Franklin Park, Illinois
Encyclopedia
Franklin Park is a village in Cook County
, Illinois
, United States
. The population was 19,800 at the 2004 census.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the village has a total area of 4.7 square miles (12.2 km²), all of it land.
of 2004, there were 19,800 people, 6,484 households, and 4,765 families residing in the village. The population density
was 4,172.1 people per square mile (1,610.2/km²). There were 6,641 housing units at an average density of 1,425.7 per square mile (550.2/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 62.22% White, 0.76% African American, 0.29% Native American, 2.48% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 24.61% from other races
, and 22.57% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 38.07% of the population.
There were households out of which 36.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.0% were married couples
living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.5% were non-families. 22.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.97 and the average family size was 3.52.
In the village the population was spread out with 26.1% under the age of 18, 10.4% from 18 to 24, 30.5% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 100.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.1 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $46,688, and the median income for a family was $54,433. Males had a median income of $35,769 versus $27,435 for females. The per capita income
for the village was $17,550. About 5.2% of families and 7.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.2% of those under age 18 and 6.5% of those age 65 or over.
Before American and European settlers first started arriving, the Des Plaines River
area was a meeting point for many Native American tribes of the Northwest. In 1816 Alexander Robinson and Claude La Framboise helped negotiate the Treaty of St. Louis
, establishing the Indian Boundary Line that runs through the area that is now Franklin Park and River Grove.
German farmers settled in the 1840s
and 1850s
, fleeing military conscription. The families of Kirchhoff, Martens and Schierhorn farmed this area. By the mid-1870s the Atlantic & Pacific Railroad (Milwaukee Road tracks of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad) laid tracks and built a station on Elm Street. The Minneapolis, St. Paul, & Sault Ste Marie
(Soo Line
) and the Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad
followed.
In the early 1890s Franklin, a real-estate broker, purchased four farms totaling 600 acres (2.4 km²). At the railroads' intersection he built the community's center. He named the town Franklin Park and enticed prospective buyers with parades along LaSalle Street
in Chicago. He offered free Sunday train rides to the property. A pavilion was built on Rose Street where potential customers received free food and beer, heard speeches, danced, and participated in contests. Lot sales exceeded a million dollars.
The community was incorporated on August 4, 1892 by a vote of 63 in favor and 9 against. Before the turn of the century the first industry was founded. Lesser Franklin donated land for an iron foundry
in 1900 and offered another parcel to the Siegel, Cooper Company to build a factory in 1905. Records from the 1923 foundry and school rosters listed the majority of workers and residents as Polish, Italian, and Slavic immigrants. World War II
and a national preparedness program brought Douglas Aircraft and Buick Motors
into the area. By 1948, 40 manufacturing firms called Franklin Park home. During the next decade 155 new companies were added. The Chamber of Commerce and the Northwest Suburban Manufacturing Association have continually supported the efforts of businesses.
Population increased from 3,007 in 1940 to 18,322 by 1960. Town government promoted industrial development with zoning laws favoring their growth. A central alarm at the fire department gave both residents and industries access to heat- and smoke-detection systems. Water reserves provided large users with millions of gallons daily.
The Franklin Park Library District is an independent library
district serving a community of 19,500 in Chicago's near west suburbs. Throughout the library's hundred-year history, it has changed locations several times before moving into the current building in the mid-1980s. Over the years, the library's resources have expanded to a current collection of over 150,000 volumes. In addition to books, the library currently provides access to a variety of electronic resources, DVDs, videos, books on CD and tape, and CDs, and hosts regular programs for both children and adults. The current Executive Director, as of May 2010, is Marie Saeli.
