Oak Park, Illinois
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Oak Park is a village located in Cook County, Illinois. It is a near-western suburb of Chicago, easily accessible to downtown by public transportation. As of the 2000 census, the village had a total population of 52,524. A Census estimate for 2003 showed the population dipped to 50,824.
Oak Park is the birthplace of Carl Rogers and Ernest Hemingway. Frank Lloyd Wright's home was in Oak Park, and many buildings designed by him can be found throughout the town. These include his own house, the Unity Temple, the Winslow House, and various other houses. Innumerable buildings in Oak Park mimic Wright's architectural style. Also hailing from Oak Park are Ray Kroc (founder of McDonald's corporation), actress Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, comedienne Kathy Griffin, actor Thomas Lennon, actor Johnny Galecki, Matthew and Eleanor Friedberger of the indie rock band Fiery Furnaces, author Carol Shields, actor Bob Newhart, and the voice of Homer Simpson, Dan Castellaneta. Comic book artist Chris Ware and punk rocker Ben Weasel currently reside in Oak Park, as well as "Frasier" star John Mahoney. Notable former residents include Tarzan creator Edgar Rice Burroughs, poet Charles Simic, and cryptographer Bruce Schneier.
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Geography
Oak Park is located at 41°53'10" North, 87°47'25" West (41.885981, -87.790332)Template:GR.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 12.2 km² (4.7 mi²). None of it is covered by water.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 52,524 people, 23,079 households, and 12,970 families residing in the village. The population density is 4,314.8/km² (11,173.4/mi²). There are 23,723 housing units at an average density of 1,948.8/km² (5,046.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the village is 68.78% White, 22.44% African American, 0.15% Native American, 4.15% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.63% from other races, and 2.82% from two or more races. 4.52% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 23,079 households out of which 29.5% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.1% are married couples living together, 11.6% have a female householder with no husband present, and 43.8% are non-families. 37.0% of all households are made up of individuals and 8.6% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.26 and the average family size is 3.06.
In the village the population is spread out with 24.2% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 35.2% from 25 to 44, 24.4% from 45 to 64, and 9.5% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 36 years. For every 100 females there are 86.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 82.2 males.
The median income for a household in the village is $59,183, and the median income for a family is $81,703. Males have a median income of $51,807 versus $40,847 for females. The per capita income for the village is $36,340. 5.6% of the population and 3.6% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 5.8% of those under the age of 18 and 7.9% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Education
Public primary and middle schools are operated by the Oak Park Elementary School District. Oak Park is the home of Oak Park River Forest High School (http://oprfhs.org), a public school which is jointly run by Oak Park and neighboring River Forest, and Fenwick High School, a Catholic school run by the Dominicans.
