Park Forest

Less than 60 years ago, Park Forest, Illinois, began as a vision of this country's post-World War II future. Located some 40 miles south of Chicago's Loop, Park Forest was the first privately financed, completely planned community ever built in the United States. It was hailed as a "G.I. Town"-a place where veterans could find affordable housing and put down roots. From the date Park Forest was incorporated as a Village in 1949, the community has created a distinguished history for itself, and to this day many of the original residents still take an active part in Village life. Park Forest: Dreams and Challenges brings to life the accomplishments of this inspiring community, which possesses two All-America City awards for its volunteer efforts in building for the future. Featured in the book are historic images of the first regional shopping center built in the nation after the War and the largest publicly-owned swimming complex in the state. Park Forest is also home to both the highly rated Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra and the Illinois Theatre Center, a nationally known repertory company.

At the close of World War II, Americans became increasingly concerned about the problem of housing for returning veterans, relocated defense workers, and their families. Designs such as the garden city that dated from the turn of the twentieth century or earlier were prominent once again, as planners saw a renewed need for ready-made communities. One such community—among the first and, perhaps, most representative—was Park Forest, Illinois, a privately built and publicly managed town twenty-six miles south of Chicago. In this book, Gregory Randall presents the history of the planning, design, construction, and growth of Park Forest. He shows how planners—who dubbed the new community a "GI town"—drew on lessons learned from English garden cities and New Deal greenbelt towns to cope with America's emerging peacetime housing crisis. He also shows how this new town changed community planning throughout the United States, including its effects on community development up to the present.

Forest Park is a large park that St. Louis residents have used for over a century.

Forest Park Highlands was once St. Louis's largest and best-known amusement park. In its earliest years, the Highlands boasted a fine theater and one of the largest public swimming pools in the United States. After the 1904 world's fair closed, several attractions found a new home at the Highlands; the large pagoda--a re-creation of the temple of Nekko, Japan--served as the park's bandstand for several years. Roller coasters are the lifeline of every good amusement park, and the Highlands always had two. The end came for the Highlands in a spectacular fire that decimated almost the entire park on July 19, 1963. Only the Comet roller coaster, the Ferris wheel, the Dodgems, the carousel, and the Aero Jets survived. Forest Park Highlands covers other historic amusement parks in St. Louis as well, starting with the earliest, West End Heights, and ending with Holiday Hill, the last remaining park.

The epic saga of Big Basin began in the late 1800s, when the surrounding communities saw their once "inexhaustible" redwood forests vanishing. Expanding railways demanded timber as they crisscrossed the nation, but the more redwoods that fell to the woodman's axe, the greater the effects on the local climate. California's groundbreaking environmental movement attracted individuals from every walk of life. From the adopted son of a robber baron to a bohemian woman winemaker to a Jesuit priest, resilient campaigners produced an unparalleled model of citizen action. Join author Traci Bliss as she reveals the untold story of a herculean effort to preserve the ancient redwoods for future generations.

Portland's Forest Park is one of the largest urban parks in the world and the only city wilderness park in the United States. The park is home to hundreds of native plants and animals and offers more than eighty miles of trails-all within minutes of downtown Portland. This updated and expanded edition of One City's Wilderness provides directions to twenty-nine hikes of varying length, difficulty, and scenery, covering every trail within the 5,100-acre park. Marcy Houle shares the history of Forest Park, introduces the people who fought to preserve it, and explores the role stewards play today. She encourages people of all ages to take an "All Trails Challenge"-learning about the unique nature of the park by exploring every trail. Includes Full color trail maps for 29 hikes Fold-out color map of the entire park and its watersheds More than 80 color photographs of native plants and birds Park history, geology, watersheds, vegetation, and wildlife