Edgewater is a north Chicago, Illinois, community seven miles north of downtown bordering the neighborhoods of Rogers Park to the north, Uptown to the south, Lincoln Square to the west and south and West Ridge to the west and north. As one of Chicago's 77 community areas, Edgewater is bounded by Foster on the south, Devon on the north, Ravenswood on the west, and Lake Michigan on the east. Edgewater contains several beaches that residents enjoy in the warm months. Historically, Edgewater was once part of Lake View Township, an independent, self-governing suburb of Chicago.
Edgewater has the highest population density of any of the neighborhoods in Chicago. Also, affirming the reputation of Lakeview and its Lake View East Boystown enclave as being a center of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender culture, the zip code 60640, one of two zip codes in Edgewater (the other being 60660), has the highest concentration of gay and lesbian couples in the city, and fifth highest in the country.
Edgewater was first developed around the 1890s as a summer home for Chicago's elite. With the exception of pockets acknowledged as historic districts (like the Bryn Mawr Historic District), Edgewater (actually, Edgewater Beach) boasts a skyline of apartment buildings, condominium complexes, and mid-rise homes. Edgewater Beach is highlighted by two main corridors: North Winthrop Avenue and North Kenmore Avenue to Loyola University Chicago. Winthrop and Kenmore are rehabilitated areas with homes touched up to harken back to Edgewater's glory days.

Andersonville
Bryn Mawr Historic District
Edgewater
Edgewater Glen
Epic
Lakewood/Balmoral History
Developers began cutting down the dense woods in the area in the late 1880s to make way for future development. In 1885, Edgewater was given its name by its builder, John Lewis Cochran. He built the first residential subdivision in the area. After a few years, Edgewater was celebrated as a wonder as it became "the only electric lighted suburb adjacent to Chicago". Edgewater also gained fame as the celery-growing capital of America's Midwest.

Early settlers
In the early 1900s, Edgewater was regarded as one of Chicago's most prestigious communities. A prominent symbol of Edgewater's affluence was the Edgewater Beach Hotel, which opened in 1916 at 5349 North Sheridan. The famed pink hotel was demolished in 1968, though the remaining pink Edgewater Beach Apartments building is still a landmark at the north tip of Lake Shore Drive. The Edgewater building boom peaked in 1926 and property values reached their height in 1928. The burgeoning affluent population grew so much that developers expanded Edgewater and renamed a portion of the neighborhood community Uptown (which still exists today).

The turn of the century
Uptown's population declined in the 1950s as Chicago's suburbs were developed and opened, absorbing Chicago's middle and upper classes. With the flight of residents came disrepair and high crime rates for what once was one of the most affluent districts of Chicago.
In the 1980s, the Chicago Board of Aldermen and local business owners orchestrated a revival for the Edgewater community. Edgewater seceded from the Uptown community and once again called itself its own community. New businesses were brought into the community, old buildings were refurbished and homes touched up to harken back to Edgewater's past.

Revival
An unexpected influx of gay and lesbian residents has recently moved in and land values have skyrocketed. The community now boasts one of the largest gay and lesbian populations in the United States.
Kathy Osterman Beach (more commonly referred to as Hollywood Beach - named after Hollywood Ave where it is situated) is a hugely popular hangout for gay men and lesbians during the summer months.

Gay and lesbian community
The highrise condominiums that line Sheridan Rd. and the Lake were known to have large numbers of retired and elderly persons, many living on fixed incomes. The prices have been more affordable than Lake Shore Drive addresses farther south. Meanwhile, Kenmore and Winthrop streets a couple blocks west suffered in mixed conditions of poverty and crime that were a far cry from their prior prestige. Recognizing the value of lakefront living and access to the Red Line elevated train, an influx of new residents arrived. Many of Edgewater's new residents are from Africa and the former Yugoslavia. The area has a great density of Bosnian, Serb and Croat residents. These people, troubled by civil war and tough conditions in their homeland, have been encouraged to settle in the area. The city is known for accepting new, thriving enclaves of ethnicities in centuries past. This new settlement of Europeans is a modern revival of that tradition.
Meanwhile, Edgewater is also home to a large African community. Ethnic Ethiopians, newly independent Eritreans, and Nigerians live and socialize in Edgewater. Due to increased restrictions on the industry, taxis must park on main (non-residential) streets or spots with meters. Consequently, Broadway is often full of taxis parked there by their African immigrant operators. (The African community also extends farther north into the Rogers Park and Loyola University areas.) Walk the streets of Edgewater and one will mix with women in traditional African dress and Serbian grandmothers strolling with their grandchildren while the middle generation is out making a living in the new world of Chicago.
Native Americans, former Yugoslavians, Africans of every part, young hipsters, new parents, first-time homeowners, students and many more make their home in Edgewater.
Devon Avenue (pronounced somewhat like "De-VAHN") marks the northern boundary of Edgewater. Devon reflects the ethnic diversity of the Rogers Park community.

