Rogers Park Illinois Real Estate

Rogers Park, Illinois
By Julie Farby

Rogers Park or East Rogers Park is the northernmost neighborhood community of Chicago, Illinois, located about 9 miles north of the Loop, and bordering Evanston and Howard Street to the north, Ridge Boulevard to the west, Lake Michigan to the east, and Devon Avenue to the south.

Rogers Park ranks among one of the most diverse communities in Chicago, and the nation, with a robust mix of ethnic backgrounds, languages, age diversity, and a wide range of family incomes. More than 80 languages are spoken among the community's 63,000 residents, and according to the Chicago Tribune, “In a city made famous for an accepted and often enforced cultural and socio-economic homogeneity within neighborhoods, Rogers Park stands almost alone as an exception.”

First settled by Irishman Philip Rogers in 1834 near two Indian trails, the area eventually known as Rogers Park, witnessed the arrival of waves of immigrants from Ireland, Luxembourg, Britain, and Germany. From 1830 to 1850, farming was the main industry in Rogers Park, with the average price of land at the time $1.25 an acre ($309/km²), and the dominant crops hay and pickles. On April 29, 1878, Rogers Park was incorporated as a village of Illinois governed by six trustees, and in 1893, the village was officially annexed to the City of Chicago.

Over the years Rogers Park's population has grown increasingly diverse and older. The Irish, Germans, and Luxembourgers represented the major ethnic groups during the early years of community building. During the latter-half of the twentieth century Rogers Park attracted African-Americans, second-and third-generation Jewish-Americans, and immigrants from Latin America, the Caribbean, Russia, Eastern Europe, India and Pakistan.

According to the Encyclopedia of Chicago, “neighborhood concerns about congestion, poverty, and increased crime led to public-private partnerships to upgrade the housing stock, provide a variety of social services, and stabilize the community.” However, Rogers Park's tradition of civic and political involvement has led to improvements in housing, public safety, and business development in its neighborhoods.

While, Rogers Park may not have the lively nightclub or bar activity that neighborhoods like Lakeview or Lincoln Park possess, many of the community’s best live performance options, whether musical or spoken-word, can be found in its coffeehouses, especially around Morse, Lunt and Jarvis Avenues. Often reflecting the many nationalities found in this neighborhood, entrepreneurial shopkeepers provide most of Rogers Park's retail goods and services.

For example, along Devon Avenue in West Rogers Park, there is a heavy concentration of Indo-Pakistani shops and restaurants, and a strip of Jewish/Russian businesses on its westernmost blocks. Latino and Caribbean restaurants, groceries and clothing stores can be found on Clark Street. Gateway Center, a new mall immediately west of the Howard el stop, features a large Dominick's grocery, a Bally's fitness center and nationally known retailers such as Marshall's and Blockbuster.

Rogers Park features a wide variety of residences, the result of various housing booms over the decades. These include Victorian-style single-family homes, bungalows, two-flats, and apartment complexes of varying sizes. Since the early 1990's, through concerted community action, housing stock in Rogers Park has improved dramatically, although some questionable areas remain. While Rogers Park continues to have a large supply of rental housing, condominium availability has shown robust growth from both conversions and new construction in the past several years.

Rent in Rogers Park is relatively less expensive than other neighborhoods. Studios are generally in the $450-$700 range, one bedroom apartments are $600-$1,000, and two or more bedrooms are available for $800-$1,500. Prices for one-bedroom condominiums in Rogers Park may range from as low as $85,000 to as high as $200,000, while two bedroom condos are generally anywhere from $130,000 to $250,000 or more. Residences with three or more bedrooms are mostly found in the $220,000-$400,000 range. Single-family homes in Rogers Park may go as high as $800,000.

Rogers Park has approximately 19 elementary and 6 high schools, including public, parochial (Jewish, Catholic, Protestant), and private schools. Rogers Park is also the location of the lakeshore campus of Loyola University Chicago and its famous Madonna Della Strada, chapel church of Chicago's Jesuit community.

Demographics: Population (2000): 63,484 White: 31.8% African American: 29.6% Asian: 6.40% Other: 4.48% Hispanic/Latino: 27.8% Median income: $31,602