An abundantly green north side Chicago neighborhood, Norwood Park boasts strong community ties and is filled with fantastic older residences that are ideal for raising a family. Norwood Park resists the typical Chicago grid system in favor of more winding roads. Along these curving drives, homebuyers will find a wonderful variety of properties. Nineteenth-century houses, Cape Cods, ranches, condominiums and new construction developments sum up the real estate opportunities, which fall in just as broad a range of prices. The neighborhood features a small, yet satisfying assortment of dining options within its borders and there is even a unique boutique or two. When it comes to nightlife in Norwood Park, pubs are it. Neighborhood regulars meet up for whatever is on tap and a bit of that community bonding.
Located in a heavily forested country setting, Norwood Park was initially developed in the 1860s as a resort community for weary Chicagoans to relax away from the fast pace of city life. The local hotel, however, only ever attracted local residents that came for leisure, and the whole resort plan was eventually scrapped.
The community was integrated as a Chicago neighborhood in 1874. When incorporated, the area took the name 'Norwood' from Henry Ward Beecher’s novel Norwood: Or, Village Life in New England. After discovering that another Illinois post office already used the name Norwood, the 'Park' surname was added—a fitting inclusion for what would remain a very lush, green community.
As time marched on (as it is wont to do), and despite surrounding industrial development, the Norwood Park community remained primarily residential, gradually becoming home to scores of families—just as we know it today.
History is interesting, but it isn’t always pretty. Anyway, let’s move along to some less macabre factoids, okay? Norwood Park sets itself apart from the rest of historically Democratic Chicago by maintaining primarily Republican leanings. Politics aside, Norwood Park neighborhood is a fantastic place for families, filled with schools, parks, and the community is home to a large number of Chicago police officers and firefighters.
Technically, Norwood Park is considered two separate neighborhoods: Norwood Park and Old Norwood Park. The larger area is bisected by a triangle of land known as Old Norwood Park, an older residential area surrounding the community’s original main drag. Both Norwood Park and Old Norwood Park are home to lush greenery and part of the same pleasant tight-knit northwest side Chicago community.
Norwood Park facts
Location: About 13 miles northwest of the Loop Boundaries: Devon Avenue to the north, Austin Avenue and Harlem Avenue to the east, Northwest Highway and I-90 (Kennedy Expressway) to the south, and Canfield Road to the west Bordering Neighborhoods:Old Norwood Park, Oriole Park, O’Hare, Union Ridge, Jefferson Park Crime Statistics: Go to CLEARMap to search specific streets and areas for crime incidents
Norwood Park transportation
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Norwood Park Real Estate
The Norwood Park neighborhood is unique in layout. Modeled after Frederick Law Olmsted’s Riverside community on the east side of the city, Norwood Park’s residential area bucks the typical city grid pattern for winding roads, interspersed with angled streets and mini-subdivisions. Additionally, as the area is filled with trees and other greenery, walking through the neighborhood’s meandering streets is quite literally like a walk in the park.
The neighborhood real estate in Norwood Park varies quite extensively. Homes range from well-maintained nineteenth-century Victorian houses to brick bungalows, Georgians, ranches, and Cape Cods. Also common are single-family condominiums which run the gamut from new construction developments to older brick buildings. As we have mentioned a number of times before (and are continually impressed with), the entire area is fairly green so no matter where you live in Norwood Park, most residences look out onto some kind of green space.
Generally speaking, a smaller home in Norwood Park starts in the mid-$100,000s, but the average sales price for a one- or two-bedroom detached house is $345,000. Places with a little more space (say three or four bedrooms) jump up in average sales price to around $420,000. And the value for some of the more historic properties can be even higher.
A one-bedroom condo or attached unit in Norwood Park starts in the low to mid-$100,000. Two-bedroom units in the neighborhood range between $185,000 and $340,000 with an average sales price around $212,000.
The average sale price of a home in Norwood Park is represented by the chart to the right. The red line indicates the average price based on the total time frame selected in the drop-down window. The blue line indicates the average sale price for the particular month within that time frame. For more detailed information on Norwood Park sign up for the trends report below or contact your Dream Town broker.
The average number of days a home in Norwood Park spends listed for sale is represented by the chart to the right. The red line indicates the average number of days based on the total time frame selected in the drop-down window. The blue line indicates the average number of days a home spent on market during the particular month within that time frame. For more detailed information on average market listing times in Norwood Park sign up for the trends report below or contact your Dream Town broker.
The average sale price of a home compared to its listing price in Norwood Park is represented by the chart to the right. The black line indicates the baseline listing price for homes during the time frame selected in the drop-down. The red line indicates the difference between the average listing price and the average sale price during the particular month within that time frame. For more detailed information on Norwood Park sign up for the trends report below or contact your Dream Town broker.
The total number of listings in Norwood Park is represented in the chart to the right. The red line represents average number of days based on the total time frame selected in the drop-down window The blue bar represents the current number of listings during the particular month of that time frame. For more detailed information on Norwood Park sign up for the trends report below or contact your Dream Town broker.
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