| Portage Park
is located on the northwest side of Chicago, Illinois
and is one of 77 officially designated Chicago community
areas. Portage Park is bordered by the community areas
of Jefferson Park and Forest Glen to the north, Dunning
and the suburb of Harwood Heights to the west, Irving
Park to the east and Belmont-Cragin to the south.
The area is notable for its Six
Corners outdoor shopping district, centered at the intersection
of Irving Park Road, Cicero Avenue and the diagonal
Milwaukee Avenue, the Portage Theater and for its namesake
- Portage Park.
The name of the park was taken
from the major portage linking Des Plaines and the Chicago
River along what is today Irving Park Road. The area
was so swampy that Native Americans and trappers were
easily able to paddle through the area without leaving
their canoes.
Portage Park has the largest
Polish community in the Chicago Metropolitan Area according
to the 2000 census. Portage Park is home to the Polish
American Association, the Polish Jesuit Millennium Center,
the Polish Army Veterans Association in the beautiful
building of the former Irving State bank, in addition
to the multitude of Polish shops and businesses throughout
the district.
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