Summary of presentation

Windshield Survey: Oak Park, IL

By: Devin Wicklow, Olu Tolbert, and Chigozie Francis

Race and Ethnicity

Population estimation (2021) = 54,583

● White = 67.7% ● Black = 21.7% ● Hispanic = 5.8% ● Asian, American and Alaskan Indians = 5.0%

Official Flag

- Population estimation is the most recent from the U.S. Census Bureau - The Village of Oak Park in Illinois is mostly White but still remains a diverse

place.

Culture

> Oak Park is home to several professional dance and theatre companies, such as

- Circle Theatre,

- Oak Park Festival Theatre,

- Momenta

- The Academy of Movement and Music

> Born an Abomination, was an act in the depressive metal genre, originated from Oak Park

Religion

● 4 Jewish congregations (1 temple and 3 meet in homes) ● 45 Protestant and non-denominational churches (23 denominations) ● 5 Roman Catholic parishes ● 4 Buddhist communities

Politics

● Government

> Home Rule Authority

> Elected Village President

> 6 Village Trustees

> Village Clerk

> Appointed Village Manager

● Village President (current) - Vicki Scaman - ( Since April 2021)

- All Village of Oak Park elected officials serve four-year terms on a staggered cycle, with a municipal election held the first Tuesday in April of years ending with an odd number.

- Oak Park is known for its socially liberal politics, - Cultural liberalism (Social liberalism in the United States) is a liberal view of society

that stresses the freedom of individuals from cultural norms and in the words of Henry David Thoreau is often expressed as the right to "march to the beat of a different drummer".

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Boundaries

- The village of Oak Park, IL - is located (adjacent) on the West of the City of Chicago

- It is surrounded by the following Cities/Townships: - Berwyn and Cicero on the South

- Forest Park and River Forest on the East -

Housing and Zoning

Zoning protects residents against incompatible uses and fixes reasonable standards to which buildings and structures should conform. The administration of the Zoning Ordinance is done by the Zoning Administrator and enforced by the Permits Processing Division. The Zoning Administrator also supervises the Village sign code. If you have questions about either code, contact the Zoning Administrator.

Open Space

The Park District of Oak Park offers our guests 24 parks in our community rich with a native diversity of plants and various opportunities to discover the richness and beauty of nature in its many forms. You will find the chance to enjoy the beauty and stillness that nature offers in our urban environment. The woodlands at Austin Gardens are home to a variety of living organisms and spring wildflowers. The rain gardens and bioswales are intricate at work, cleaning water runoff from surrounding areas. Visiting the prairies, you will notice other migratory birds and pollinators who enjoy lush native grasses and wildflowers.

“Commons”

The Park District of Oak Park, created in 1912, serves the recreational needs of the 52,000 residents of Oak Park, providing nearly 3,000 recreation programs and special events annually. A Board of five elected officials oversees the large area. The District properties are an administrative Center, two outdoor pools, an indoor year-round ice rink, the Oak Park Conservatory, Cheney Mansion, Pleasant Home, a gymnastics & recreation center, seven recreation centers, plus 18 parks totaling 84 acres of parkland.

Safety

Based on FBI crime data, Oak Park is not the safest community in America. Relative to Illinois, Oak Park has a crime rate higher than 92% of the state's cities and towns of all sizes. NeighborhoodScout's analysis also reveals that Oak Park's rate for property crime is 31 per one thousand population.

Media

The Communications Department is the primary source of all official forms of public information from the municipal government of the Village of Oak Park. The Oak Park Journal was a weekly newspaper for Oak Park, Illinois, in 1876. WPNA (1490 AM) is a time-brokered radio station licensed to Oak Park, Illinois, United States, serving Chicago. The media in Oak park may not be the most formidable in IL, but they compete for an audience like the Chicago media.

Stores, Services, and Service Centers

- Oak Park offers a wide variety of available resources/stores The key goals of these businesses are to respond to the needs of the community.