The village has remained in search of land for industrial expansion. In 1990 Franklin Park annexed 65 acres (263,045.9 m²) and was the fourth largest industrial area in Illinois. By 2000, population was at 19,434 with a Hispanic population around 38 percent. Most residents were blue-collar workers employed by the complex of industries. Good location and easy access to O'Hare Airport cargo terminals, railroad freight terminals, major expressways for routing, and spur tracks accessing the rear of buildings have made Franklin Park a desirable place for industry.
stations: Belmont Avenue
on Metra
's North Central Service
, which provides daily rail service between Antioch, Illinois
and Chicago, Illinois (at Union Station
); Franklin Park
and Mannheim
on the Milwaukee District/West Line
which connects Chicago to Elgin, Illinois
.
, A.M. Castle & Co. (NYSE:CAS), a leading distributor of carbon, alloy, stainless steel, cast iron, plastic, and others, with operations in North America, Europe, and Asia, and Rubicon Technology (NASDAQ:RBCN), developer of high quality sapphire substrates and optical windows that are used in LEDs
, RFICs
, blue laser diodes
, and other optical applications, as well as AT Mechanical.
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,...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 19,800 at the 2004 census.
Geography
Franklin Park is located at 41°56′2"N 87°52′24"W (41.933780, -87.873462).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the village has a total area of 4.7 square miles (12.2 km²), all of it land.
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 2004, there were 19,800 people, 6,484 households, and 4,765 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 4,172.1 people per square mile (1,610.2/km²). There were 6,641 housing units at an average density of 1,425.7 per square mile (550.2/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 62.22% White, 0.76% African American, 0.29% Native American, 2.48% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 24.61% from other races
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...
, and 22.57% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 38.07% of the population.
There were households out of which 36.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.0% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.5% were non-families. 22.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.97 and the average family size was 3.52.
In the village the population was spread out with 26.1% under the age of 18, 10.4% from 18 to 24, 30.5% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 100.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.1 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $46,688, and the median income for a family was $54,433. Males had a median income of $35,769 versus $27,435 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 $17,550. About 5.2% of families and 7.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.2% of those under age 18 and 6.5% of those age 65 or over.
History
Franklin Park has more than met the expectations of Lesser Franklin, who settled in the area in the 1890s. He envisioned an industrial center that would blend with residential neighborhoods. A century later, Franklin Park boasted over 1,200 industries and related businesses covering 60 percent of the community.Before American and European settlers first started arriving, the Des Plaines River
Des 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....
area was a meeting point for many Native American tribes of the Northwest. In 1816 Alexander Robinson and Claude La Framboise helped negotiate the Treaty of St. Louis
Treaty of St. Louis
The Treaty of St. Louis is one of many treaties signed between the United States and various Native American tribes.-1804 - Sauk and Fox :...
, establishing the Indian Boundary Line that runs through the area that is now Franklin Park and River Grove.
German farmers settled in the 1840s
1840s
- Wars :*Mexican-American War was fought between Mexico and the United States of America. The latter emerged victorious and gained undisputed control over Texas while annexing portions of Arizona, California and New Mexico....
and 1850s
1850s
- Wars :* Crimean war fought between Imperial Russia and an alliance consisting of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Second French Empire, the Kingdom of Sardinia and the Ottoman Empire...
, fleeing military conscription. The families of Kirchhoff, Martens and Schierhorn farmed this area. By the mid-1870s the Atlantic & Pacific Railroad (Milwaukee Road tracks of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad) laid tracks and built a station on Elm Street. The Minneapolis, St. Paul, & Sault Ste Marie
Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad
The Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad was a Class I railroad subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway in the Midwest U.S. Commonly known as the Soo Line after the phonetic spelling of Sault, it was merged with several other major CP subsidiaries on January 1, 1961 to form the...
(Soo Line
Soo Line
Soo Line may refer to:*Soo Line Railroad, Canadian Pacific Railway subsidiary**Soo Line Corporation, parent of the above*Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad, major railroad west of Minneapolis-St. Paul; merged into the above in 1961...
) and the Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad
Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad
The Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad is a Class III railroad in the United States. The line comprises of track—30 miles of single mainline track, of double-main track and of additional yard and side track—starting northwest of Chicago in Franklin Park, Illinois, traveling southeast...
followed.
