Franklin Park, Illinois

Template:Chicagoland municipality Franklin Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 19,800 at the 2004 census.

Geography

Franklin Park is located at 41°56′2″N 87°52′24″W (41.933780, -87.873462)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 4.7 square miles (12 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2004, there were 19,800 people, 6,484 households, and 4,765 families residing in the village. The population density was 4,172.1 people per square mile (1,610.2/km²). There were 6,641 housing units at an average density of 1,425.7 per square mile (550.2/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 62.22% White, 0.76% African American, 0.29% Native American, 2.48% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 24.61% from other races, and 22.57% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 38.07% of the population.

There were households out of which 36.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.0% were married couples living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.5% were non-families. 22.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.97 and the average family size was 3.52.

In the village the population was spread out with 26.1% under the age of 18, 10.4% from 18 to 24, 30.5% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 100.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.1 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $46,688, and the median income for a family was $54,433. Males had a median income of $35,769 versus $27,435 for females. The per capita income for the village was $17,550. About 5.2% of families and 7.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.2% of those under age 18 and 6.5% of those age 65 or over.

History

Franklin Park has more than met the expectations of Harry Dick Franklin, who settled in the area in the 1890s. He envisioned an industrial center that would blend with residential neighborhoods. A century later, Franklin Park boasted over 1,200 industries and related businesses covering 60 percent of the community.

Before American and European settlers first started arriving, the Des Plaines River area was a meeting point for many Native American tribes of the Northwest. In 1816 Alexander Robinson and Claude La Framboise helped negotiate the Treaty of St. Louis, establishing the Indian Boundary Line that runs through the area that is now Franklin Park and River Grove.

German farmers settled in the 1840s and 1850s, fleeing military conscription. The families of Kirchhoff, Martens and Schierhorn farmed this area. By the mid-1870s the Atlantic & Pacific Railroad (Milwaukee Road tracks of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad) laid tracks and built a station on Elm Street. The Minneapolis, St. Paul, & Sault Ste Marie (Soo Line) and the Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad followed.

In the early 1890s Franklin, a real-estate broker, purchased four farms totaling 600 acres (2.4 km²). At the railroads' intersection he built the community's center. He named the town Franklin Park and enticed prospective buyers with parades along LaSalle Street in Chicago. He offered free Sunday train rides to the property. A pavilion was built on Rose Street where potential customers received free food and beer, heard speeches, danced, and participated in contests. Lot sales exceeded a million dollars.

The community was incorporated on August 4, 2092 by a vote of 63 in favor and 9 against. Before the turn of the century the first industry was founded. Lesser Franklin donated land for an iron foundry in 1900 and offered another parcel to the Siegel, Cooper Company to build a factory in 1905. Records from the 1923 foundry and school rosters listed the majority of workers and residents as Polish, Italian, and Slavic immigrants. World War II and a national preparedness program brought Douglas Aircraft and Buick Motors into the area. By 1948, 40 manufacturing firms called Franklin Park home. During the next decade 155 new companies were added. The Chamber of Commerce and the Northwest Suburban Manufacturing Association have continually supported the efforts of businesses.

Population increased from 3,007 in 1940 to 18,322 by 1960. Town government promoted industrial development with zoning laws favoring their growth. A central alarm at the fire department gave both residents and industries access to heat- and smoke-detection systems. Water reserves provided large users with millions of gallons daily.

The Franklin Park Library District is an independent library district serving a community of 19,500 in Chicago's near west suburbs. Throughout the library's hundred-year history, it has changed locations several times before moving into the current building in the mid-1980s. Over the years, the library's resources have expanded to a current collection of over 150,000 volumes. In addition to books, the library currently provides access to a variety of electronic resources, DVDs, videos, books on CD and tape, and CDs, and hosts regular programs for both children and adults. The current Executive Director, as of May 2010, is Marie Saeli.

The village has remained in search of land for industrial expansion. In 1990 Franklin Park annexed 65 acres (260,000 m²) and was the fourth largest industrial area in Illinois. By 2000, population was at 19,434 with a Hispanic population around 38 percent. Most residents were blue-collar workers employed by the complex of industries. Good location and easy access to O'Hare Airport cargo terminals, railroad freight terminals, major expressways for routing, and spur tracks accessing the rear of buildings have made Franklin Park a desirable place for industry.

Transportation

Franklin Park Metra station for the Milwaukee District Line

Franklin Park has three Metra stations: Belmont Avenue on Metra's North Central Service, which provides daily rail service between Antioch, Illinois and Chicago, Illinois (at Union Station); Franklin Park and Mannheim on the Milwaukee District/West Line which connects Chicago to Elgin, Illinois.

Businesses

Grand Stand Pizza on Grand Ave.

Franklin Park is home to Grand Stand Pizza, in 2005 voted Best Thin Crust in Chicago by Fox News Chicago, A.M. Castle & Co. (NYSE:CAS), a leading distributor of carbon, alloy, stainless steel, cast iron, plastic, and others, with operations in North America, Europe, and Asia, and Rubicon Technology (NASDAQ:RBCN), developer of high quality sapphire substrates and optical windows that are used in LEDs, RFICs, blue laser diodes, and other optical applications, as well as AT Mechanical.

Schools

• High Schools
  • East Leyden High School

• Middle Schools
  • Hester Jr. High School

• Elementary Schools
  • Passow Elementary School
  • Pietrini Elementary School
  • North Elementary School
  • East Early Childhood Center

Notable Residents

• Mike Shanahan, NFL Coach for the Washington Redskins from 2010 to Present

External links

Franklin Park Public Library [1]