OAK PARK

village, Cook county, northeastern Illinois, U.S. It is a western suburb of Chicago. Settled in 1833 by Joseph Kettlestrings, who operated a sawmill on the east bank of the Des Plaines River, it was originally called Oak Ridge and served as a stopping place for farmers taking their produce into Chicago. In 1871, after the Chicago fire, the population grew rapidly. The village, primarily residential with some light industry, has many buildings designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright, who once lived and maintained his studio there. The novelist Ernest Hemingway was born and grew up in Oak Park. Edgar Rice Burroughs, known for his Tarzan stories, resided in Oak Park during part of his writing career. Inc. 1901. Pop. (1992 est.) 54,587.