Forest Park, IL, Website

Forest Park, Illinois. The Village of Forest Park is a working class community that approximates U.S. national averages in gender and racial categories. While median income is lower, unemployment and poverty levels are much less than the national average. One would not expect that Forest Park would need as many services for the poor and unemployed as inner cities, such as Chicago.

Due to the probably growth of the under-18 population, and the high incidence of single-parent families, Forest Park now needs and will have an increased need for day-care and after-school programs.

Forest Park has one community center, named for former mayor Howard Mohr, providing classes for adults and children, day care, counseling, summer day camp, job corps, Meals-on-Wheels, food and clothing assistance, and Dial-A-Ride. Forest Park has one licensed day care center, Kangaroo Corner, providing day care for ages 2-9. There is one private counseling center called the Center for Human Services providing group, family, individual, and couples counseling. Forest Park has one hospital, Riveredge Hospital, which is a psychiatric hospital providing inpatient and outpatient services, as well as drug treatment. McNeal Hospital maintains a Health Center for family medicine in Forest Park, and one of the Suburban Cook County Tuberculosis Clinics is in Forest Park. Catholic Charities has a satellite center for temporary emergency assistance in Forest Park. There are two centers for elderly in Forest Park, the Altenheim Geriatric Center, which provides sheltered, intermediate, and independent living situations; and the Proviso Counsel on Aging, which provides adult day car, nutrition, podiatric services, transportation services, in-home services, information and referral, and support groups.

Forest Park is a diverse and vibrant community with a downtown district that is home to 16 historic commercial blocks where residents and visitors alike enjoy over 125 businesses offering specialty shopping, services and dining.

Profile: Forest Park (from Chicago Tribune)

By Mary Maguire
Tribune staff reporter

Oak Park and River Forest, those respectively hoity and toity near-west suburbs, seem in denial over Forest Park. Residents ignore or deride their blue-collar neighbor.

While Forest Park is not oblivious to the haughty treatment, the village with the smiley-faced water tower is doing just fine on its own, thank you. The north end in particular is enjoying a bit of a renaissance.

The north end of Forest Park is a nicely integrated community of sensible, durable pre-World War II homes, hot new town homes and loft developments, an eclectic mix of restaurants and bars, and a bowling alley.

Real-estate prices haven't gone through the roof, and young families still can afford a first home in a safe neighborhood near a rapid-transit line. In fact, take your pick of CTA lines. Both the Green and Blue "L" lines have Forest Park terminals.

"It's an older community with character, but because our homes are affordable, we're getting a lot more young people moving here," said Jerry Jacknow, broker-owner of the firm Jerry Jacknow Realtor and a village commissioner for the past 15 years.

"We're finding that couples with children are buying the homes, and couples without children are buying the new town homes and the lofts."

Carlotta Madonia and her husband, Loretto, may be bucking the trend as empty-nesters. They wanted a loft near shops, restaurants and entertainment. After a brief search in Chicago, they realized all that could be found in Forest Park.

"When my friends see the exposed brick walls and wood beams, they can't believe this is Forest Park. But the best part is, I'm no longer paying high taxes like I did when I was living in Oak Park," said Madonia.

The lofts are an intriguing nod to development projects in Chicago that transform industrial buildings into dynamic living space. Franklin Market at Franklin and Marengo, where the Madonias live, is a former paint factory gutted and nicely modernized. The new Brown Street Station near Lathrop Avenue includes a former meat processing plant as part of a development that also features new townhouses.

Though Roosevelt Road slices through further south, Madison Street between Harlem and Lathrop Avenues is the main thoroughfare. Here a bevy of bars and liquor stores adjoin an unusual array of antique and second-hand stores, furniture and appliance stores, banks, real-estate agencies, a funeral home, military surplus and ethnic grocery stores, an indoor archery range, a storefront church and the Jefferson Award-winning Circle Theatre.

Forest Park's eastern border is Harlem Avenue, and Harlem was the town's original name at the start of the 20th century. On the west is an impressive collection of cemeteries housing so many of the formerly living that "Ripley's Believe It or Not" once recognized Forest Park as "more dead than alive." Among those buried here is Michael Todd, Elizabeth Taylor's first husband.

The north and south boundaries are the Green Line and Cermak Road.

Another landmark is Goldyburgers, a seasoned tavern opened in the late 1920s and renowned for its hamburgers. "People keep coming back because this is a friendly place where you can bring the kids for a great burger," said manager Terry Sullivan.

The south side of town, particularly south of the Eisenhower Expressway, presents a similar mix of pre-war buildings, but with smaller homes packed more closely together. Field Stevenson Elementary School is here, as is the aromatic Ferrara Pan Candy Co., makers of such famous candies as Jawbreakers, Lemonheads and Red Hots. This is also where the Forest Park Park District, with its popular new Aquatic Park, hosts the fireworks show on the Fourth of July.

For many people, Forest Park is more than meets the eye. "I lived one town over for 25 years," said new resident Madonia, "and never realized Forest Park had so much to offer."