Life in La Grange Park
Nicknamed the Village of Roses, La Grange Park was originally incorporated in 1892 under the simple name of “The Park.” As of 2020, the population was 13,475.
The village experienced a spike in population around the time of the Chicago fire of 1871, when refugees from the fire migrated out to homes and shelter in the wider countryside. Allegedly, La Grange Park was so nice that many of the settlers wanted to stay. The non-Native settlers expanded the village by selling off parcels of their land to the newcomers. Before this, the area had an infamous reputation as the location of an early speakeasy referred to as a “blind pig.” In fact, the original incorporation was done in part to secure sufficient police forces. Eventually, the sale of liquor was barred from the area outright.
Over time, the village of La Grange Park gained a reputation for being where wealthy Chicagoans escaped the city. Today, the S-shaped village is home to many peaceful neighborhoods in which many of La Grange Park’s luxury homes from the late 19th and early 20th centuries still stand.
School and Home Life in La Grange Park
La Grange Park is home to two different school districts, each sending students outside La Grange Park. La Grange District 102 features six elementary schools and one middle school. Brookfield-La Grange Park School District 95 features one elementary school and one middle school. Most students in both districts go on to attend Lyons Township High School. The area also features a number of private schools as well as the La Grange Area Department of Special Education (LADSE) educational cooperative.
Housing in La Grange Park falls into two categories. 42% of homes can be classified as extremely affluent housing, clustered primarily in the southwest. These lovely homes (which often have special features like skylights or specialty gutters) are primarily owned by high-income families. There are few foreclosures and few vacancies in these neighborhoods. Most families have high education and (typically) only up to two children.
The vast majority of La Grange Park housing (up to 58%) was built between 1959 and World War II. These homes are primarily owned by older residents and some families, mostly of middle income. Most people in these neighborhoods own their homes but may be feeling the pinch of extra transportation costs. These homes, based largely in middle-income areas, will require regular inspections to catch and address problems before they become cost-prohibitive to repair.
Things to Do In La Grange Park
La Grange Park is a varied and interesting place to spend your time. Here are some of the top attractions in the area:
- Poet’s Corner: This lovely local spot commemorates the site of a school built 1885. One woman, Margaret McNaughton, taught dozens of settler’s children on that spot before there was even a formal school. La Grange Park’s first schoolteacher taught in her home and an eventual one-room school nicknamed “the school at Skunk Corners.”
- Salt Creek Trail: La Grange Park hosts part of the 36-mile mile Salt Creek Trail, which offers visitors a gorgeous view of local nature over both paved and unpaved trail. The total trail runs from Busse Woods Forest Preserve all the way to Brookfield Zoo.
- La Grange Park Antique Mall: Laid out to encourage browsing, this lovely antique mall is known to feature rare finds like luxury linens and earthenware in up to 30 individual booths. Custom furniture fans will enjoy the complete selection of Dixie Belle paints.
- Hop District Brewing: La Grange Park’s inaugural brewery features small-batch brews and regular events at their main location. Locals and visitors alike can visit their local taproom for refreshments and events (including Beer Yoga).
- Possum Hollow Woods: La Grange Park has many lovely natural areas, and this one is at the intersection of many walking and hiking trails in the area. This forest preserve is the park to visit to wind down with a picnic. Meetups regularly take place at Possum Hollow Woods, so there’s lots of opportunity to hike and observe the area in a new way.
La Grange Park Weather
At 623 feet above sea level, the village of La Grange Park is a cool retreat throughout the year. Low temperatures for January are lower than the averages for both the Chicago area and Illinois at large, falling below freezing from November to March. Only 9.9 days throughout the year (on average) have high temperatures that exceed 90 degrees Fahrenheit. This makes La Grange Park one of the coolest locations within the state of Illinois.
Like most of Chicagoland, citizens of La Grange Park enjoy plenty of rain and snow. There are 189 days of sunshine per year in this lovely village, a full 16 days fewer than the national average. June, August, and September are rated as the most comfortable months of the year when visiting La Grange Park. This isn’t typically where temperatures fall below freezing at night, which happens for 130 days out of the year in La Grange Park.
If warmer weather is more your preference, the majority of warm months in La Grange Park do not have high humidity. It peaks in July at 62.3%, but tapers off and doesn’t remain at that level for long. August is also the month with the highest rainfall, with 4.3 inches of rain. But the rainiest month of the year is May, with 11.8 days of rain.
The consistently cool weather of La Grange Park necessitates maintenance and upkeep for homes to consistently stay warm and comfortable. Ice dams may present a danger for homes in winter dealing with snow. Consistent roof inspections are important for maintaining a sound infrastructure and being prepared for cooler weather.
