Evergreen Park, Illinois
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Evergreen Park is a village in
Cook County, Illinois Cook County is the List of counties in Illinois, most populous county in the U.S. state of Illinois and the List of the most populous counties in the United States, second-most-populous county in the United States, after Los Angeles County, C ...
, United States. In 2020, the population was 19,943. The village shares a border with
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
on the north, east, and south sides; while also sharing a border with Oak Lawn on the west side.


History

As early as 1828, a German farming family had settled in the area of what is now Evergreen Park. In the succeeding decades, other German immigrants arrived. Kedzie Avenue and 95th Street crisscrossed the farmland and provided access to markets. The first railroad (now the Grand Trunk Railroad) came through the area in 1873. In 1875, the community built its first school just west of 95th and Kedzie. The school and the stores that began to cluster around this intersection defined the community's main business area. Nearby, a real-estate developer, with a vision of the Arc de Triomphe area of Paris, laid out a star-shaped park with eight streets radiating from it. The evergreen trees planted in the park inspired the village's name. The location and layout of the park was intended to be the center of town, but 95th St and Kedzie Ave. later proved a more accurate midpoint. After the death of Mayor Henry Klein shortly after the village's 75th anniversary, the park was renamed Klein Park in his honor. In 1888 St. Mary's Cemetery opened, and mourners traveled by train from Chicago. Restaurants and taverns were created to provide meals for cemetery visitors. Within five years, the village had become a recreation center that attracted hundreds of Chicagoans to its picnic groves, beer gardens, and dance halls. The first of the village's 13 churches was established in 1893. As a result of the financial panic of the 1890s, several surrounding communities voted to be annexed by Chicago. Realizing the current and future potential of its strong business district, and in order to avoid annexation during the serious economic crisis, The Village of Evergreen Park declared its independence and was incorporated on December 20, 1893. Prior to its incorporation, the village was sustained by approximately 500 regional residents. The final decision to incorporate as its own entity separate from the City of Chicago was made by a 41 out of 50 approval by village residents. John M. Foley, a real estate and insurance agent, became the village's first mayor. During the 1890s, The Village of Evergreen Park officially occupied an area of four square miles; it now covers an area of the same size. In 1899, shortly after its incorporation, the village introduced telephone services to the community. In 1910, gas and electric lines were extended into homes and street lights were erected. By 1920, most of the village's homes had indoor plumbing, although some residents still used a well located behind the village hall as their water source. In the early 20th century, many residents still farmed and there were many open fields within the town limits. As a result, fire was a constant threat and the water supply was scarce. In July 1918, a spark from a passing train set the original village hall on fire. Despite villagers' attempts to douse the flames, the village hall was destroyed. In 1920, a new village hall was built and the population grew to 800. In 1930, Little Company of Mary Hospital was opened at 95th and California. Within the first year of its inception, 232 babies were born. In 1967, a violent and damaging F4 tornado occurred in Evergreen Park and other nearby suburbs. While the village remains small in size, it is only seventeen miles southwest of the Loop. The Village is also currently surrounded by Chicago on the north, south, and east sides. Evergreen Park is also known as the "Village of Churches" because of its thirteen established religious congregations within close proximity.


First successful organ transplant

On June 17, 1950, Little Company of Mary Hospital, located at 2800 W. 95th St. in Evergreen Park, was the site of the world's first successful
organ transplant Organ transplantation is a medical procedure in which an organ (anatomy), organ is removed from one body and placed in the body of a recipient, to replace a damaged or missing organ. The donor and recipient may be at the same location, or org ...
. Dr. Richard Lawler, MD, an exceptional surgeon at Cook County Hospital, led a team of doctors that performed the hazardous and highly controversial operation. In order to prepare for the experimental procedure, Lawler spent several years researching and practicing various organ transplants and used canines as the testing subjects. He concluded through his research that the most probable means of achieving success for organ transplantation would involve a human kidney from a post-mortem donor. Realizing he had the opportunity "get it all started," Lawler decided to attempt the medical first on a chronically ill patient in dire need of a new kidney. The recipient of the first successful organ transplantation was Ruth Tucker, a 44-year-old Chicago-area woman who suffered from terminal polycystic kidney disease. Tucker amazingly survived for another 5 years. Dr. Lawler's pioneering achievement did not escape criticism. He was repudiated by many of his colleagues and criticized by the Catholic church. By the 1970s, with organ transplantation evolving into a widely recognized life-saving necessity, Lawler and his entire team earned the much-deserved respect from the medical community, and their reputation healed. Dr. Lawler retired in 1979 and died in 1982.


