The Park District of Oak Park

What The Park District of Oak Park does

The Park District of Oak Park is a special-purpose unit of local government, organized under Illinois state law and headquartered at 218 Madison Street, Oak Park. Founded in 1912 with the acquisition of Scoville Park, the district serves Oak Park's roughly 53,000 residents through 17 community parks and a portfolio of anchor facilities that includes the Community Recreation Center, Ridgeland Common Recreation Complex, Gymnastics and Recreation Center, Oak Park Conservatory, Cheney Mansion, and Pleasant Home (a National Historic Landmark). It operates as a public, tax-funded agency delivering recreation, parks management, childcare, athletics, arts, lifelong learning, horticulture, and historic property programming rather than a private enterprise.

The service catalog is broad: nearly 8,000 recreation programs and special events are delivered annually across categories such as aquatics, figure skating, hockey, gymnastics, fitness, martial arts, youth and adult sports, arts and crafts, esports, performing arts, nature and adventure, preschool, afterschool, camps, teen engagement, and active-adult lifelong learning. Special-needs programming is delivered via the West Suburban Special Recreation Association (WSSRA). Recreation destinations — courts, athletic fields, dog parks, fitness center, pools, indoor/outdoor rinks, skate park, sledding hills, splash pad, and trains — round out a physical-amenity footprint that the district actively maintains through a dedicated properties, planning, horticulture, and maintenance organization.

Revenue is generated primarily through property taxes levied on Oak Park residents, supplemented by programmatic streams: program registration fees, membership and pass revenue (pool, fitness, facilities), one-time facility and field rentals, and a structured sponsorship/advertising program that distributes promotional material to roughly 25,000 households and sells banner and dasherboard advertising across facilities. Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer and community-led: registration runs through the Amilia SaaS platform, marketing relies on quarterly print guides, organic social, and an e-newsletter, and engagement is amplified through the Acorns to Oaks volunteer program and recurring community events such as Concerts in the Park, Movies in the Park, the Frank Lloyd Wright Races, and seasonal festivals. Non-resident pricing tiers exist alongside resident-priority registration, and a Financial Assistance Program underwrites access for qualifying households.

Name

The Park District of Oak Park

Legal name

Park District of Oak Park

Website

https://pdop.org

Company type

Public

Founded year

1912

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Park District of Oak Park is a tax-funded Illinois special-purpose local government, founded in 1912, that operates 17 parks and multiple recreation facilities to deliver roughly 8,000 recreation programs and events annually to Oak Park's 53,000 residents, spanning childcare, athletics, arts, lifelong learning, and historic property programming.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Parks and Recreation Services

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services (BPAIACAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Parks, Recreation & Protected Areas Administration (BPAIAMAH)

Keywords

• Parks and recreation
• Community recreation programs
• Municipal leisure services
• Public park facilities
• Childcare and youth programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Oak Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Program Registration Fees: Fees charged for recreation programs including childcare, athletics, fitness, arts, and special interest classes
2. Memberships and Passes: Pool passes, fitness center memberships, and facility access passes for residents and non-residents
3. Facility Rentals: Rental income from athletic fields, tennis/pickleball courts, and facility spaces for private events
4. Sponsorships and Advertising: Revenue from advertising in program guides (25,000 households), banner placements at facilities, event sponsorships, and dasherboard advertising
5. Tax Revenue: Public park district funded through property taxes from Oak Park residents

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Park District of Oak Park operates 17 community parks and multiple recreation facilities, delivering nearly 8,000 recreation programs and special events annually to 53,000 Oak Park residents. Core offerings include childcare (preschool, afterschool, camps), athletics (adult sports, aquatics, hockey, gymnastics, fitness), arts and lifelong learning programs, facility and field rentals, memberships and passes, and historic property stewardship.

