The channel, Devon, Foster and Cicero
North Park is about 2 miles southwest of our storefront in a straight line, measured to the Northeastern Illinois University campus. The North Shore Channel is its east edge and Devon Avenue its north. Foster Avenue and the North Branch of the Chicago River close it off on the south, and it reaches west as far as Cicero. Across Devon is the city limit, with Lincolnwood on the other side.
The name comes from North Park University, founded in 1891 by the Evangelical Covenant Church, which built its Old Main in 1894 on Foster west of Kedzie. NEIU opened its campus here in 1961. The area started out Swedish, later became an Orthodox Jewish stronghold, and became part of Chicago in 1889 when Jefferson Township was annexed.
Cemeteries, forest preserve and open ground
Much of North Park isn’t houses at all. Two large cemeteries, LaBagh Woods Forest Preserve, the Peterson Pulaski Industrial Park and North Park Village (housing, park space and a nature center) take up big pieces of it, and WTTW’s production center is here as well. Bohemian National Cemetery is at 5255 N. Pulaski.
That makes a ZIP code, or “near the cemetery,” a poor way to find a car. Give us a house number or a corner instead, such as Pulaski and Peterson or Kedzie and Foster. The closest L station is the Kimball Brown Line terminal, so cross streets work better here than train stops.
If the car is at a repair shop, in the industrial park or anywhere else, let the shop know we’re coming. Shop pickups are fine once you’ve set them up.
Lapsed registration and the two-day rule
Chicago’s abandoned vehicle rules include one people tend to miss. A vehicle left on the public way for two or more days without state registration or a temporary placard can be classed as abandoned. It doesn’t have to be wrecked. If the registration has lapsed on a car sitting at the curb, that rule is worth knowing.
Private property isn’t a full escape either. A hazardous, dilapidated vehicle left in full view of the public can count as abandoned on private land too. Neighbors can report either kind through the free CHI 311 app, photo attached.
Our guide to selling a car with expired registration in Illinois covers the paperwork side. A car that won’t start is fine with us; we tow it free, keys or no keys.
Getting it picked up, and next door
Getting cash for junk cars in North Park starts with a short call: the address, where the car sits and whether it rolls. Same-day pickup is often possible, and the cash is paid when we collect it. Our junk car removal page walks through the visit. Campus lots and North Park Village buildings need their own permission first, so ask the right office and tell us who approved it.
East across the channel is West Ridge, where our storefront is. Lincolnwood is north over Devon, and Lincoln Square lies across the river. More on the service area page.