Bohemian National Cemetery
North Park Village Nature Center
Inside the front gate of Bohemian National Cemetery
Felician Sisters Convent
5721 N Kimball
North Park is Chicago Community Area #13 and sits just 9 miles northwest of the Loop. It is cradled between the two branches of the Chicago River, and is part of or immediately adjacent to some of the most developed and realized bike trails in the city. It is a quiet residential area, sharing parks, tree-lined streets and marvelous buildings with adjacent Albany Park, Forest Glen, Lincolnwood, Lincoln Square and West Ridge. It is the home of in-city Universities North Park College and Northeastern Illinois University and the north side’s own Chicago Park District-run nature center on the grounds of a former Tuberculosis Sanitarium.
The area’s modern history begins around 1855 when a small village was platted out of the newly formed Jefferson Township. Early residents were immigrants from Germany and Sweden, and farming was the general occupation for those that settled here. Over the years came Czechs after the opening of the Bohemian National Cemetary, and since then, the area has become along with Albany Park, amongst the most demographics of any area in the United States. As the area expanded in a series of population expansions it left behind a built history of stunning residences, schools, commercial, religious and civic buildings designed by the likes of Clarence Hatzfeld, Paul Gerhardt, Otis and Clark, Jarvis Hunt and John Krivanek. It is an ideal community for a bike tour passing through quiet neighborhood side streets, main commercial thoroughfares and along preserve and park trails.
Starting Spot: Peterson Park @ 5801 N. Pulaski Road
Route: view North Park Route
Photo Album: view North Park Photo Album
Upcoming date for the Tour of North Park
- May 10, 2014
Past dates of the Tour of North Park
- September 26, 2009
- November 21, 2010
- March 25, 2012
Tour of North Park 2012 Poster by Ross Felton
Tour of North Park 2010 Poster by Ross Felton