Orland Park: Quality of Life
“They studied everything that makes Orland Park great — a variety of housing options, our low crime rate, great schools, outstanding parks, transportation, shopping for everyone and Downtown Orland Park,” Mayor Dan McLaughlin said. “We were very excited to see that they mentioned the Old Orland Historic District and its link to Ninety7Fifty on the Park,” the mayor added.
Best Places to Live
You would be glad to know that the village of Orland Park was ranked by Money Magazine in 2006 to 2008, as one of America’s Top 100 Best Places to Live!!!
As stated by Money Magazine, “Americans are flocking to places that offer big-city opportunity and amenities – with a lot more green space and a lot less stress. When it comes to a place to live and raise a family, most Americans want two things: the opportunity for themselves and their children to prosper, and a quality of life that lets them enjoy the fruits of their work.”In addition, Orland Park has named as one of Chicago Magazine’s “Best Places to Live” as well.
Orland Park Education
There is a fact in the education system in Orland Park, that is, there is a healthy cooperation between educators, parents and community. As a result, this has helped to build a strong educational system in Orland Park. That is how; students can reach for excellence and achieve it.
Here, in Orland Park, many types of schools available such as Elementary Schools, Parochial Schools ,High Schools and Colleges. This is for; a student can grow up gradually and reach his destiny.
Moreover, there is good news that Orland Park has named as one of Chicago Magazine’s “Best Places to Live”. This winning community included those with schools that scored above average on standardized tests.
Elementary Schools
Basically, education system in Orland Park is arranged in such a way that families living in Orland Park benefit from excellent school district. Besides, a deep commitment to education also helps them to get benefits. Orland Park’s elementary students are served by districts 135, 146, 188, and 140.
Parochial Schools
You must be familiar with the St. Michael’s in Orland Park. Including this, many parochial schools also serve the residents.
High Schools
High school students attend Orland Park’s Carl Sandburg High School in District 230, with a small portion of the village attending A.A. Stagg High School in nearby Palos Hills.
Test Scores
The school districts boast high test scores and 70% of high school graduates go on to attend college.
Colleges
In 2004, Saint Xavier University opened a campus in Orland Park, located off LaGrange Avenue (U.S. Route 45) just North of I-80. Robert Morris College is also located in Orland Park and offers a bachelor’s degree program of study. Moraine Valley Community College, located just north of Orland Park, is the seventh largest community college in Illinois.
After completing their studies at Moraine Valley, many students transfer to the nearby Governor’s State University to complete their work towards a bachelor’s degree. Governor’s State also awards master’s degrees in various fields of study.
Crime Rate
For a community to be considered, it must have a crime rate lower than than 7.0 offenses per 1,000 inhabitants last year. And the violent crime rate must not exceed the county average. In this place Crime Rate: .3 per 1,000 residents.
“We eliminated suburbs with violent crime rates above their county’s average,” author Ian Spula wrote in the CHICAGO MAGAZINE. In this place crime index decreased 2.38 % from 2013 to 2012.
Transportation
Winning communities included those that offered ease of transportation downtown. Communities with several el stops and at least one Metra stop earned extra points. It is great that Orland has three Metra stops. The writers of Chicago Magazine weighed ease of transportation either.
Fared Home Prices
The Chicago Magazine also studied how home prices have fared in Orland Park. In recent years, home prices in this place are really fared compared with prices in neighboring areas. Besides, buyers can get good value for their money. If you want to know Orland Park’s median home sell price for 2013, that was $275,000, an increase of three percent since 2012. Moreover, there is a list how many home sales in this place, and the number for 2013 was 442.
Recreational Opportunities
If you decide to live in Orland Park, this cannot be a wrong decision. Because, Orland Park offers many recreational opportunities that you never imagine. These are:
- 24 soccer fields
- 25 tennis courts
- 33 baseball fields
- 39 basketball courts
- 50 well-equipped parks
- 51 playgrounds
- 625 acres of recreation
- Centennial pool
- Extensive bike trail system
Centennial Park
When we are talking about recreational opportunities, one thing must be mentioned, that is Centennial Park. It is the community’s largest park, in the heart of the village. It is established in celebration of Orland Park’s 100th birthday, in 1992. Centennial Park encompasses 192 acres of recreation space.
You may be heard the name of the Aquatic Center, which is located in Centennial Park, and includes a:
- 1,000-foot lazy river
- 18,000-square-foot swimming pool
- Baseball / softball complex
- Deep-water play area
- Marina boardwalk along Lake Sedgewick
- Seven large slides
- Skate park
- Soccer fields
In fine, we can again remember what Mayor Dan McLaughlin said, “This is a great honor for Orland Park”. The mayor added, “The village’s low crime rate, our exceptional amenities and access to downtown Chicago were all important parts of Orland Park being named.”