Orland Park, Illinois

The village was incorporated on May 31, 1892.[6]

According to the 2015 census, Orland Park has a total area of 22.167 square miles (57.41 km²), of which 21.88 square miles (56.67 km²) (or 98.71%) is land and 0.287 square miles (0.74 km²) (or 1.29%) is water.[7]

The main bodies of water in Orland are two lakes: Lake Sedgewick and McGinnis Slough.

Communities bordering Orland Park include Homer Glen to the west (in Will County), Orland Hills and Mokena (also in Will County) to the south, Tinley Park to the southeast, Oak Forest to the east, and Palos Park and Palos Heights to the north.

As of the 2000 census,[9] there were 51,077 people, 18,675 households, and 14,361 families residing in the village. The population density was 2,668.4 people per square mile (1,030.4/km²). There were 19,045 housing units at an average density of 995.0 per square mile (384.2/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 93.53% White, 0.73% African American, 0.07% Native American, 3.47% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.04% from other races, and 1.13% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.67% of the population.

The top five ancestries reported in Orland Park as of the 2000 census were Irish (26.5%), German (19.5%), Polish (18.5%), Italian (14.8%) and English (5.1%).[10]

There were 18,675 households, out of which 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them; 66.3% were married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.1% were non-families. 20.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.16.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 24.4% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 27.3% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.7 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $67,574, and the median income for a family was $77,507 (these figures had risen to $76,760 and $95,405 respectively as of a 2007 estimate[11]). Males had a median income of $57,275 versus $34,763 for females. The per capita income for the village was $30,467. About 2.1% of families and 3.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.9% of those under age 18 and 3.0% of those age 65 or over. Since 2000, the average household income in the Orland Park area has risen substantially to an estimated $90,917 in 2006.

Orland Park's businesses and jobs include finance, retail, services and healthcare. Shopping complexes include Orland Park Crossing and Orland Square Mall.

Orland Park plans to develop a new downtown district, the Orland Park Downtown, previously called the Main Street Triangle,[12][13] as well as the I-80 Business District.[14]

The historic John Humphrey House

Orland Park has a large Recreation and Parks Department. The village has over 60 parks, with plenty of options for recreation, from sports complexes to nature trails.

The Centennial Park Aquatic Center is a 192-acre (78 ha) park with a public pool. With six water slides, two large pools, and a children's play area, it is one of the largest public pools in the area. Since its debut in 1992, the Aquatic center has gone through multiple renovations. There have been several add-ons, including two new water slides, and two outdoor sand volleyball courts.

Just south of the Centennial Park Aquatic Center is the 95-acre (38 ha) Lake Segdewick. It has hiking paths, nature trails, boardwalks, boat ramps, and pedal boats and kayaks for rent. Fishing is allowed.

The Winter Wonderland Ice Rink is also in Centennial Park. Open from November to March, this outdoor ice rink is free of charge. There is a small warming hut where you can rent ice skates.

The Sportsplex, on 159th Street, is Orland Park's largest indoor recreational facility. It has three full-sized basketball courts, an indoor soccer field, and a full weight room with free weights, plenty of cardio options, and a ¼-mile indoor track. Personal trainers are available, along with fitness classes, including Pilates, yoga, cycling, and Zumba. The Sportsplex also has a 35-foot (11 m) rock wall with six different routes for all skill levels.

The Recreation and Parks Department also helps organize many public events. Centennial Park hosts charity events and seasonal events, including the Orland Park Turkey Trot, a 5K run held on Thanksgiving morning at the John Humphrey Complex. These events are heavily advertised and supported by students of Carl Sandburg High School.

Orland Park is the touted "World's Golf Center". According to village lore, someone counted 1,089 golf holes within a 15-mile radius of the village, said Jodi Marneris, Orland Park's spokeswoman in 1996. The "World's Golf Center" concept was then proudly plastered on the village flag and painted on the town's seven water towers.[16][17]

Orland Park is divided between two Congressional districts, the 1st and the 3rd.

The village maintained an Aa2 bond rating from Moody's and an AA+ rating from Standard and Poor's. These are among the best bond ratings in the Chicago suburbs.(Page 12)[18]

The elected Board of Trustees makes local legislation for the village. The elected officials include the village president (who also serves as mayor), village clerk, and six village trustees, each of whom is elected at large to a four-year term.[19]

Orland Park is served by four grammar school districts, Orland School District #135, Community Consolidated School District #146, Palos School District #118 and Kirby School District #140. A majority of Orland Park is within Orland School District #135.

St. Michael School is in Orland Park. A number of other parochial schools in the region provide bus service for Orland Park students.

Orland Park's major high schools are Carl Sandburg High School, Victor J. Andrew High School and Amos Alonzo Stagg High School. CSHS has a little less than 4,000 students. Sandburg has won several Regional, Sectional, and State sports titles over the years. Sandburg's ACT composite score for 2007-08 was 22.7 with SAT scores averaging 635, 644 and 630 for Critical Reading, Math and Writing, respectively.

A number of higher education facilities are in the village. St. Xavier University operates a satellite campus in Orland Park, as did the ITT Technical Institute until its closing in September 2016. Robert Morris University (Illinois) has both an Orland Park campus as well as a second facility in the village, the culinary arts school. Community college education is offered at Moraine Valley Community College, in nearby Palos Hills.

Sixty percent of Orland Park households have someone with at least a bachelor's degree, with a significant number of residents having completed postgraduate work.

Orland Park's local newspaper is the Orland Park Prairie.

Local cable television channel Orland Park TV can be viewed on AT&T UVerse Channel 99 and Comcast Channel 4.

Orland Park has three stops on Metra's SouthWest Service, which provides weekday and weekend rail service between Manhattan, Illinois, and Chicago Union Station): 143rd Street, 153rd Street, and 179th Street.

Major highway transportation corridors are:

• I-80– southern border of Orland Park
• US 45/La Grange Road - major north–south thoroughfare
• Illinois Route 43/Harlem Avenue – near the eastern border of Orland Park
• U.S. Route 6 near the southern border of Orland Park

• Alex Broadhurst, professional hockey player
• John Cangelosi, outfielder for seven Major League Baseball teams[20][21]
• Connor Carrick, defenseman for the New Jersey Devils
• Pat Fitzgerald, head football coach for Northwestern University
• Buddy Guy, blues singer and guitarist[22]
• Dan Hampton, defensive end and tackle for Chicago Bears; Super Bowl champion (XX)
• Justin Hartley, actor (Passions, Smallville, This Is Us)
• Sarah Kustok, sports reporter for the YES Network and Fox Sports
• Steve Martinson, right wing for the Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, and Minnesota North Stars
• Tim McCarthy, Orland Park police chief; Secret Service agent, took bullet meant for Ronald Reagan during assassination attempt on March 30, 1981
• Mary Therese McDonnell, defender for the Republic of Ireland women's national football team
• Shannon McDonnell, midfielder for the Republic of Ireland women's national football team
• Hemant Mehta, atheist and author (I Sold My Soul on eBay)[23]
• Bill Rancic, winner of The Apprentice season 1
• Ken Rutkowski, syndicated radio talk show host, Business Rockstars
• Michael Schofield, offensive tackle for Los Angeles Chargers and Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos
• Robin Tunney, actress (The Mentalist, The Craft, Vertical Limit, Prison Break)
• Lukas Verzbicas, long-distance runner and triathlete; first runner to win both FLCC and NXN in the same year; alum of Carl Sandburg High School (2011)[24]

• Orland Square Mall
• Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurants

• Village of Orland Park official website