Melrose Park, Illinois
Melrose Park is a village of 24,549 people in Cook County, Illinois.
Why visit Melrose Park
Townapedia lists 49 museums and landmarks, 78 parks and trails, 82 places to eat, 2 places to stay and 3 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Cinemark Melrose Park, Concordia University Chicago, Albert Soffel House and Arthur Heurtley House.
Weather in Melrose Park
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Melrose Park
Melrose Park is a village in Leyden and Proviso Townships, Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is a suburb of Chicago. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 24,796.
From the Wikipedia article Melrose Park, Illinois (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do3
Concordia University Chicago
School · 2.8 mi
Private Lutheran university in River Forest, Illinois
Kiddieland Amusement Park
Monument and historic site · 1.5 mi
Former amusement park in Melrose Park, Illinois, United States
Museums and landmarks49
Albert Soffel House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.4 mi
Historic house in Illinois, United States
Arthur Heurtley House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.4 mi
House in the Chicago suburb of Oak Park, Illinois, United States
Baptist Retirement Home
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.9 mi
Retirement home in Maywood, Illinois
Caroline Grow House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.4 mi
Historic house at 603 N. 6th Avenue in Maywood, Illinois
Caroline Millward House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.5 mi
Historic house in Illinois, United States
Dohrmann-Buckman House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 2.2 mi
House in River Grove, Illinois
Edward Hines, Jr., Veterans Administration Hospital
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.1 mi
Hospital in Illinois, United States
F.B. Henderson House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.9 mi
Historic house in Elmhurst, Illinois, United States
Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.3 mi
Historic house in Illinois, United States
Frank Lloyd Wright-Prairie School of Architecture Historic District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.7 mi
Human settlement in Oak Park, Illinois, United States of America
Frank W. Thomas House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.4 mi
Historic house in Oak Park, Illinois
Harry H. Nichols House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.8 mi
Historic house in Maywood, Illinois
37 more on the map.
Parks, trails and playgrounds78
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Scoville Park
Park · National Register of Historic Places · 3.7 mi
Public park in Oak Park, Illinois
Trailside Museum of Natural History
Hiking and trails · 2.0 mi
738 Thatcher Avenue, River Forest
sunrise-sunset
66 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes82
Baskin-Robbins
Ice cream · Ice Cream · 1.0 mi
912 Winston Plaza, Melrose Park
Mo-Sa 04:00-22:00; Su 05:00-22:00
Carnitas Don Alfredo Original
Restaurant · Mexican · 0.5 mi
2501 West Lake Street, Melrose Park
Mo-Fr 08:00-20:00; Sa-Su 06:30-20:00
Sabor de Mi Tierra
Restaurant · Mexican · 1.1 mi
1700 North Mannheim Road, Stone Park
Tu-Fr 10:00-21:00; Sa 10:00-22:00; Su 10:00-20:00
Playas Nayaritas
Restaurant · Mexican, Seafood · 0.6 mi
2211 West Lake Street, Melrose Park
Su-Th 11:00-22:00; Fr-Sa 10:00-23:00
Restaurant y Taqueria Jerez
Restaurant · Mexican · 0.6 mi
2216 West Lake Street, Melrose Park
Mo-Fr 11:00-20:00; Sa,Su 10:00-19:00
70 more on the map.
History
According to the Encyclopedia of Chicago, in 1882 residents of a then-unincorporated portion of Proviso Township voted to establish their own municipality—called simply "Melrose" until 11 years later, in 1893, when the "Park" was added and population in the area began to steadily increase. The first Italian-Americans arrived in 1888.
On March 28, 1920, the F4 Palm Sunday tornado cut a 328-foot-wide (100 m) path over 1,094 yards (1,000 m) through the village and killed ten people. It destroyed the Sacred Heart Church and attached convent.
At the turn of the 20th century, the population surge plateaued and industry began to stagnate; it was only after World War I that the local economy was able to recover, the result of some manufacturing companies setting up shop in the village. New industry, coupled with Melrose Park's prime geographic location next to the Proviso freight yards, led to a steady increase in the number of area jobs. This continued after World War II, with still more companies moving to Melrose Park. Zenith Electronics, Alberto-Culver, Jewel, and International Harvester (now Navistar) are some examples. Many of these companies are still located in Melrose Park and the local industry remains stable, but Alberto-Culver no longer exists, Zenith continues to exist as a brand only today, and Navistar's plant facility closed in 2021 and was eventually demolished.
