Ford Heights, Illinois
Encyclopedia
Ford Heights is a village in Cook County
, Illinois
, United States
. The population was 3,456 at the 2000 census
. A July 1, 2007 estimate placed the population at 3,227. It is located approximately 25 miles south of downtown Chicago and is part of the Chicago–Naperville
–Joliet
, IL-IN
-WI
Metropolitan Statistical Area.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the village has a total area of 1.8 square miles (4.7 km²), all of it land. The village lies on the border of the Tinley Moraine
and Lake Bottomland.
for runaway slaves fleeing to freedom. By the early 20th century, the area had developed into an agricultural community of farms operated mostly by Polish, Lithuanian, and Italians
. After World War I
, Blacks from the Southern U.S.
migrated to the area and worked on the farms.
A new subdivision known as the "Park Addition" was created on a farm road from Chicago Heights
to Indiana
and it attracted residents to the area during the early 1920s. In 1924, 40 families successfully petitioned for electrical service. Soon after, the main east-west road became a two-lane concrete highway designated as U.S. Route 30
(also at one time known as the transcontinental Lincoln Highway
). By the 1930s, the Park Addition had telephone service and was known as East Chicago Heights. During the 1940s, Alberta Armstrong and others organized both Black and White women in the community to raise funds for a new fire truck. By 1948, they had become the East Chicago Heights Citizens Association.
East Chicago Heights was incorporated as a village in 1949. In the 1950 census
, 1,548 people lived in the village – 76.9% of which were Black. The Ford Motor Company opened a stamping plant adjacent to the village in 1956. The company offered minorities an equal opportunity for well-paying jobs and East Chicago Heights developed into a blue collar
community inhabited mostly by middle-class Black families whose housing choices in suburban Chicago were severely limited at that time. The village's population more than doubled to 3,270 by 1960. That growth continued throughout the decade with one of the biggest successes being the Sunnyfield subdivision, which opened in 1964 and became one of the most popular neighborhoods in East Chicago Heights.
Towards the end of the 1960s, over sixty acres of housing deemed substandard were cleared and replaced by federally subsidized public housing
. These developments attracted lower income residents to East Chicago Heights which strained the village's resources, already limited by little commercial activity and a small tax base. The population rose to 5,000 in 1970 and peaked at 5,347 in 1980. In an attempt to annex the unincorporated site of the Ford Stamping Plant, the village of East Chicago Heights changed its name to Ford Heights in 1987. The move was unsuccessful and the land eventually was annexed by the neighboring city of Chicago Heights.
Often viewed as one of Chicago's most impoverished suburbs and at one point the poorest suburb in the United States., Ford Heights has experienced high levels of political corruption, decaying infrastructure, and an elevated crime rate. Between 1980 and 2000, the population of Ford Heights declined by 35%.
Despite these challenges, community and private organizations have taken steps to improve the overall situation.
of 2000, there were 3,456 people, 984 households, and 779 families residing in the village. The population density
was 1,954.9 people per square mile (753.9/km²). There were 1,019 housing units at an average density of 576.4 per square mile (222.3/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 1.77% White, 95.89% African American, 0.06% Native American, 0.12% Asian, 1.16% from other races
, and 1.01% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.52% of the population.
There were 984 households out of which 48.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 21.5% were married couples
living together, 49.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.8% were non-families. 18.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.51 and the average family size was 3.98.
In the village the population was spread out with 45.3% under the age of 18, 11.2% from 18 to 24, 22.7% from 25 to 44, 14.0% from 45 to 64, and 6.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 21 years. For every 100 females there were 86.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 70.1 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $17,500, and the median income for a family was $16,706. Males had a median income of $28,750 versus $20,243 for females. The per capita income
for the village was $8,938. About 45.1% of families and 49.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 62.0% of those under age 18 and 29.1% of those age 65 or over. This is one of the highest rates in an urban area in the United States.
and Bloom Township High School District 206
.
