Melrose Park, Illinois

Coordinates: 41°54′28″N 87°51′52″W / 41.90778°N 87.86444°W / 41.90778; -87.86444
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Melrose Park, Illinois
Village
Downtown Melrose Park
Downtown Melrose Park
847/224
FIPS code17-48242
Wikimedia CommonsMelrose Park, Illinois
Websitemelrosepark.org

Melrose Park is a village in

2020 census it had a population of 24,796.[2]

The suburb was the home of Kiddieland Amusement Park from 1929 until 2010 (it closed in September 2009 before it was demolished in 2010 and the sign of Kiddieland was relocated to the Melrose Park Public Library; a Costco warehouse store now stands in its place), the Shrine of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Stern Pinball, Inc., the Melrose Park Taste, and the now-defunct Maywood Park horse racing track.

There is a

Metra railroad station
in Melrose Park with daily service to Chicago. Melrose Park is home to Gottlieb Memorial Hospital.

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.[3]

At the turn of the 20th century, the population surge plateaued and industry began to stagnate; it was only after

Jewel, and International Harvester (now Navistar) are some examples.[4]
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.

During the late 1990s, in an effort to attract more commerce, the village underwent major cosmetic improvements, beginning with the redesigning of all village street signs. The wooded area on both sides of Silver Creek, between Broadway and 17th Avenue along North Avenue, was almost completely excavated, the grass replaced, and wood chips were added along the bases of the remaining trees. Many busy streets were repaved and the athletic field next to the village hall was completely redone. This has helped not only to attract new businesses, but also many first-time home buyers.

The athletic field next to the village hall is named after the late Ralph "Babe" Serpico, father of the current mayor, Ronald M. Serpico.

Economy

WWII. Melrose Park Immediate Care is a medical and dental clinic located in downtown Melrose Park. Melrose Park is also home to WellNow Urgent Care
and West Lake Urgent Care.

In March 2021 Lake Book Manufacturing, a company of nearly 300 employees specializing in book printing, was acquired by Grafica Veneta.[5]

Geography

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Melrose Park has a total area of 4.35 square miles (11.27 km2), all land.[6]

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1880200—
1890650225.0%
19002,592298.8%
19104,80685.4%
19207,14748.7%
193010,74150.3%
194010,9331.8%
195013,36622.3%
196022,29166.8%
197022,7161.9%
198020,735−8.7%
199020,8590.6%
200023,17111.1%
201025,4119.7%
202024,796−2.4%
U.S. Decennial Census[7]

As of the

Latino
of any race were 74.69% of the population.

There were 7,861 households, out of which 42.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.34% were married couples living together, 15.32% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.67% were non-families. 25.48% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.75% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.91 and the average family size was 3.22.

The village's age distribution consisted of 26.6% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 31% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 10.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 106.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.5 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $53,596, and the median income for a family was $58,589. Males had a median income of $35,774 versus $27,872 for females. The

poverty line
, including 21.4% of those under age 18 and 13.5% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Elementary school districts serving sections of Melrose Park:[9]

High schools and colleges in Melrose Park:[9]

Proviso Township High Schools District 209 serves Melrose Park students with Proviso East High School in Maywood.[10]

Other private schools in the area are Fenwick High School in Oak Park and St. Patrick High School in Chicago.[9]

The area’s community college is Triton College in River Grove.

Transportation

The

Melrose Park station provides Metra commuter rail service along the Union Pacific West Line. Trains travel east to Ogilvie Transportation Center in Chicago, and west to Elburn station. Bus service in the village is provided by Pace.[11]

Notable people

Sports

In 2012, Melrose Park became home to the

Homer Glen
. They wrapped up following their inaugural season.

References

  1. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  2. ^ "Demographics & Facts about Melrose Park". melrosepark.org. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
  3. ISBN 978-0-7385-6093-9
    .
  4. ^ "Melrose Park, IL". www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
  5. ^ "Book: Italian printer Grafica Veneta acquires American Lake Book Manufacturing". PrintIndustry.news.
  6. ^ "Gazetteer Files". Census.gov. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
  7. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  8. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  9. ^ a b c "Public Grade and High Schools." Melrose Park, Illinois. Retrieved on March 18, 2017.
  10. ^ "About Proviso Township High Schools District 209 Archived 2017-04-12 at the Wayback Machine." Proviso Township High Schools District 209. Retrieved on February 23, 2014.
  11. ^ "RTA System Map" (PDF). Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  12. ^ Day, William L., ed. (September 1976). "For the Record: Judicial Candidates". Illinois Issues. 2 (9). Sangamon State University. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  13. ^ Nicholas John Bua at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
  14. ^ "SLATE 4 HOUR NIGHT PAGEANT FOR M'ARTHUR: Hero Will Be Center of Spectacle". Chicago Tribune. April 25, 1951.
  15. ^ Mike Woodard, Society for American Baseball Research.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Melrose Park, Illinois.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Melrose Park.
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