Forest Park (formerly Harlem) is a village in

Cook County, Illinois Cook County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Illinois and the second-most-populous county in the United States, after Los Angeles County, California. More than 40% of all residents of Illinois live within Cook County. As of 20 ...

, a suburb of

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, United States. The population was 14,339 at the 2020 census. The

Forest Park A forest park is a park whose main theme is its forest of trees. Forest parks are found both in the mountains and in the urban environment. Examples Chile * Forest Park, Santiago China *Gongqing Forest Park, Shanghai * Mufushan National Fores ...

terminal on the CTA Blue Line is the line's western terminus, located on the

Eisenhower Expressway Interstate 290 (I-290) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway that runs westward from the Chicago Loop. The portion of I-290 from I-294 to its east end is officially called the Dwight D. Eisenhower Expressway. In short form, it is known as "the ...

at Des Plaines Avenue. This makes it one of only two municipalities served by the

Chicago "L" The Chicago "L" (short for "elevated") is the rapid transit system serving the city of Chicago and some of its surrounding suburbs in the U.S. state of Illinois. Operated by the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), it is the fourth-largest rapid tr ...

train network that does not directly border Chicago (the other being

Wilmette Wilmette is a village in New Trier Township, Cook County, Illinois, United States. Bordering Lake Michigan and Evanston, Illinois, it is located north of Chicago's downtown district. Wilmette had a population of 27,087 at the 2010 census. The ...

Geography

Forest Park is located at (41.873031, -87.811155). According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Forest Park has a total area of , all land. The

Des Plaines River The Des Plaines River () is a river that flows southward for U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed May 13, 2011 through southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois''American Her ...

runs through Forest Park.

History

Haymarket-martyrs-memorial-Forest-Home-Cemetery-IL

The community (formerly part of a larger town called Harlem) officially became incorporated under the name of Forest Park on April 17, 1907. 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,

Forest Home Cemetery Forest Home Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery located in the Lincoln Village neighborhood of Milwaukee, Wisconsin and is the final resting place of many of the city's famed beer barons, politicians and social elite. Both the cemetery and ...

(incorporating the German Waldheim Cemetery), Jewish Waldheim (producer

Mike Todd Michael Todd (born Avrom Hirsch Goldbogen; June 22, 1909 – March 22, 1958) was an American theater and film producer, best known for his 1956 production of ''Around the World in 80 Days'', which won an Academy Award for Best Picture. Actr ...

is buried in Beth Aaron there), Woodlawn (including

Showmen's Rest Showmen's Rest in Forest Park, Illinois, is a 750 plot section of Woodlawn Cemetery mostly for circus performers owned by the Showmen's League of America The first performers and show workers that were buried there are in a mass grave from when b ...

), and Concordia. Forest Home Cemetery is home to the famous ''

Haymarket Martyrs' Monument The ''Haymarket Martyrs' Monument'' is a funeral monument and sculpture located at Forest Home Cemetery in Forest Park, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. Dedicated in 1893, it commemorates the defendants involved in labor unrest who were blamed, conv ...

''. From 1925 to 1931, Forest Park had a radio station with a variety of call letters. The station began in 1925 as WHT. It was known as WNBA, with its studios near Des Plaines and Roosevelt Road from 1927 to 1928. In 1929, the call letters changed again, this time to WSOA and again to WCHI in 1929. As WSOA, the radio station had 5,000 watts of power. It went off the air for good in 1931. The

Naval Ordnance Station Forest Park Naval Ordnance Station Forest Park (NOSF) was in Forest Park, Illinois. It was founded during World War II (1942-1945) as ''Naval Ordnance Plant Forest Park (NOPF)''. The Forest Park Station was instrumental in building torpedoes for the Navy, emp ...