Historical landmarks

;Evergreen Plaza, "The Plaza" The Evergreen Plaza, located on 95th and Western, was an indoor shopping mall originating from the early 1950s. In 1952, real estate developer Arthur Rubloff debuted the Evergreen Plaza in the heart of the southwest Chicago suburbs. A few years after the shopping mall's debut, Rubloff decided to enclose the mall thereby making it the first indoor shopping mall in the Chicago area. As a result, Rubloff changed shopping by allowing people the opportunity to pull up, park, and shop for various goods all in one place. Since the 1950s the Evergreen Park Plaza had seen more than $8 million in major internal & external improvements. Evergreen Plaza was shortened to be acknowledged as, "The Plaza". The Plaza covered , and two stories. As of 2006, The Plaza had an annual visitor count of roughly 7 million people. After 61 years of operation, The Plaza closed for redevelopment on May 31, 2013. The Plaza, in its new form, re-opened on October 18, 2018, and was renamed the Evergreen Marketplace.


Geography

Evergreen Park is located at (41.719933, −87.702499). The suburb is surrounded by the city of Chicago on three of its sides, while Oak Lawn and Hometown border it on the west. Chicago's Ashburn community is to its north, Beverly is to its east, and Beverly and Mount Greenwood are to its south. According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Evergreen Park has a total area of ,all land. U.S. Route 12 and U.S. Route 20 bisect Evergreen Park as 95th street.


Demographics

As of the 2020 census there were 19,943 people, 7,161 households, and 4,964 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 7,585 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 57.84%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 24.49%
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.41% Native American, 1.19% Asian, 0.07%
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, 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 th ...
, 7.87% from other races, and 8.12% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or Latino of any race were 17.10% of the population. There were 7,161 households, out of which 35.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.21% were married couples living together, 14.89% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.68% were non-families. 28.45% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.30 and the average family size was 2.67. The village's age distribution consisted of 23.6% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 28.6% from 45 to 64, and 14.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 81.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.8 males. The median income for a household in the village was $79,396, and the median income for a family was $97,958. Males had a median income of $61,171 versus $43,148 for females. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the village was $35,328. About 4.0% of families and 5.8% 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 ...
, including 5.9% of those under age 18 and 9.3% of those age 65 or over.


Government and politics

Evergreen Park is in Illinois's 1st congressional district, and its congressman is Democrat Jonathan Jackson. It is also a part of Illinois's 6th congressional district, represented by Democrat Sean Casten. The village backed
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
by a margin of 61.25% to 37.40% over
John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American statesman and United States Navy, naval officer who represented the Arizona, state of Arizona in United States Congress, Congress for over 35 years, first as ...
in 2008. Evergreen Park leans moderately Democratic as
John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician, and diplomat who served as the 68th United States secretary of state from 2013 to 2017 in the Presidency of Barack Obama#Administration, administration of Barac ...
beat
George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...
here 55.77% to 43.40% in 2004. This is slightly more Democratic than in 2000 when Bush lost to
Al Gore Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American former politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. He previously served as ...
51.13% to 45.60% in the village. The most Republican area of the village is the Southwest quadrant which went for Bush both years. (In 2000 Bush won 51.29% to 45.24%, and in 2004, Bush won 49.91% to 49.31%.). The current mayor of Evergreen Park is Kelly Burke.


Transportation

Pace and CTA provide bus service on multiple routes connecting Evergreen Park to destinations across the Southland.


