Evergreen Park

History

As early as 1828, a German farming family had settled in the area that became Evergreen Park. In the following decades, additional German settlers arrived. Kedzie Avenue and 95th Street crossed the farmland and provided access to markets. The first railroad, that became part of the Grand Trunk Railroad, passed through the area in 1873. In 1875, the community constructed its first school just west of the intersection of 95th Street and Kedzie Avenue. This school, along with the stores that later clustered around the intersection, defined the community's central business district. Nearby, a real estate developer, inspired by the Arc de Triomphe area of Paris, designed a star-shaped park with eight streets radiating outward. Evergreen trees planted in the park inspired the village's name. Although the park’s location and layout were intended to form the town’s center, the intersection of 95th Street and Kedzie Avenue later proved to be a more accurate midpoint. Following the death of Mayor Henry Klein shortly after the village’s 75th anniversary in 1968, the park was renamed Klein Park in his honor. In 1888, St. Mary's Cemetery opened, and mourners traveled by train from Chicago. Restaurants and taverns were established to serve cemetery visitors. Within five years, the village developed into a recreation center that attracted hundreds of Chicago residents to its picnic groves, beer gardens, and dance halls. The first of the village's thirteen churches was established in 1893. During the financial panic of the 1890s, several surrounding communities voted to be annexed by Chicago. Recognizing the present and future potential of its strong business district, and seeking to avoid annexation, Evergreen Park was incorporated on December 20, 1893. Prior to incorporation, the…

Geography

Evergreen Park is located at (41.719933, −87.702499). The suburb is surrounded by the city of Chicago on three of its sides, while Oak Lawn and Hometown border it on the west. Chicago's Ashburn community is to its north, Beverly is to its east, and Beverly and Mount Greenwood are to its south. According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Evergreen Park has a total area of , all land. U.S. Route 12 and U.S. Route 20 bisect Evergreen Park as 95th street.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• J Sterling Morton East High Sch
  High · Cicero · 3,445 students · 20.4:1 ratio
• Curie Metropolitan High School
  High · Chicago · 3,178 students · 16.5:1 ratio
• Carl Sandburg High School
  High · Orland Park · 2,894 students · 16.1:1 ratio
• Amos Alonzo Stagg High School
  High · Palos Hills · 2,538 students · 14.4:1 ratio
• Kenwood Academy High School
  High · Chicago · 2,338 students · 19.2:1 ratio
• Unity Jr High School
  Middle · Cicero · 2,054 students · 14.6:1 ratio
• Reavis High School
  High · Burbank · 1,986 students · 17.6:1 ratio
• A B Shepard High Sch (Campus)
  High · Palos Heights · 1,973 students · 15.9:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.9 — 2026-07-08
  21 km ENE of Kenilworth, Illinois
• M 2.6 — 2025-03-15
  6 km W of Dwight, Illinois
• M 3.1 — 2024-07-15
  2 km WNW of Somonauk, Illinois
• M 2.9 — 2015-03-25
  3 km WNW of Lake in the Hills, Illinois
• M 3.2 — 2013-11-04
  1 km SSW of Lyons, Illinois
• M 2.6 — 2013-06-10
  4 km NNE of Virgil, Illinois