Love,love
Windshield Survey
Park Ridge
By: Shay Syed (slides #2-9)
Shakira (slides #10-15)
Aduragbemi Dada (slides #16-21)
Olufunke Onifade (slides#22-26)
NUR4145-U20-E1
Oakpoint University
Professor Jodie Skirmont
08/13/2021
Race and Ethnicity
-According to the most recent demographic,
the racial composition might not be as diverse
as you think
-White: 90.28%
-Asian: 5.85%
-Black/African American: 0.84%
-Two or more races: 2.22%
Culture
-Park Ridge doesn’t have a ton of diverse culture
-Because it’s a predominantly white suburb, the
main language spoken is English
-The culture of Park Ridge is subject to the
population in majority, which is white
1974: Commuters wait for the train in Park Ridge
1950: Swimming pool at the Park Ridge School for girls
Religion
-Based on cook county data, religion statistics
are as follows
None: 40.4%
Catholic: 37.5%
Evangelical Protestent 8.3%
Other 6%
Black Protestent 2.9% Park Ridge Community Church
Orthodox 1.0%
Politics
-In an article by Chicago Tribune, unofficial vote totals from the Cook County Clerk’s Office show 55% of Park Ridge voters, favored President-elect Joe Biden in the race against President Donald Trump, who received 43% of the vote
-10,600 Park Ridge voters cast a vote for Biden
-8,300 residents voted for Trump, as county
data shows.
Politics
-Since Park Ridge is also home for famous democratic Hillary Clinton, who is a prominent Maine East alumni, the suburb is a little more democrat than it is republic
-Although data shows it’s always been splitting between the two parties, the democratic party has always been more in favor in Park Ridge
-“It’s been trending that way for at least the last four or more
(presidential) elections,” says Laura Murphy, Maine Township
Democratic committeeman and state senator of the 28th district
Strength in the Community (Shay)
Strength: One of the many strengths of the community is how actively progressive they’ve become over the last 50 years. Park Ridge used to have a bad reputation for being conservative or a very republican community but that isn’t as accurate today as it was in the 1900’s. Now, there are many young people shifting over to Park Ridge who have shown to be progressive in making change in the community. It shows through the efforts they’ve made to get the community more involved. As I strolled through the neighborhood, I noticed downtown Park Ridge was hosting many events, from an old fashioned car show, to stalls promoting local events in the community such as races for cancer and free memberships to local gyms and even selling t shirts to support a local family in need. The community is friendly and very much proactive in being involved.
Weaknesses in the Community (Shay)
One of Park Ridge’s main weaknesses and one that I personally dislike, is the lack of diversity. Looking at the data from earlier, there are very few individuals of races other than white. That can widely affect progressiveness within a suburb. If you were to take an individual child for example, said child could spend their whole life in Park Ridge and later move to a different town to realize that he/she had been living in a bubble. The lack of diversity can affect the way a child perceives race. It might affect their social skills and communication towards others that might look different in color. This is where racial barriers stem from. A lack of diversity can soon prove detrimental to the community. Park Ridge needs to do more in order to attract more diversity. Promoting cultural events or hosting diverse festivals to celebrate all people of color, no matter where they’re from.
Boundaries of Park Ridge, IL
I assessed Park Ridge, Illinois community, most of the area was quiet. The purple outline in the map shows what parts fall inside Park Ridge
Housing and Zoning
Park Ridge has a total of 15,193 housing units.
14,245 housing units (93.8%) are occupied (CountyOffice.org, 2021).
10,447 housing units (73.3%) are single-family detached homes (CountyOffice.org, 2021).
3.5% are 5-9 apartment residential buildings.
20 vacant houses on sale were seen.
Housing and Zoning (continued)
Houses sell for $525,000.
I saw both old and new luxury homes.
The homes are well maintained.
Most of the houses are single-family detached homes.
I saw several new buildings under construction.
One assisted living type home was observed.
Open Space
I saw open spaces in the community.
There are well-landscaped green spaces.
Open spaces were observed mostly outside homes.
I saw 8 parks in the area.
The Park Ridge Park District controls 22 parks in the area (Park Ridge Park District, 2021)
Commons
There are many fast food and some healthier restaurants in the community.
Young people were observed in popular bars.
Residents gather in the parks for recreational purposes.
A few people were resting on the green spaces.
Some people were using the sidewalks.
Strengths and Weaknesses (Shakira)
The major strength observed in the area is the availability of parks, and open and green spaces, which allowed people to enjoy nature and leisure time.
The major weakness observed in the community is the large number of bars, which indicated high alcohol consumption among the young people.
Safety
The community is relatively safe.
The safety elements in the community are the Park Ridge police department and a fire station.
A waste disposal and collection center was also observed.
The area has a low crime rate compared to the U.S. average crime rate (City Data, 2021).
I observed homeless shelters which indicated the presence of homeless people in the area.
Traffic was observed along Adam street and I-290.
Safety (continued)
The community is secure.
The sidewalks and streets are trash-free.
The water quality is 31% and the air quality is 33% (USA.com, 2021).
The streets were well-lit by street lights.
Media
Park Ridge has 3 local newspapers, that is Bugle Newspapers, Journal and Topics, and Park Ridge Herald Advocate.
The community has a local magazines, Park Ridge Living Magazine and the Park Ridge Library.
Outdoor antenna and satellite dishes were observed in some homes.
