| Blue Island Avenue | |
| Direction A: | Southwest |
| Terminus A: | S. Western Avenue/W. 26th Street in Lower West Side, Chicago 41.8449°N -87.6853°W |
| Direction B: | Northeast |
| Terminus B: | W. Roosevelt Road in Near West Side, Chicago 41.8671°N -87.6533°W |
Blue Island Avenue is a street in the city of Chicago, Illinois that once led to a ridge of land that early pioneers gave the name "Blue Island" because at a distance it looked like an island in the prairie. The blue color was attributed to atmospheric scattering or to blue flowers growing on the ridge.[1] Parts of the present-day neighborhoods of Morgan Park, Beverly Hills and the city of Blue Island, Illinois now occupy this ridge.
Originally starting from W. Harrison Street and S. Halsted Street, Blue Island Avenue runs between property of the University of Illinois at Chicago and St. Ignatius College Prep, but has been converted into parking lots and recreational areas for the school until it crosses Roosevelt Road. From there it runs southwest to 21st Street, picks up again at Cermak Road (formerly 22nd) and runs more westerly to 26th Street, where it terminates.
CTA bus route 60 travels along much of Blue Island Avenue from 26th Street to Cermak Road and from Loomis Street to Racine Avenue. Bus route 60 continues west along 26th Street to a bus turnaround at 24th Place/Cicero Avenue near Cicero station; on the other end, the route continues east through downtown, running along the Loop Link bus lanes, toward a turnaround at Harbor Point.[2]