Andersonville Community

Tucked into the southwest corner of Edgewater is Andersonville, a charming community that has a decidedly Swedish presence. The neighborhood also is proud of several landmark homes that have been well preserved.

Looking at Andersonville today, you would hardly believe that it started out as nothing more than a cherry orchard. Once a quiet little village of Swedish farmers, now one of the city’s most prolific and popular neighborhoods. Its borders run west of Broadway over to Ravenswood, and from Winnemac to Elmdale on the north. Influenced by its Swedish settlers, you can still see their mark on this neighborhood today. From the very popular Swedish American Museum (which King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden himself attended the opening ceremony in 1976) located near North Clark Street by Foster Avenue to its wonderful celebration of the summer solstice in its Midsommarfest (one of Chicago’s largest street fairs) to the Swedish Bakery and to the many restaurants and delicatessens still located here.

With new zoning laws after the Great Chicago Fire, many could not afford to build homes out of brick or stone. Because it was located outside the new zoning area at the city’s northern limits, Andersonville offered new settlers a way around that dilemma. Many settled here and quickly established businesses that still thrive today, especially around the Clark Street area where almost all of them are independently-owned and locally-operated The neighborhood also boasts of several landmark homes on the north side of West Farragut Avenue that have been preserved with no alterations since they were developed in 1920.

Today, Andersonville has also become one of the trailblazing communities in eco-responsibility. With the eco-Andersonville initiative, a program that promotes business recycling, energy audits, green events in neighborhoods, and composting research; it is slowly becoming a sustainable community, one business at a time. Its influence and example may be felt in neighborhoods across the city and other metropolitan areas.

Served by several bus lines, you have easy access to the parks, restaurants, Foster Avenue Beach (in nearby Edgewater) in the summer as well as many activities in the winter like cross country skiing and snow shoeing.