Forest Park (formerly Harlem) 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, and a suburb of

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 ...

. 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 Fore ...

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 Jane Byrne Interchange near the Chicago Loop. The portion of I-290 from Interstate 294, I-294 to its east end is officially called the Dwight D. Eisenhowe ...

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

Chicago "L" The Chicago "L" (short for "elevated railway, 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 four ...

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

Wilmette Wilmette is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Bordering Lake Michigan, Kenilworth, Winnetka, Skokie, Northfield, Glenview, and Evanston, Illinois, it is located north of Chicago's downtown district. Wilmette had a populatio ...

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 H ...

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 and arboretum located in the Lincoln Village, City of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Lincoln Village neighborhood of Milwaukee, Wisconsin and is the final resting place of many of the city's famed bee ...

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

Mike Todd Michael Todd (born Avrom Hirsch Goldbogen; June 22, 1907 – March 22, 1958) was an American theater and film producer, celebrated for his 1956 ''Around the World in 80 Days (1956 film), Around the World in 80 Days'', which won an Academy ...

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. Showmen's Rest founding and the Hammond circus train wreck of 1918 The Showmen's League ...

), 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, ...

''. 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, United States. 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 fo ...

(originally a Naval Ordnance Plant) operated from early in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

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, with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, such ...

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 b ...

. 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 Forest Park is a station on the Chicago Transit Authority's 'L' system, located in the village of Forest Park, Illinois and serving the Blue Line. Before the Congress Line was built, it served as terminal for the Garfield Line. It is the west ...

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 former television host. As of 2019, he has sold over 30 million records worldwide. Connick is ranked among the top60 best-selling ma ...

and

Russell Crowe Russell Ira Crowe (born 7 April 1964) is an actor and film director. Russell Crowe filmography, His work on screen has earned him List of awards and nominations received by Russell Crowe, various accolades, including an Academy Award, two Gold ...

. Award-winning director/choreographer Kevin Bellie 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 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 ...

, 30.89%

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 ...

, 0.43% Native American, 6.23% Asian, 0.02%

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 ...

, 4.72% from other races, and 8.11% 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 11.32% of the population. There were 6,695 households, out of which 18.8% 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 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 $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 ...

, including 4.4% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over.

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, Illinois, Cook County, as of the 2023 redistricting that followed the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. All or parts of Broadview, Illinois, Broadview, Bellwood, Illino ...

. The

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...

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 Section, Sectioning, or Sectioned may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Section (music), a complete, but not independent, musical idea * Section (typography), a subdivision, especially of a chapter, in books and documents ** Section s ...

, later called the

Section of Fine Arts Section, Sectioning, or Sectioned may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Section (music), a complete, but not independent, musical idea * Section (typography), a subdivision, especially of a chapter, in books and documents ** Section sig ...

, of the Treasury Department. In August of 2024, Forest Park Chief of Police Ken Gross announced a nearly full staff consisting of 34 sworn officers with only 4 vacancies open.

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 referred to as Chicagoland, is the largest metropolitan statistical area in the U.S. state of Illinois, and the Midwest, containing the City of Chicago along with its surrounding suburbs and satellite cities. ...

(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 Oktoberfest (; ) is the world's largest , featuring a beer festival and a travelling carnival, and is held annually in Munich, Bavaria, from mid- or late-September to the first Sunday in October. The annual event attracts more than seven milli ...

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 t ...

, which is by Maywood but technically in unincorporated land. 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 2 ...

, 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 George William Mundelein (July 2, 1872 – October 2, 1939) was an Catholic Church in the United States, American Catholic who served as Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago, Archbishop of Chicago from 1915 until his death in 1939. He was elevat ...

and produced numerous Chicago-area Catholic churches during the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

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

. * The

Ferrara Pan Candy Company Ferrara (; ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) 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 ...

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 Panning is a method for adding a coating to a nucleus, such as confectionery or nuts. It generally involves adding a small object to a large pan which contains a liquid or powder. As the pan spins, a coating forms, which is subsequently dried or s ...

process.

Transportation

Two stations (

and Harlem station) provide 'L' service along the

CTA Blue Line The Blue Line is a Chicago "L" line which runs 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 southwest end in Forest Park, with a ...

. Bus service in the village is provided by

Pace Pace or paces may refer to: Business *Pace (transit), a bus operator in the suburbs of Chicago, US *Pace Airlines, an American charter airline * Pace Foods, a maker of a popular brand of salsa sold in North America, owned by Campbell Soup Compan ...

Notable people

* Kevin Bellie, 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 s ...

, rock drummer of the 1960s who backed

The Mamas & the Papas The Mamas & the Papas were an American folk rock vocal group that recorded and performed from 1965 to 1968, with a brief reunion in 1971. The group was a defining force in the music scene of the counterculture of the 1960s. Formed in New York C ...

and the

Monkees The Monkees were an American pop rock band formed in Los Angeles in the mid-1960s. The band consisted of Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith, and Peter Tork. Spurred by the success of ''The Monkees'' television series, they were one o ...

* Leonard W. Hein, economist, accounting educator *

Bill Idelson Bill Idelson (August 21, 1919 – December 31, 2007) was an American 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 ...

, Actor and Writer *

Erv Lange Erwin Henry "Erv" Lange (August 12, 1887 – April 24, 1971) was a 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", ...

, 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, 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 Villages in Cook County, Illinois Chicago metropolitan area Populated places established in 1907 1907 establishments in Illinois Majority-minority cities and towns in Cook County, Illinois Villages in Illinois