Norridge is a village in Norwood Park 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". As of the 2020 census, Norridge had a population of 15,251. 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.
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. Norridge is sometimes referred to as the "Island Within a City".
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. Norridge began as an 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.
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.
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+Norridge village, Illinois – Racial and ethnic composition<br><small></small>
!Race / Ethnicity <small>(NH = Non-Hispanic)</small>
!Pop 2000
!Pop 2010
!
!% 2000
!% 2010
!
|-
|White alone (NH)
|13,492
|12,745
|style='background: #ffffe6; |12,234
|92.53%
|87.46%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |80.22%
|-
|Black or African American alone (NH)
|13
|63
|style='background: #ffffe6; |60
|0.09%
|0.43%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.39%
|-
|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)
|8
|8
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2
|0.05%
|0.05%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.01%
|-
|Asian alone (NH)
|396
|574
|style='background: #ffffe6; |910
|2.72%
|3.94%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |5.97%
|-
|Pacific Islander alone (NH)
|1
|1
|style='background: #ffffe6; |7
|0.01%
|0.01%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.05%
|-
|Other race alone (NH)
|10
|14
|style='background: #ffffe6; |41
|0.07%
|0.10%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.27%
|-
|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)
|109
|94
|style='background: #ffffe6; |207
|0.75%
|0.65%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1.36%
|-
|Hispanic or Latino (any race)
|553
|1,073
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,790
|3.79%
|7.36%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |11.74%
|-
|Total
|14,582
|14,572
|style='background: #ffffe6; |15,251
|100.00%
|100.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%
|}
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Norridge had a population of 15,251. The population density was . 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 median age was 45.4 years. 18.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 23.3% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females, there were 91.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.1 males age 18 and over.
There were 5,708 households in Norridge, of which 28.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 51.9% were married-couple households, 16.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 27.5% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 26.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. There were 5,956 housing units at an average density of , of which 4.2% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.3% and the rental vacancy rate was 4.7%.
Education
Public schools
Public elementary school districts serving Norridge include:
- Pennoyer Elementary School District 79<!--ELM 31200-->
- Norridge School District 80<!--ELM 28650--> (James Giles School and John V. Leigh School)
- Union Ridge School District 86<!--ELM 39780-->
Public high school districts include:
Libraries
Eisenhower Public Library District serves Harwood Heights and Norridge.
Transportation
Bus service in the village is provided by both Pace and CTA.
Notable people
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· Only people who already have a Wikipedia article may appear here. This establishes notability.
· The article must mention how they are associated with Norridge, whether born, raised, or residing.
· The fact of their association should have a reliable source cited.
· Alphabetical by last name, please.
· All others will be deleted.
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- Bruce Artwick, creator of the first consumer flight simulator software; founder of Sublogic
- Nicholas Calabrese, the first made man ever to testify against the Chicago Outfit
- James Fotopoulos, independent filmmaker of over 100 films, including Christabel
- Robert F. Martwick Jr., Democratic member of the Illinois Senate; formerly a Norridge trustee
- Gene Nudo, head coach of the Arizona Rattlers, then of the Arena Football League
- 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"
References
External links
- Village of Norridge official website