Jefferson Building on 4700 block of N Milwaukee
Jefferson Park Tudors
Big Shoulders Realty
6224 N Moody
Masonry detail
Jefferson Park, Chicago Community Area #11 is 10 miles northwest of the Loop. Nicknamed, the Gateway to Chicago, farmers once came from far and wide to sell their goods in Jefferson, named to honor Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson’s ideal location began as two Native American trails, grew to include the area’s earliest toll plank roads, and was thereafter augmented by rail and commuter lines. Today the area has a population of over 40,000, a tremendous amount of green space, historical homes and buildings throughout, and a namesake park on the National Register of Historic Places.
Jefferson Park is home to my company Big Shoulders Realty’s office and has been for the last seven years and an area that I have ridden over again and again, so one I know particularly well. There are numerous examples of utilitarian houses and buildings that are each exceptional and remarkable, but unheralded and un-pedigreed and consequently less known. These are exactly the areas that the average Chicagoan can find particularly interesting and worth exploring in depth. Hop on your bike to visit an extra and intra-urban experience that barely feels like Chicago at the same time that it typifies it.
Starting Spot: Jefferson Park @ 4822 N Long Ave
Route: view route details
Photo Album: Photo Album
Virtual Tour: Jefferson Park Virtual Tour
Previous dates of the Tour of Jefferson Park
- October 26, 2008
- December 11, 2010
- March 10, 2012
- August 17, 2013
Next ride: August 20, 2016
Tour of Jefferson Park 2012 Poster by Ross Felton
Tour of Jefferson Park 2010 Poster by Ross Felton