Ford Heights School District 169 operates two campuses - Medgar Evers Primary Academic Center (Grades PK-4) and Cottage Grove Upper Grade Center (Grades 5-8).
High school students in Ford Heights attend Bloom Trail High School
http://www.bloomtrail.org/, which is part of Bloom Township High School District 206.
Cook County, Illinois
Cook County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois, with its county seat in Chicago. It is the second most populous county in the United States after Los Angeles County. The county has 5,194,675 residents, which is 40.5 percent of all Illinois residents. Cook County's population is larger than...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 3,456 at the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
. A July 1, 2007 estimate placed the population at 3,227. It is located approximately 25 miles south of downtown Chicago and is part of the Chicago–Naperville
Naperville, Illinois
Naperville is a city in DuPage and Will Counties in Illinois in the United States, voted the second best place to live in the United States by Money Magazine in 2006. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 141,853. It is the fifth largest city in the state, behind Chicago,...
–Joliet
Joliet, Illinois
Joliet is a city in Will and Kendall Counties in the U.S. state of Illinois, located southwest of Chicago. It is the county seat of Will County. As of the 2010 census, the city was the fourth-most populated in Illinois, with a population of 147,433. It continues to be Illinois' fastest growing...
, IL-IN
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
-WI
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Geography
Ford Heights is located at 41.509285°N 87.587938°W.According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the village has a total area of 1.8 square miles (4.7 km²), all of it land. The village lies on the border of the Tinley Moraine
Tinley Moraine
The Tinley Moraine is a moraine around the Lake Michigan basin in North America. It was formed during the Wisconsin Glaciation and is younger than the higher and wider terminal moraine called the Valparaiso Moraine farther from the lake than it. Compared to the Valparaiso Moraine, the Tinley...
and Lake Bottomland.
History
The area that would eventually become Ford Heights was first settled in the late 1840s. It served as a stopping point on the Underground RailroadUnderground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...
for runaway slaves fleeing to freedom. By the early 20th century, the area had developed into an agricultural community of farms operated mostly by Polish, Lithuanian, and Italians
Italian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
. After World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Blacks from the Southern U.S.
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
migrated to the area and worked on the farms.
A new subdivision known as the "Park Addition" was created on a farm road from Chicago Heights
Chicago Heights, Illinois
Chicago Heights is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 31,373 at the 2005 census. Chicago Heights is nicknamed 'Crossroads of the Nation'.-History:...
to Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
and it attracted residents to the area during the early 1920s. In 1924, 40 families successfully petitioned for electrical service. Soon after, the main east-west road became a two-lane concrete highway designated as U.S. Route 30
U.S. Route 30
U.S. Route 30 is an east–west main route of the system of United States Numbered Highways, with the highway traveling across the northern tier of the country. It is the third longest U.S. route, after U.S. Route 20 and U.S. Route 6. The western end of the highway is at Astoria, Oregon; the...
(also at one time known as the transcontinental Lincoln Highway
Lincoln Highway
The Lincoln Highway was the first road across the United States of America.Conceived and promoted by entrepreneur Carl G. Fisher, the Lincoln Highway spanned coast-to-coast from Times Square in New York City to Lincoln Park in San Francisco, originally through 13 states: New York, New Jersey,...
). By the 1930s, the Park Addition had telephone service and was known as East Chicago Heights. During the 1940s, Alberta Armstrong and others organized both Black and White women in the community to raise funds for a new fire truck. By 1948, they had become the East Chicago Heights Citizens Association.
East Chicago Heights was incorporated as a village in 1949. In the 1950 census
United States Census, 1950
The Seventeenth United States Census, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States to be 150,697,361, an increase of 14.5 percent over the 131,669,275 persons enumerated during the 1940 Census.-Census questions:...
