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While it is true that Edgewaterites lobbied for their own community area, they did not do so for the reasons ascribed. They sought their own community area because they believed that they deserved one based on the historical record. It had long been the policy of the Edgewater Community Council that Edgewater was a community in its own right, separate and distinct from, though related to, Rogers Park on the north and Uptown on the south, and not something called “South Rogers Park” or “North Uptown.” That position, adopted by resolution by the council, was and still is well supported by the historical record.
The name Edgewater, like the names Argyle Park, Buena Park, and Sheridan Park, was the original name. It was the name given to the area in 1886 by its founder, John Lewis Cochran, who (surprise, surprise!) was a real estate developer. Only the western boundary of present day Edgewater (Ravenswood) is open to question as to whether it is historically accurate. The name Edgewater predated the name Uptown by over 30 years!
