Edison Park is named for inventor Thomas Alva Edison, who gave his blessing to this community namesake in 1890. It has been part of Chicago since 1910.

What the pioneers found:

Edison Park is perched on a glacial morraine, one of a series of ridges left behind as the glaciers retreated. Other area ridges are along Milwaukee Avenue, Newark Avenue and in the center of Park Ridge.

A series of little streams (later funneled into underground culverts) flowed into the local rivers, the Chicago River's North Branch to the east and the Des Plaines River to the west. The main stands of timber were along the river corridors. This was a local continental divide, with the Chicago River flowing then into Lake Michigan, which connected to the Atlantic Ocean through the Great Lakes, and the Des Plaines River feeding into the Illinois River and the Mississippi River to reach the Gulf of Mexico.

With the two rivers only about six miles apart, this area was one of the portage points for early travelers who would carry their canoes across to the other water corridor, although Chicago's Portage Park is more generally recognized for this type of access.

After progress:

Edison Park was no longer surrounded by farms, but by brand new subdivisions. Continuing growth through the 1950s and the early 1960s filled nearly all of the vacant lots in the community. Older houses were torn down--especially along Northwest Highway, Harlem Avenue and the railroad-- and replaced by rows and rows of dense apartment buildings. This type of dense rezoning was enabled by court cases which sidestepped city zoning ordinances, although the neighborhood fought hard to maintain its single-family character. Efforts were made as early as the mid-1960s to have new apartment buildings sold as condominiums rather than rental units, to give residential stability.

Beyond and Edison Park today:

One tradition in the community since 1972 is the Edison Park Fest, an end-of-summer weekend sponsored by the Edison Park Chamber of Commerce, combining merchant sidewalk sales, entertainment, a parade, Taste of Chicago and arts and crafts. It is an opportunity to introduce visitors to the benefits which the community has to offer.