In the early 1890s Franklin, a real-estate broker, purchased four farms totaling 600 acres (2.4 km²). At the railroads' intersection he built the community's center. He named the town Franklin Park and enticed prospective buyers with parades along LaSalle Street
LaSalle Street
LaSalle Street is a major north-south street in Chicago named for Sieur de La Salle, an early explorer of Illinois. The portion that runs through the Loop is considered to be Chicago's financial district...
in Chicago. He offered free Sunday train rides to the property. A pavilion was built on Rose Street where potential customers received free food and beer, heard speeches, danced, and participated in contests. Lot sales exceeded a million dollars.
The community was incorporated on August 4, 1892 by a vote of 63 in favor and 9 against. Before the turn of the century the first industry was founded. Lesser Franklin donated land for an iron foundry
Foundry
A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal in a mold, and removing the mold material or casting after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals processed are aluminum and cast iron...
in 1900 and offered another parcel to the Siegel, Cooper Company to build a factory in 1905. Records from the 1923 foundry and school rosters listed the majority of workers and residents as Polish, Italian, and Slavic immigrants. World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and a national preparedness program brought Douglas Aircraft and Buick Motors
Buick
Buick is a premium brand of General Motors . Buick models are sold in the United States, Canada, Mexico, China, Taiwan, and Israel, with China being its largest market. Buick holds the distinction as the oldest active American make...
into the area. By 1948, 40 manufacturing firms called Franklin Park home. During the next decade 155 new companies were added. The Chamber of Commerce and the Northwest Suburban Manufacturing Association have continually supported the efforts of businesses.
Population increased from 3,007 in 1940 to 18,322 by 1960. Town government promoted industrial development with zoning laws favoring their growth. A central alarm at the fire department gave both residents and industries access to heat- and smoke-detection systems. Water reserves provided large users with millions of gallons daily.
The Franklin Park Library District is an independent library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
district serving a community of 19,500 in Chicago's near west suburbs. Throughout the library's hundred-year history, it has changed locations several times before moving into the current building in the mid-1980s. Over the years, the library's resources have expanded to a current collection of over 150,000 volumes. In addition to books, the library currently provides access to a variety of electronic resources, DVDs, videos, books on CD and tape, and CDs, and hosts regular programs for both children and adults. The current Executive Director, as of May 2010, is Marie Saeli.
The village has remained in search of land for industrial expansion. In 1990 Franklin Park annexed 65 acres (263,045.9 m²) and was the fourth largest industrial area in Illinois. By 2000, population was at 19,434 with a Hispanic population around 38 percent. Most residents were blue-collar workers employed by the complex of industries. Good location and easy access to O'Hare Airport cargo terminals, railroad freight terminals, major expressways for routing, and spur tracks accessing the rear of buildings have made Franklin Park a desirable place for industry.
Transportation
Franklin Park has three MetraMetra
Metra is the commuter rail division of the Illinois Regional Transportation Authority. The system serves Chicago and its metropolitan area through 240 stations on 11 different rail lines. Throughout the 21st century, Metra has been the second busiest commuter rail system in the United States by...
stations: Belmont Avenue
Belmont Avenue (Metra)
Belmont Avenue is a station on Metra's North Central Service in Franklin Park, Illinois. The station is away from Union Station, the southern terminus of the line. In Metra's zone-based fare system, Belmont Avenue is in zone C...
on Metra
Metra
Metra is the commuter rail division of the Illinois Regional Transportation Authority. The system serves Chicago and its metropolitan area through 240 stations on 11 different rail lines. Throughout the 21st century, Metra has been the second busiest commuter rail system in the United States by...
's North Central Service
North Central Service
The North Central Service is a commuter rail line provided and operated by Metra in Chicago, Illinois, and its surrounding suburbs. While Metra does not specifically refer to any of its lines by a particular color, the timetable accents for the North Central Service line are printed in light "Soo...
