Oak Park is a thriving community of about 52,000 people located immediately west of the City of Chicago and known for its architectural heritage and diverse population. Within its 4.5 square miles live one of the region's most diverse mixes of cultures, races, ethnicities, professions, lifestyles, religions, ages and incomes. The Village of Oak Park evolved from the purchase of land of early settler Joseph Kettlestrings. In 1837, Kettlestrings, a native of England, paid $215.98 for 172.78 acres of land in the area now bordered by Chicago Avenue and Lake Street, and Oak Park and Harlem Avenues. Kettlestrings' residence became a haven for worn and weary travelers, going to and from the Chicago market. In the 1850s, Kettlestrings began to subdivide his land of "Oak Ridge," as it had become known, selling it to "good people who were against saloons and for good schools and churches." By 1871, the population had grown to 500 and the settlement continued to boom as a result of the Great Chicago Fire. At this time, Oak Ridge was renamed Oak Park to match the name of the Post Office serving the area. The name was reinforced further in 1872 when the railroad station serving the area was named Oak Park.