development in late 1974. For over two years, intense activity at public and private levels untangled many of the problems. The new town, intended for 100,000, adapted to a slow-growth plan anticipating an eventual 20,000 to 25,000 residents. The 2000 population, however, was 6,662, up slightly from the previous decade. New town planning remains evident. The industrial park next to Interstate 57 is integral to the village, and residential areas continue to offer open space, bikeways, and additional development. The new town heritage includes the Nathan Manilow Sculpture Park, a monumental internationally recognized outdoor sculpture park at GSU developed by Lewis Manilow to honor his father. Notable people Shonda Rhimes, television producer, screenwriter, and creator, head writer and executive producer of hit television series Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, Scandal and How to Get Away With Murder, resided in University Park (formerly Park Forest South) as a child. Geography University Park is located at (41.439460, -87.697299). According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, University Park has a total area of , of which (or 99.98%) is land and (or 0.02%) is water. The village lies on the Valparaiso Moraine, which is also the Eastern Continental Divide. Surrounding areas Richton Park Richton Park Park Forest Frankfort / Unincorporated Will County Steger / Crete Unincorporated Will County Unincorporated Will County Monee / Unincorporated Will County Demographics As of the 2020 census there were 7,145 people, 2,508 households, and 1,831 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 2,756 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 87.64% African American, 5.16% White, 0.29% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 2.23% from other races, and 4.39% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.04% of the population. There were 2,508 households, out of which 71.85% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.69% were married couples living together, 32.18% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.99% were non-families. 22.77% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.49% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.37 and the average family size was 2.87. The village's age distribution consisted of 32.0% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 30.8% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 10.3% who were