BASICS:

Edgewater is a community on the north side of Chicago, seven miles north of downtown bordering the neighborhoods of Rogers Park to the north, Uptown to the south, Lincoln Square to the west and south and West Ridge to the west and north. Edgewater has the highest population density of any of the neighborhoods in Chicago. According to the 2000 U.S. Census the zip code 60640, one of two zip codes in Edgewater, had the highest concentration of gay and lesbian couples in the city, and fifth highest in the country.

HOUSING:

Edgewater boasts mixed housing stock with market-rate high-rise apartments and condos, mid-rise multifamily and subsidized units, and single-family dwellings.

Real Estate in Edgewater is "just right" according to The Fannie Mae Foundation, which named Edgewater one of only 10 urban communities in the United States "just right for affordable homeownership"

Native Americans, former Yugoslavians, Africans, young "hipsters," new parents, first-time homeowners, students and many more make their home in Edgewater.

LOCATION:

Edgewater is bound on the north by Devon Avenue, on the south by Foster Avenue, on the east by Lake Michigan, and on the west by Ravenswood Avenue.

HISTORY:

Developers began cutting down the dense woods in the area in the late 1880s to make way for future development. In 1885, Edgewater was given its name by its builder, John Lewis Cochran. He built the first residential subdivision in the area.

After a few years, Edgewater was celebrated as a wonder as it became "the only electric lighted suburb adjacent to Chicago."

In the early 1900s, Edgewater was regarded as one of Chicago's most prestigious communities. A prominent symbol of Edgewater's affluence was the Edgewater Beach Hotel, which opened in 1916 at 5349 North Sheridan. The famed pink hotel was demolished in 1968, though the remaining pink Edgewater Beach Apartments building is still a landmark at the north tip of Lake Shore Drive. The Edgewater building boom peaked in 1926 and property values reached their height in 1928. The burgeoning affluent population grew so much that developers expanded Edgewater and renamed the new neighborhood community Uptown.

In the 1980s, the Chicago Board of Aldermen and local business owners orchestrated a revival for the Edgewater community. Edgewater seceded from the Uptown community and once again called itself its own community. New businesses were brought into the area, old buildings were refurbished and homes were "touched up" to liken them to Edgewater's glory days of the past.

DINING:

In the heart of Edgewater, along Argyle Street, is Chicago's new Chinatown or "Little Saigon" with many popular and authentic restaurants and shops owned by foreign-born Cambodians, Vietnamese, and Southeast Asians.

Throughout Edgewater you can find cuisines from all parts of the world, including a great number of African ethnic cuisines.
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ZIP CODES:

The zip codes for Chicago's Edgewater neighborhood include 60660 and part of 60640.