| Melrose Park | |
| Village | |
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| State | Illinois |
| County | Cook |
| Township | Proviso |
| Elevation | 630 ft (192 m) |
| Coordinates | |
| Area | 4.24 sq mi (11 km2) |
| - land | 4.24 sq mi (11 km2) |
| - water | 0 sq mi (0 km2) |
| Population | 23,171 (2000) |
| Density | 5,465 / sq mi (2,110 / km2) |
| Founded | Incorporated |
| Date | September 11, 1882 |
| Mayor | Ronald M. Serpico |
| Timezone | CST (UTC-6) |
| - summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| Postal code | 60160, 60161, 60162 |
| Area code | 708 |
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Location of Melrose Park within Illinois
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| Website: melrosepark.org | |
Melrose Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is a "near-in" suburb of Chicago. The population was 23,171 at the 2000 census. Melrose Park has long been home to a large Italian-American population, though now it is majority Mexican-American. It was the home of Kiddieland Amusement Park and the current home of Maywood Park Racetrack, Shrine of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, and Stern Pinball, Inc., which is now the world's last manufacturer of coin-operated pinball machines.[1]
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.
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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 100 m wide path over 1 km through the village and killed ten people. It destroyed the Sacred Heart Church and attached convent.[2]
At the turn of the century, the population surge plateaued and industry began to stagnate. It wasn't until 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 are some examples.[3] Many of these companies are still located in Melrose Park and the local industry remains stable. Zenith no longer exists.
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 dug up, 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.
Melrose Park has been the target of many scandals involving corruption of its public officials. Former police chief Vito Scavo was indicted on federal racketeering charges after a lengthy investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The athletic field next to the village hall is named after the late Ralph "Babe" Serpico, father of the current mayor, Ronald M. Serpico. His brother, Ralph, died of cancer in December 2005. Carmen Salerno lives there.
Navistar International has a factory in Melrose Park.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 4.2 square miles (11 km2), all of it is land.
As of the census[4] of 2000, there were 23,171 people, 7,631 households, and 5,448 families residing in the village. The population density was 5,465.7 people per square mile (2,110.0/km²). There were 7,905 housing units at an average density of 1,864.7 per square mile (719.8/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 71.53% White, 2.92% African American, 0.49% Native American, 1.99% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 20.08% from other races, and 2.97% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 53.88% of the population.
There were 7,631 households out of which 37.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.8% were married couples living together, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.6% were non-families. 24.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.03 and the average family size was 3.61.
In the village the population was spread out with 27.4% under the age of 18, 11.6% from 18 to 24, 32.6% from 25 to 44, 17.5% from 45 to 64, and 10.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 100.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.3 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $40,689, and the median income for a family was $46,963. Males had a median income of $31,353 versus $24,961 for females. The per capita income for the village was $16,206. About 8.7% of families and 10.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.0% of those under age 18 and 10.6% of those age 65 or over.