Oak Park is a village adjacent to the West Side of the city of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is the 29th largest municipality in Illinois as measured by population in the 2010 US Census, and has easy access to downtown Chicago (the Chicago Loop) via public transportation including the CTA Blue and Green lines, buses, and Metra commuter rail. Pace buses serve the Village for travel within its borders and connecting to neighboring suburbs. As of the 2010 United States Census the Village had a total population of 51,878.Oak Park was settled beginning in the 1830s, with rapid growth later in the 19th century and early 20th century. It incorporated in 1902, breaking off from Cicero. Development was spurred by railroads and street cars connecting the village to jobs in Chicago. Famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright and his wife settled here in 1889. Population peaked at 66,015 in 1940. Smaller families led to falling population in the same number of homes and apartments. In the 1960s, Oak Park faced the challenge of racial integration, devising many strategies to integrate rather than re-segregate the village. Oak Park includes three historic districts for the historic homes: Ridgeland, Frank Lloyd Wright and Seward Gunderson, reflecting the focus on historic preservation. Many people of national fame have been born here, or lived here while building their own families and careers, including Frank Lloyd Wright, Ernest Hemingway, Ray Kroc, Bob Newhart, Betty White, Dan Castellaneta and Tavi Gevinson.
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