| University Park
is a village in Will County, Illinois. A very small
parcel is in Cook County. University Park has been the
home of Governors State University since 1969. The population
was 6,662 at the 2000 census, and estimated to be 8,102
as of 2005. This village, one of the region's few planned
communities, was known as Wood Hill, Park Forest South,
and finally University Park.
In the late 1950s, Woodhill Enterprises
purchased land south of Park Forest for a large subdivision.
Building began in 1961, but by 1967 Wood Hill had only
240 homes. Residents created a homeowners association,
which fostered a community identity.
In 1966 Nathan Manilow, one of
the developers of Park Forest, started to purchase land
around Wood Hill. Park Forest had been a model for planning
in the 1940s, and Lewis Manilow, son of Nathan, formed
New Community Enterprises (NCE) to build a whole new
town. Major partners included Illinois Central Industries
and United States Gypsum Company. NCE supported the
incorporation of Park Forest South in 1967 with projections
for 100,000 residents.
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