Tinley Park misses out on magazine’s Top 10 list

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The likeness of Mayor Ed Zabrocki announces Tinley as "America's Best Place to Raise Your Family" in the Tinley Park Village Hall. | Larry Ruehl~Sun-Times Media

Updated: October 31, 2011 11:02AM

What in the name of Samuel Tinley is going on?

How can Tinley Park — formerly called the best place in America to raise kids — no longer be top dog? According to Family Circle magazine, the best place for families in the nation now is ... St. Charles.

St. Charles? Isn’t that a little town out near Rockford?

In its August edition, Family Circle magazine said St. Charles, pop. 33,000, is the best of about 2,500 communities surveyed in terms of affordable housing, good neighbors, green spaces, strong public school systems and giving spirits.

Tinley Park didn’t even make the Top 10.

Instead, that honor went to the thriving communities of Friendswood, Texas, Germantown, Wis., and Peachtree City, Ga., all on the list.

Come on. Those are fake names, right?

Back in late 2009, the national spotlight fell on Tinley Park when BusinessWeek magazine named it the Best Place in America to Raise Kids. And although Niles this year replaced Tinley Park on BusinessWeek’s list, the honor is one held near and dear by Tinley Park officials.

There’s even a plaque in the village hall lobby touting the BusinessWeek honor.

Despite losing the title, Tinley Park Mayor Ed Zabrocki harbors no ill will toward the good people of St. Charles.

“I offer my congratulations to them,” Zabrocki said. “I don’t feel slighted at all. There are a lot of great towns in the Chicago metropolitan area, and I’m glad Family Circle recognized one of the other towns in the area”.

At least the folks in St. Charles are gracious winners.

“Sorry about that,” said Lisa Garhan, the city’s director of community and public affairs.

Mayor Donald DeWitte reacted with mock concern that trouble was brewing between the two towns.

“What are you trying to do, cause a disagreement between towns?” DeWitte said.

On a more serious note, DeWitte said St. Charles “is pleased to be considered in the same category as Tinley Park.”

“It’s daunting and very humbling,” he said. “There are a lot of great communities all over Chicagoland and the country. This is gratifying and humbling at the same time.”

Zabrocki said he has visited St. Charles and likes it there.

DeWitte joked that St. Charles managed to win the he honor “without a music theater like the one in Tinley Park” and said he wished St. Charles would have half the beer concessions Tinley Park enjoys.

However, the Family Circle designation does confirm what DeWitte, a third-generation St. Charles resident, said he has known for a long time: “We’re not just a west suburban bedroom community. We’re a place we can all call home.”

He credits a close working relationship between government bodies with helping foster a family-oriented feeling in St. Charles.

“The other thing is St. Charles residents have very deep roots that generate a significant spirit of volunteerism and commitment to the community,” he said.

Hey, that sounds awfully familiar.

Asked if Tinley Park still is considered a great place to raise kids, Zabrocki laughed and said, “You’re damn right it is.”

Long a booster of all things Tinley, Zabrocki then told a reporter, “One of these days, you’ll see the light and move into town.”

With that, Zabrocki said he was ready to end the phone call and get back to more pressing business: Relaxing on a warm July day beside the pool at the Tony Bettenhausen Recreation Center.

That sounds good no matter what town you are in.