Melrose Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is a suburb of Chicago,14 miles by road. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 25,411. Melrose Park had long been home to a large Italian-American population, but is now overwhelmingly Hispanic, based on US Census data.
The suburb was the home of Kiddieland Amusement Park from 1929 until 2010 (it closed in September 2009 before it was demolished), the Shrine of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, and Stern Pinball, Inc., which is now the world's last manufacturer of coin-operated pinball machines.
There is a Metra railroad station in Melrose Park with daily service to Chicago. Melrose Park is home to two hospitals, Westlake Hospital and Gottlieb Memorial Hospital.
Video Melrose Park, Illinois
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 1893, when the "Park" was added--and population in the area began to steadily increase. The first Italian-Americans arrived in 1888. On April 19, 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.
At the turn of the century, the population surge plateaued and industry began to stagnate; it was only after World War I that the local economy was able to recover, the result of a number of manufacturing companies setting up shop in the village. New industry, coupled with Melrose Park's prime geographic location next to the Proviso freight yards, led to a steady increase in the number of area jobs. This continued after World War II, with still more companies moving to Melrose Park. Zenith Electronics, Alberto-Culver, Jewel, and International Harvester (now Navistar) are some examples. Many of these companies are still located in Melrose Park and the local industry remains stable, but neither Alberto-Culver (shuttered its doors in 2013) nor Zenith exist.
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.
Unincorporated Leyden township is partially located in Melrose Park, IL and the residents in that part have a Melrose Park address.
Maps Melrose Park, Illinois
Economy
Navistar International has a factory and an engine group office in Melrose Park. Melrose Park Immediate Care is a medical and dental clinic located in downtown Melrose park.
Geography
According to the 2010 census, Melrose Park has a total area of 4.24 square miles (10.98 km2), all land.
Demographics
As of the census of 2010, there were 25,411 people residing in the village. The racial makeup of the village was 57.0% White, 5.9% African American, 0.5% Native American, 1.8% Asian, 31.8% from other races, and 3.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 69.6% of the population.
Education
Elementary school districts serving sections of Melrose Park:
- Maywood-Melrose Park-Broadview School District 89
- Jane Addams Elementary School
- Melrose Park Elementary School
- Stevenson Middle School
- Mannheim School District 83
- Mannheim Middle School
- Scott Elementary School
- Enger School (for disabled children)
- Bellwood School District 88
- Grant Elementary School
Proviso Township High Schools District 209 operates public high schools. The community is served by Proviso East High School in Maywood.
Private schools:
- Apostles Lutheran School
- H. McNelty School
- Sacred Heart School
- St. Charles Borromeo School
- St. Paul Lutheran School
- Walther Christian Academy (formerly Walther Lutheran High School)
Nearby private schools include Fenwick High School in Oak Park and St. Patrick High School in Chicago.
Triton College is the area community college.
Notable people
- Joseph Aiuppa, Chicago mob boss notable for Las Vegas casino skimming.
- Clara Cannucciari, host of the web series Great Depression Cooking with Clara and author of the book Clara's Kitchen
- Anna Chlumsky, actress, graduated from Walther Lutheran in Melrose Park
- Tim Costo, outfielder and first baseman for the Cincinnati Reds
- Jay Cutler, bought a house in Melrose Park in 2010
- Michael Finley, former NBA all-star with the Dallas Mavericks, played for several NBA teams
- Roy Gleason, outfielder with the Los Angeles Dodgers
- Dennis Grimaldi, actor, dancer, director, choreographer and TV producer, Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning theatre producer
- Ken Grundt, professional pitcher for several league baseball organizations
- Carol Lawrence, actress, singer and dancer
- Corey Maggette, small forward and shooting guard for several NBA teams
- Caroline Myss, spiritual author
- Glenn (Doc) Rivers, guard for the Atlanta Hawks and now coach of the Los Angeles Clippers
- Vasili Spanos, Minor League third baseman, played for the US Olympic baseball team (2004)
- Mike Woodard, second baseman for the San Francisco Giants and Chicago White Sox
Sports
In 2012, Melrose Park became home to the Chicago Vipers who play in the Continental Indoor Football League. They play their home games at Sports Zone.
References
External links
- Village of Melrose Park official website
- Melrose Park Police Department
- Melrose Park history from Encyclopedia of Chicago
- Melrose Park Public Library
- Melrose Park Public Library Historical Collection
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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