Oak Park is located in the state of Chicago and a village that is adjacent to the West Side of Chicago. The area where the present-day Oak Park stands was settled at the start of the 1830s, and the growth of the area started in the latter part of the 19th century and in the early 20th century. The area was incorporated and separated itself from Cicero in 1902. The development of the city was spurred upon the arrival of the streetcars and railroads that connects the village to jobs that are available in Chicago. At the start of the 1960s, Oak Park has been facing issues and challenges of racial integration and has been devising strategies that will integrate instead of segregating the village. An immigrant from England, Joseph Kettlestrings, purchased 172 acres of land in the western part of Chicago for a farm and as their home.