Neighborhoods
Andersonville is a neighborhood (located in the Edgewater community area) on the North Side of Chicago, about five miles (8 km) north-northwest of the city's downtown. Once a sleepy little village made up primarily of Swedish immigrants, Andersonville is now one of Chicago's most popular neighborhoods. The community is particularly known for its diversity, including a continued Swedish cultural presence led by the Swedish American Museum, the Swedish Bakery and other Swedish delicatessens. A significant number of Middle-Eastern businesses, a new influx of families with children, and a large gay and especially lesbian population also makes this a very diverse population (showcased in the 1994 lesbian themed movie Go Fish). It is also known for its unique commercial district, made up almost entirely of locally owned, independent shops, restaurants, cafes, taverns, a chocolatier, and service providers.
The approximate street boundaries of Andersonville are Magnolia Avenue to the east, Ravenswood Avenue to the west, Winnemac Avenue to the south, and Victoria Street to the north. The heart of the Andersonville commercial district is the corner of Clark and Foster (5200 North Clark).
The main shopping street is North Clark Street, which runs roughly north-south. The stretch of North Clark Street south of West Foster Avenue (where Andersonville has expanded across community boundaries into northern Uptown) is sometimes called South Foster, or SoFo. Some maps show the entire stretch between Foster and Lawrence as Andersonville Terrace; although this name is seldom used by residents, realtors have recently started using it again for the area as far south as Argyle Street, in an attempt to capitalize on Andersonville's popularity. The stretch north of Bryn Mawr still retains a good number of Hispanic-owned business as well as some restaurants and cafes serving Andersonville's more recent transplants.
As reported in the Chicago Reader, in 2006 merchants along North Clark Street have seen significant increases in commercial property taxes, causing these independent shops to struggle. Though the residential property taxes have risen in the area, they have not skyrocketed like the commercial district in downtown Andersonville.

Sheridan Road
Sheridan Road runs parallel to Lake Michigan, and is the eastern most north/south boundary of Chicago's Edgewater neighborhood. Named for Philip Henry Sheridan, a general in the Civil War, the road was originally approved by Congress (circa 1832) as a military road from Fort Dearborn in Chicago to Fort Howard in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Today, it is a primary thoroughfare for commuters southbound from Evanston (Chicago's nearest northern suburb), and the neighborhoods of Roger's Park and Edgewater, intersecting with Hollywood Avenue and feeding Lake Shore Drive to downtown Chicago.
The section of Sheridan Road between Hollywood Avenue (5700 N) and West Sheridan Road (6400 N) has been referred to as the "condo canyon" owing its monicker to the high-rise residential buildings lining both sides of the street including Hollywood Towers, The Malibu, Malibu East, Eastpoint Tower, The Tiara, Granville Beach, Shoreline Towers & Sheridan Point. Most of these towers were built between the late 1950's and mid 1970's. Many offer balconies, some buildings even have private beaches. TV's Bob and Emily Hartley of The Bob Newhart Show called this area home, residing in the Thorndale Beach Apartments, 5901 N. Sheridan Road.
Loyola University recently (2006) completed a well-known restoration of one mansion, Piper Hall, built in 1909 of Vermont statuary marble (originally built for Albert & Cassie Wheeler by architect W.C. Zimmerman) [1], located on the shoreline of Lake Michigan, incorporating a water-feature park that forms the entrance to its lakeshore campus at the juncture of Sheridan Road and West Sheridan Road. The City of Chicago has also assisted in the restoration of several of these mansions located in Berger Park, a nearly one block area on the Lake Michigan lakeshore at Granville Beach (6200 N to 6223 N), incorporating them into the City's Parks Department
Sheridan Road continues northward to the Illinois-Wisconsin border at Winthrop Harbor.

Edgewater Presbyterian Church