Oak Park, Illinois
Oak Park is a village of 53,292 people in Cook County, Illinois, founded in 1835.
Why visit Oak Park
Townapedia lists 137 museums and landmarks, 77 parks and trails, 166 places to eat and 8 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Dominican University, Kiddieland Amusement Park, Columbus Park and Ernest Hemingway Birthplace Museum.
Weather in Oak Park
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Oak Park
Oak Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, adjacent to Chicago. It is the 26th-most populous municipality in Illinois, with a population of 54,318 as of the 2020 census. Oak Park was first settled in 1835 and later incorporated in 1902, when it separated from Cicero. It is closely tied to the smaller village of River Forest sharing a chamber of commerce and a high school, Oak Park and River Forest High School.
From the Wikipedia article Oak Park, Illinois (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do8
Dominican University
School · 2.0 mi
Catholic university in River Forest, Illinois, affiliated with the Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters
Kiddieland Amusement Park
Monument and historic site · 2.8 mi
Former amusement park in Melrose Park, Illinois, United States
Museums and landmarks137
Columbus Park
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.5 mi
Park in Illinois, United States of America
501 South Central Avenue, Chicago
Ernest Hemingway Birthplace Museum
Museum · 0.5 mi
339 North Oak Park Avenue, Oak Park
We-Fr 13:00-17:00; Sa 10:00-17:00; Su 13:00-17:00
Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.7 mi
Historic house in Illinois, United States
951 Chicago Avenue, Oak Park
Oak Park Conservatory
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.1 mi
United States historic place
615 Garfield Street, Oak Park
Oak Park Village Hall
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.8 mi
United States historic place
123 Madison Street, Oak Park
Scoville Park
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places
Public park in Oak Park, Illinois
800 Lake Street, Oak Park
Seth Warner House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.3 mi
House in Chicago, Illinois
631 North Central Avenue, Chicago
Albert Soffel House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 2.6 mi
Historic house in Illinois, United States
American State Bank
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 2.6 mi
Historic bank building in Berwyn, Illinois, United States
Arthur Heurtley House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.6 mi
House in the Chicago suburb of Oak Park, Illinois, United States
Arthur J. Dunham House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.6 mi
Historic house in Berwyn, Illinois
Austin Historic District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.0 mi
Residential historic district in central Austin, Chicago, Illinois
125 more on the map.
Parks, trails and playgrounds77
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Austin Town Hall Park Historic District
Park · National Register of Historic Places · 1.2 mi
Park and historic district in the Austin neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois
65 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes166
Autre Monde Cafe
Restaurant · Mediterranean · 1.5 mi
6727 West Roosevelt Road, Berwyn
Tu-Th 17:00-21:30; Fr-Sa 17:00-22:30; Su 17:00-20:30
Baskin-Robbins
Ice cream · Ice Cream · 1.8 mi
782 North Laramie Avenue, Chicago
Mo-Fr 04:30-20:00; Sa-Su 05:00-20:00
Baskin-Robbins
Ice cream · Ice Cream · 0.7 mi
217 Madison Street, Oak Park
Mo-Sa 04:00-22:00; Su 05:00-22:00
New Pot Restauraunt
Restaurant · Thai
727 Lake Street, Oak Park
Mo-Th 11:30-21:30; Fr, Sa 11:30-22:00; Su 17:00-21:00
The Junction Diner
Restaurant · Diner, American · 1.1 mi
7401 Madison Street, Forest Park
Tu-Fr 11:00-21:00; Sa-Su 09:00-20:00; Mo off
Crumb Crusher Cupcakes
Bakery
805 South Boulevard, Oak Park
Tu,We,Fr 10:00-19:00; Sa 10:00-15:00; Su 10:00-13:00
154 more on the map.
History
In 1835, Joseph and Betty Kettlestrings, immigrants from Yorkshire, England, staked out a farm and built a house near Lake Street and Harlem Avenue, west of Chicago. Once their children were born, they moved to Chicago for the schools in 1843, and moved back again in 1855 to build a more substantial home a bit east on their quarter section of land. More farmers and settlers had entered the area. Their land was called by several names locally, including Oak Ridge, Harlem, and Kettlestrings Grove. When the first post office was set up, it could not use the name Oak Ridge, as another post office was using that name in Illinois, so the post office chose Oak Park, and that name became the name for the settlement as it grew, and for the town when it incorporated in 1902.
From the History section of Oak Park, Illinois on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Churches and places of worship127
Greek Orthodox Church of the Assumption
Church · Greek Orthodox · 1.7 mi
601 South Central Avenue, Chicago
First Congregational Church of Austin
Church · National Register of Historic Places · 1.1 mi
Greater Holy Temple Church of God in Christ
Church · Church Of God · 1.1 mi
5701 West Midway Park, Chicago
Shopping25
Gas and EV charging26
Schools, colleges and libraries106
Healthcare20
Immediate Care of Oak Park
Clinic and pharmacy · 0.7 mi
1000 Madison Street, Oak Park
Map of Oak 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
Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 7 miles away.
- Forest Park 2 mi southwest, about 3 min by car
- Elmwood Park 3 mi northwest, about 4 min by car
- Maywood 3 mi west, about 5 min by car
- Berwyn 3 mi south, about 5 min by car
- Cicero 3 mi southeast, about 5 min by car
- Melrose Park 4 mi west, about 6 min by car
- Bellwood 4 mi west, about 7 min by car
- Brookfield 5 mi southwest, about 8 min by car
- Lyons 5 mi south, about 9 min by car
- Chicago 6 mi southeast, about 10 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
- Oak park lake street, Aude, CC BY-SA 2.5
- Third Unitarian Church 1, Thshriver, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio (west side zoom), John Delano, Attribution
- World War I Monument (7420529274), Teemu008 from Palatine, Illinois, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Warner, Seth House 1 crop, Thshriver, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Oak Park Il Conservatory1, IvoShandor, CC BY 2.5
- Oak Park Il Unity Temple9, IvoShandor, CC BY 2.5
- Calvary Memorial Church Oak Park il, NessieVL, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Austintownhallfront, Steven Kevil, Public domain
- 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
- Robinson House 2012-09-05 1, JPSousa, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Austin Historic District 2, Thshriver, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Image 6727 Riverside, Boscophotos, CC BY-SA 3.0
- 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
- Chicago Telephone Company Kedzie Exchange Building, Zol87 from Chicago, IL, USA, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Gunderson HD, Teemu08 at en.wikipedia, 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
- Arthur J. Dunham House, Berwyn, IL, ChicagoGeek, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Berwyn Health Center, Teemu08, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Leglerlibrary, Seth Patner, Public domain
- Mads C Larson House 2012-09-05 1, JPSousa, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Joseph J Walser Jr House 2, Zol87 from Chicago, IL, USA, Public domain
- 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
- Berwyn Municipal Building, Teemu08, 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
- Oak Park Il Smith House1, IvoShandor, CC BY 2.5
- 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
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