- Oak Park offers a wide variety of available resources/stores The key goals

of these businesses are to respond to the needs of the community. - There are many services available in Oak Park include: Crisis services,

Free Lunch & Pantry Services, Health & Mental Services, Family Support Services, Employment Services, Before & After School Programming & Tutoring, and Children’s Resources

- There is a good mixture of fast food restaurants as well as healthy restaurants. There is a good mixture of fast food restaurants as well as healthy restaurants. mixture of fast food restaurants as well as healthy restaurants.

Stores, Services, and Service Centers Cont.

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- In Oak Park there is a balance between parks and entertainment options. In downtown Oak Park there are more entertainment options such as movie theaters, shopping, restaurants,grocery

stores, coffee shops and fitness centers, - There are a high number of fitness and exercise service centers in

Oak Park - Our evaluation of Oak Park is that it is a diverse neighborhood

that is a mixture of city and suburban environment with services that are available based on the needs of the community.

Schools

- Oak Park has a variety of public and private school options available to the community.

- There is a total of 10 public elementary schools , 2 public middle schools,

and one public high school - There are 17 Private schools in Oak Park

- 41% of the private schools in Oak park are religiously affiliated. The religious affiliation is most commonly Roman Catholic and Baptist

- Montessori schools are highly popular in Oak Park

- Oak Parks district 97 has ranked in the top 20% of public school districts in Illinois

- Oak Park and River Forest High Schools graduation rate is 93%. The national graduation rate has ranged from 75%-94% according to data reported in 2021.

Transportation

- Oak Park has a variety of public transportation methods that are accessible and provide good transportation options for community residents

- There are two CTA rail lines (Blue and Green line - The Blue Line offers 24 hour transit between Chicago

International Airport and the Forest Park terminal. - The green line runs from Harlem to Cottage Grove or Harlem to

Ashland / 63rd - The green line hours are from about 4am to 1am

- Metra ( Union Pacific West Line) train - The metra has 11 train lines in Chicago with 234 train stations - Connecting routes→ Pace Routes: 305, 307, 309, 313, 318, 770

CTA Routes: 90, Green

Transportation Cont.

- PACE and CTA bus lines - There are two local airports

- O'hare international airport (8.9 miles)

- Chicago Midway airport (7.1 miles)

- The major highway close to Oak Park is I-290 , I-55, and I-90

- There are safe crosswalks and bike lanes available

- The transportation that is predominantly used in the community is buses and trains

Health Status of the Community

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- State-certified local health department known as the Oak Park Department of Public Health is responsible for protecting the community’s health

- Every 5 years, all state-certified departments are required to complete a community health assessment and strategic plan (IPLAN)

- The life expectancy for residents in Oak Park is 83 years old - The population in Oak Park is 52k - The poverty rate is 7.68% - Oak Park has a positive population health status for the overall mortality,

deaths due to unintentional injury, and access to doctors and dentists - Prevalent chronic health conditions in Oak Park include diabetes, blood

pressure, heart disease, cancer, and asthma.

Health Disparities

Case Management

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- A state-certified local health department is responsible for protecting the communities health and preventing disease, illness, injury, and death.

- The Oak Park Department of Public Health recognizes community

problems, establishes health policies, and enforces local mandates to the community

- Health services that are provided include education, prevention, screenings, counseling, and access to community resources.

- The Health department observes the reports of communicable diseases which include sexually transmitted diseases (STD).

Case Management Cont.

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- Residents that do not have access to healthcare are able to receive information and referrals to affordable healthcare resources for medical and dental services for all age groups.

- The major hospital in Oak Park include: Rush Oak Park Hospital, West Suburban Medical Center, and Edward Elmhurst Health-Immediate Care

- Public health nurses can help provide information on preventative measures as well as treatment centers that are available.

- Public Health nurses also provide educational programs on disease prevention such as hand washing, immunizations, and other ways to reduce the risk of becoming infected.