Join us as we explore the Northside Community Area of West Ridge.  We’ll gather at the National and Chicago Landmark Park, Indian Boundary Park at 2500 W Lunt Ave in front of the recently fire-damaged Clarence Hatzfield designed Tudor fieldhouse with Native American motifs.   The park is part of the northern boundary of the area that the Potawatomi seceded to the U.S. in 1816.  West Ridge sits on a natural ridge, remnants of the glacial path that shaped the Great Lakes region.  Following centuries of use by indigenous people, West Ridge was settled in the 1830s by immigrants who came to the region to farm the land.

West Ridge is Community Area #2, 9 miles northwest of the city’s Loop.  It is bordered by Howard and the city of Evanston on the north and the North Shore Channel and the cities of Lincolnwood and Skokie on the west. It’s eastern border following Ridge Boulevard adjacent to Rogers Park and then Ravenswood and finally Western west of Edgewater.  The southern border is the community area of Lincoln Square stretching along Peterson from Lake Michigan to Western, and Bryn Mawr from Western to the River.  It is a popular and comfortable locale with jaw dropping mansions and a fleet of sturdy and tiny worker’s homes.  Come join us on a leisurely bike ride to get to know the community, its history and architecture.