Beverly | |
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Community area | |
Community Area 72 - Beverly | |
Location within the city of Chicago |
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Coordinates: 41°42.6′N 87°40.8′W / 41.7100°N 87.6800°WCoordinates: 41°42.6′N 87°40.8′W / 41.7100°N 87.6800°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Illinois |
County | Cook |
City | Chicago |
Neighborhoods |
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Area | |
• Total | 3.20 sq mi (8.29 km2) |
Population (2010) | |
• Total | 20,034 |
• Density | 6,300/sq mi (2,400/km2) |
Demographics (2010) | |
• White | 58.82% |
• Black | 34.13% |
• Hispanic | 4.57% |
• Asian | 0.56% |
• Other | 1.92% |
Time zone | CST (UTC-6) |
• Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
ZIP Codes | Parts of 60620, 60643, 60655 |
Median income | $83,092 |
Source: U.S. Census, Record Information Services |
Beverly is one of the 77 community areas of Chicago, Illinois. It is located on the South Side on the southwestern edge of the city. The borders are (roughly) 87th Street on the north; Beverly Avenue, Hale Avenue and Vincennes Road on the east; 107th Street on the south; and Francisco Avenue and Western Avenue on the west. A segment of the eastern part of the Ridge Country Club lies with the boundaries of the community. Sparsely settled in the middle of the 19th century, Beverly began to be developed by business interests from Chicago in the latter part of the nineteenth century, encouraged largely by the completion in 1889 of the suburban line of the Rock Island Railroad that runs parallel with the eastern edge of the Blue Island ridge (see the Ulrich & Son ad that appears elsewhere in this article). The natural beauty of its position on the ridge allowed the community to become an exclusive streetcar suburb, and the homes and large lots reflect this historic distinction. Beverly is located on the highest elevation in Chicago, and is the city's largest white-majority neighborhood with the highest percentage of Black residents.
Beverly has quick access (by public transport or car) to all of the Chicago financial markets, shopping, airports, and attractions, yet retains itself as a peaceful and quiet wooded community. Beverly is one of the top five largest historic districts in any major city in the USA. The particular trains that are accessed by the Beverly community are provided from Metra's Rock Island line.
Beverly is one of few areas in the City of Chicago that features a hilly terrain. This geography is due to its location in the middle of the geological formation known as the Blue Island Ridge. In its early years of settlement this area as well as Morgan Park to the south was known as North Blue Island, denoting its relationship to the village of Blue Island, which was settled in 1836 and is located a few miles to the south.
The neighborhood's roots are largely English and Protestant but is now home to a large Irish-American/Catholic community and many Irish establishments. Prior to European American settlement the area was home to the Potawatomi Indians, who in 1833, after the Black Hawk War, were moved west of the Mississippi River by the federal government. The community (along with Morgan Park to the south) is the home of the South Side Irish Parade, which is held every year on the Sunday prior to St. Patrick's Day. It hails as the largest neighborhood parade of any type in the country.