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Local Landmarks & Heritage

  • Chicago O'Hare International Airport
  • Robinson Woods Forest Preserve (Alexander Robinson Burial Ground)
  • Forest Preserves of Cook County along the Des Plaines River
  • Schorsch Forest View neighborhood

Neighborhood History

O'Hare takes its name from Edward "Butch" O'Hare, a World War II naval aviator and the Navy's first flying ace, whose heroism earned him the Medal of Honor. Chicago carved the community area from annexed land in 1956 specifically to bring the growing airport under city control — the only addition to the map of 77 community areas since their creation in the 1920s. Centuries earlier, the land had belonged to Alexander Robinson, a Potawatomi chief granted two square miles along the Des Plaines River in 1829 for his role in protecting settlers during the Battle of Fort Dearborn.

Robinson's family burial ground survives within the forest preserves that still border the community, a quiet counterpoint to the roar of jets overhead. Nearby, the Schorsch Forest View neighborhood, built by the Schorsch Brothers in the 1950s, remains the area's stable residential core alongside the airport itself.

Between a nineteenth-century land grant and the busiest airport in the Midwest, O'Hare's history spans two very different centuries — a story worth wearing wherever your next flight takes you.

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O'Hare - Chicago - Unisex Heavy Blend Hoodie

O'Hare - Chicago - Unisex Heavy Blend Hoodie

Regular price $46.95 CAD
Regular price Sale price $46.95 CAD
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O’Hare is named for Edward Butch O’Hare, a World War II Navy flying ace and Medal of Honor recipient. Chicago created the community area in 1956 to bring the growing airport within the city, beside the Des Plaines River forest preserves.

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