Chicago's Beverly/Morgan Park Neighborhood

Chicago's Beverly/Morgan Park neighborhood is located on the far Southwest Side of Chicago. Although the neighborhood is located in Chicago, it is a family oriented area that has the feel of a suburb. Morgan Park is located south of Beverly, separated by 107th street. The Beverly/Morgan Park area is surrounded by Auburn Gresham to the north, Washington Heights on the east, the city of Blue Island on the south and Mount Greenwood on the west.

Since the 1970's, The Beverly Area Planning Association has helped to integrate the community without significant problems. Housing in the area is attractive, classic and diverse. Architectural styles include Bungalow, Prairie, Georgian, Victorian and more. There are also many homes in Chicago's Beverly/Morgan Park neighborhood that are marked historic, including three Frank Lloyd Wrights. Visitors to the neighborhood can follow a self guided tour, found at the Beverly Area Planning Association's website, of selected Beverly/Morgan Park historic homes. The neighborhood is considered safe with little crime and no gang violence, and the median income remains one of the highest in Chicago.

Visitors will find that there are many children in Chicago's Beverly/Morgan Park neighborhood, and as a result there are many parks available throughout, including Kennedy Park, Crescent Park, Hurley Park and more. Residents look forward to the various annual activities that are popular in the neighborhood including the Ridge Run, the Beverly Hills Cycling Classic, the Beverly Hills/Morgan Park Home Tour, and the recently defunct South Side Irish Parade.

Chicago's Beverly/Morgan Park neighborhood is good for families not only because of the large amount of children and two parent households, but also because the public schools are considered some of the best in the city. These public schools include Clissold, Sutherland, Kellogg and Barnard. Other grade schools and high schools in the area are private and Catholic, except for Morgan Park High School.

Many businesses in Chicago's Beverly/Morgan Park neighborhood have existed in the area for years and are familiar and popular with Beverly/Morgan Park residents. These businesses include the Beverly Art Center, County Fair, Olivia's Garden, DiCola's, Keegan's Irish Pub, Optimo Hat Company, Southtown Health Foods, Ken's Restaurant, Franconello's Italian Restaurant , Fox's Beverly Pub, World Folk Music Company, Calabria Imports, The Original Rainbow Cone, Cork & Kerry and Morgan Park Academy, among others.

Predominately Irish/Catholic, Chicago's Beverly/Morgan Park neighborhood has Irish/Catholic residents that were born, raised and continue to live in the neighborhood. The area is home to many Irish bars and pubs. The Chicago Public Library, in the Beverly area, includes a large section of Irish related non-fiction and fiction books. Touches of Irish heritage can be seen in many of the businesses and the homes in the area. There is a significant sense of Irish pride in Beverly/Morgan Park.

With its Irish/Catholic tradition, Chicago's Beverly /Morgan Park neighborhood has five Catholic parishes including St. Barnabas, St. Cajetan, St. John Fisher, St. Walter and Christ the King. Beverly is home to a castle from Ireland called Givens Castle, which is home to the Beverly Unitarian Church or "The Castle on the Hill."

Source:

BAPA - Beverly Area Planning Association