Forest Park, Illinois
Encyclopedia
Forest Park is a village in Cook County
, Illinois
, a suburb of Chicago
in the United States. The population was 15,688 at the 2000 census. The Forest Park train stop on the CTA
Blue Line
is the line's western terminus, located on the Eisenhower Expressway at Des Plaines Avenue.
of 2000, there were 15,688 people, 7,632 households, and 3,480 families residing in the village. The population density
was 6,480.8 people per square mile (2,503.0/km²). There were 7,981 housing units at an average density of 3,297.0 per square mile (1,273.3/km²). The racial makeup
of the village was 56.14% White, 31.18% African American
, 0.15% Native American
, 6.83% Asian
, 0.07% Pacific Islander
, 2.80% from other races, and 2.82% from two or more races. Hispanic
or Latino
of any race were 7.84% of the population, including 5.6% Mexican
.
The top five non-African American, non-Hispanic ethnicities reported in Forest Park as of the 2000 census were German
(15.9%), Irish
(14.6%), Italian
(8.1%), English (5.9%) and Polish
(5.3%).
There were 7,632 households out of which 21.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 28.9% were married couples living together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 54.4% were non-families. 45.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.03 and the average family size was 2.94.
In the village the population was spread out with 19.8% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 39.8% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 12.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 90.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.9 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $44,103, and the median income for a family was $52,611. Males had a median income of $39,402 versus $32,255 for females. The per capita income
for the village was $26,045. About 6.3% of families and 7.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.5% of those under age 18 and 6.7% of those age 65 or over.
Forest Park Middle School is the middle school here.
and south of Harrison Street is in Illinois' 3rd congressional district
, except for the area northeast of Elgin Avenue and 13th Street; the area north of the Eisenhower Expressway and east of Van Buren Street is in the 7th district
; the area in between (primarily consisting of Concordia and Forest Home cemeteries and a city park) is part of the 4th district
.
The United States Postal Service
operates the Forest Park Post Office at 417 Des Plaines Avenue.
. Previously known for many taverns, it now also features antique merchants, boutiques, and eating establishments.
Every summer, in early June the Forest Park Chamber of Commerce & Development hosts an annual Summerfest along Madison Street, its downtown district. In the last few days of July and first few of August, Forest Park's Park District plays host to the Forest Park No Glove National Invitational Softball
Tournament. This is an invitational to all the best 16-inch softball teams in Chicagoland (and sometimes from other regions). The game is slow-pitch softball played without gloves, a favorite in Chicagoland.
Every autumn the St. Bernardine Church hosts an Oktoberfest
and the Village hosts a Rib-fest.
The Village has several industries, but two of the prominent ones are Mohr Oil and Ferrara Pan Candy Co. The candy factory can be seen and smelled from the Harlem Blue Line stop. Mohr Oil can only be seen from there.
The main street Madison has a bustling downtown with many diverse restaurants and bars. Recently it was voted by the readers of the Chicago Tribune as the "Best Neighborhood Dining" in Chicagoland. Some the restaurants include Cafe DeLuca, Louie's Grill and Francesca Fiore.
The town is served by a weekly newspaper, the Forest Park Review, coming out every Wednesday. It is printed by Wednesday Journal, Inc. as well as a bi-monthly publication, The Forest Park Post which is distributed to all homes and businesses in the Village of Forest Park and is published by 34 Publishing, Inc.
An independent discussion board not affiliated with the village, Forest Park Forums, serves as a water cooler for residents to gather, discuss issues of general interest, politics, youth activities, education and local services.
For much of its history, Forest Park was known as a "Village of cemeteries
," with more dead "residents" than living ones; some figures estimate the ratio at 30:1, dead to alive. Forest Park cemeteries include: Altenheim, German Waldheim
(now merged into Forest Home), Jewish Waldheim (producer Mike Todd
is buried in Beth Aaron there), Woodlawn (including Showmen's Rest
), and Concordia. Forest Home cemetery is home to the famous Haymarket Riot monument.
Forest Park was host to the Forest Park Amusement Park, a small but popular amusement park at the end of the train lines, from 1907 to 1922. Unfortunately there was a spectacular fire which all but decimated the park and it never reopened. Its former location is now occupied by the Forest Park station
on CTA's Blue Line at Desplaines Ave. From 1927 to 1928, Forest Park also had a radio station called WNBA, with its studios near Des Plaines and Roosevelt Road.