From the History section of Melrose Park, Illinois on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay2
Super 8 by Wyndham Chicago Northlake O'Hare South
Motel and hotel · 1.4 mi
2080 North Mannheim Road, Northlake
Churches and places of worship64
Saint John the Baptist Melkite Catholic Church
Church · Catholic · 1.7 mi
200 East North Avenue, Northlake
Saint John the Baptist Serbian Eastern Orthodox Church
Church · Serbian Orthodox · 1.6 mi
405 Englewood Avenue, Bellwood
Mar Thoma Sleeha Cathedral
Church · Catholic · 1.9 mi
5000 Saint Charles Road, Bellwood
Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses
Church · Jehovahs Witness · 2.1 mi
4745 Butterfield Road, Hillside
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church
Church · Roman Catholic · 0.4 mi
1101 North 23rd Avenue, Melrose Park
Rock of Ages Baptist Church
Church · Baptist · 1.8 mi
1309 Madison Street, Maywood
Shopping16
Carnicerias Jimenez Fresh Market
Grocery · 0.7 mi
717 Broadway Avenue, Melrose Park
Gas and EV charging37
Schools, colleges and libraries89
Healthcare13
Melrose Park Urgent Care Walk In Clinic
Clinic and pharmacy · 0.9 mi
106 Broadway Avenue, Melrose Park
Concentra Urgent Care
Clinic and pharmacy · 2.0 mi
10137 West Grand Avenue, Franklin Park
DaVita Dialysis
Clinic and pharmacy · 1.1 mi
1985 North Mannheim Road, Melrose Park
Fresenius Kidney Care
Clinic and pharmacy · 1.4 mi
6 North 9th Avenue, Melrose Park
Kindred Hospital Chicago Northlake
Hospital · 1.4 mi
365 East North Avenue, Northlake
Map of Melrose Park
250 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Cook County has had 12 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for severe storms.
- 2024-09-20: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, And Floodng (Flood)
- 2023-11-20: Severe Storms And Flooding (Flood)
- 2023-08-15: Severe Storms And Flooding (Severe Storm)
- 2020-03-26: Covid-19 Pandemic (Biological)
- 2020-03-13: Covid-19 (Biological)
- 2013-05-10: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding (Flood)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
O'Hare International Airport (ORD) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 6 miles away.
- Bellwood 2 mi southwest, about 2 min by car
- Maywood 2 mi southeast, about 3 min by car
- Franklin Park 2 mi north, about 4 min by car
- Elmwood Park 3 mi northeast, about 4 min by car
- Forest Park 3 mi southeast, about 6 min by car
- Elmhurst 4 mi west, about 7 min by car
- La Grange Park 5 mi south, about 8 min by car
- Brookfield 5 mi south, about 9 min by car
- Berwyn 6 mi southeast, about 9 min by car
- Bensenville 6 mi northwest, about 9 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Downtown Melrose Park, Dennisyerger84, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Dominican University, River Forest IL, Parmer Hall, Soccer Field, CarrieSfuller, CC BY-SA 3.0
- World War I Monument (7420529274), Teemu008 from Palatine, Illinois, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Lynch, Timothy J House 2, Thshriver, CC BY-SA 3.0
- William Drummond House, Teemu08 at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Oak Park Il Heurtley House4, IvoShandor, CC BY 2.5
- Harry H Nichols House 2012-09-05 1, JPSousa, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Robinwood (Elmhurst, Illinois) 01, G LeTourneau, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Robinson House 2012-09-05 1, JPSousa, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Oak Park Il Unity Temple9, IvoShandor, CC BY 2.5
- Oak Park Il Mrs. Gale House4, IvoShandor, CC BY 2.5
- Haymarket Martyr's Memorial, Zol87 from Chicago, IL, USA, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Oak Park Il Balch House2, IvoShandor, CC BY 2.5
- The Akin House, Boscophotos, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Soffel, Albert House, Thshriver, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Thompkins, Jennie S House 2, Thshriver, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Gibbs, William and Caroline House 1, Thshriver, CC BY-SA 3.0
- William and Jeanette Sloan House, JimRoberts, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio (west side zoom), John Delano, Attribution
- Mads C Larson House 2012-09-05 1, JPSousa, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Robbins Park Historic District, Teemu08 ( talk ), CC BY-SA 3.0
- Frangenheim, William House, Thshriver, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Oak Park Il Thomas House4, IvoShandor, CC BY 2.5
- Grow, Caroline House, Thshriver, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Image West side of Cluever House, Boscophotos, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Millward, Caroline House, Thshriver, CC BY-SA 3.0
- William Hatch House, Teemu08 at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Former Marshall Field and Company Store in Oak Park, Zol87 from Chicago, IL, USA, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Dorhmann-Buckman House 4, Thshriver, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Frank B. Henderson House (Elmhurst, Illinois) 01, G LeTourneau, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Oak Park Il Walter Gale House4, IvoShandor, CC BY 2.5
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