-
- Town
54,850
59%
$61,915
22.1%
America/Chicago
60402
Welcome:
The WikiXM 'Berwyn' platform is your gateway to becoming an active part of our vibrant community, regardless of your age or how long you've called 'Berwyn' home. It's more than just a news platform; it's a thriving hub where the collective wisdom of every 'Berwyn' resident converges to ignite discussions, foster learning, and empower one another with knowledge about our beloved town.
Here in 'Berwyn', we have a diverse tapestry of residents. Some have roots that run deep, their knowledge steeped in the rich history of our town. Others are students, dedicated to keeping us updated on school activities, while many are committed to sharing the ebb and flow of daily life.
What's more, from a civic and political perspective, there are countless opportunities for you to join in. Many in our community offer updates on policies and decisions, offering their unique insights. This platform is where all these local perspectives meld together, creating a better place for everyone to live, regardless of your age or how long you've been a part of 'Berwyn'.
So, whether you're a long-time resident or a newcomer, young or old, WikiXM is your invitation to dive into the heart of our community, to engage, and help us all create a more vibrant, inclusive, and connected 'Berwyn'. Join us and let's make a difference together!
Berwyn, IL - History
We would like to provide the residents of Berwyn a basic history overview.
Welcome to the Berwyn Home page. The Berwyn Home page provides as much information as possible on Berwyn. Knowing Berwyn’s history is essential to guiding its future. Within Berwyn’s Home page, you will also find Berwyn’s Founders, Holiday, and Birthday sections.
Berwyn has a population of 54850. 50.4% of Berwyn’s inhabitants are Male, and 49.6 are female. 43.9% of Berwyn is married and 59.1% own their own home. The Average Home price is $227,382, and the average rent is $995. Household median income in Berwyn is $61,915, and the individual median income is $30,792. Berwyn’s Ethnic is the following: Hispanic(62.5%), White(48.3%), Other(34.2%), Black(7.8%), Multiple(6.3%), Asian(3.2%), Native(0.3%).
Before being settled, the land that is now Berwyn was traversed by Native American trails. The most important trails converged near the Chicago portage, and two notable routes crossed what is today Berwyn. A branch of the Trail to Green Bay crossed Berwyn at what is now Riverside Drive, and the Ottawa Trail spanned the southern end of the city.In 1846, the first land in "Berwyn" was deeded to Theodore Doty, who built the 8-foot-wide (2.4 m) Plank Road from Chicago to Ottawa along the Ottawa Trail.
The trail had been used as a French and Indian trade route and more recently as a stagecoach route to Lisle. This thoroughfare became what is now Ogden Avenue in South Berwyn. In 1856, Thomas F. Baldwin purchased 347 acres (1.40 km2) of land, bordered by what is now Ogden Avenue, Ridgeland Avenue, 31st Street, and Harlem Avenue, in hopes of developing a rich and aristocratic community called "LaVergne".
However, few people were interested in grassy marshland. Mud Lake extended nearly to the southern border of today's Berwyn, and the land regularly flooded during heavy rains. The only mode of transportation to LaVergne was horse and buggy on the Plank Road. To encourage people to move to LaVergne, Baldwin sold an 80-foot-wide (24 m) strip of property to the Burlington and Quincy Railroad in 1862.
The rail line opened in 1864, but the train did not stop regularly in the area. The railroad refused to build a station, so the residents of the area constructed LaVergne Station on Ridgeland Avenue in 1874.However, the financial panic of 1873 and Baldwin's death in 1876 stunted the growth of LaVergne.
Baldwin's daughter, Emma, inherited her father's estate, and in 1879 she sold most of the land to a group of realtors controlled by Marshall Field. The new development enacted building codes and stipulated the minimum building cost of each home. By the end of 1880, 12 new homes were built. By 1888, the settlement had grown so much that the Baldwin family donated the triangular piece of land bounded by Ogden Avenue, 34th Street, and Gunderson Avenue so that a school could be built.
LaVergne School became the first public building in Berwyn. In 1890, Charles E. Piper and Wilbur J. Andrews, two Chicago attorneys, purchased a 106-acre (0.43 km2) plot of land from the Field syndicate to develop. The land was bounded by Wesley, Kenilworth, 31st Street, and Ogden Avenues. By the following year, the two received approval from Cicero Township to double their land holdings. Piper and Andrews wanted the railroad to build a station in their development, but the railroad already had stations at La Vergne and at Harlem Avenue.
Piper and Andrews decided to build a station with the understanding that trains would stop regularly. They did not know what to name their station so they consulted a Pennsylvania train timetable to find a name. The name they chose was Berwyn, a Main Line suburb of Philadelphia noted for its beauty.
After 1901, all settlements in the area were known as Berwyn. While Piper and Andrews were developing the southern portion of present-day Berwyn, John Kelly was helping to develop the north part from 12th Street to 16th Street. This area was really a part of an Oak Park subdivision, and it even appeared on some maps as "South Oak Park".
In fact, children who lived in this area went to school in Oak Park. John Kelly was known as "Mr. Everything" because he was a realtor, builder, insurance seller, and community servant.In between the two settlements, there was little except for a few farms. The area between 16th and 31st streets was not settled.
There were only two paths by which to travel between the two settlements, and today these paths are known as Oak Park Avenue and Ridgeland Avenue. Although Berwyn was chartered as a city in 1908, it was not until the 1920s that this middle portion of land was developed.During this time, Berwyn was the area's fastest growing suburb.
The city's stringent building codes resulted in block upon block of well-built brick two-story bungalows. Many also contained elaborate design elements typically not seen, such as stained glass windows, clay tile roofs, terra cotta, and intricate brick patterns. Today, Berwyn is noted as having the most significant collection of Chicago-style bungalows in the nation.
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