M. Maurice Fishman, 1928. A group of similar houses on Ottawa in Edison Park. This is 6910 N. Ottawa in August 2010. Photo by Eric Allix Rogers via Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
In this series of blog posts, we provide a summary of the neighborhoods where we’re currently listing and developing homes. In this post, I’ll be focusing on Edison Park Chicago.
Edison Park is a neighborhood in Chicago’s farthest northwest corner that’s named after Thomas Alva Edison, who gave the community his blessing to use his name back in 1890.
Annexed by the city just over a century ago, Edison Park used to be its own village, and it still has that self-contained feeling. Many think of it as a village within a city.
Much of the neighborhood architecture is American four-square, colonial, and bungalow. Traversing all of the avenues off the Northwest Highway that begin with “O” — Ottawa, Oliphant, Oleander, etc — is a lovely walk.
M. Maurice Fishman, 1928. A group of similar houses on Ottawa in Edison Park. This is 6914 N. Ottawa in August 2010. Photo by Eric Allix Rogers via Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
Read on to see why it’s always a beautiful day in Edison Park.
Entertainment and Eating
The Edison Park Field House in Edison Park, Chicago. Photo by Teemu08 via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0.
Edison Park proper is a small park in the heart of the neighborhood centered around its historic fieldhouse (above). This space is used for art classes and children’s programming. It’s also a gathering place for both seniors and the Northwest Society of Model Railroaders. The former run a weekly social club and the latter maintain a public display of an electric model train. The park also has a soft-surface playground and hosts a 6-week summer play camp for preschool-aged children. Other neighborhood parks include the small Monument Playlot Park, Brooks Park and its well-known boxing program, and the 10-acre Olympia Park, which features plenty of sports and arts programming.
In the neighborhood’s center, near Edison Park proper, residents frequent a handful of local eateries. Edison Park Inn, just across from the Metra, has been around since 1957 and is a great place to catch a game. Café Touché is a classic French bistro with a great wine list, perfect for date night. Next, fans of Italian food can go to Nonno Pino’s or Zia’s Trattoria. The latter is a bit more upscale. Speaking of upscale, Elliott’s Seafood Grille & Chop House is another elegant, reliable neighborhood dining option.
Edison Park is also near great amenities in other communities, including a Whole Foods, a Trader Joe’s, and the historic art deco Pickwick Theatre in Park Ridge.
The Numbers
The NW corner of Edison Park, just west of the the intersection of Howard and Ozark, is also the farthest NW corner of the city of Chicago. Photo by David Wilson via Flickr, CC BY 2.0.
A typical commute to The Loop using public transportation from Edison Park is about an hour, door to door. To O’Hare Airport, it’s about 40 minutes (it’s nearby, but there’s no direct public transportation route, so it’s best to drive). By car, a typical drive to The Loop without traffic would take about 25 to 30 minutes, and a trip to O’Hare would be about 10 minutes, sans traffic.
Walkscore.com grades Edison Park as somewhat walkable. The neighborhood has some public transit, and it’s considered bikeable, with some bike infrastructure. While proximity to the Edison Park Metra stop makes a big difference, it’s best to have a car when living in this neighborhood.
According to Zillow, home values in Edison Park have increased 3.4% over the past year and are projected to increase by 4.4% in the next year. It’s more affordable than nearby Wildwood (by 31%) and Old Norwood Park (by 15%), while it’s a bit pricier on average than both Norwood Park East and Norwood Park West.
A Bit of History
What the Old Edison Park Bank building looked like in early 2010, when it was home to Park Place. It has undergone a few paint jobs since then. It was The Snuggery for a time, and is now home to a Moretti’s.
Edison Park was formed from the two suburbs of Canfield and Ridgelawn in 1896. They claimed to be the first Northwest Side community with electricity and focused on community development to compete with two successful railroad suburbs nearby, Park Ridge and Norwood Park. Residents agreed on annexing to Chicago in 1910 so their kids could attend Carl Schurz High School, as access to a high school had previously been difficult.
If you’d like to learn more about Edison Park, I recommend exploring the following resources:
- Chicago Magazine‘s 2010 write-up on Edison Park, as part of its ’20 Best Towns and Neighborhoods in Chicago and the Suburbs’ feature
- The Edison Park Chamber of Commerce website and active Facebook page
- The Encyclopedia of Chicago Edison Park entry
Interested in living in Edison Park? Please contact me for more information on buying a home and putting down roots in the area.