Product overview

The Park District of Oak Park operates as a municipal recreation agency serving 53,000 residents with nearly 8,000 recreation programs annually. The organization offers a unified suite of services centered around parks management (17 community parks), facilities (recreation centers, historic properties, conservatory), and diverse programming (childcare, athletics, arts, lifelong learning). Revenue is generated through program fees, memberships/passes, facility rentals, and an advertising/sponsorship program. The Amilia software platform powers registration, membership management, and online transactions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Recreation Programs Nearly 8,000 recreation programs and special events annually covering childcare (preschool, afterschool, teen programs, camps), athletics (adult sports, aquatics, figure skating, fitness, gymnastics, hockey, martial arts, youth sports), and activities (arts and crafts, esports, nature and adventure, performing arts, special needs, special interest).
• Parks and Facilities Management of 17 community parks and facilities including the Gymnastics Center, Community Recreation Center, Ridgeland Common Recreation Complex, Cheney Mansion, Oak Park Conservatory, Pleasant Home, and Austin Gardens Environmental Education Center.
• Recreation Destinations and Amenities Public-use amenities including tennis and pickleball courts, athletic fields, dog parks, fitness center, pools, rinks, skate park, sledding hills, splash pads, and trains.
• Memberships and Passes Pool passes, fitness center memberships, and facility access passes available to residents and non-residents on resident and non-resident pricing tiers.
• Facility and Field Rentals Rental of athletic fields (e.g., grass field at $46/hr), tennis and pickleball courts, and event spaces for private events and community uses.
• Special Events Community events including Summer Concerts, Movies in the Park, Day in Our Village, Egg Dash and Scramble, KidsFest, Fall Fest, Frank Lloyd Wright Races, Fright at Night, Santa Trolley, and Winter Fest.
• Lifelong Learning (Active Adults) Programs and activities designed for active adults aged 50 and better, including trips, fitness classes, luncheons, and a book club.
• Historic Properties and Conservatory Stewardship of historic properties including Pleasant Home (National Historic Landmark), Cheney Mansion, Scoville Park (National Register of Historic Places), and Oak Park Conservatory programs.
• Sponsorship and Advertising Sponsorship of seasonal events and advertising in program guides (25,000+ households), banner placements at parks and facilities, and dasherboard advertising.
• Special Needs Programs (WSSRA) Special needs recreation programs delivered through the West Suburban Special Recreation Association (WSSRA), providing adaptive recreation for individuals with disabilities.
• Childcare and Early Childhood Services Childcare services including preschool, Afterschool Clubhouse Program, Teen Afterschool Program, School's Out Programs, and seasonal Camps for school-age children.

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Rush Oak Park HospitalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRush Oak Park Hospital sponsors the Day in Our Village community festival event, contributing to community wellness and engagement activities at Scoville Park.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Park Ridge Park District: Suburban Chicago park district of similar size and program mix, operating parks, recreation centers, pools, and youth programming for a comparably sized village population. Closest functional analog to PDOP.
• Glenview Park District: Nearby suburban Chicago park district managing multiple facilities, pools, ice rinks, and a broad recreation program catalog for a similar demographic profile. Operates as a direct comparable on facility breadth and tax-funded municipal model.
• Naperville Park District: Larger suburban Chicago park district operating an extensive park system, recreation centers, and programming portfolio. Comparable operating model with broader scale, useful as an upper-bound benchmark for facility management and programming breadth.
• Wilmette Park District: Affluent North Shore suburban park district operating pools, ice rinks, recreation centers, and a wide program catalog. Direct peer in tax-funded municipal recreation delivery to a defined residential catchment.
• Niles Park District: Suburban Chicago park district operating multiple recreation facilities, pools, and youth/adult programming. Comparable in scale and demographic profile to PDOP.
• Arlington Heights Park District: Larger suburban Chicago park district with a similar full-service operating model across parks, pools, recreation centers, and historic assets. Direct peer on public-sector recreation delivery and program depth.
• Downers Grove Park District: Suburban Chicago park district operating recreation centers, pools, and a multi-program portfolio for a similar-sized residential base. Comparable peer on operational structure and program breadth.

Broad incumbents

• Chicago Park District: The municipal park district for the City of Chicago; vastly larger scale and urban footprint, but shares the Illinois special-district operating model. Useful as a broader-incumbent benchmark for facilities, programming, and tax-funded recreation governance.
• Forest Preserve District of DuPage County: County-level conservation and recreation district in the same Chicago region, managing natural areas, trails, and outdoor programming. Comparable as a regional public-sector recreation entity, but with a conservation-led rather than recreation-led mission.

Others

• West Suburban Special Recreation Association (WSSRA): Intergovernmental cooperative that PDOP and other member districts use to deliver adaptive/special-needs recreation. Functions as a programming partner and ecosystem participant rather than a competitor, enabling inclusive offerings PDOP could not efficiently run on its own.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/parkdistoakpark
• Facebookfacebook.com/parkdistrictofoakpark
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/park-district-of-oak-park
• Instagraminstagram.com/parkdistoakpark

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Park District of Oak Park