(originally a Naval Ordnance Plant) operated from early in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

until most of the plant was replaced by a mall in 1971, with some of the site used as a Naval Reserve center until 2007. The plant employed up to 6,500 workers and produced 19,000

torpedo A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, and with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, su ...

es during World War II. 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. Women's professional baseball/softball has roots in Forest Park. Emery Parichy purchased the Boston Bloomer Girls softball team in the early 1930s, renamed 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

Amusement park

Forest Park was the location of Forest Park Amusement Park, a small but popular amusement park located just west of Desplaines Avenue, and just north of the then Waldheim Cemetery, from 1907 to 1922. Initially, the park was received negatively by Chicago area church members due to its close proximity to the cemetery. However, its public acclaim helped bring in a crowd of approximately five to ten thousand on opening day, and the various rides, games, and shows the park had to offer kept residents coming back. On July 25, 1918, a fire broke out in the swimming pool's boiler room. The fire quickly spread to other utility areas of the park which left firefighters without access to water and power. The park planned to reopen later that same day, though 1/5th of the park was destroyed by the fire. In the years following the fire, the park was mostly successful primarily due to events and activities that helped the community and the park's occasional rallies against

prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic ...

. However, with the 18th Amendment taking effect coupled with a strict crack-down on gambling, the park never reopened following the cessation of its 1922 season. Its former location is now occupied by the Forest Park station on CTA's Blue Line at Desplaines Avenue.

Circle Theatre

For most of its history, Forest Park was home for the 25-year-old professional (non-equity) theater company, Circle Theatre, which now resides across Harlem Avenue in neighboring Oak Park."In 1985, Karen Skinner, Wayne Buidens and Joseph Bass founded Circle Theatre with the mission of making exciting theatre available to the western suburbs of Chicago. They chose the name "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. Joseph Harry Fowler Connick Jr. (born September 11, 1967) is an American singer, pianist, composer, actor, and television host. He has sold over 28million albums worldwide. Connick is ranked among the top60 List of best-selling music artists i ...

and

Russell Crowe Russell Ira Crowe (born 7 April 1964) is an actor. He was born in New Zealand, spent ten years of his childhood in Australia, and moved there permanently at age twenty one. He came to international attention for his role as Roman General Maxi ...

. Award-winning director/choreographer

Kevin Bellie Kevin Bellie (born May 8, 1971) is an American director and choreographer based in the Chicago, Illinois area. Bellie has been nominated for 20 Joseph Jefferson Awards and is a five-time award winner. Bellie was artistic director for Circle Theat ...

was artistic director from 2003 to 2012.

Demographics

As of the 2020 census there were 14,339 people, 6,695 households, and 3,138 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 8,169 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 49.60%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 30.89%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.43% Native American, 6.23%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.02%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, 4.72% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 8.11% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 11.32% of the population. There were 6,695 households, out of which 28.19% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 28.26% were married couples living together, 14.03% had a female householder with no husband present, and 53.13% were non-families. 42.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.56% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 2.03. The village's age distribution consisted of 14.7% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 36.1% from 25 to 44, 26.3% from 45 to 64, and 15.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.8 males. The median income for a household in the village was $70,670, and the median income for a family was $101,894. Males had a median income of $52,797 versus $49,492 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the village was $46,969. About 2.3% of families and 9.1% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 4.4% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over. ''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.''

Government

The village of Forest Park runs under a village commission form of government led by a mayor and four commissioners elected every four years. Forest Park lies within

Illinois's 7th congressional district The 7th congressional district of Illinois covers parts of Cook County, as of the 2011 redistricting that followed the 2010 census. All or parts of Bellwood, Chicago, Forest Park, Oak Park, Maywood, and Westchester are included. Democrat Da ...

. The

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U ...

operates the Forest Park Post Office at 417 Des Plaines Avenue. The post office contains a mural, ''The White Fawn'', painted in 1940 by Miriam McKinnie. Murals were produced from 1934 to 1943 in the United States through the

Section of Painting and Sculpture The Treasury Section of Painting and Sculpture was a New Deal art project established on October 16, 1934, and administered by the Procurement Division of the United States Department of the Treasury. Commonly known as the Section, it was rena ...

, later called the

Section of Fine Arts The Treasury Section of Painting and Sculpture was a New Deal art project established on October 16, 1934, and administered by the Procurement Division of the United States Department of the Treasury. Commonly known as the Section, it was rena ...

, of the Treasury Department.