A community school for English learners was observed, Park Ridge-Niles School District 64.
Stores, services, and service centers
Clothing stores, gift stores, and grocery stores.
There are 1,296 convenience and 1,460 grocery stores (City-Data.com, 2021).
I saw several social service agencies such as the Park Ridge Community Fund, Assisting Hands Home Care, and the Senior Home Health Agency.
A fitness center was observed and other recreational centers.
There are many fast food restaurants than healthier food restaurants in the area.
The area has large open green spaces and movie theatres.
The residents have a wide range of services available in the community, which can help individuals and families stay healthy.
Schools
Thirteen public elementary schools were observed in School District 64.
I saw five private schools in the community.
The private schools observed represent religious institutions, such as the Catholic church; Montessori, and independent learning.
St. Paul of the Cross is the highest ranked private school in the area.
Maine South High School is the highest ranked public high school in the area (Public School Review, 2021).
The high school graduate rate of Maine South High School is 98% compared with the state level of 87%.
Strength and Weakness in the Community (Adura)
The strength of Park Ridge community is the wide range of access to services such as grocery stores, recreational centers, and education.
The weakness of the area is the traffic jams that were observed on several roads.
Transportation
Most of the people were observed using private cars.
85.5% of the residents use car alone (City-data.com, 2021)
Some people were using public transport buses.
I saw some young people cycling on the sidewalks.
The major highway accessing the community is the Northwest Highway.
Chicago O'Hare International Airport is 6 miles away from Park Ridge.
I saw 3 train stations in the community.
Health Status of the Community
54.6% of the population have access to a healthy diet (City-Data.com, 2021).
Only 9.1% do not drink at all, while 81.2% have at least one drink in a month.
35.1% of the residents are overweight and 23.5% are obese.
Adult diabetes rate is 8.4% (City-Data.com, 2021).
64.5% of the residents have ever used marijuana.
80.7% have insurance coverage.
97.5% of people aged 18 years and above have ever had sex.
41.2% smoke cigarettes (City-Data.com, 2021).
Case Management
Community health is monitored by the Park Ridge District, Cook County Department of Health, the Chicago Department of Health, and the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH).
The health agencies collaborate with hospitals such as Advocate Lutheran General Hospital to monitor community health.
The IDPH has provided COVID-19 testing sites in the community.
I saw one addiction center, the Maine Township Center For Addiction; and a mental health facility, the Center for Authentic Living, Inc.
Family Dental Care Park Ridge and Park Ridge Dental Associates were observed in the community.
Community Resources
The community resources observed in the area included schools, parks, hospitals, pharmacies, and dentists.
Maine Community Youth Assistance Foundation (MCYAF) helps address the problem of alcohol, tobacco, and drug use among the youth in the area.
Park Ridge Wilderness Princesses allows fathers to spend time with their sons and daughters and connect with other people and their community (Farrell, 2019).
The Park Ridge Park District provides access to a wide range of amenities in the community used for recreational purposes (Park Ridge Park District, 2021).
Strengths and Weaknesses (Olu)
The strength observed in the area is the availability of healthcare and community services.
The major risk factor in the community is the high number of people consuming alcohol and marijuana, which increases the risk of mental health problems.
References (Shay)
March 29, 2013. (n.d.). Photo gallery: A history of Park Ridge. Photo gallery: A history of Park Ridge -- Chicago Tribune. http://galleries.apps.chicagotribune.com/chi-park-ridge-history-20130524/.
Johnson, J. (2020, November 10). Voters in Park Ridge, Maine Township CHOOSE Biden over Trump. chicagotribune.com. https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/park-ridge/ct-prh-election-results-tl-1112-20201110-xktoiogq6rcqrojrg63mjru6ji-story.html.
Park Ridge, Illinois. Park Ridge, Illinois (IL 60068) profile: population, maps, real estate, averages, homes, statistics, relocation, travel, jobs, hospitals, schools, crime, moving, houses, news, sex offenders. (n.d.). http://www.city-data.com/city/Park-Ridge-Illinois.html.
Park Ridge, illinois population 2021. Park Ridge, Illinois Population 2021 (Demographics, Maps, Graphs). (n.d.). https://worldpopulationreview.com/us-cities/park-ridge-il-population.
References (Shakira)
CountyOffice.org. (2021). Park Ridge Zoning in Park Ridge, Illinois. https://www.countyoffice.org/park-ridge-zoning-park-ridge-il-052/
Park Ridge Park District. (2021). Parks. https://www.prparks.org/Parks
References (Adura)
City-Data.com. (2021). Crime rate at Park Ridge, Illinois (IL). https://www.city-data.com/crime/crime-Park-Ridge-Illinois.html
City-Data.com. (2021). Park Ridge, Illinois. http://www.city-data.com/city/Park-Ridge-Illinois.html
Public Schools Review. (2021). Top 3 Best Park Ridge Public High Schools (2021). https://www.publicschoolreview.com/illinois/park-ridge/high
USA.com. (2021). Park Ridge, IL air quality. http://www.usa.com/park-ridge-il-air-quality.htm
References (Olu)
City-Data.com. (2021). Park Ridge, Illinois. http://www.city-data.com/city/Park-Ridge-Illinois.html
Farrell, D. (2019, August 31). Smiles, S’mores and more!. https://prwilderness.org/2019/08/smiles-smores-and-more/
Park Ridge Park District. (2021). Facilities. https://www.prparks.org/Facilities