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History · Bedford Park

40% of Bedford Park’s homes were built before 1940

Below: maps from 1891 on and the census since 1950.

0on the National Register
40%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory

What stands out about Bedford Park’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Bedford Park are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18918 editions of the USGS map, 1891 to 1993. Watch Bedford Park change.Boom and bustPeaked at 988 in 1980; 602 people lived here in 2020.Old housesHalf of Bedford Park’s homes were built before 1951.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Bedford Park’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Bedford Park’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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On the map

Bedford Park on the map, 1891 to 1993

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Bedford Park. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Bedford Park on the 1891 USGS mapBedford Park on the 1900 USGS mapBedford Park on the 1928 USGS mapBedford Park on the 1953 USGS mapBedford Park on the 1963 USGS mapBedford Park on the 1972 USGS mapBedford Park on the 1980 USGS mapBedford Park on the 1993 USGS map1891Riverside sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Bedford Park.

People over time

Bedford Park, census by census

02004006008001,0001960198020002020Peak: 988

Peaked at 988 in 1980; 602 people lived here in 2020.

8 censuses, 1950–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Bedford Park’s Wikipedia page.

The story so far

Bedford Park, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Bedford Park yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Bedford Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, and is an industrial suburb of Chicago. The population was 602 at the 2020 census. Bedford Park consists of a small residential area and vast amounts of heavy industry sprawling to the east and a small amount to the west.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 580 to 602 (+4%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

By decade

Bedford Park, decade by decade

Today7 recent
2018 Chevrolet Tahoe PPV (Bedford Park Police Department, Illinois), front right, 03-15-202520252018 Chevrolet Tahoe PPV (Bedford Park Police Departm…Aerial view of McCook Reservoir Phase II construction, September 20232023Aerial view of McCook Reservoir Phase II construction…Variable-message sign on Stevenson Expwy at night2022Variable-message sign on Stevenson Expwy at night5-Rabbit-Cerveceria-0120185-Rabbit-Cerveceria-01Bedford Park IL 2009 reference map2009Bedford Park IL 2009 reference mapMapUS-IL-Chicagoland-Bedford Park2005US-IL-Chicagoland-Bedford Park20030424 13 Industrial Siding200320030424 13 Industrial Siding
Famous people

Famous people close to Bedford Park

Nobody well known was born in Bedford Park itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Jane LynchAmerican actress · b. 1960
B
Bob OdenkirkAmerican actor, comedian and filmmaker · b. 1962
Sean HayesAmerican actor · b. 1970
J
Jenny McCarthyAmerican actress, model, activist, television p… · b. 1972
Brad GuzanAmerican soccer player · b. 1984
John LewisAmerican jazz pianist, composer and arranger · b. 1920
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

SummitIts storyBBurbankIts storyDBridgeviewIts storyDHodgkinsIts storyDStickney TownshipIts storyC−Chicago407 historic placesA+JusticeIts storyDLyons Township10 historic placesA

Questions about Bedford Park’s history

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (7), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.