West Ridge

West Ridge, sometimes called West Rogers Park, is commercially intertwined with the adjacent neighborhood of Rogers Park. The area has no industrial plants or factories and relies primarily on commercial ventures for its economic foundation. Brick bungalows and two-flats were the predominate architectural style of the 1920s as West Ridge experienced its real estate boom, though there are some Tudor revival buildings.

There are over thirty parks and beaches in the neighborhood offering an assortment of services and activities, including a little zoo in Indian Boundary Park and an excellent skate park in Warren Park. In the summer, the plentiful beach real estate is littered with people soaking up the sun or going for a swim.

West Ridge and Rogers Park are among the most diverse neighborhoods in the city in terms of age, income, and ethnicity. Since the 1960s, population growth in West Ridge has decreased, though it remains a commercial hub to a number of large immigrant communities, the majority of these being Jews, Middle Easterners, Indians, Pakistanis and Koreans. As of the 2000 census, 73,199 people resided in West Ridge, of which approximately 46 percent were not native born. More than 80 different languages are spoken in these neighborhoods. Add to this the students of Loyola University’s Lake Shore Campus and you have a community with a constant influx of new life and ideas. Most students live close to campus, so the rest of the neighborhood is left to professionals and families. The area supports an active nightlife and a large number of places to shop and eat.

Transportation is plentiful, with many CTA train stations in the neighborhood. There are Red Line stops at Loyola, Howard, and Morse, and Purple and Yellow lines provide access to the northern suburbs from the Howard stop. CTA and Pace busses provide local transport, while the Metra trains have a stop at Ravenswood Avenue.

House prices begin at a very affordable $85,000 and run to an extravagant $800,000.