Jefferson Township | |
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Coordinates: 41°57′30″N87°45′01″W / 41.9583649°N 87.7503367°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Illinois |
County | Cook |
Organized | 1850 |
Elevation | 614 ft (187 m) |
Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
GNIS feature ID | 426940 |
Jefferson Township is a former civil township in Cook County, Illinois, United States that existed as a separate municipality from 1850 until 1889 when it was annexed into the city of Chicago. [1] Its borders were Devon Avenue on the north, Harlem Avenue on the west, Western Avenue to the east, and North Avenue to the south. [2] This region comprised most of what is now known as the Chicago's Northwest Side including the entirety of the following community areas: Jefferson Park, North Park, Albany Park, Irving Park, Avondale, Hermosa, Belmont-Cragin, Montclare, Portage Park, as well as parts of Forest Glen, West Ridge, Lincoln Square, North Center, Logan Square, West Town, Humboldt Park, Austin, Dunning, the suburb of Norridge, the suburb of Harwood Heights, and Norwood Park.
During its brief history it developed from unpopulated wildlife to a largely rural community with a number of suburban villages. However, due to infrastructure limitations, legislative incentives and the lure of better municipal services it, along with numerous adjoining townships, agreed to be annexed into the city of Chicago, creating the largest city in the United States at that time.
The township was founded in 1850. [3] In the 1850s, Chicago was still a walkable urban area well contained within a 2 miles (3.22 km) radius of the center. [4]
After the City of Chicago incorporated in 1837, the surrounding townships followed suit through 1870. [2] After 1850, Cook County was divided into basic governmental entities, [5] which were designated as townships as a result of the new Illinois Constitution. [2] [6] Illinois's permissive incorporation law empowered any community of 300 resident citizens to petition the Illinois legislature for incorporation as a municipality under a municipal charter with more extensive powers to provide services and tax local residents. [2] [7] Jefferson Township was created by the Illinois General Assembly in 1861 within Cook County. [8] This empowered the township to better govern the provision of services to its increasingly suburban residents. [6]
Following the June 29, 1889 elections, [9] several suburban townships voted to be annexed to the city, which offered better services, such as improved water supply, sewerage, and fire and police protection. [2] [7] After the 1889 annexation Chicago was able to leverage efficiencies as the largest United States city in area and second largest in population. [10]
The township has no current governmental structure or functions, [1] other than being used by the Cook County Assessor's office for taxation valuation and record keeping purposes.
Norridge is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 15,251 at the 2020 census. 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 current President of Norridge is Daniel Tannhauser.
Steger is a village in Cook County and Will County, Illinois, United States. It is 35 miles (56 km) south of Chicago and had a population of 9,584 at the 2020 census.
Hyde Park is a neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois, located on and near the shore of Lake Michigan 7 miles (11 km) south of the Loop. It is one of the city's 77 municipally recognized community areas.
Jefferson Park is one of the 77 community areas of Chicago, located on the northwest side of the city. The neighborhood of Jefferson Park occupies a larger swath of territory.
Washington Park is a community area on the South Side of Chicago which includes the 372 acre (1.5 km2) park of the same name, stretching east-west from Cottage Grove Avenue to the Dan Ryan Expressway, and north-south from 51st Street to 63rd. It is home to the DuSable Museum of African American History. The park was the proposed site of the Olympic Stadium and the Olympic Aquatics Center in Chicago's bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Austin is one of 77 community areas in Chicago. Located on the city's West Side, it is the third largest community area by population and the second-largest geographically. Austin's eastern boundary is the Belt Railway located just east of Cicero Avenue. Its northernmost border is the Milwaukee District / West Line. Its southernmost border is at Roosevelt Road from the Belt Railway west to Austin Boulevard. The northernmost portion, north of North Avenue, extends west to Harlem Avenue, abutting Elmwood Park. In addition to Elmwood Park, Austin also borders the suburbs of Cicero and Oak Park.
Avondale is one of Chicago's 77 officially designated community areas. It is on the Northwest Side of the city. The northern border is Addison Street from the north branch of the Chicago River in the east to Pulaski Road in the west. The neighborhood extends further west along Belmont Avenue to the Union Pacific/Northwest Line. Its southern border is Diversey Avenue from the Union Pacific/Northwest Line to the Chicago River.