Village life

The Park District of Forest Park, located near the center of the village, has a park, with an aquatic center. Shopping is mostly located on Madison Street. Previously known for many taverns, it now also features antique merchants, boutiques, and eating establishments. Recently it was voted by the readers of the ''Chicago Tribune'' as the "Best Neighborhood Dining" in the Chicago area. In the last few days of July and first few of August, Forest Park's Park District plays host to th
Forest Park No Glove National Invitational Softball Tournament
This is an invitational to all the best 16-inch softball teams in

Chicago metropolitan area The Chicago metropolitan area, also colloquially referred to as Chicagoland, is a metropolitan area in the Midwestern United States. Encompassing 10,286 sq mi (28,120 km2), the metropolitan area includes the city of Chicago, its suburbs and hi ...

(and sometimes from other regions). The game is slow-pitch softball played without gloves, a favorite in the region. Every autumn the St. Bernardine Church hosts an

Oktoberfest The Oktoberfest (; bar, Wiesn, Oktobafest) is the world's largest Volksfest, featuring a beer festival and a travelling carnival. It is held annually in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. It is a 16- to 18-day folk festival running from mid- or ...

and the village hosts a Rib-fest. The village has several industries, but the most prominent is Ferrara Pan, now known as simply the Ferrara Candy Company. The candy factory can be seen and smelled from the Harlem Blue Line stop. The town is served by a weekly newspaper, the ''Forest Park Review'', coming out every Wednesday. It is printed by Wednesday Journal, Inc. A bi-monthly publication, ''The Forest Park Post'', is distributed to all homes and businesses in Forest Park and is published by 34 Publishing, Inc. There is a NFP citizens advocacy and information organization known as Vox 60130 (formerly Citizens United in Forest Park) serving the community since 2004. It monitors local governmental meetings and activities and sponsors workshops and presentations of important, relevant issues. They also hold candidate forums during each local election cycle.

Education

Forest Park is within the Forest Park School District 91 and the

Proviso Township High Schools District 209 Proviso Township High Schools District 209, established in 1910, is located in western Cook County, Illinois, US, near Chicago. Its headquarters are in Forest Park.

. The elementary school district operates four elementary schools and Forest Park Middle School. The community is served by

Proviso East High School Proviso East High School is a public secondary school in Maywood, Illinois which serves the educational needs of Maywood and three other villages within Proviso Township, Cook County, Illinois: Broadview, Forest Park and Melrose Park. It is ...

in Maywood. In addition, the

Proviso Mathematics and Science Academy Proviso Mathematics and Science Academy is a selective enrollment high school in Forest Park, Illinois, United States that opened its doors to 126 freshmen in 2005. It is one of the newest schools in the Proviso Township High Schools District 20 ...

, a magnet school, is located in Forest Park.About Proviso Township High Schools District 209
."

. Retrieved on February 23, 2014.

Public libraries

The Forest Park Public Library is located at 7555 Jackson Boulevard. The current library building opened on October 8, 1995. It covers over two levels and is completely accessible in compliance with the

Americans with Disabilities Act The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 or ADA () is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability. It affords similar protections against discrimination to Americans with disabilities as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 ...

. 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.

Landmarks

* St. Bernardine Catholic Church, built in a

Spanish Mission style The Mission Revival style was part of an architectural movement, beginning in the late 19th century, for the revival and reinterpretation of American colonial styles. Mission Revival drew inspiration from the late 18th and early 19th century ...

, 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 Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

, including St. Wenceslaus in Chicago, as well as St. Joseph and St. Francis Xavier churches in

. * The

Ferrara Pan Candy Company Ferrara (, ; egl, Fràra ) is a city and ''comune'' in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital of the Province of Ferrara. it had 132,009 inhabitants. It is situated northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream ...

is located at 7301 W. Harrison Street. The company was founded in 1908 by Salvatore Ferrara who came to America from

Nola Nola is a town and a municipality in the Metropolitan City of Naples, Campania, southern Italy. It lies on the plain between Mount Vesuvius and the Apennines. It is traditionally credited as the diocese that introduced bells to Christian worship. ...

