Hello Everyone.
My name is Charles McShan.I am a Real Estate Broker with Century 21 Universal. My office is located at 7300 N.Western Ave Suite I in the city of Chicago. This is my first main blog post. My Blog handle is cmacakachicagolandrealtor.com My Web site is located at https://www.CharlesMcshanchicagolandrealtor.com. With this Blog post, I want to introduce my readers out there to the West Ridge Neighborhood of the city of Chicago. Why the West Ridge area? First of all, this is the area in which I live and work. Secondly, it is a very exciting place to visit, shop and dine. Now this West Ridge area consists of the 60659 and the 60645 zip codes. It is on the North side of the city and it borders the suburbs of Lincolnwood, Skokie and Evanston This area is sometimes also called West Rogers Park and there is a Historical lesson behind that meaning. In fact, East Rogers Park and West Ridge share a lot of history together more on that later! The Boundaries for West Ridge are the River Channel / Kedzie Ave to the West, Bryn Mawr Ave. to the South. East on Bryn Mawr to Western Ave. North on Western Ave to Peterson Ave, East on Peterson Ave to the Ravenswood. From here the Boundary travels North on Ravenswood merging into Ridge Blvd an then proceeding North on Ridge Blvd. all the way to Howard Street The city Limits of Chicago. Howard street separates the city of Chicago from the city of Evanston. From here the Boundary heads west on Howard street back to Kedzie Ave. Now if someone were to ask you what is there to see and do In West Ridge or they might ask where the Heart of West Ridge is located what would be your response? If you would say on Devon Ave. you would not be wrong. This is the place you want to be. It has a lot to offer for home residences and shoppers alike. Devon Ave. is the entryway into the West Ridge area. At the intersection of Devon and Kedzie Ave, you will find a Major CTA bus Terminal. One of the bus lines that originate from there is the 155 Devon bus. Let’s take an imaginary bus ride Eastbound on the Devon bus and explore the area. As we start our Bus ride we see that Devon Ave has a strong Jewish prescence complete with Synagogues, Grocery stores and a Major Jewish school for girls. At the corner of 3100 W.Devon Ave, there is a popular Restaurant named Taza Bakery. They are known for there Authentic Assyrian Dishes and for making Bread the way they do back home. If you love Indian /Pakistani Food at the intersection of Sacramento and Devon you will find the Del HI-BAR and the Mastic Grill Restaurants. Across the street, you will find the joint offices of State Ira Silverstein of the 8th Illinois and the 50th Ward office of Alderwoman Debra Silverstein. As you can see this area is multi ethical. There is the Levinson’s are Assyrian Grocery stores, Barbers and Beauty Salons, On the corner of Devon and Mozart, you will find the Croatian Cultural Center.
Once you cross the intersection of Devon and California you will find a strong Indian /Pakistani presence in the form of Clothing Stores, Phone card stores, Electronic stores, Jewelry Stores, Banks, Grocery Stores and of course more Restaurants. People come from near and from very far to shop in stores known as the Patel Brothers and buy fresh fruits at stores like the Fresh Market. They come to eat at places called the Viceroy of India, Khan’s Bar-B-Q and the Bismillah. This area is congested because people are attracted to it. If you have the right business you will make money in this area. At the intersection of Devon and Western Ave or 6145 N.Western Ave to be exact, there is a store called Chicago Live poultry. Yes if you want your Poultry or Fish live you do not have to go out into the rural area. You can buy it live and fresh here. Continuing Eastbound on the Devon Ave bus you will come across other Food eating places. One Restaurant, in particular, is called Villa Palermo. If you are hungry for Pizza slice and other Dishes around 2:00 am this place is open and when you buy a slice of Pizza they will give a free drink of pop. The last Major Restaurant in this zip code is named Ghareeb Nawaz. Located at 2156 Devon this eating place is known for it’s Chicken Biryani and tasting other Asian dishes. This place is opened 24 hours, it is always crowded and you can phone ahead for your order. Check it out. I give it 5 stars. The Catholic Misericordia Home Foundation and the Croatian Catholic Church round out the major buildings on Devon as we approach Ridge Blvd. When you cross Devon Ave. you officially enter the Neighborhood of East Rogers Park. We will cover the East Rogers Park area in my next post. From here the Devon bus continues its journey into the Rogers Park area but it is here at Ridge Blvd. that we get off the bus. But you have to admit this was a great bus ride. Devon Ave. has a lot to offer to visitors and Residents alike. Now, after saying that I must put in this disclaimer. From around 7:30 am to around 11:30 pm Devon Ave is always congested so if you are trying to go East or West quickly do not use Devon Ave.
The next major street is Peterson Ave. This 4 -lane street connects Lake Shore Drive with the Eden’s expressway. You will find a Target Department store at 2112 W. Peterson Ave. Also on Peterson street, there are several well-known Restaurants who have a unique group of Customers who come from near and far there names are.