Portage Park is located on the northwest side of the City of Chicago, Illinois and is one of 77 officially designated Chicago community areas. Portage Park is bordered by the community areas of Jefferson Park and Forest Glen to the north, Dunning and the suburb of Harwood Heights to the west, Irving Park to the east and Belmont-Cragin to the south.
The Near South Side is a community area of Chicago, Illinois, United States, just south of the downtown central business district, the Loop. The Near South Side's boundaries are as follows: North—Roosevelt Road ; South—26th Street; West—Chicago River between Roosevelt and 18th Street, Clark Street between 18th Street and Cermak Road, Federal between Cermak Road and the Stevenson Expressway just south of 25th Street, and Clark Street again between the Stevenson and 26th Street; and East—Lake Michigan.
Montclare is one of 77 officially designated Chicago community areas located on the Northwest Side of the City of Chicago, Illinois.
Hegewisch is one of the 77 community areas of Chicago, Illinois, located on the city's far south side. It is bordered by the neighborhoods of Riverdale and South Deering to the west, the East Side to the north, the village of Burnham to the south and the city of Hammond, Indiana to the east. The community area is named for Adolph Hegewisch, the president of U.S. Rolling Stock Company who hoped to establish "an ideal workingman's community" when he laid out the town along a rail line in 1883, six years before Chicago annexed the town.
Morgan Park, located on the far south side of the city of Chicago, Illinois, United States, is one of the city's 77 official community areas. Morgan Park is located south of the Beverly neighborhood and north of the Chicago city border, and includes Mount Greenwood Cemetery. The community, settled in the mid-19th century, was initially known as North Blue Island, being located close to the existing town of Blue Island to the south. As of 2013, Morgan Park was majority-black, with approximately 22,924 residents in 2015.
Little Italy, sometimes combined with University Village into one neighborhood, is on the Near West Side of Chicago, Illinois. The current boundaries of Little Italy are Ashland Avenue on the west and Interstate 90/94 on the east, the Eisenhower Expressway on the north and Roosevelt to the south. It lies between the east side of the University of Illinois at Chicago campus in the Illinois Medical District and the west side of the University of Illinois at Chicago campus. The community was once predominantly Italian immigrants but now is made up of diverse ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds as a result of immigration, urban renewal, gentrification and the growth of the resident student and faculty population of the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). Its Italian-American heritage is primarily evident in the Italian-American restaurants that once lined Taylor Street. The neighborhood is home to the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame as well as the historic Roman Catholic churches Our Lady of Pompeii, Notre Dame de Chicago, and Holy Family.
Paul Cornell was an American lawyer and Chicago real estate speculator who founded the Hyde Park Township that included most of what are now known as the south and far southeast sides of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. He turned the south side Lake Michigan lakefront area, especially the Hyde Park community area and neighboring Kenwood and Woodlawn neighborhoods, into a resort community that had its heyday from the 1850s through the early 20th century. He was also an urban planner who paved the way for and preserved many of the parks that are now in the Chicago Park District. Additionally, he was a successful entrepreneur with interests in manufacturing, cemeteries, and hotels.
Washington Square, also known as Washington Square Park, is a park in Chicago, Illinois. A registered historic landmark that is better known by its nickname Bughouse Square, it was the most celebrated open air free-speech center in the country as well as a popular Chicago tourist attraction. It is located across Walton Street from Newberry Library at 901 N. Clark Street in the Near North Side community area of Chicago, Illinois, United States. It is Chicago's oldest existing small park. It is one of four Chicago Park District parks named after persons surnamed Washington. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 20, 1991.
Evanston Township was a civil township in Cook County, Illinois, United States from 1857 until 2014, when it was dissolved. At the time it was dissolved, its boundaries were coterminous with the city of Evanston, and the population at the 2010 census was 74,486.
Hyde Park Township is a former civil township in Cook County, Illinois, United States that existed as a separate municipality from 1861 until 1889 when it was annexed into the city of Chicago. Its borders are Pershing Road on the north, State Street on the west, Lake Michigan and the Indiana state line on the east, and 138th Street and the Calumet River on the south. This region comprised much of what is now known as the South Side of Chicago.
The South Side is one of the three major sections of the city of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Geographically, it is the largest of the three sections of the city, with the other two being the North and West Sides. It radiates and lies south of the city's downtown area, the Chicago Loop.
St. Viator Church is a historic parish church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago located in the Old Irving Park neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois. The church is located at 4170 West Addison Street.