generaL inFOrmatiOn Population:
Size: Government:
Incorporation date: Median age:
OAK PARK: AT A GLANCE
histOry The rich history of Oak Park began
in 1835 when Joseph and Betty Ket- tlestrings and their children became Oak Park’s first permanent settlers when Jo- seph built a drafty cabin on what is today Lake St., just east of Harlem Ave. The family was joined by other “good peo- ple who were against saloons and for good schools and churches” when Ket- tlestrings began subdividing his quarter section in 1854. The arrival of the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad in 1848 also spurred development. By the 1890s that original portion of Kettlestrings tract on Lake St. was lined with shops, business- es and the spacious homes of the town’s most prominent citizens. Oak Park at that time was a staunchly Republican com- munity where social clubs flourished and residents placed a high value on work, family, observing the social amenities and regular church attendance. And, after 1872, the community was also completely “dry” when Henry Austin, Sr., a staunch supporter of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, successfully lobbied for passage of a
51,878 (2010 preliminary Census data)
4.5 square miles
Appointed Village Manager, elected president, six trustees and village clerk January 25, 1902
39.8 (24% under 18, 11% over 65)
Number of households: 22,670 Median family income: $98,143 (2000 Census) Median home sale price: $370,000 Median condo sale price: $172,500 Total Retail Sales (2010): $312,800,000 Tax Rate (2008):
8.565% For more information, go to
www.oak-park.us.
temperance bill in the General Assembly. (In 1972 this “drought” ended when the Village Board voted to allow the sale of wine and spirits in Oak Park restaurants.) For many years Oak Parkers struggled to free themselves from the political yoke of the corrupt Cicero Township Board. It was not until November 1901 that voters overwhelmingly approved a proposition to separate from Cicero Township and establish a self-governing municipality. In December the Village’s first slate of officials was elected and the first ses- sion of the new Board of the Village of Oak Park was held on January 2, 1902 at Scoville Institute. The next two decades saw many chang-
es in Oak Park including the development of the South Prairie by Seward Gunder- son and Thomas Hulburt who built af- fordable homes for middle class fami- lies. Construction of apartments boomed after World War I despite opposition from many residents who deplored the razing of many pioneer homes to make way for these buildings. Oak Park’s first zoning ordinance, passed in 1921, controlled but did not prevent construction of these large apartments. Lake St. became one
of the most vibrant shopping districts in the area when several large Chicago stores including Marshall Field’s and The Fair opened branches there in 1929. However, the stock market crash that same year slowed economic growth for the next decade. Throughout the thirties officials struggled just to maintain basic services and many residents were put to work on a variety of public works proj- ects. World War II did more to shape the vil- lage during the forties than any local event as residents went to work in plants manufacturing war materials and volun- teered for civilian defense jobs. Victory gardens flourished in vacant lots while villagers collected paper, rubber, tin cans and fats to aid the war effort. During the fifties the Village Board was split into two opposing factions that brought the community to the brink of bankruptcy. In 1952 a group of nonpartisan citizens calling themselves the Village Manager Association, proposed that the com- munity adopt the village manager form of government in which a professional administrator would manage village gov- ernment according to the policies set by
• Appointment Guaranteed Today!
Lice & Nit Removal Salon 425 N. Marion St., Oak Park, IL 60302
Tel. (708) 524-5423
www.hairbutterflies.com
www.oprfchamber.org
• In salon, your home, or do-it yourself kits
• We only use safe, nontoxic, effective products
• 100% Service Guarantee
• May be reimbursed by your medical insurance
exp.12/31/11 2011-2012 Oak Park River Forest Chamber of Commerce Community Guide 13
Hair Butterflies Affordable
Safe
Free Terminator Comb with Treatment!
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80