It is a great pleasure to welcome you to the 1997 Countryside City Profile. The City Profile is intended to provide readers with an overview of the Countryside community, its institutions, and government services. The City Profile is published every four years, and we try to offer something new with each edition. This year we have provided residents with summaries of the basic City services and programs that they tend to have the most questions about. You'll find these summaries under the "Government: section; if you have any questions or comments about this section, or anything else in the City Profile, please contact the Mayor's Office or our City Administrator at (708) 354-7270.

Some of you may remember when the City was first incorporated on July 27, 1960. At that time the City's population was 2,200 and among our first orders of business were to build a water works system and construct city streets. They were demanding times, but due to the efforts of many great community advocates (some of whom still serve the City in official capacities or have just recently retired) and hard work, we are today able to enjoy the beautiful community and outstanding public infrastructure we have all around us.

The City's current population is approximately 6,000, and our strong business community and sales tax base have allowed the City to provide a full range of municipal services to its residential and business communities without imposing a real estate tax! This has been quite an achievement. In addition, the excellent municipal street system and public parkways in the city have also been built and maintained in the course of 37 years without the imposition of any special service or taxing districts. The City of Countryside provides for its residents like few communities do; we set high standards and work hard to achieve them.

You will also read in the City Profile about the City's extensive recreation programs, the excellent services of the Pleasant Dale Park District and the Pleasantville Fire Protection District, the Countryside Police Department, Ideal School, and a wealth of other valuable information. While our residential neighborhoods, churches, educational and health care institutions, recreational opportunities, and business community may all be strong today, one of the jobs of the Mayor and the City Council is to plan for the future of Countryside. We continue to be pro-actively engaged with our residents in developing long-range strategies, policies, and ideas that will enable the City to retain its vitality and high quality of community life and municipal services well into the next millennium.

I hope you enjoy this edition of the City Profile and on behalf of the City Council, the Treasurer, City Clerk and myself, it is truly an honor to be of service to you.

Sincerely,

Mayor Carl Legant

From the prairie lands inhabited by the Potawatamie Indians to farmland settled in the early 1800's, the City of Countryside today remains a peaceful reflection of its name and heritage. Long a country retreat for residents of the surrounding communities of LaGrange Park and Western Springs, the City of Countryside was not formally incorporated until 1960, with its population numbering 2,000 and an area encompassing approximately 2.75 square miles. Today, nearly 6,000 folks happily call Countryside home.

Joseph Vial, his wife and four children were among the first families to settle here, in 1833. Until the Chicago Fire in 1871, the Vial family farm, a few homesteads and vast areas of prairieland were all that made up what is today known as the City of Countryside. While the City of Chicago was to enter its greatest era of growth, thanks to rebuilding of the city and the explosion of the American industrial age, the "great fire" sent many city dwellers west in search of a better life - and land selling for $2 an acre - away from the congestion and industry of Chicago. Some of those families who made their way toward the Countryside area included the Conrads, Craigmills, Henrys, Murphys, Polks and Winslows. Countryside remained, however, a quiet farming community until the post-World War II era, when "suburbia" was born.

As in so many other areas of the nation, communities west of Chicago began to experience housing booms and another significant migration of families from the city. These new "pioneers," however, came looking not for farmland, but for affordable homes and safe places to raise and educate their children. The area's first residential subdivision was LaGrange Terrace, built in 1947; the Don L. Dise subdivision followed in 1954, then Edgewood Park, in two phases. Countryside became a "bedroom" community, with workers commuting to Chicago every morning and returning to their suburban homes every evening.

With its incorporation as a city in 1960, Countryside officials mapped out a plan for economic growth and development that would generate enough revenues through state sales tax to fund city services and operations, while maintaining the "small-town" ambiance its residents enjoyed. Lured by the attraction of lower real estate taxes and a steadily growing population, businesses began to move in. The development of Dansher Industrial Park provided a boon to Countryside's tax base and helped further enhance city improvements.

Today, the population of Countryside numbers a little under 6,000 and retains its status as a country retreat from other, more populated communities - and residents, just as they did 150 years ago, have "settled in" quite comfortably.

Countryside's residential landscape presents a pleasing blend of old and new, all situated along quiet, tree-lined streets of meticulously maintained lawns and gardens. Neighbors know their neighbors; many families have lived in Countryside for two, three and even four generations.

Cozy bungalows, handsome Victorians and Colonials, sprawling ranches, stately traditional brick and contemporary styles are all here. Spacious lots (some 1/2-acre or more) are the norm. The median price for single-family homes in Countryside is approximately $135,000, offering a sound real estate investment and bringing the "American dream" home to Countryside families.

Condominiums and townhouses, too, are available. Residents who opt to rent can choose from several nice apartment communities in and around Countryside.

Hundreds of merchants and service businesses provide a cornucopia of goods and services to Countryside residents. From groceries to gardening supplies, clothing to cars, office products to office cleaning, boutiques to national chain outlets, shoppers need go no further than "round the corner for whatever they need for home or office. Countryside's local merchants offer attentive, "home town" customer service with a smile; service businesses provide professional expertise at fair prices.

Approximately 400 Countryside businesses have teamed up to offer their customers great savings on local goods and services with the "Shop & Save" coupon book, printed and distributed in cooperation with the City of Countryside. The coupon book features discounts for many Countryside retail stores, as well as coupons for many of the area's best dining establishments.

Whether you want a quick lunch at a fast food chain, an elegant, leisurely dinner at a fine white tablecloth restaurant, or to gather with friends for an Italian beef sandwich and a cold beer after the game, Countryside offers a wonderful variety of taste-tempting ethnic and Continental cuisines that are sure to please any palate.