Notable people

* Tom Baldwin, professional football player,
New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...
* Chris Chelios, retired NHL and Olympic player, member of Hockey Hall of Fame, born in Evergreen Park * Tony Cingrani, pitcher for the
Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...
, born in Evergreen Park * Bil Dwyer, comedian and game show host, born in Evergreen Park * Jenny McCarthy, Playboy playmate, actress, television host, born in Evergreen Park * Jim Dwyer, outfielder for several
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
teams, born in Evergreen Park * Ed Farmer, MLB pitcher (1971–83) and White Sox radio announcer, born and raised in Evergreen Park * Ruben Gallego, United States senator from
Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...
and former member of the
United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...
. Gallego was raised in Evergreen Park and attended Evergreen Park Community High School. * Rick Gorecki, MLB pitcher, born in Evergreen Park *
Tom Gorzelanny Thomas Stephen Gorzelanny (born July 12, 1982) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who is currently the pitching coach for the minor league Amarillo Sod Poodles. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates, ...
, pitcher for the
Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. They play their home games at Na ...
, attended Marist High School * Brad Guzan, soccer player with Atlanta United FC and U.S. international * Wayne Huizenga, former CEO of Blockbuster; founder of AutoNation, the Florida Marlins, and the Florida Panthers; owner of the Miami Dolphins and Sun Life Stadium; born and raised in Evergreen Park. *
Mahalia Jackson Mahalia Jackson ( ; born Mahala Jackson; October 26, 1911 – January 27, 1972) was an American gospel music, gospel singer, widely considered one of the most influential vocalists of the 20th century. With a career spanning 40 years, Jackson was ...
, gospel singer, winner of
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; died in Evergreen Park * Ted Kaczynski, notorious figure better known as the Unabomber, graduated from Evergreen Park High School * Jane Lynch, actress, comedian, and author. Born in Evergreen Park in 1960 * Scott Meyer, catcher for the
Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...
* Maureen Murphy, chairman of the Cook County Republican Party (2002–04) * Rasmea Odeh, convicted of immigration fraud, for concealing her arrest, conviction, and imprisonment for fatal terrorist bombing * Rich Nugent, member of the
United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...
from
Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
(2011–2017). He was raised in Evergreen Park. * Frank M. Ozinga (1914–1987), Illinois state senator and lawyer; born in Evergreen Park * Donn Pall, pitcher for the
Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...
(1988–98), raised in Evergreen Park * David Patterson, a computer pioneer and academic, born in Evergreen Park * Billy Pierce, pitcher, broadcaster and scout for the
Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...
* Bill Rancic, television personality; born in Evergreen Park * Lou Pote, MLB pitcher, born in Evergreen Park * Joe Shanahan, owner of Metro Chicago, born and raised in Evergreen Park * Kevin Sullivan, former White House Communications Director, born and raised in Evergreen Park * Joseph C. Szabo, 12th Administrator of the
Federal Railroad Administration The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is an agency in the United States Department of Transportation (DOT). The agency was created by the Department of Transportation Act of 1966. The purpose of the FRA is to promulgate and enforce railroa ...
(2009–2015). He was born in Evergreen Park. * John Tumpane (born 1983), baseball umpire * Mike Wengren, drummer for metal band Disturbed


Schools

It is located within the Evergreen Park Elementary School District 124 and the
Evergreen Park Community High School District 231 Evergreen Park Community High School, is a public high school located in Evergreen Park, Illinois southwest of Chicago. The high school has about 950 students in grades 9–12. Students originate from the Evergreen Park Elementary School Dist ...
. Public schools: *Northeast Elementary *Northwest Elementary *Southeast Elementary *Southwest Elementary *Central Middle School * Evergreen Park Community High School Private schools: *Most Holy Redeemer School *Queen of Martyrs Brother Rice High School, Mother McAuley High School, and St. Rita High School are all private schools located in Chicago in close proximity to Evergreen Park. St. Xavier University also borders Chicago and Evergreen Park.


Notable events

Evergreen Park Little League hosted the 2009 Little League State Championship. The event was broadcast on Comcast.


References


External links


Village of Evergreen Park official website
{{Authority control 1893 establishments in Illinois Populated places established in 1893 Villages in Cook County, Illinois Chicago metropolitan area Villages in Illinois