Park Forest, Illinois
Park Forest is a village of 21,156 people in Cook County, Illinois.
Why visit Park Forest
Townapedia lists 5 museums and landmarks, 40 parks and trails, 21 places to eat and 4 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Marcus Cinema Chicago Heights, Governors State University, Bloom High School and Flat Iron Building.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 84°F; January lows average 15°F, and about 28 inches of snow fall in a normal year.
Weather in Park Forest
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Park Forest
Park Forest is a village and south suburb of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States, with a small southern portion in Will County. The village was originally designed by Loebl Schlossman & Bennett as a planned community for veterans returning from World War II. As of the 2020 census, the village had a population of 21,687.
From the Wikipedia article Park Forest, Illinois (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do4
Governors State University
School · 2.8 mi
Public university in Illinois, USA
Tolentine College
School · 2.8 mi
Catholic seminary and college in Olympia Fields, Illinois
Freedom Hall - Park Forest
Cinema and theater
410 Lakewood Boulevard, Park Forest
Museums and landmarks5
Bloom High School
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.2 mi
High school in Illinois, United States
101 W 10Th St, Chicago Heights
Flat Iron Building
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.1 mi
Building in Illinois, United States
Olympia Fields Country Club
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 2.5 mi
Private golf club in the central United States
Chinese House of Park Forest
Monument and historic site · 1.7 mi
428 North Orchard Drive, Park Forest
Parks, trails and playgrounds40
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28 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes21
Baskin-Robbins
Ice cream · Ice Cream · 1.3 mi
3937 Sauk Trail, Richton Park
Mo-Sa 04:00-22:00; Su 05:00-22:00
Bocce's Bar & Grill
Diner · American · 2.1 mi
3909 Lincoln Highway, Matteson
Mo-Sa 11:00-24:00; Su 12:00-22:00
Dunkin'
Fast food · Donut, Coffee Shop · 1.3 mi
3937 Sauk Trail, Richton Park
Mo-Sa 04:00-22:00; Su 05:00-22:00
Dunkin'
Fast food · Donut, Coffee Shop · 2.2 mi
431 West Lincoln Highway, Chicago Heights
Mo-Sa 04:00-18:00; Su 05:00-18:00
9 more on the map.
History
Developers Nathan Manilow, Carroll F. Sweet and Philip M. Klutznick held a press conference in the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago on October 28, 1946, to announce the planned development of a new self-governing community in Chicago's south suburbs. This project, soon to be referred to as Park Forest, was to be developed by American Community Builders (ACB). The village of Park Forest was partly designed by town planner Elbert Peets in the tradition of planned communities around the nation to provide housing for veterans returning from World War II.
Studs Terkel, in his oral history of World War II, The Good War, says Park Forest and other such middle-class suburbs grew out of the new prosperity after the war. First he quotes an unnamed GI, "The war changed our whole idea of how we wanted to live when we came back. We set our sights pretty high. . . . I am now what you'd call middle class." Terkel goes on: "The suburb, until [about 1946], had been the exclusive domain of the 'upper class.' It was where the rich lived. The rest of us were neighborhood folk. At war's end, a new kind of suburb came into being. . . . Thanks to the GI bill, two new names were added to American folksay: Levittown and Park Forest.
From the History section of Park Forest, Illinois on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Churches and places of worship21
Shopping4
Gas and EV charging9
Schools, colleges and libraries58
South Suburban SDA Christian School
School · Seventh Day Adventist · 0.8 mi
119 Chestnut Street, Park Forest
Healthcare3
GPS-Maurice Fitts Page Whole Health and Wellness Health Center
Clinic and pharmacy · 2.1 mi
450 West Lincoln Highway, Chicago Heights
Map of Park Forest
165 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31°F | 15°F | 2.5 in | 10.2 in |
| Feb | 35°F | 18°F | 2.1 in | 7.5 in |
| Mar | 46°F | 28°F | 2.6 in | 4.9 in |
| Apr | 59°F | 38°F | 4.0 in | 0.5 in |
| May | 71°F | 49°F | 4.6 in | 0.0 in |
| Jun | 80°F | 59°F | 4.9 in | 0.0 in |
| Jul | 84°F | 64°F | 4.7 in | 0.0 in |
| Aug | 82°F | 62°F | 4.0 in | 0.0 in |
| Sep | 76°F | 55°F | 3.4 in | 0.0 in |
| Oct | 63°F | 42°F | 3.6 in | 0.2 in |
| Nov | 48°F | 31°F | 3.0 in | 0.9 in |
| Dec | 36°F | 22°F | 2.5 in | 4.0 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Park Forest (1 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
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
Gary/Chicago International Airport (GYY) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 17 miles away.
- Chicago Heights 3 mi northeast, about 5 min by car
- Matteson 4 mi northwest, about 6 min by car
- Homewood 5 mi north, about 9 min by car
- Country Club Hills 6 mi north, about 10 min by car
- Hazel Crest 6 mi north, about 10 min by car
- Markham 8 mi north, about 13 min by car
- Harvey 9 mi north, about 14 min by car
- Lansing 9 mi northeast, about 15 min by car
- Oak Forest 9 mi north, about 15 min by car
- Frankfort 10 mi west, about 16 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
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- 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
- 20130403 16 Pace bus, Park Forest (9252275448), David Wilson from Oak Park, Illinois, USA, CC BY 2.0
- 218th St at Wildwood Dr - Park Forest, IL - September 2024, AlphaBeta135, CC BY 4.0
- Main St and Central Park Ave at Richton Park and Park Forest, AlphaBeta135, CC BY 4.0
- Bloom High School Zol87 front right 4980746453, Zol87 from Chicago, Illinois, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Flat Iron Building NRHP 03000917 Cook County, IL, Jon Roanhaus, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Governors State University D Building, main entrance, TheCatalyst31, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Metra Electric train at rail yard - Richton Park, IL - September 2024, AlphaBeta135, CC BY 4.0
- Richton Park station platform (September 2024), AlphaBeta135, CC BY 4.0
- Metra Electric southbound view at Richton Park station, AlphaBeta135, CC BY 4.0
- Richton Park station house interior, AlphaBeta135, CC BY 4.0
- Richton Park station house and parking entrance, AlphaBeta135, CC BY 4.0
- Metra parking lot east of Matteson station - Matteson, IL - September 2024, AlphaBeta135, CC BY 4.0
- Matteson station platform - Matteson, IL - June 2023, AlphaBeta135, CC BY 4.0
- Matteson, Illinois, GR_Pei, Public domain
- ISS040-E-31621 - View of Earth, Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Public domain
- Old Plank Road Trail at Maple St - Matteson, IL - June 2023, AlphaBeta135, CC BY 4.0
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