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Houses on a hill in a famously flat city: Beverly rides the highest natural ground in Chicago along Longwood Drive, with a castle on the ridge, one of the country’s largest urban historic districts, and the Rock Island Metra line running like a private railroad through it.
Beverly, with Morgan Park just south, sits on the Blue Island Ridge, a glacial spine that lifts Longwood Drive thirty-odd feet above the surrounding grid, which by Chicago standards qualifies as mountainous. Western Avenue carries the commercial strip, 95th and 103rd cross it, and the Metra line threads the middle with its own string of small-town stations.
The Rock Island Metra line is the neighborhood’s spine, with stops at 91st, 95th, 99th, 103rd, 107th, 111th and 115th, about a half hour to LaSalle Street downtown.
Ridge Park at 96th and Longwood pairs a Prairie-style fieldhouse with courts and leagues, and the Dan Ryan Woods forest preserve begins at 87th with trails, sledding hills and one of the best skyline overlooks on the South Side. The Beverly Arts Center anchors the cultural calendar at 111th and Western.
The Ridge Historic District is among the largest urban historic districts in the country: Tudors, Prairie houses, Victorians and the 1886 Givins Castle, the ridge-top landmark that gives the neighborhood its silhouette. Walter Burley Griffin Place on 104th holds the city’s densest run of houses by the Wright studio alumnus it is named for.
Off the ridge, the bungalow belt takes over on generous lots, which keeps Beverly one of the best square-footage buys on the Metra. Our old-home and roof guides earn their keep here: slate, tile and hundred-year-old framing reward a careful inspection.
The South Side Irish Parade rolls down Western each March, one of the largest neighborhood parades in the country, and the Ridge Run has started Memorial Day weekend since 1977. The Beverly Arts Center fills the rest of the calendar with film, music and classes.
Check our events calendar for current dates.
An easy first errand in a new place, each checked as open when this guide was last updated.
Two Mile Coffee Bar · 9907 S Walden Pkwy · map
A neighborhood roaster beside the 99th Street Metra stop, with a second bar at 95th.
Original Rainbow Cone · 9233 S Western · map
Five flavors in one slice since 1926; the line on a summer night is part of the experience.
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Castles, Tudors, Griffin houses and the best hill in Chicago. Tell us what you are looking for and we will meet you at a Metra stop with a list.
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