The hometown of former First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton and actor Harrison Ford, the Cook County suburb of Park Ridge is a picturesque village that's located at the intersection of Northwest Highway, Prospect Avenue and Touhy Avenue. It lies 15 miles northwest of downtown Chicago, 1.5 miles east of O'Hare International Airport and has...
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The hometown of former First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton and actor Harrison Ford, the Cook County suburb of Park Ridge is a picturesque village that's located at the intersection of Northwest Highway, Prospect Avenue and Touhy Avenue. It lies 15 miles northwest of downtown Chicago, 1.5 miles east of O'Hare International Airport and has a population of 37,775 (2000). Park Ridge boasts small-town charm, pleasing architecture, and outstanding schools, parks and a library. The Pickwick Theatre in the downtown area is a Park Ridge landmark that's on the National Register of Historic Places. Opened in 1928, the Art-Deco-style theatre features the showing of movies, as well as live theatre and musical performances. Another "landmark" of sorts is Advocate Lutheran General Hospital on Dempster Street. A 609-bed teaching, research and tertiary care hospital, Lutheran General is also a Level I trauma center and one of the largest hospitals in the Chicago area. Much of Park Ridge's housing stock was built before 1960 and includes Tudors, Victorians, Georgians, Cape Cods, bungalows, and ranches, as well as some custom-built luxury homes. Shoppers have five main areas in the village where they can do their shopping: Uptown (the downtown area of town), Summit Mall, South Park, Village Green, and the Crossroads shopping district. Residents can also go to nearby Golf Mill shopping center in Niles, which contains several big-name retailers as well as smaller shops, a children's play area and restaurants. In their leisure time, villagers can also listen to some outdoor concerts at Hodges Park, pick up some fresh vegetables and herbs at the summer farmer's market, swim in one of Park Ridge's four outdoor pools, take a self-guided tree walk at Wildwood Nature Center, or let their dogs roam freely at the 2800-acre Paws Park at Oakton Avenue and Florence Drive. Other options include signing up for classes and activities at the Maine Park Leisure Center, working out at the village's community center, taking skating lessons at the Oakton Ice Area, or hitting some golf balls at the Oakton Driving Range. Education is top-notch in Park Ridge. Public school students attend schools in Elementary Consolidated School District 63 and 64, and at Main Township School District 207. Students can also attend a number of private schools in the area.
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