Bedford Park history

Bedford Park is a highly industrialized village situated just outside Chicago's city limits. It is tucked between the Chicago neighborhood of Clearing and the Illinois suburb of Bridgeview. Ninety percent of Bedford Park's six square miles of land is occupied by industry and corporate parks. All in all, 380 companies have offices/locations in Bedford Park. That leaves little room for residential neighborhoods, which house a population totaling just 533 people (as of 2008).

The residential part of Bedford Park was originally established as a housing development for employees of the large corporations that set up shop in the vicinity. The first homes were built to accommodate workers of Corn Products Refining Company, whose president was E.T. Bedford (hence the name of the village). Corn Products was founded at the beginning of the twentieth century and is now one of the biggest corn refineries in the whole world. A hundred years after its initial construction, the Bedford Park plant remains the company's largest refining facility.

In addition to manufacturing sites, commercial business and hotel chains popped up in Bedford Park over the decades. The corporate corridor helps generate revenue for the local economy and softens the area's factory-heavy landscape. A handful of major inns and motels in Bedford Park feed off of the proximity to Chicago's Midway airport, which is just north of the village's easternmost section. Popular lodging brands such as the Hilton, Hampton Inn, Residence Inn, Marriott, and Extended Stay America are joined by smaller mom-and-pop places like the Bedford House, a corporate rental property.

Bedford Park's sense of community was cultivated by the employee/residents who lived and worked in the area. Over time, public and municipal services evolved and residents endeavored to make a real home for themselves. The village was incorporated in 1940 and is part of Cook County. Similar to many of Chicago's neighborhoods, Bedford Park inhabitants have a strong percentage of Irish, German and Polish heritage.