Norwood Park, Chicago

The first inhabitant of European descent in the area was Mark Noble, who arrived in 1833 and constructed a house that is still standing as of 2018, the oldest in the Chicago city limits.[3][4] English farmers were the main group in the 1830s, although they would later be supplanted by Germans and to a lesser extent Poles and Scandinavians.[4] In 1853 the Illinois and Wisconsin Railroad, which would eventually become the Chicago and North Western Railway and is currently Metra's Union Pacific / Northwest Line, laid tracks in the area, and in 1868 the Norwood Land and Building Association was formed and purchased the land.[3][4] A hotel was constructed shortly thereafter in an attempt to lure tourists from Chicago, although it was ultimately unsuccessful.[4] The first Post Office and store were built respectively in 1870 and 1871.[3]

Wingert House, part of the Norwood Park Historical District and a Chicago Landmark, constructed in 1854 and expanded between 1868 and 1875.[7]

Upon its incorporation the Village of Norwood Park prohibited the sale of alcohol.[4] As of April 2014 there were still eight dry precincts in the community area.[8] The first liquor store in the area in 50 years opened in 2016, without controversy about its existence but with such restrictions on its operation as early closing hours and a price minimum of $5.99.[9][10]

During the 1920s such roads as Foster Avenue, Milwaukee Avenue, Devon Avenue, Northwest Highway, and Harlem Avenue were improved, further facilitating transportation between Norwood Park and its surroundings.[4] The fieldhouse of the eponymous Norwood Park was built in 1928.[11] Between 1930 and 1940 the area added approximately 2,000 residents despite the Great Depression.[4][12] The Kennedy Expressway was constructed nearby in the 1950s although the historic buildings of Old Norwood were unaffected.[4] The Norwood Park Chamber of Commerce was incorporated on May 20, 1977.[11] The City of Chicago recognized the Norwood Park Historical District in 1986 and declared the Noble-Seymour-Crippen House a Chicago Landmark on May 11, 1988. The Noble-Seymour-Crippen House was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 11, 2000.[3]

As of 2015, the median household income of the community area was $71,282 and the median age was 44.3. 80.1% of the population was White, 0.9% was Black, 4.2% was Asian, and 2.2% was Other. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 11.8% of the population.[1] This is a marked change from 2000, when Whites were 92.7% of the population and Hispanics or Latinos were 6.4%.[4]

The Norwood Park neighborhood has a substantial Serbian-American community, centered on Serbian Road and the Serbian Orthodox Cathedral. There is a K-8 Serbian-American School, Saint Sava Academy, and an annual Serbian festival "Serb Fest" which takes place on Serbian Road. During 1990-1999 more than 500 Serbian families from Croatia and another 700 from Bosnia became settled refugees in Norwood Park. Although many have since moved into Edison Park, Park Ridge, Harwood Heights, and Schiller Park, Norwood Park remains the hub of Serbian migrants in Chicago.[14]

Chicago Public Schools serves Norwood Park, as the aforementioned schools are located in and serve the area. Taft High School is in Norwood Park, serving the entire community area for public education, while for secondary education Luther North and Resurrection High Schools are also in the area.[11]

Grease creator Jim Jacobs attended Taft High School, which was used as the backdrop to Grease. Much of what is in the play is based on his experience growing up in Norwood Park during the 1950s and 1960s. He has stated that the characters of Grease were based on actual people he attended school with. A 2011 reproduction of the original Grease musical by American Theater Company in Chicago revisited Norwood Park's influence on the production. During the reproduction, many Chicago references were put in, including references to the characters living on "Chicago's Northwest side" as middle class first-generation Americans with parents who worked in local factories. Also mentioned were local favorites, including the hot dog restaurant Superdawg.[26]

• Ral Donner (1943–1984), early American rock and roll musician and singer.[27]
• John Wayne Gacy (1942–1994), American serial killer and rapist, lived in Norwood Park from August 1971 until his arrest in December 1978.
• Robert Hanssen (1944–2023), former FBI agent who spied for Soviet and Russian intelligence services against the United States from 1979 to 2001.[28]
• Jim Jacobs (born 1942), creator of the musical Grease. He was raised in Norwood Park.[29]
• Terry Kath (1946–1978), guitarist, founding member of the band Chicago[30]
• Edward Stanley Michael (1918–1994), pilot in the United States Army Air Forces and awardee of the Medal of Honor. He was raised at 6616 West Schreiber Avenue.[31]
• Louise Schaaf (1906–2020), supercentenarian notable for being, at the time of her death, the oldest person in Illinois and the oldest known person born in Germany. She resided in Norwood Park from 1959 until her death in 2020[32]
• Joseph Sikora (born 1976), actor known for his portrayal of Tommy Egan in Power. He was a childhood resident of Norwood Park.[33][34]
• Jack Suwinski (born 1998), professional baseball player playing for the Pittsburgh Pirates in the MLB. Suwinski was born and lived in Norwood Park for his childhood.[35]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Norwood Park, Chicago.

• Grease gets its grit back, Chicago Tribune Article
• Official City of Chicago Norwood Park Community Map
• Chicago landmarks
  • Noble-Seymour-Crippen House
  • Wingert House
• Chicago Park District
  • Norwood Park
  • Oriole Park