of the 20th century, their community became a streetcar suburb.

Chicago annexed Edison Park on November 8,, 1910.

After World War I, Edison Park experienced a building boom, and the population grew over 400 percent to 5,370 by 1930. Little farmland remained. The Ebingers’ name was memorialized in a local school that was established in the 1920s — the Christian Ebinger Elementary School.
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