Tinley Park vs. St. Charles: 5 Reasons to Vote Tinley in the 'Battle of the Burbs'

So you think you love Tinley Park? Time to prove it.

Each year, the Eric and Kathy show on WTMX 101.9 hosts a "Battle of the Burbs," a March Madness-style bracket showdown between 16 Chicago suburbs to see which suburb reigns supreme.

Last year, Tinley made it to the final round, only to have Bartlett snatch victory away. This year, victory will be ours.

In each "game," people only have half an hour in which to vote between the two towns. Tinley Park and St. Charles will face off between 8:30 and 9 a.m. Friday with the winner facing off against either La Grange or Carol Stream in the next round.

St. Charles Patch Editor Nick Swedberg and I are each listing the top reasons you should vote for our town on Friday. You can find his reasons on St. Charles Patch.

There are three ways to vote:

• Text your pick to 60123.
• Call in to the show at 312-591-6800.
• E-mail Eric at eferguson@wtmx.com or Kathy at khart@wtmx.com.

Only votes from 8:30 to 9 a.m. Friday will count.

So that's how to vote for Tinley Park. Here are just a few of the reasons why:

You've seen it on signs, on the village website, even on hats and shirts the village sells: . That's based on cost of living, quality of schools and more standards where Tinley came up on top.

Hey, technically it still is the reigning champ, considering (and no overall "Best in America" was named).

"It's a great family town," Mayor Ed Zabrocki said. "My kids grew up here and four of my six grandkids are growing up here."

St. Charles does have a nice downtown, but I think Tinley's is best. Anchored by the train station, you have bars, restaurants, a beautiful plaza with fountain and statue garden and more all within walking distance and, , mostly independently owned businesses. (Extra points for the free lot parking. No circling the block here.)

Grab a drink at or ice cream at . and are just a stone's throw from each other, along with other great dining options. Bars like , , and make downtown the place to be on a Friday night.

It's hard to throw a stone in Tinley without hitting a park.

From the magnificent to little neighborhood playgrounds for local kids, from soccer fields to natural preserves, Tinley does well in keeping outdoor areas for the residents. The Tinley Park Park District has nearly 40 outdoor parks totaling more than 430 acres of land.

And that's not even counting the district-owned , , , AND , , and .

With strong German, Irish and Polish communities and sister cities in all three of those countries, Tinley Park is an international city with a strong sense of civic pride.

Unless Tinley Park Patch has become a global phenomenon (or unless you're my mom), you're probably not reading this if you don't live in town.

Tinley Park is your home. Your kids go to school year. You shop here, go to church here, spend sultry summer nights here.

Now let's show Eric and Kathy why you do.