Park Ridge

Sister cities

• Kinver

History

The area of Park Ridge was inhabited by the Potawatomie until they were removed in 1833. The area was a convenient portage between the Des Plaines and Chicago rivers for the French explorers and in the early 1830s, the first settlers arrived from New England and New York. In 1854 George Penny established a brickworks in the area. Due to the brickwork and the abundance of clay, Park Ridge was nicknamed "Brickton" by locals. In 1910 Park Ridge had a population of 2,009. In 1930 the population was 10,417. In 1950 the population was 16,602. In 1960 the population was 32,625, with 99.9% of the population white. There were five African-Americans and 31 people classed other than black or white. By 1970, the population had risen to 42,466. In 2016, Hillary Rodham Clinton, a graduate of the first class of Park Ridge's Maine South High School (1965) and former First Lady, was the Democratic candidate for President of the United States.

Geography

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Park Ridge has a total area of , of which (or 99.34%) is land and (or 0.66%) is water. Park Ridge falls under the USDA 5b Plant Hardiness zone.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• Lane Technical High School
  High · Chicago · 4,496 students · 17.4:1 ratio
• Taft High School
  High · Chicago · 4,464 students · 16.6:1 ratio
• Evanston Twp High School
  High · Evanston · 3,691 students · 13.7:1 ratio
• Oak Park & River Forest High Sch
  High · Oak Park · 3,304 students · 14.1:1 ratio
• Glenbrook South High School
  High · Glenview · 3,030 students · 13.6:1 ratio
• New Trier Township H S Winnetka
  High · Winnetka · 2,856 students · 11.3:1 ratio
• Niles West High School
  High · Skokie · 2,609 students · 14.2:1 ratio
• Maine South High School
  High · Park Ridge · 2,495 students · 17.3:1 ratio