Grant Park history

Grant Park is located in the Kankakee County of Illinois, near the border of Indiana. It is about 50 miles due south of Chicago's city center and by car it takes a little over an hour to get to the downtown Loop. Grant Park is a tiny settlement that was originally incorporated in 1883. It occupies 0.6 square miles in a rural area of the state surrounded by agricultural countryside.

The population of Grant Park grew over 26% since 2000 and now has approximately 1,700 permanent residents. There is a strong showing of German ancestry in the village (38%), followed by Irish and Polish heritage. The cost of living index in Grant Park is just shy of the nation's average and, even though new home development has decreased in the last 15 years, the typical cost for new construction has not changed very much.

There is some industry in Grant Park, clustered at the northeastern quadrant of the community. It includes Tool Masters Tool & Stampings and Diversified Manufacturing, both of which have sprawling complexes with several buildings. On the other side of town is Grant Park's high school and elementary/middle school. The two educational institutions are separated by sports fields and open grounds. The local library, and its collection of 5,500 books, is off Main Street (otherwise known as IL-1 or IL-17). Grant Park's other main drag is Taylor Street, where a good portion of the area businesses and commercial real estate are situated.

Dining out in Grant Park will take you to one of its few culinary destinations, such as Bennett Curtis House, Bandits Bar & Grill, USA Family Restaurant, and Traxx Sports Bar & Grill. Over on the southwest side of village life is Lake Metonga. It is a multi-inlet body of water that resembles the shape of a giraffe with a long neck that shoots off into forested terrain. Lush wooded areas and expensive estates encircle the lake.