Evergreen Park (Illinois)

The Village of Evergreen Park is a city in Illinois located on the southwestern border of the city of Chicago. It is the “small town” connected to the “big city.” Because of the location it is able to enjoy all the amenities of its “big city” neighbor while continuing to enjoy the wonderful spirit a small town has to offer.

Understand
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 square 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 97th 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 95th Street and Kedzie Avenue. From those few early settlers in the 1800s through the pre-war years of truck gardens, the post–war years and population boom of the 1950s, to its present stature as one of the leading southwest suburbs of Cook County, Evergreen Park continues to progress and flourish.

The 75th Anniversary was celebrated in 1968 and the 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.

By plane
While Evergreen Park itself does not have an airport, it is located just 7 miles from Midway International Airport.

By car
From I-294:

Take 95th St exit (US-20 E / US-12 E) toward OAK LAWN East to Kedzie (approximately 5.33 miles). Turn left onto Kedzie

From the South:

Take Bishop Ford Fwy. / I-94 W. Merge onto I-57 S via EXIT 63 on the left toward Memphis. Take Exit 357 toward IL-1 / Halsted St. Turn slight left onto W 98th Pl. Turn right onto S Halsted St / IL-1 N. Continue to follow S Halsted St. Turn left onto W 95th St. / US-20 W / US-12 W. Turn right onto S Kedzie Ave.

From Midway Airport:

South on S Cicero Ave / IL-50 S toward W 59th St. Continue to follow IL-50 S. Turn left onto W 87th St. Turn right onto S Kedzie Ave.

From O'Hare Airport:

Take I-190 East for 1.5 miles. Take Exit 1D and merge onto I-294 South toward Indiana. Follow I-294 for 23 miles and take second exit for 95th Street East. Follow 95th Street East for approximately 5.5 miles and you will arrive in Evergreen Park.

By train
It is also possible to travel by train from O'Hare. Take the CTA Blue Line from O'Hare to Jackson. Walk out of the subway and walk South to Van Buren St. and turn right. Walk two blocks to LaSalle St. and turn left. From there, walk along the right side the building on the right side of the street. You will come to a set of stairs which is the entrance to LaSalle Street Metra Station. You can take the local Rock Island line to 95th Street where you will have to walk or take a bus just under one mile West before arriving in Evergreen Park.

Bus
Evergreen Park is served by several CTA and Pace bus routes along major streets.

CTA bus routes

 * 52A South Kedzie
 * 53A South Pulaski
 * 95W West 95th Street
 * 103 West 103rd Street

Pace bus routes

 * 349 South Western operates along Western Avenue, a North-South street along the eastern border with Chicago. It operates daily about every 30-40 Minutes between 79th/Western in Chicago and the Harvey Transportation Center (Metra Station) in Harvey. For a full schedule, check out https://www.pacebus.com/route/349
 * 381 East and West on 95th Street through Evergreen Park. It operates between the souther end of the CTA Red Line in Chicago at 95th Street and Morraine Valley Community College in Palos Hills. Monday-Friday the bus runs every 15 minutes from about 5AM until about 7PM. After 7PM, buses run approximately every hour until about 11:30PM. Saturday and Sunday the bus runs less frequently. For a full schedule, check out https://www.pacebus.com/route/381

On Foot
Evergreen Park is a small community and can easily be navigated by foot or bicycle.

Eat
Evergreen Park is one of the great restaurant towns in Illinois. It serves as a less expensive, but comparable, alternative to Chicago. It offers excellent bakeries, pizzerias, as well as other ethnic options.

Go next
Chicago's Far Southwest Side is right next door. Downtown Chicago is just 16 miles away.