Beverly Hills/Morgan Park is a community that savors its history. The area, lying 30 to 60 feet about the rest of the city on a ridge formed by glaciers, can trace its roots to 1822 when a French Canadian fur trader, Joseph Bailly, came to the rolling countryside where the only settlement was a Potawatomi Indian village, and where buffalo, wolves and bears still roamed. In the years following Bailly's arrival, settlers built log cabins and, later, larger, wooden farmhouses sprang up amid fields of corn and wheat. The first permanent settler, DeWitt Lane, built his log cabin in 1832.

The Vincennes Trail, a pathway for trader and pioneer, wound through the surrounding forest. A stagecoach line also served travelers, and, in 1852, the Rock Island Railroad linked the community with Chicago. Before the turn of the century prosperous industrialists, bankers and merchants came to build spacious mansions and enjoy the beauty and peace of the surroundings that still persist today.

Landholding was not regularized in the area until 1839 when John Blackstone bought 3,000 acres from the United States government. In 1844, Blackstone sold most of the property to Thomas Morgan who with his family farmed and hunted most of the area from 91st Street to 119th Street. In 1867 the Morgan holdings were sold to the Blue Island Land & Building Company, a development firm backed by many executives from the Rock Island Railroad. This was critical to the future of the community. A special commuter line was built to serve the Ridge, providing a convenient link to jobs and markets in the City of Chicago.

In 1872 the Village of Washington Heights (now referred to as Beverly Hills) was incorporated for the area north of 107th Street, and in 1882 the Village of Morgan Park was established south of 107th Street. In 1890, Beverly Hills became annexed to the City of Chicago, followed after a 25-year battle between the annexationists and "anti-anns" by Morgan Park in 1914.

Evidence of the area's early history can still be found everywhere. In the patio of a 1857 vintage home is a granite stone once the council seat of a Potawatomi chief. An 1890 home on the site of the original Morgan family farm includes boulders from a fence that once kept wolves from the Morgan sheep. A pleasant, tree-shaded home boasts a secret room where former slaves once hid on their journey to freedom via the Underground Railroad.

In addition to a rich history comes a community with excellent home values and reasonable property taxes. The neighborhood's added cache: it is one of the largest urban historic districts in the nation. A home in Beverly Hills/Morgan Park will afford you an enriching lifestyle in a family neighborhood. The real value in our community is in what you get by becoming one of our neighbors!

Great Schools -- Student achievement is rated among the top in the city and compares favorably to suburban areas. Parent participation is tremendous, and administration, faculty and curriculum are exceptional.

Housing -- You can buy your Beverly Hills/Morgan Park home for an attractive price then rest assured that home values in our community increase steadily.  

Fabulous Architecture -- Hilltop mansions, charming Victorians, sturdy Chicago Bungalows, stately Georgians, spacious Colonials. The homes in Beverly Hills/Morgan Park reflect a diversity of architectural styles to meet all tastes and budgets. Architects include Frank Lloyd Wright, Walter Burley Griffin, George W. Maher, and Howard Van Doren Shaw.

Arts & Culture -- The new Beverly Arts Center, a state-of-the-arts facility for visual, performance and theater arts for adults and children, is built at the corner of 111th and Western. This center will replace the community-built Beverly Art Center that has been serving our area since the 1960s. Offered are theater, music and dance productions, a permanent collection of American Impressionist Art in the Vanderpoel Gallery, rotating exhibits by noted artists, and a full compliment of classes in the School of the Arts.

History -- The villages of Morgan Park and what would later become Beverly Hills were founded in the mid-1800s by fur trappers who traded in the growing City of Chicago. After the Great Chicago Fire, these quiet villages became a destination for real estate development as entrepreneurs followed the Rock Island commuter line south. Artifacts and community history are preserved in the Ridge Historical Society collection, which is open for research, exhibits and programs.

Location -- Beverly Hills/Morgan Park is situated in the southwest corner of Chicago, a short 30 minute Metra ride to the loop. Drive downtown on the Dan Ryan or to other Chicagoland destinations by easily accessed highways and public transportation.

Lots to Do -- This is a family neighborhood and our activities and special events reflect that! Join us for our annual Home Tour, 5K & 10K Ridge Run, Memorial Day Parade & Festival, Music Under the Stars, Falling Leaf Festival, History Mystery Bike Tour, AYSO Soccer and much, much more!

Shopping -- Charming commercial districts offer antiques, books, gifts, flowers and much more.