Women's professional baseball/softball has roots in Forest Park. Emery Parichy purchased the Boston Bloomer Girls softball team in the early 1930s, re-named them Emery Parichy's Bloomer Girls, and moved them to Forest Park. The team operated in the suburb until 1955, when the land their softball field was on was taken for the Eisenhower Expressway
.
The community (formerly part of a larger town called Harlem) officially became incorporated under the name of Forest Park on April 17, 1907. In 2007, the town held a summer-long centennial celebration. Forest Park has also held two other centennial celebrations, one in 1956 for when the first settlers came and one in 1984 for the 100th anniversary of the creation of the town of Harlem.
Cook County, Illinois
Cook County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois, with its county seat in Chicago. It is the second most populous county in the United States after Los Angeles County. The county has 5,194,675 residents, which is 40.5 percent of all Illinois residents. Cook County's population is larger than...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, a suburb of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
in the United States. The population was 15,688 at the 2000 census. The Forest Park train stop on the CTA
Chicago Transit Authority
Chicago Transit Authority, also known as CTA, is the operator of mass transit within the City of Chicago, Illinois and some of its surrounding suburbs....
Blue Line
Blue Line (Chicago Transit Authority)
The Blue Line consists of a long trunk line in the Chicago Transit Authority's rapid transit system which extends through Chicago's Loop from O'Hare International Airport at the far northwest end of the city, through downtown via the Milwaukee-Dearborn subway, and across the West Side to its...
is the line's western terminus, located on the Eisenhower Expressway at Des Plaines Avenue.
Geography
Forest Park is located at 41°52′23"N 87°48′40"W (41.873031, -87.811155).Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 15,688 people, 7,632 households, and 3,480 families residing in the village. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 6,480.8 people per square mile (2,503.0/km²). There were 7,981 housing units at an average density of 3,297.0 per square mile (1,273.3/km²). The racial makeup
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
of the village was 56.14% White, 31.18% African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
, 0.15% Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
, 6.83% Asian
Asian American
Asian Americans are Americans of Asian descent. The U.S. Census Bureau definition of Asians as "Asian” refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan,...
, 0.07% Pacific Islander
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islander , is a geographic term to describe the indigenous inhabitants of any of the three major sub-regions of Oceania: Polynesia, Melanesia and Micronesia.According to the Encyclopædia Britannica, these three regions, together with their islands consist of:Polynesia:...
, 2.80% from other races, and 2.82% from two or more races. Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
or Latino
Latino
The demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American descent."* "A Latin American."* "A person of Hispanic, especially Latin-American, descent, often one living in the United States."...
of any race were 7.84% of the population, including 5.6% Mexican
Mexican American
Mexican Americans are Americans of Mexican descent. As of July 2009, Mexican Americans make up 10.3% of the United States' population with over 31,689,000 Americans listed as of Mexican ancestry. Mexican Americans comprise 66% of all Hispanics and Latinos in the United States...
.
The top five non-African American, non-Hispanic ethnicities reported in Forest Park as of the 2000 census were German
German American
German Americans are citizens of the United States of German ancestry and comprise about 51 million people, or 17% of the U.S. population, the country's largest self-reported ancestral group...
(15.9%), Irish
Irish American
Irish Americans are citizens of the United States who can trace their ancestry to Ireland. A total of 36,278,332 Americans—estimated at 11.9% of the total population—reported Irish ancestry in the 2008 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau...
(14.6%), Italian
Italian American
An Italian American , is an American of Italian ancestry. The designation may also refer to someone possessing Italian and American dual citizenship...
(8.1%), English (5.9%) and Polish
Polish American
A Polish American , is a citizen of the United States of Polish descent. There are an estimated 10 million Polish Americans, representing about 3.2% of the population of the United States...
(5.3%).
There were 7,632 households out of which 21.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 28.9% were married couples living together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 54.4% were non-families. 45.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.03 and the average family size was 2.94.
In the village the population was spread out with 19.8% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 39.8% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 12.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 90.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.9 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $44,103, and the median income for a family was $52,611. Males had a median income of $39,402 versus $32,255 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the village was $26,045. About 6.3% of families and 7.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.5% of those under age 18 and 6.7% of those age 65 or over.
Forest Park Middle School is the middle school here.
