Living In Oak Park -- Community

The neighborhoods of Oak Park are filled with the community’s most compelling asset – people. Oak Park is home to families, children, singles, partners and seniors. These people are different yet united in spirit. They take the time to shop at the Farmer’s Market, watch fireworks on the Fourth of July and shovel each other out in a snowstorm. Oak Parkers aren’t afraid to get their feet wet – together – at Ridgeland Commons or Rehm Park swimming pools. They play games in the streets and barbecue together at more than 300 block parties each summer.

Together, these people form the very essence of the Village. They live side by side in neighborhoods where the homes are as varied as the people living within them. You will find painted ladies and Prairie Style architecture next to neat stucco, frame and brick homes. There are vintage apartment buildings amidst bungalows, along with new construction and ongoing restoration, both inside and out. Like the people who live here, their homes contribute to a unique sense of character to their surroundings.

Oak Park is a leader in environmental consciousness. The state’s first LEED-certified public works building is in Oak Park. The municipal fleet has one of the state’s largest contingents of alternate fuel vehicles. LEDs are replacing traffic signals and streetlights. In addition, a comprehensive bicycling plan and abundant public transportation option make leaving one’s car at home an easier choice.

Perhaps the most telling statement about community is the Village’s policy on maintaining diversity, first authored in 1973 by Village Trustees, then reaffirmed and broadened regularly in the years since. Whether you call it diversity or simply community, it’s what Oak Park is all about.

The geography

Oak Park is located immediately west of Chicago, at 41° 53’ 6” north latitude, 87° 47’ 3” west longitude. The oundary between the two municipalities is Austin Boulevard on the east side of Oak Park and North Avenue on the north side. Oak Park also borders Cicero along its southern border, Roosevelt Road, from Austin to Lombard Avenue, and Berwyn from Lombard to Harlem Avenue. Harlem also serves as Oak Park’s western border. On its west, Oak Park
borders Forest Park along Harlem between Roosevelt and South Boulevard, and River Forest between North Boulevard and North Avenue. The total land area of Oak Park is approximately 4.7 square miles. The entire Village of Oak Park lies on the shore of the ancient Lake Chicago, which covered most of the city of Chicago during the last Ice Age and is today called Lake Michigan. Ridgeland Avenue in eastern Oak Park marks the shoreline of the ancient lake, and was once an actual ridge. One of North America’s four continental divides runs through Oak Park, approximately from North and Ridgeland avenues, through Taylor Park at Division Street, to Scoville Park at Lake Street, where it veers west to Harlem Avenue. This divide separates the St. Lawrence River watershed from the Mississippi River watershed.

"The people of Oak Park choose this community, not just as a place to live, but as a way of life ... Ours is a dynamic community that encourages the contributions of all citizens, regardless of race, gender, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, religion, economic status, political affiliation or any of the other distinguishing characteristics that all too often divide people in society."

— Oak Park Diversity Statement

Download a copy of the complete text of Oak Park's Diversity Statement