Forest Glen, Chicago

Forest Glen
Community area
Community Area 12 - Forest Glen
Location within the city of Chicago
Coordinates:
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	Cook
City	Chicago
Neighborhoods	list Edgebrook North Edgebrook South Edgebrook Forest Glen Old Edgebrook Wildwood Sauganash Pulaski Park Jefferson Park
Area
• Total	3.21 sq mi (8.31 km2)
Population (2010)
• Total	18,508
• Density	5,800/sq mi (2,200/km2)
Demographics 2010
• White	74.64%
• Black	0.74%
• Hispanic	11.49%
• Asian	10.75%
• Other	2.38%
Time zone	CST (UTC-6)
• Summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP Codes	parts of 60630, 60646
Median household income	$87,394
Source: U.S. Census, Record Information Services

Forest Glen is one of the 77 community areas of Chicago, Illinois, located in the city's Northwest Side. The community area is considered affluent.

Neighborhoods

Edgebrook

Edgebrook borders the neighborhood of Sauganash. Edgebrook was once part of the Sauganash land tract and was annexed by the city of Chicago in 1889. To the north of Edgebrook lie Wildwood and then North Edgebrook. Frequently the three communities together are referred to as Edgebrook.

Edgebrook is roughly bordered by I-94 (the Edens Expressway) and the city limits to the east, the forest preserve and Niles to the west, the North Branch of the Chicago River to the south, and the Chicago city limits to the north.

Edgebrook is home to the Billy Caldwell Golf Course and the Edgebrook Golf Course, both operated by the Cook County Forest Preserves, and Edgebrook Elementary School, which has consistently ranked highly among the many Chicago Public Schools in terms of standardized test performance. Edgebrook School's mascot is the Eagle.

The #84-Peterson and #85A-North Central CTA bus routes are largely relied upon for transit south and east into the city, and the routes originate in Edgebrook. The Milwaukee District/North Line also has a stop in Edgebrook.

Additionally, the Edgebrook Branch of the Chicago Public Library system is located in the heart of the Edgebrook neighborhood.

Old Edgebrook

Main article: Old Edgebrook District

South Edgebrook

South Edgebrook borders are Caldwell Avenue to the north, Central Avenue to the east, and Elston Avenue to the South and West.

South Edgebrook is actually called Indian Woods. There are multiple signs in the neighborhood that have been in place for many decades.

Wildwood

Main article: Wildwood, Chicago

The community is triangular in shape and is bordered by Lehigh Avenue, Caldwell Avenue (Route 14), Touhy Avenue, and Lightfoot Avenue. The Edgebrook train station faces Wildwood at the intersection of Devon, Lehigh, and Caldwell Avenues.

North Edgebrook

North Edgebrook is the northern section of the Wildwood Neighborhood.

Sauganash

Sauganash was once part of the Sauganash land tract (Caldwell's Reserve) and was annexed by the city of Chicago in 1889. This neighborhood is named after Billy Caldwell, also known as Sauganash (meaning "English speaking"). Born to a Mohawk mother and an Irish father, William Caldwell, Sr., a Captain of the British Butler Rangers, he became a leader of the Potawotomi. The “Treaty Elm" which stood until the 1930s was originally used in the first and second government surveys of the reserve. Sauganash negotiated with the United States on behalf of the United Nations of the Chippewa, Ottawa and Potawotomi. In return for his services, the US gave him 1600 acres on the Chicago River.

Today the neighborhood is home to three churches: Sauganash Community Church, a non-denominational Protestant church; Bride of Christ Church; and Queen of All Saints, a Roman Catholic Basilica. The Sauganash residential neighborhood has many distinctive homes. It also had large tracts of prairie land until the mid-1950s.

The Sauganash neighborhood is bordered by Devon Avenue to the north, Bryn Mawr Avenue to the south, the Edens Expressway (Interstate 94) to the west, and the Valley Line bike trail to the east. Devon Avenue marks the northern boundary of the city limits of Chicago at this point. The suburb of Lincolnwood begins north of Devon Avenue.

The Neighborhood of Sauganash Park lies east of the Valley Line trail.

LaBagh Woods forest preserve is directly south of Sauganash.

Forest Glen

A community of about 550 residences on the Northwest side of the city of Chicago is often referred to as "Chicago's Finest Community." It is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Chicago. The first European American to settle there was Captain William Hazelton of the 1st Cavalry Division; he built the Glen's first barn at what is now Lawler and Foster.

The Forest Glen neighborhood is bordered by the Chicago River to the north, Foster Avenue to the south, Cicero Avenue to the east and Metra Milwaukee District North line to the west.

Transportation

The waiting platform at the Forest Glen station.

Metra provides service to Union Station from two stops in Forest Glen on the Milwaukee District/North Line. Forest Glen station lies between Forest Glen and Elston Avenues, while Edgebrook station lies just to the north of the intersection of Caldwell, Devon, and Central Avenues. The southern part of Forest Glen is also accessible from the Union Pacific / Northwest Line's stops in Jefferson Park and Gladstone Park. The Blue Line also services Jefferson Park, providing service to downtown and O'Hare International Airport.

The Edens Expressway (I-94) has a number of interchanges in Forest Glen: in Edgebrook at Caldwell Avenue; at Touhy Avenue just outside Edgebrook/Forest Glen's boundaries in Lincolnwood; just outside Forest Glen north to the North Shore suburbs and Milwaukee via the Foster Avenue on-ramp; and again just outside Forest Glen south to down town via the Elston Avenue on-ramp, just one city block south of Foster Avenue.

Education

The local Chicago Public Schools primary schools include Edgebrook Elementary School, Wildwood School, Sauganash Elementary School and Beaubien Elementary (In Jefferson Park). The local Catholic schools are at Queen of All Saints Basilica in Sauganash, St. Cornelius on Foster Avenue, and St. Mary of the Woods Catholic Church in Wildwood. Catholic children living in Edgebrook choose between St. Mary's and Queen of All Saints. Catholic children in Forest Glen choose between Queen of All Saints and St. Cornelius.

The local Chicago Public Schools secondary school is William Howard Taft High School in Norwood Park, Chicago, although most residents of the neighborhood elect to attend either private schools or one of the City of Chicago-run selective schools. Private schools typically attended are Saint Ignatius College Prep, Loyola Academy, Notre Dame College Prep, or Regina Dominican High School. College preparatory, non-private schools include CICS Northtown Academy, a charter school that opened in 2003. Selective enrollment schools typically attended include Northside College Prep and Whitney Young Magnet High School.

External links

• Official City of Chicago Forest Glen Community Map
• The Northwest Chicago Historical Society's History of Forest Glen
• Old Edgebrook District
• Edgebrook Community Association
• Forest Glen Community Club
• Sauganash Community Association
• Queen of All Saints Basilica; see also Wikipedia entry
• ForgottenChicago.com's article on Old Edgebrook