Confusion On Name Of Burr Ridge-Hinsdale Street

HINSDALE, IL – Hinsdale and Burr Ridge share a road that goes by different suffixes.

This week, Hinsdale resident Joseph Craig's complaint to the Village Board brought to mind Elvis Presley's "Return to Sender."

The song's words are of a man who struggles to reach his love interest. The letters keep coming back marked, "Return to sender, address unknown."

Craig may not be heartbroken, but he is certainly frustrated with address mix-ups.

He lives in the 600 block of South Garfield Avenue. Or is it Garfield Street?

Craig insists he lives on Garfield Avenue, which he considers the official name. He said it's on his property tax bill and voter registration.

But years ago, the village posted signs in some places indicating the road is Garfield Street, Craig said. At other points, it remains Garfield Avenue.

This may seem to make no difference. But Craig promises it does.

He said he worked for three years to get his IRS tax refund, even having to go through a congressman's office.

Finally, he got the answer that the refund checks returned undeliverable because his address supposedly did not exist.

Years ago, Craig said, he didn't get his gas bill for three months. So he called the gas company, which told him that his bills came back because his address no longer exists.

"Someone changed half the signs somewhere along the way," Craig told the board. "It's something the village did. I don't know if you can resolve it."

Village President Tom Cauley told Craig to let the village know if it can do something.

Google Maps shows the street in both Hinsdale and Burr Ridge as Garfield Street. Burr Ridge's signs label the street as Garfield Avenue.

On its website, Hinsdale Covenant Church lists its address as being on Garfield Street. So does Hinsdale Middle School, even though the nearby street sign says it's Garfield Avenue.

On the other hand, Hinsdale United Methodist Church avoids the issue by leaving off the street suffix altogether.