Norridge, Illinois

Norridge is a village in Leyden Township, Cook County, Illinois, United States. The village and its neighbor to the east, Harwood Heights, together form an enclave within the city of Chicago. Norridge is sometimes referred to as the "Island Within a City". The area that would eventually become Norridge was settled by farmers in 1830. The first names of what would become Norridge were "Goat Village", due to a local resident's goat farm, and "Swamp" due to a lack of streets and the area's swamp-like conditions. Norridge's early borders were Ozanam Ave, Olcott Avenue, Irving Park Road, and Montrose Avenue. In 1948, a local improvement association incorporated Norridge as a village, stymieing an effort by Chicago to annex the area.

Norridge, Illinois
Village
Flag wordmark
Motto(s):  The Community of "Compassion, Care, Hope"
Location of Norridge in Cook County, Illinois.
Norridge Show map of Greater Chicago Norridge Show map of Illinois Norridge Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 41°57′54″N 87°49′26″W
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	Cook
Township	Leyden
Government
• President	Daniel Tannhauser
Area [1]
• Total	1.81 sq mi (4.68 km2)
• Land	1.81 sq mi (4.68 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Population  (2020)
• Total	15,251
• Density	8,435.29/sq mi (3,257.39/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP Code	60706
Area codes	708/464
Website	www.villageofnorridge.com

Name origin

The name "Norridge" was suggested by resident Mrs. Link. "Nor" comes from Norwood Park Township, and "Ridge" comes from the nearby suburb of Park Ridge.^[2] Norridge is sometimes referred to as the "Island Within a City".^[3]

History

Farmers first established settlements in the area in the 1830s. Located in Norwood Park Township, the first names of what would become Norridge were "Goat Village", due to a local resident's goat farm, and "Swamp" due to a lack of streets and the area's swamp-like conditions.^[4] Norridge began as an 80-acre (320,000 m²) subdivision that ran from Ozanam Avenue in the west to Olcott Avenue in the east and from Irving Park Road in the south to Montrose Avenue in the north. In 1948, a local improvement association incorporated Norridge as a village, stymieing an effort by Chicago to annex the area.^[5] The 1950s was a decade of growth and development, encouraged by the paving of sidewalks, streets, and curbs, and the installation of storm and sanitary sewers. In 1954 Norridge annexed land north from Montrose to Lawrence.^[5]

Norridge borders the Cook County Forest Preserves and was home to several horse stables, including Happy Days Stables at Montrose and Cumberland. Most of the stables were gone by the late 1970s.^{[citation needed]}

Geography

Norridge is located at 41°57′54″N 87°49′26″W (41.965030, -87.823859).^[6] According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Norridge has a total area of 1.81 square miles (4.69 km²), all land.^[7]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1950	3,428		—
1960	14,087		310.9%
1970	17,113		21.5%
1980	16,483		−3.7%
1990	14,459		−12.3%
2000	14,582		0.9%
2010	14,572		−0.1%
2020	15,251		4.7%
U.S. Decennial Census[8]

2020 census

Norridge village, Illinois – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.

Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2000[9]	Pop 2010[10]	Pop 2020[11]	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	13,492	12,745	12,234	92.53%	87.46%	80.22%
Black or African American alone (NH)	13	63	60	0.09%	0.43%	0.39%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	8	8	2	0.05%	0.05%	0.01%
Asian alone (NH)	396	574	910	2.72%	3.94%	5.97%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	1	1	7	0.01%	0.01%	0.05%
Other race alone (NH)	10	14	41	0.07%	0.10%	0.27%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)	109	94	207	0.75%	0.65%	1.36%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	553	1,073	1,790	3.79%	7.36%	11.74%
Total	14,582	14,572	15,251	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

The population was 15,251 at the 2020 census.^[12] The population density was 8,435.29 inhabitants per square mile (3,256.88/km²). There were 5,956 housing units at an average density of 3,294.25 per square mile (1,271.92/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 82.94% White, 0.43% African American, 0.38% Native American, 6.08% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 4.36% from other races, and 5.74% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race were 11.74% of the population.

The village's age distribution consisted of 18.5% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 22% from 25 to 44, 27.5% from 45 to 64, and 25.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.7 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $78,300, and the median income for a family was $93,170. Males had a median income of $58,365 versus $39,837 for females. The per capita income for the village was $36,959. About 1.9% of families and 3.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.8% of those under age 18 and 4.7% of those age 65 or over.

Government

As of the 2023 elections, the current elected officials of the Village of Norridge are: The current President of Norridge is Daniel Tannhauser.^[13]

Education

Public schools

Public elementary school districts serving Norridge include:^[14][15]

• Pennoyer Elementary School District 79^[16]
• Norridge School District 80^[17] (James Giles School and John V. Leigh School)
• Union Ridge School District 86^[18]

Public high school districts include:^[15]

• Maine Township High School District 207 (Maine South High School)
• Ridgewood High School District 234

Churches

• Divine Savior Church (Merged with St. Eugene Church and Our Lady Mother of the Church)^[19][20]

Libraries

Eisenhower Public Library District serves Harwood Heights and Norridge.

Transportation

Bus service in the village is provided by both Pace and CTA.^[21]

Notable people

• Bruce Artwick, creator of the first consumer flight simulator software; founder of Sublogic^[22]
• Nicholas Calabrese, the first made man ever to testify against the Chicago Outfit^[23]
• James Fotopoulos, independent filmmaker of over 100 films, including Christabel^[24]
• Robert F. Martwick Jr., Democratic member of the Illinois Senate; formerly a Norridge trustee^[25]
• Gene Nudo, head coach of the Arizona Rattlers, then of the Arena Football League^[26]
• Jeff Schroeder, season 11 and season 13 contestant on Big Brother, season 16 contestant on The Amazing Race
• Dino Stamatopoulos, comedy writer, actor and producer (Mr. Show, TV Funhouse, Mad TV, The Dana Carvey Show, Late Show with David Letterman and Late Night with Conan O'Brien)
• Joseph A. Tunzi, author, publisher, self-publisher, producer, archivist, researcher and historian; has been described as "one of the foremost authorities on Elvis Presley"^[27]