Oak Forest, Illinois

About Oak Forest

Oak Forest is a thriving city in northeastern Illinois with an estimated population of 26,813.

Officially, Oak Forest is an incorporated city with its own municipal government. The community covers 6.03 square miles, giving it a compact, walkable footprint at roughly 4,447 residents per square mile.

📰 Oak Forest News Today

• Oak Forest High School (IL) Football MaxPreps · Aug 14
• In Memoriam: Longtime Oak Forest Resident, Devout St. Damian Parishioner Robert J. Kachlik, 90 Patch · Aug 13
• Man charged with firing gun into home in Oak Forest, Illinois CBS News · Jul 9
• Oak Forest, Illinois news: Latrell Williams of Alsip, shot, killed near gas station at 167th, Cicero streets, police say abc7chicago.com · Apr 12
• Oak Forest Fire Department first in Illinois to use new heart monitoring technology FOX 32 Chicago · May 5

Live headlines via Google News — updates through the day.

What Makes Oak Forest Unique

• The only place in America named Oak Forest — a truly one-of-a-kind name among 32,000+ US communities.
• Positioned in northeastern Illinois, convenient to the region's corridors and crossings.
• Part of the fabric of Illinois — one of 1,461 recognized communities statewide.

Why People Love It Here

• The sweet spot: real amenities without big-city congestion.
• Local businesses and schools anchored by a stable resident base of 26,813.
• Well connected: 3+ neighboring communities within 4 miles.

🍽️ Where to Eat in Oak Forest

• Aurelio's Pizza — cake
• Barraco's Pizza — pizza
• Chili's — tex-mex
• Famous Dave's — barbecue
• Golden Corral — american
• Nicky V's Vienna Beef — burger
• Sakebob BBQ & Sushi — sushi
• Starbucks — coffee shop (café)
• The Original Pancake House — breakfast
• Beggars Pizza — pizza

Local spots mapped by the OpenStreetMap community.

🏞️ Parks & Outdoors in Oak Forest

• Camp Sullivan reviews ★
• Chicago Gaelic Park reviews ★
• Waverly Creekside Park reviews ★
• Central Park reviews ★
• Convent Park reviews ★
• El Morro Park reviews ★
• Fieldcrest Park reviews ★
• Friendly Oaks Park reviews ★
• Gene Leonard Park reviews ★
• Harriet Park reviews ★
• Heritage Park reviews ★
• Jesk Park reviews ★

Parks mapped by the OpenStreetMap community · "reviews" opens each park's live Google reviews.

🏫 Schools in Oak Forest

• Arbor Elementary School
• Arbor Park Middle School
• Braun Educational Center
• Communication Dev Program
• DESTINY Program
• Deaf/Hard of Hearing Program
• Delta Academy and Achieve
• Jack Hille Middle School
• Kerkstra Elem School
• Lee R Foster Elem School
• Oak Forest High School
• Project Challenge
• Scarlet Oak Elementary School
• Southwest Coop at Morton Gingerwo

Public schools, U.S. Dept. of Education (NCES) 2023–24 directory.

⚡ Quick Facts

🗺️ Map of Oak Forest

🏘️ Nearby Communities