Melrose Park

History

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 11 years later, in 1893, when the "Park" was added and population in the area began to steadily increase. The first Italian-Americans arrived in 1888. On March 28, 1920, the F4 Palm Sunday tornado cut a path over through the village and killed ten people. It destroyed the Sacred Heart Church and attached convent. At the turn of the 20th century, the population surge plateaued and industry began to stagnate; it was only after World War I that the local economy was able to recover, the result of some 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 (now Navistar) are some examples. Many of these companies are still located in Melrose Park and the local industry remains stable, but Alberto-Culver no longer exists, Zenith continues to exist as a brand only today, and Navistar's plant facility closed in 2021 and was eventually demolished. During the late 1990s, 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 excavated, 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…

Geography

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Melrose Park has a total area of , all land.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  139,892
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  136,117
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  123,097
• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  91,360
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  87,655
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  77,798
• Downy Woodpecker

  Dryobates pubescens (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  76,991
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  75,844

Largest nearby schools

• Lane Technical High School
  High · Chicago · 4,496 students · 17.4:1 ratio
• Taft High School
  High · Chicago · 4,464 students · 16.6:1 ratio
• Lyons Twp High Sch
  High · La Grange · 3,842 students · 15:1 ratio
• J Sterling Morton West High Sch
  High · Berwyn · 3,533 students · 17.2:1 ratio
• J Sterling Morton East High Sch
  High · Cicero · 3,445 students · 20.4:1 ratio
• Oak Park & River Forest High Sch
  High · Oak Park · 3,304 students · 14.1:1 ratio
• Niles West High School
  High · Skokie · 2,609 students · 14.2:1 ratio
• Maine South High School
  High · Park Ridge · 2,495 students · 17.3:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.9 — 2026-07-08
  21 km ENE of Kenilworth, 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
• M 3.8 — 2010-02-10
  2 km NW of Lily Lake, Illinois