It was 27 years ago on Saturday, November 28, 1992, that my family moved to the Chicago suburb of Oak Park, IL, the occasion that truly marks me as an Oak Park resident.
As I celebrate this anniversary, I think about how all the Chicago suburbs in their own special way contribute to the amazing patchwork quilt that makes up Illinois.
One of Oak Park's famed residents was Edgar Rice Burroughs, author of the original Tarzan books, who is #144 on my second Illinois 200 list. A plaque sits outside the home on Augusta Blvd. where he lived.
Richard Sears (#145) moved to Oak Park after he moved his company, Sears*, to Chicago.
To the west of Oak Park is River Forest, and one of its notable residents was Nebraskan Edwin Perkins (#146), who invented Kool-Aid. He lived in River Forest after moving the production of Kool-Aid to Chicago.
Further south along the Des Plaines River corridor is the Village of Riverside (#147), one of the loveliest spots in Chicagoland. The village was laid out by Frederick Law Olmsted as a resort community. The long, winding streets mimic the curves of the Des Plaines River.
Running throughout the suburbs is Salt Creek (#148), from Palatine to near where it empties into the Des Plaines River at Riverside, providing lots of recreational opportunities, including a bike path that I enjoy riding.
Suburban Chicago other wonderful natural offerings, like the fabulous Chicago Botanic Gardens (#149) in Glencoe, at the very northern edge of Cook County.
Over in the western suburbs is the Morton Arboretum (#150) in Lisle.
In nearby Lombard is Lilacia Park (#151).
In Wheaton is Cantigny (#152), a park that was once the estate of Joseph Medill (#153) and his grandson Robert McCormick (#154), both publishers of the Chicago Tribune.
Nearby Lisle is Wheaton College (#155). One of its famed alumni is evangelist Billy Graham (#156). On campus is the Billy Graham Center (#157), which has a museum dedicated to him. One of its early presidents was Jonathan Blanchard (#158), a staunch abolitionist, and it is apt that the building on campus named for him, Blanchard Hall (#159), aptly served as a stop on the Underground Railroad.
Among other important religious institutions is Trinity Christian College (#160) in Palos Heights, where a group gathered for the creation of the New International Version of the Bible.
Lemont has St. James at Sag Bridge Roman Catholic Parish (#161), the oldest continually active Roman Catholic church in Illinois.
White Fence Farm (#162) in Romeoville offers a pretty good fried chicken meal, as does Dell Rhea's (#163) in Willowbrook. Both are along the iconic Historic US Route 66 corridor, astride the portions covered by I-55 and Joliet Road*.
Park Forest (#164) is a community that was laid out after World War II.
Naper Settlement (#165) is a historic area in Naperville that gives visitors a glimpse into life in bygone years, as does the Graue Mill and Museum (#166) in Oak Brook.
The Historic Downtown District of Long Grove (#167) has a collection of shops that retain a sense of old-fashioned charm.
In the northern suburbs is Ravinia (#168), home of a large summer music festival.
Science fiction author Ray Bradbury (#169) was born in Waukegan.
In the southwest suburbs is Argonne National Laboratory (#170), a research facility that was established in the 1970's near Darien.
Evanston has the prestigious Northwestern University (#171). Nearby in Wilmette is the Bahai House of Worship (#172), an amazing work of architecture.
Another stunning house of worship is Annunciation of the Mother of God Byzantine Catholic Church (#173) in Homer Glen. The pastor, Father Thomas Loya, was once a commercial artist, and he did the iconography inside the church sanctuary. On the grounds of the Church is a prairie landscape.
Also up in the northern suburbs is the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary (#175). The seminary and the town are named for George Cardinal Mundelein (#176), the 3rd Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Chicago (#177). One of the biggest events there was the Closing Mass for the 28th Eucharistic Congress in 1926 (#178).
In Des Plaines is the Shrine of Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe (#174), the largest outside Mexico. It draws thousands of pilgrims every year on December 12 for la Virgen's feast.
Noting all that is in the Chicago suburbs reinforces the amazing patchwork quilt that Chicagoland is, with plenty to offer those who live, work, and visit.
*There was an error with my second List of 200 Illinois Notables in the blog post "So Much to See Drawn from the Land" which repeated Abraham Lincoln's Home from the first List, so the Sears Company fills in to make up for the repeat. The blog post "Along the Mississippi" skipped #46, so Joliet Road fills in for that spot.
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