Ravenswood

Ravenswood is a neighborhood encompassing Lincoln Square and a portion of the Uptown community area. It is bounded on the south by Montrose Avenue and on the north by Foster Avenue. To the east, the neighborhood extends past the Lincoln Square boundary to either Ashland Avenue or Clark Street, depending on the source. The neighborhood's historical western boundary is at Western Avenue, the former Lake View township line. Immediately to the west are Ravenswood Gardens (between Western and the Chicago River) and Ravenswood Manor (between the River and Sacramento Avenue). Ravenswood Manor is part of the Albany Park community area.

Ravenswood was developed with the intention of becoming an exclusive commuter suburb, but between 1868 and 1906, it was a sparsely populated area of the city largely occupied by farms and small homesteads. A development boom followed the construction of the Ravenswood elevated train line in 1906 and 1907, and the area filled up with small houses, two-flats and apartment buildings. Lincoln Square began to form as a commercial community in the heart of Ravenswood shortly after World War II. In the 1920s, the entire Ravenswood/Lincoln Square area was designated by the city as the "Lincoln Square" community area. There is no longer a clear consensus on what "Ravenswood" comprises: to some it now refers specifically to Ravenswood Gardens and Ravenswood Manor, west of Lincoln Square proper, while to others it refers to the area around Ravenswood Avenue, east of Lincoln Square, where the Ravenswood Metra station (formerly the Chicago and North Western Railroad) is located. The Ravenswood Chamber of Commerce defines Ravenswood's boundaries as Montrose, Foster, Clark, and Leavitt streets.

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