Park Ridge is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States, and a Chicago suburb. Per the 2020 census, the population was 39,656. It is located 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 three official neighborhoods on Chicago's Far Northwest Side (Edison Park, Norwood Park, and O'Hare.) 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 south and east of Park Ridge, and Niles and unincorporated Maine Township are to its north. History The area of Park Ridge was inhabited by the Potawatomie until they were removed in 1833. The area was a convenient portage between the Des Plaines and Chicago rivers for the French explorers and in the early 1830s, the first settlers arrived from New England and New York. In 1854 George Penny established a brickworks in the area. Due to the brickwork and the abundance of clay, Park Ridge was nicknamed "Brickton" by locals. In 1910 Park Ridge had a population of 2,009. In 1930 the population was 10,417. In 1950 the population was 16,602. In 1960 the population was 32,625, with 99.9% of the population white. There were five African-Americans and 31 people classed other than black or white. By 1970, the population had risen to 42,466. In 2016, graduate of the first class of Park Ridge's Maine Township High School South (1965) former First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, campaigned as the Democratic candidate for President of the United States. Geography According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Park Ridge has a total area of , of which (or 99.34%) is land and (or 0.66%) is water. Climate Park Ridge falls under the USDA 5b Plant Hardiness zone. Demographics As of the 2020 census there were 39,656 people, 14,384 households, and 10,323 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 15,366 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 86.10% White, 4.87% Asian, 0.53% African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.01%