Tinley Park, Illinois

Tinley Park is a village located in Cook County, Illinois, United States, with a small portion in Will County. The population was 56,703 at the 2010 census. It is one of the fastest growing suburbs south of Chicago. In 2009, Tinley Park was selected by BusinessWeek as the best place to raise a family in America.

History

Early history

Records show that prior to European settlement, the area was primarily occupied by the Potawatomi tribe.

19th century

Settlement of the area which now comprises Tinley Park began in the 1820s by emigrants from the Eastern United States. German settlers became predominant in area by the 1840s, and the village was originally established in 1853 as "Bremen". Irish, English, Scottish, Canadian, and other American settlers were also common in the area.

In the late 19th century, railroads expanded rapidly, and the village happened to be located on the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad line. The influence of the railroad on Bremen was so great that, in 1890, its name was changed to Tinley Park in honor of the village's first railroad station agent, Samuel Tinley, Sr. Even the village's official incorporation took place at the train depot on June 27, 1892.

Illinois

Illinois (ⁱ/ˌɪlᵻˈnɔɪ/ IL-i-NOY) is a state in the midwestern region of the United States. It is the 5th most populous state and 25th largest state in terms of land area, and is often noted as a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal, timber, and petroleum in the south, Illinois has a diverse economic base and is a major transportation hub. The Port of Chicago connects the state to other global ports from the Great Lakes, via the Saint Lawrence Seaway, to the Atlantic Ocean, as well as the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River, via the Illinois River. For decades, O'Hare International Airport has been ranked as one of the world's busiest airports. Illinois has long had a reputation as a bellwether both in social and cultural terms and politics.

Although today the state's largest population center is around Chicago in the northern part of the state, the state's European population grew first in the west, with French Canadians who settled along the Mississippi River, and gave the area the name, Illinois. After the American Revolutionary War established the United States, American settlers began arriving from Kentucky in the 1810s via the Ohio River, and the population grew from south to north. In 1818, Illinois achieved statehood. After construction of the Erie Canal increased traffic and trade through the Great Lakes, Chicago was founded in the 1830s on the banks of the Chicago River, at one of the few natural harbors on southern Lake Michigan.John Deere's invention of the self-scouring steel plow turned Illinois' rich prairie into some of the world's most productive and valuable farmlands, attracting immigrant farmers from Germany and Sweden. Railroads carried immigrants to new homes, as well as being used to ship their commodity crops out to markets.

Park

A park is an area of natural, semi-natural, or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. It may consist of grassy areas, rocks, soil, and trees, but may also contain buildings and other artifacts such as monuments, fountains or playground structures. In North America, many parks have fields for playing sports such as soccer, baseball and football, and paved areas for games such as basketball. Many parks have trails for walking, biking and other activities. Some parks are built adjacent to bodies of water or watercourses, and these parks may comprise a beach or boat dock area. Often, the smallest parks are in urban areas, where a park may take up only a city block or less. Urban parks often have benches for sitting and they may contain picnic tables and barbecue grills. Parks have differing rules regarding whether dogs can be brought into the park: some parks prohibit dogs; some parks allow them with restrictions (e.g., use of a leash); and some parks, which may be called "dog parks," permit dogs to run off-leash.

Ashford House

Ashford House was first built in 1838 in the Adelaide suburb of Ashford by Dr Charles Everard and is amongst the oldest historic buildings in South Australia.

In 1952 The Crippled Children’s Association of South Australia purchased Ashford House.

The current building was completed in 1882 and was placed on the Classified List by the National Trust of South Australia in 1980.

At the rear of the house is the remains of old gum tree, which is of historical significance, as it was in place when Dr Everard arrived in 1836.

Recent use

Since 1976 the house has been operated by the Department of Education and Children Development and currently forms part of the Errington Special Education Centre at 87 Anzac Highway, Ashford.

In October 2012, the South Australian State Government announced construction had commenced at the William Light School in Plypmton to allow relocation from the current site at the beginning of 2014.

Future

In November 2013, the SA Government announced a school specifically for children with autism spectrum disorders will commence in 2015. The school will be called the Treetop Autism Specific School.