Government
The Village of Forest Park runs under a Commission Form of Government led by a Mayor and four Commissioners elected every four years. Forest Park is divided between three congressional districts. The area east of the Des Plaines RiverDes Plaines River
The Des Plaines River is a river that flows southward for through southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois in the U.S. Midwest, eventually meeting the Kankakee River west of Channahon to form the Illinois River, a tributary of the Mississippi River....
and south of Harrison Street is in Illinois' 3rd congressional district
Illinois' 3rd congressional district
The 3rd Congressional District of Illinois includes part of Cook County, and has been represented by Democrat Dan Lipinski since January 2005. The district was previously represented by his father Bill Lipinski beginning in 1993....
, except for the area northeast of Elgin Avenue and 13th Street; the area north of the Eisenhower Expressway and east of Van Buren Street is in the 7th district
Illinois' 7th congressional district
The 7th Congressional District of Illinois includes part of Cook County. It covers the Near North Side and downtown Chicago as well as some of the west and south sides of city and some west suburban areas in Cook County. It has been represented by Democrat Danny K...
; the area in between (primarily consisting of Concordia and Forest Home cemeteries and a city park) is part of the 4th district
Illinois' 4th congressional district
The 4th Congressional District of Illinois includes part of Cook County, and has been represented by Democrat Luis Gutierrez since January 1993....
.
The United States Postal Service
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
operates the Forest Park Post Office at 417 Des Plaines Avenue.
Landmarks
- St. Bernardine Catholic Church, built in a Spanish Mission style was designed by McCarthy, Smith, and Eppig. The firm worked extensively with Cardinal George Mundelein and produced numerous Chicago area Catholic churches during the Great DepressionGreat DepressionThe Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
era, including St. Wenceslaus in ChicagoSt. Wenceslaus in ChicagoSt. Wenceslaus - historic church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago located in, Chicago, Illinois.One of the many Polish churches visible from the Kennedy Expressway, it is, along with St. Hyacinth Basilica, one of two monumental religious edifices that dominates the Avondale skyline...
, as well as St. Joseph and St. Francis Xavier churches in Wilmette. - The Ferrara Pan Candy CompanyFerrara Pan Candy CompanyThe Ferrara Pan Candy Company is a Chicago and Forest Park, Illinois, based candy company that makes a variety of popular candies. Their popular confections include Lemonheads, Jaw busters , Atomic Fireballs, Chewy Fireballs, Original Boston Baked Beans, Grapeheads , Apple Heads, Punch Heads,...
is located at 7301 W. Harrison St. The company was founded in 1908 by Salvatore Ferrara who came to America from Nola, Italy in 1900. The use of the word pan refers to the process of making the candy by the sugar panningSugar panningSugar panning, or simply panning, is a method for adding a candy "shell" to candy or nuts. Popular candies that employ this process in their manufacture include dragées, M&M's, and jelly beans. Jelly beans use soft panning whilst the other two are examples of hard panning...
process.
Village life
The Park District of Forest Park, located near the center of the village, has a 15 acres (60,702.9 m²) park, with an aquatic center. Shopping is mostly located on Madison StreetMadison Street (Chicago)
Madison Street is a major east-west street in Chicago, Illinois. Prior to human intervention, the Chicago River emptied into Lake Michigan at the present day intersection of Madison Street and Michigan Avenue....
. Previously known for many taverns, it now also features antique merchants, boutiques, and eating establishments.
Every summer, in early June the Forest Park Chamber of Commerce & Development hosts an annual Summerfest along Madison Street, its downtown district. In the last few days of July and first few of August, Forest Park's Park District plays host to the Forest Park No Glove National Invitational Softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
Tournament. This is an invitational to all the best 16-inch softball teams in Chicagoland (and sometimes from other regions). The game is slow-pitch softball played without gloves, a favorite in Chicagoland.
Every autumn the St. Bernardine Church hosts an Oktoberfest
Oktoberfest
Oktoberfest, or Wiesn, is a 16–18 day beer festival held annually in Munich, Bavaria, Germany, running from late September to the first weekend in October. It is one of the most famous events in Germany and is the world's largest fair, with more than 5 million people attending every year. The...
and the Village hosts a Rib-fest.
The Village has several industries, but two of the prominent ones are Mohr Oil and Ferrara Pan Candy Co. The candy factory can be seen and smelled from the Harlem Blue Line stop. Mohr Oil can only be seen from there.
The main street Madison has a bustling downtown with many diverse restaurants and bars. Recently it was voted by the readers of the Chicago Tribune as the "Best Neighborhood Dining" in Chicagoland. Some the restaurants include Cafe DeLuca, Louie's Grill and Francesca Fiore.
