University Park

History

In the late 1950s, Woodhill Enterprises purchased land south of Park Forest for a large subdivision. Building began in 1961, but by 1967 Wood Hill had only 240 homes. Residents created a homeowners association, which fostered a community identity. In 1966, Nathan Manilow, one of the developers of Park Forest, started to purchase land around Wood Hill. Park Forest had been a model for planning in the 1940s, and Lewis Manilow, son of Nathan, formed New Community Enterprises (NCE) to build "a whole new town". Major partners included Illinois Central Industries and United States Gypsum Company. The city's initial plan included wooded preserves and recreation areas, building on recreation area set-asides and major land donations by the Manilow organization. The creativity and energy of the developers and village leadership led to great hopes for their "whole new town". In 1970, the state of Illinois allocated $24 million for the GSU campus. In 1971, HUD guaranteed $30 million in loans to bring the vision to reality. The developers modernized the water and sewage treatment facilities and in 1970 initiated the first elementary school, the first apartment complex, and Governors Gateway Industrial Park. However, difficulties arose in the economy, in the requirements and lack of resources from HUD, in the projections for growth, and in other areas, leading to suspended development in late 1974. For over two years, intense activity at public and private levels untangled many of the problems. The new town, intended for 100,000, adapted to a slow-growth plan anticipating an eventual 20,000 to 25,000 residents. The 2000 population, however, was 6,662, up slightly from the previous decade. New town planning remains evident. The industrial park next to Interstate 57 is integral…

Geography

University Park is located at (41.439460, -87.697299). According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, University Park has a total area of , of which (or 99.98%) is land and (or 0.02%) is water. The village lies on the Valparaiso Moraine, which is also part of the Saint Lawrence River Divide. : Richton Park : Richton Park Park Forest : Frankfort / Unincorporated Will County Steger / Crete : Unincorporated Will County Unincorporated Will County : Monee / Unincorporated Will County

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  15,723
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  14,361
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  12,934
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  12,115
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  11,854
• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  11,350
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  10,584
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  10,174

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