, Italy, in 1900. The use of the word "pan" refers to the process of making the candy by the

sugar panning Sugar panning, or simply panning, is a method for adding a sugar-based "shell" to confectionery or nuts. Popular products that employ this process in their manufacture include dragées, chocolate buttons, gobstoppers, konpeitō and jelly beans ...

process.

Notable people

, award-winning American director and choreographer lives in Forest Park. * W. Robert Blair, Illinois politician * Warren Brown, sports journalist, coined nicknames for Red Grange and Babe Ruth, Baseball Hall of Fame member *

Eddie Hoh Edward Hoh (October 16, 1944 – November 7, 2015) was an American rock drummer who was active in the 1960s. Although primarily a studio session and touring drummer, Hoh exhibited a degree of originality and showmanship that set him apart and se ...

, rock drummer of the 1960s who backed

Mamas & Papas Mamas & Papas is a UK-based nursery brand and manufacturer supplying prams, pushchairs, baby products, furniture and maternity wear. It was established in Huddersfield in 1981 by David and Luisa Scacchetti, both of Italian ancestry, who ...

and the

Monkees The Monkees were an American rock and pop band, formed in Los Angeles in 1966, whose lineup consisted of the American actor/musicians Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork alongside English actor/singer Davy Jones. The group was conce ...

Kathy Griffin Kathleen Mary Griffin (born November 4, 1960) is an American comedian and actress who has starred in television comedy specials and has released comedy albums. In 2007 and 2008, Griffin won Primetime Emmy Awards for her reality show '' Kathy ...

, comedian, actress, author (Oak Park) *

Leonard W. Hein Leonard William Hein (February 17, 1916 – 4 September 2000) was an American economist, accountant, and academic. He served as professor of accounting at the Los Angeles State College, and was known for his work on the history of accountancy and t ...

, economist, accounting educator *

Bill Idelson Bill Idelson (August 21, 1919 – December 31, 2007) was an actor, writer, director and producer widely known for his teenage role as Rush Gook on the radio comedy ''Vic and Sade'' and his recurring television role as Herman Glimscher on ''The ...

, Actor and Writer *

Erv Lange Erwin Henry Lange (August 12, 1887 – April 24, 1971) was a pitcher for the Chicago Whales professional baseball team in 1914. External links

1887 births 1971 deaths Chicago Whales players Major League Baseball pitchers Baseball players f ...

, pitcher for the

Chicago Whales The Chicago Whales were a professional baseball team based in Chicago. They played in the Federal League, a short-lived "third Major League", in 1914 and 1915. They originally lacked a formal nickname, and were known simply as the "Chicago Fed ...

; born in Forest Park * Howard R. Mohr, Illinois politician, businessman, and Mayor of Forest Park; born in Forest Park *

Frederick B. Roos Frederick Bernard Roos (November 22, 1883 – May 13, 1942) was an American lawyer and businessman. Biography Roos was born in Chicago, Illinois. Roos was admitted to the Illinois bar in 1905 and practiced law in Chicago. Roos was also involved ...

, Illinois politician *

Calvin Sutker Calvin Sutker (May 23, 1923 – April 25, 2013) was an American politician and lawyer. Over his nearly four decades in politics, Sutker served as a Skokie Village Board member, Niles Township Democratic Committeeman, Democratic National Commi ...

, Illinois politician * Pierre Walters, NFL athlete, Kansas City Chiefs

Gallery

Forest Park Amusement Park

File:Forest Park Illinois amusement park entrance and ballroom.jpg, Entrance to the park and the ballroom that was connected with it File:Steeple Chase Ride Forest Park Illinois.JPG, Steeplechase ride File:Forest Park Illinois amusement park chutes.JPG, From atop the chutes File:Forest Park amusement part souvenir photo 1910.JPG, Souvenir photo taken at the park File:Casino at Forest Park Illinois amusement park.JPG, The park's casino building at night File:Forest Park Illinois amusement park lake scene.JPG, A night view of the park from its lake

References

External links

Village of Forest Park official website
a
Encyclopedia of ChicagoForest Park School District 91Forest Park History
{{authority control Chicago metropolitan area Villages in Cook County, Illinois Villages in Illinois Populated places established in 1907 1907 establishments in Illinois Majority-minority cities and towns in Cook County, Illinois