JEFFERSON PARK — Much like beauty, neighborhood borders on the Far Northwest Side tend to be determined by the eye of the beholder, or in this case, the resider.
At DNAinfo Chicago, we launched an app allowing readers to have a voice and show where they think each neighborhood's boundaries are.
More than 80 Jeff Parkers weighed in on where they thought its borders stopped and started, and although the city publishes an official Jefferson Park community area map, there was quite a bit of disagreement, according to the results.
While most everyone agreed Cicero Avenue was Jefferson Park's eastern boundary — including the city — two dozen people set the neighborhood's western boundary at Harlem Avenue, although most set it at Nagle Avenue.
And there was no clear consensus on Jefferson Park's southern boundary, either, with many participants setting it at Montrose Avenue, Sunnyside Avenue or even Irving Park Road, according to DNAinfo Chicago's mapping tool.
Portage Park drew the most number of submissions from DNAinfo Chicago readers for any Far Northwest Side neighborhood.
Pretty much everyone who submitted an answer agreed Portage Park's eastern boundary is Cicero Avenue, but there was no consensus on its northern boundary, deemed Lawrence Avenue by the city's official Portage Park community area map, or southern boundary, set by the city at Belmont Avenue.
In addition, Portage Park's western border proved to be a tricky question. North of Irving Park Road, Portage Park stretches west to Narragansett Avenue. But south of Irving Park Road, the border stops at Austin Avenue, according to the city.
But a good portion of maps submitted to DNAinfo Chicago set the western boundary at Austin Avenue — significantly east of where Dunning starts.
DNAinfo Chicago also got several dozen maps submitted by residents of Dunning, Edison Park, Forest Glen, Edgebrook, Norwood Park and Sauganash.
Let us know what you think. We'll continue to accept drawings for the foreseeable future.
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