History of Evergreen Park

VILLAGE OF EVERGREEN PARK, COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS - Over one hundred years ago, while other towns surrounding Chicago were requesting annexation to survive, Evergreen Park boldly decided to declare its independence. The population at the time was approximately 500 people. Fifty-one residents turned out on December 20, 1893 when forty of them voted for incorporation and four squared miles of area became the Village of Evergreen Park. Many of the original settlers were hard working farm families.

The Village acquired its name from the park located at 97^th Street and Homan Avenue, originally intended to be the center of town. This part of the village was laid out to resemble Paris, with its wagon wheel appearance, but development in other directions has since caused it to be a residential section. The center of Evergreen Park is now 95^th Street and Kedzie Avenue. From those few early settlers in the 1800's through the pre-war years of truck gardens, the post–war years and population boom of the 1950’s, to its present stature as one of the leading southwest suburbs of Cook County, Evergreen Park continues to progress and flourish.

Our 75th Anniversary was celebrated in 1968 and our 100th Anniversary was celebrated in 1993. Time capsules were buried at each of these ceremonies and will be opened in the year 2018. Evergreen Park is a residential suburb located astride 95th Street (U.S. Route 12 and U.S. Route 20) adjacent to the attractive Beverly Hills section of Chicago and seventeen miles southwest of the Loop. The Village encompasses an area of approximately four square miles and is bordered by the City of Chicago on the north, south and east, and by the Village of Oak Lawn on the west. Evergreen Park is known as the "Village of Churches" as evidenced by the thirteen established religious congregations serving the community.