The town is served by a weekly newspaper, the Forest Park Review, coming out every Wednesday. It is printed by Wednesday Journal, Inc. as well as a bi-monthly publication, The Forest Park Post which is distributed to all homes and businesses in the Village of Forest Park and is published by 34 Publishing, Inc.
An independent discussion board not affiliated with the village, Forest Park Forums, serves as a water cooler for residents to gather, discuss issues of general interest, politics, youth activities, education and local services.
History
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
," with more dead "residents" than living ones; some figures estimate the ratio at 30:1, dead to alive. Forest Park cemeteries include: Altenheim, German Waldheim
German Waldheim Cemetery
German Waldheim Cemetery, also known as Waldheim Cemetery, was a cemetery in Forest Park, a suburb of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois. It was originally founded in 1873 as a non-religion specific cemetery, where Freemasons, Roma, and German-speaking immigrants to Chicago could be buried without...
(now merged into Forest Home), Jewish Waldheim (producer Mike Todd
Mike Todd
Michael Todd was an American theatre and film producer, best known for his 1956 production of Around the World in Eighty Days, which won an Academy Award for Best Picture...
is buried in Beth Aaron there), Woodlawn (including Showmen's Rest
Showmen's Rest
Showmen's Rest in Forest Park, Illinois is a 750 plot section of Woodlawn Cemetery where a mass grave of 56 employees of the Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus were interred...
), and Concordia. Forest Home cemetery is home to the famous Haymarket Riot monument.
Forest Park was host to the Forest Park Amusement Park, a small but popular amusement park at the end of the train lines, from 1907 to 1922. Unfortunately there was a spectacular fire which all but decimated the park and it never reopened. Its former location is now occupied by the Forest Park station
Forest Park (CTA)
Forest Park is a station on the Chicago Transit Authority's 'L' system, located in the city of Forest Park and serving the Blue Line. Before the Congress Line was built it served as terminal for the Garfield Line, and is possibly the only station on that line to survive today. It is the western...
on CTA's Blue Line at Desplaines Ave. From 1927 to 1928, Forest Park also had a radio station called WNBA, with its studios near Des Plaines and Roosevelt Road.
Postcard views of the amusement park
Forest Park is also home for the 25 year old professional (non-equity) theatre company, Circle Theatre. Hedy Weiss of the Chicago Sun-Times writes: “One of the most consistently satisfying theatrical operations in the area ...everything from classics to new American plays ...theatre at its very best.” Circle Theatre has produced over 175 productions and received over 80 Joseph Jefferson (JEFF) nominations and won over 30 Jeff Awards. Notable visits from famous playwrights have included Marvin Hamlisch, Rupert Holmes, Douglas Post, Michael John LaChiusa, Stephen Clark and Rebecca Gilman. Rebecca Gilman had her first play produced at Circle Theatre before becoming one of America's leading playwrights. Notable supporters have included Harry Connick Jr and Russel Crowe.Women's professional baseball/softball has roots in Forest Park. Emery Parichy purchased the Boston Bloomer Girls softball team in the early 1930s, re-named them Emery Parichy's Bloomer Girls, and moved them to Forest Park. The team operated in the suburb until 1955, when the land their softball field was on was taken for the Eisenhower Expressway
Interstate 290 (Illinois)
Interstate 290 is a main Interstate freeway that runs westwards from the Chicago Loop. A portion of I-290 is officially called the Dwight D. Eisenhower Expressway. In short form, it is known as "the Ike" or the Eisenhower...
.
The community (formerly part of a larger town called Harlem) officially became incorporated under the name of Forest Park on April 17, 1907. In 2007, the town held a summer-long centennial celebration. Forest Park has also held two other centennial celebrations, one in 1956 for when the first settlers came and one in 1984 for the 100th anniversary of the creation of the town of Harlem.
Public libraries
The Forest Park Public Library is located at 7555 Jackson Boulevard. The current Library building opened on October 8, 1995. It covers 26400 square feet (2,452.6 m²) over two levels and is completely accessible in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. It is spacious and comfortable, with more seating and study areas, along with a meeting room, a youth activity room and computer room. The total cost of the building was projected to be $3,295,000, including construction, site improvements, furnishings, computer and security systems, professional and financing costs and contingencies. The funding comes from the Imber Fund, now grown to $900,000, a State of Illinois Construction Grant of $250,000, General Obligation Bonds for $2.9 million and interest income.External links
- Forest Park Community Network
- "Forest Park, IL" at Encyclopedia of Chicago
- Forest Park School District 91
- Forest Park History