, 1,548 people lived in the village – 76.9% of which were Black. The Ford Motor Company opened a stamping plant adjacent to the village in 1956. The company offered minorities an equal opportunity for well-paying jobs and East Chicago Heights developed into a blue collar
Blue collar
Blue collar can refer to:*Blue-collar worker, a traditional designation of the working class*Blue-collar crime, the types of crimes typically associated with the working class*A census designation...
community inhabited mostly by middle-class Black families whose housing choices in suburban Chicago were severely limited at that time. The village's population more than doubled to 3,270 by 1960. That growth continued throughout the decade with one of the biggest successes being the Sunnyfield subdivision, which opened in 1964 and became one of the most popular neighborhoods in East Chicago Heights.
Towards the end of the 1960s, over sixty acres of housing deemed substandard were cleared and replaced by federally subsidized public housing
Public housing in the United States
Public housing in the United States has been administered by federal, state and local agencies to provide subsidized assistance for low-income and people living in poverty. Now increasingly provided in a variety of settings and formats, originally public housing in the U.S...
. These developments attracted lower income residents to East Chicago Heights which strained the village's resources, already limited by little commercial activity and a small tax base. The population rose to 5,000 in 1970 and peaked at 5,347 in 1980. In an attempt to annex the unincorporated site of the Ford Stamping Plant, the village of East Chicago Heights changed its name to Ford Heights in 1987. The move was unsuccessful and the land eventually was annexed by the neighboring city of Chicago Heights.
Often viewed as one of Chicago's most impoverished suburbs and at one point the poorest suburb in the United States., Ford Heights has experienced high levels of political corruption, decaying infrastructure, and an elevated crime rate. Between 1980 and 2000, the population of Ford Heights declined by 35%.
Despite these challenges, community and private organizations have taken steps to improve the overall situation.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 3,456 people, 984 households, and 779 families residing in the village. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,954.9 people per square mile (753.9/km²). There were 1,019 housing units at an average density of 576.4 per square mile (222.3/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 1.77% White, 95.89% African American, 0.06% Native American, 0.12% Asian, 1.16% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.01% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.52% of the population.
There were 984 households out of which 48.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 21.5% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 49.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.8% were non-families. 18.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.51 and the average family size was 3.98.
In the village the population was spread out with 45.3% under the age of 18, 11.2% from 18 to 24, 22.7% from 25 to 44, 14.0% from 45 to 64, and 6.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 21 years. For every 100 females there were 86.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 70.1 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $17,500, and the median income for a family was $16,706. Males had a median income of $28,750 versus $20,243 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the village was $8,938. About 45.1% of families and 49.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 62.0% of those under age 18 and 29.1% of those age 65 or over. This is one of the highest rates in an urban area in the United States.
Education
Public education in the village of Ford Heights is provided by Ford Heights School District 169Ford Heights School District 169
Ford Heights School District 169 is a public school district based in Ford Heights, Illinois, United States.The district is bordered by Joe Orr Road on the north, Stoney Island Avenue to the east, State Street on the west and the Conrail tracks to the south....
and Bloom Township High School District 206
Bloom Township High School District 206
The Bloom Township High School District 206 is a public high school district that serves Bloom Township, Illinois. The district consists of 3,558 students in grades 9-12 in two high schools and one alternative high school.-Administration:...
.
Ford Heights School District 169 operates two campuses - Medgar Evers Primary Academic Center (Grades PK-4) and Cottage Grove Upper Grade Center (Grades 5-8).
High school students in Ford Heights attend Bloom Trail High School
Bloom Trail High School
Bloom Trail High School is a public high school in Chicago Heights, Illinois, United States. It is part of Bloom Township High School District 206. Originally Bloom Township Freshman-Sophomore Division, in 1976 it became a four-year high school and was renamed Bloom Trail High School.-External...
http://www.bloomtrail.org/, which is part of Bloom Township High School District 206.
External links
- Village of Ford Heights - Official site.
- Ford Heights Community Profile - Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.