| Park Ridge, Illinois,
is a suburb of 37,775 residents. Fifteen miles northwest
of downtown Chicago, it is close to O'Hare Airport,
major expressways and rail transportation. It is said
Park Ridge is on the highest ridge in Cook County. While
this is not true, it does lie 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 is to its north.[citation needed]
Park Ridge is the hometown of former First Lady &
current U.S. Senator 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's most recognizable landmark is the Pickwick
Theatre, an art deco building dating back to 1928. In
addition to being a movie theater, it is also a venue
for plays and concerts. In 1975, the theater was named
to the National Register of Historic Places.
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