, which provides daily rail service between Antioch, Illinois
Antioch, Illinois
Antioch is a village in the Antioch Township of Lake County, Illinois, United States. The population was 14,430 at the 2010 census. Antioch is part of the Chicago metropolitan area.- Prior to incorporation :...
and Chicago, Illinois (at Union Station
Union Station (Chicago)
Union Station is a major train station that opened in 1925 in Chicago, replacing an earlier 1881 station. It is now the only intercity rail terminal in Chicago, as well as being the city's primary terminal for commuter trains. The station stands on the west side of the Chicago River between Adams...
); Franklin Park
Franklin Park (Metra)
Franklin Park is a station on Metra's Milwaukee District/West in Franklin Park, Illinois. The station is away from Union Station, the eastern terminus of the line. In Metra's zone-based fare system, Franklin Park is in zone C....
and Mannheim
Mannheim (Metra)
Mannheim is a station on Metra's Milwaukee District/West in Franklin Park, Illinois. The station is away from Union Station, the eastern terminus of the line. In Metra's zone-based fare system, Mannheim is in zone C....
on the Milwaukee District/West Line
Milwaukee District/West Line
The Milwaukee District/West is a commuter rail line provided and operated by Metra in Chicago, Illinois, and its surrounding suburbs...
which connects Chicago to Elgin, Illinois
Elgin, Illinois
Elgin is a city in northern Illinois located roughly northwest of Chicago on the Fox River. Most of Elgin lies within Kane County, Illinois, with a portion in Cook County, Illinois...
.
Businesses
Franklin Park is home to Grand Stand Pizza, in 2005 voted Best Thin Crust in Chicago by Fox News ChicagoWFLD
WFLD, virtual channel 32 , is the Fox owned-and-operated television station, based in Chicago, Illinois; through its parent company News Corporation, the station is owned in a duopoly with area MyNetworkTV affiliate WPWR-TV...
, A.M. Castle & Co. (NYSE:CAS), a leading distributor of carbon, alloy, stainless steel, cast iron, plastic, and others, with operations in North America, Europe, and Asia, and Rubicon Technology (NASDAQ:RBCN), developer of high quality sapphire substrates and optical windows that are used in LEDs
Light-emitting diode
A light-emitting diode is a semiconductor light source. LEDs are used as indicator lamps in many devices and are increasingly used for other lighting...
, RFICs
Integrated circuit
An integrated circuit or monolithic integrated circuit is an electronic circuit manufactured by the patterned diffusion of trace elements into the surface of a thin substrate of semiconductor material...
, blue laser diodes
Blue laser
A so-called blue laser is a laser that emits electromagnetic radiation at a wavelength of between 360 and 480 nanometres, which the human eye sees as blue or violet. Diode lasers which emit light at 445 nm are becoming popular as handheld lasers. Light of a shorter wavelength than 400 nm is...
, and other optical applications, as well as AT Mechanical.
Schools
- High Schools
- East Leyden High SchoolEast Leyden High SchoolEast Leyden High School is a secondary school located in Franklin Park, Illinois which educates grades 9-12.Together with West Leyden High School in Northlake, Illinois, they serve the suburban communities in Franklin Park, Northlake, Rosemont, Schiller Park, River Grove, Melrose Park and...
- East Leyden High School
- Middle Schools
- Hester Jr. High School
- Elementary Schools
- Passow Elementary School
- Pietrini Elementary School
- North Elementary School
- East Early Childhood Center
Notable Residents
- Mike ShanahanMike ShanahanMichael Edward "Mike" Shanahan is the 28th and current head coach of the Washington Redskins of the National Football League. Shanahan also holds the title of Vice President of Football Operations with the Redskins, giving him full control over player personnel with the team. Shanahan previously...
NFL CoachCoach (sport)In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
for the Washington RedskinsWashington RedskinsThe Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
from 2010 to Present