Highland Park was once playfully dubbed "Little Switzerland" due to its distinctly Polish population and rolling fields and orchards. St. Isidore church played a central roll in the unification of Highland Park neighborhood. When US I-196 was built the neighborhood was separated from the rest of the city south of it, causing it to change drastically. The park is located just North of the freeway between Grand and College, and is bordered on its North end by Lydia.