1: Mom’s Bakery located at 2415 W.Peterson Ave this was a popular Filipino eating area. It is close now but hopefully, someone will buy the property. Reopen it and the crowds will return
2: Sabor A Cafe Located at 2435 W.Peterson.It is a well known Colombian Steak House.
3: Lagazadera Located at 2452 W.Peterson. It is a Latin Bar and Restaurant.
4: Turkish Cusine. Their name says it all. Good food from the Country of Turkey
5: Babylon Bistro located at 2641 W.Peterson. Serves from dishes from the Middle East and they have and dancing live entertainments. 6: Wolfy’s located at 2734 W.Peterson this well known hot dog place. They are always busy, their customers come from near and far to eat here. This is a good place. Do you love Green River soda? They sell it here. Check it out.
7: Juliana Located at 3001 W.Peterson.This Restaurant is also known for its Middle Eastern food, They have live dancing, entertainment along with a Hooka section and they are open late.
There are 2 Main Parks on Peterson Ave both maintain by the Chicago Park District . The first one is Green Biar Park located at 2650 W.Peterdson Ave and the second one is only 2 Blocks away at Peterson and California Ave and it is called Stephen Mather. At the far end of the park on Richmond and Lincoln Ave is the Public High School also named Stephen Mather. Speaking of Lincoln Ave. This 4- lane street has many businesses along with a few good eating areas. Here are the names of just Three.
1: A Bite of-of Szechuan located at 5657 N.Lincoln Ave the name says it all. They serve Szechuan Chinese food. Try it out. News Flash! This eating area has shut down and a new Vietnamese Restaurant named King PHO has officially takin its place. 2: The Angry Crab.located at 5665 N.Lincoln Ave this is a very popular seafood establishment. They are known for there Cajun and Crab seafood dishes. 3: Bry Anna Restaurant located at 5695 N.Lincoln Ave. They specialize in dishes from El Salvador and Guatemala. California Ave. is the next major street. On this street is again Mather High School and Clinton Grade School along with a host of other business. For those who are hungry here is a list of some good eating places.
1: Marie Gold Restaurant and Bakery. located at 5752 N.California This place serves Filipino food.
2: We go a few blocks North to the West Ridge Plaza. Located at 6240 N.California.This strip mall has 4 small but very popular Restaurants. Their names are.
1: Gogi: They are known for there Korean Bar-B-Q.
2: Saigon Bistro They serve food dishes from the Country of Vietnam.
3: The Yeowoosai Restaurant. This place also serves Korean Food and they also have a Karaoke Bar.
4: The Halal Burger: They specialize in American Dishes with a special twist.
5: There is the Tel-Aviv Kosher Pizza Located at 6349 N.California.They say that it is the best Kosher tasting Pizza In Chicago.
I would like to say that there are many more places to eat in this area and for the ones I did not mention I would like to say that I am sorry. But you get the picture, If you are hungry you have many many places to satisfy your various taste buds. Besides eating there are plenty of other businesses in the area. There are Automobile Repair shops, Laundry Mats, Cleaners, Medical Offices, and for your aged loved ones there are also Senior Citizens Homes and Daycare facilities for the young ones. Next, for you Power runners, Walkers and Bicyclists out there this could be a good spot to work out. You remember the River Channel. This is an extension of the Chicago River and this Branch has a connected Concrete pathway that parallels the water channel right out of the city and the path ends over 6 miles in the city of Evanston at McCormick Blvd. and Green Bay Road. It is quite a workout. But if the weather is unsuitable you can always get your exercise on at Planet Fitness or X-Sport Fitness Clubs nearby.
Now when you go North of Devon Ave. you are officially in the 60645 zip code of West Ridge. Now while having 2 zip codes this is still one community. Both the 60645 and the 60659 zip codes have a wide selection of homes. A person once asked me how many styles of homes are out there and how do you recognize them? That is a hard question to answer because there are a lot of styles of homes. Not all styles are in the Chicagoland area and here is a link to a Realtor.com article on the different styles of American Homes out there and how you can recognize each style. Check it out by https://magazine.realtor/home-and-design/guide-residential-styles.Now the entire Neighborhood of West Ridge for the Homeowner has a wide selection of homes. From Georgian Homes to Bungalows, Cape Cod’s, Victorians, Cottages, Tudors styles Split Level, Ranch Homes an others. There are Newer homes existing side by side with the Older ones. If you are in need of buying a Condominium there is a wide selection of older and yes newer modern units always coming onto the Market. If you are not looking to buy and you are just starting out, there are a wide range of Rental Apartments starting from Studio units all the way up to 3 Bedroom units. Go to https://www. charlesmcshanchicagolandrealtor.com. type in 60645 or 60659 in the search box and see what is available to you in your price range and selection.
