Place:Park Ridge, Cook, Illinois, United States

source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names

source: Family History Library Catalog

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Park Ridge, Illinois, is an affluent Chicago suburb of 37,480 residents. It is located fifteen miles northwest of downtown Chicago. It is close to O'Hare International Airport, major expressways, and rail transportation. It is a part of the Chicago metropolitan area, bordering two northwestern neighborhoods of Chicago's Far North Side (Edison Park, Chicago and Norwood Park, Chicago).

As its name suggests, Park Ridge lies on a ridge. The soil is abundant with clay deposits, which made it a brick-making center for the developing city of Chicago. Park Ridge was originally called Pennyville to honor George Penny, the businessman who owned the local brickyard along with Robert Meacham. Later it was named Brickton. The Des Plaines River divides Park Ridge from neighboring Des Plaines, Illinois, which is west of Park Ridge. Chicago is both south and east of Park Ridge, and Niles and Unincorporated Maine Township to its north.

Park Ridge is the hometown of former First Lady & current United States Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. When she visited Park Ridge on the occasion of her 50th birthday in 1997, the city renamed the southeast corner of the intersection of Elm and Wisner Streets, next to her girlhood home, "Rodham Corner."

The city is also home to the headquarters of the Big Ten Conference.

Park Ridge is also home to three American Youth Football National Champions (2006, 2007, 2009) and one American Youth Cheerleading National Champion (2007).

In addition Park Ridge is home to the 1995, 2000, 2008, 2009, and 2010, State Champion Maine South Hawks football team.

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