There are plenty of Parks in the West Ridge area maintain by the Chicago Park District. The Biggest is named Warren Park. This park has a Nine Hole Golf Course along with Baseball Fields, Tennis and Basketball Courts, Baseball Batting Cages, and a Cricket Field. There is a running path complete with fitness course. There is an indoor facility. In the Winter time there is an Outdoor Ice skating Rink and in the Summertime there are numerous Ethic gatherings. In regards to the eating areas North of Devon, these particular eating areas have a huge following they are as follows. The first 5 Restaurants are located on Western Ave. They are.
1: BBQ Supply Co. located at 6954 N.Western ave. This is an Old School Smokehouse Joint serving Chicken, Sausage and other dishes.
2: LAlamarada This New Restaurant has dishes from Peru, Colombia, Mexico, and Cuba along with American dishes.
3: Eng’s Located at 7300 N.Western Ave in the same strip mall as my office. They specialized in Asian dishes of all kinds and they make
excellent fruit smoothies. I give them 4 stars.
4: Mullen’s Located at 7301 N.Western Ave. They are a Sports Bar and Grill.
5: The Candlelite. Located at 7452 N.Western Ave. This Sport’s Bar and Restaurant specializes in making many varieties of Pizza.
The next 3 Restaurants are located on Howard Street. Howard Street is the dividing line between the city of Chicago and the city of Evanston. They are
1: The Fish Keg. Located at 2233 W.Howard st. This fish house is located on the Chicago side of Howard St. This place has an excellent selection of Fish that can be cooked on the spot including Walleye and Trout
2: The I -Hop Restaurant located at on the Evanston side of Howard street while not located in Chicago it is open 24-Hours and everyone goes there. So it can not be excluded.
3: Gulliver’s. Located at 2727 W.Howard street on the Chicago side, they serve American, Mexican and Italian Food along with serving Pizza.
The remaining 2 Restaurants are
1: The Garden of Eden located at 7165 N.California They serve Middle Eastern Food Dishes
2: East Coast Pizza. Located at 2911 W.Touhy Ave this is my number 1 place. They serve Pizza, Grinder Sandwiches and my favorite is the Philly Cheese Steak. Tell them the Limo man from Century 21 sent you.
In regards to Public Transportation, The West Ridge area is served very well by CTA and Pace Suburban Bus service. Every major street minus Ridge Blvd. has a Bus route. While there is no direct CTA Elevated train service in the area. The number 11 Lincoln, the number 49B Western Ave. and the number 82 Kimball- Homan will take you South to the Brown Line stops. The East-West Bus routes of 84 Peterson,155 Devon,96 Lunt,290 Pace along with 97 Oakton will deliver you to various Red line train stops in East Rogers Park. For those needing Metra train service, there is a Metra stop on Lunt close to Clark street. For Drivers, Downtown and O’Hare Field Field are only minutes away in non-rush hour situations. Touhy Ave is a street that leads you West out of the city to many a Shopping Malls in the Suburbs. Walmart has a 24 Hour store just across the border in The town of Skokie and There is a Marinos Grocery store that caters to all Ethics food needs. In regards to the schools in the area, we talked about Mather High School and Clinton Grade School. There are other schools, normally I would provide a link and the link would be to Wikipedia but Wikipedia does not like links they would find it an turn it off so if you want to see the schools available in this area then please go to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/westridge Chicago and you can see the list. Well, there you have it Whether the 60659 zip code or the 60645 zip code the entire neighborhood of West Ridge is a good place to Live, Work or Visit. You can get your car repaired, buy clothing jewelry and Groceries and you can sit down and enjoy a good meal. People from all over the world make this area there home. My office of Century 21 Universal is located in West Ridge at 7300 N.Western Ave. Suite I Chicago ll. 60645. In this office, you will find Real Estate Brokers who come from all over the World with 1 goal in mind and that is to help you with your Real Estate needs. This Office along with our Owner Jeff Sangerman are well known in the area. I am proud to be associated with this Office and I pledge to give you my best effort if you will allow me to serve you. My Motto is or buy or sell Chicago area homes. This motto is connected to my website of charlesmcshanchicagolandrealtor.com The next post will cover the East Rogers Park area and after that will be the Lincoln Square area. In time I will also talk about the North Park area, Edgewater, Uptown Albany Park, and the Andersonville area. These are my local areas. I am always in these areas an I will stay close to them but make no mistake my journeys take me throughout the whole city of Chicago along with its Suburbs. I will also post topics pertaining to Real Estate, Home Improvements, and other subjects. This will be a work in progress. I apologize in advance for any mistakes I have made and will make, feel free to comment on this blog an give me some pointers. Share this blog if you wish. Chicago is a city of neighborhoods and from the West Ridge Neighborhood, I leave you with this Video. Thank you and have a nice day Take care
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