Midlothian, Illinois
Encyclopedia
Midlothian is a village in Cook County, Illinois
, United States. The population was 14,315 at the 2000 census.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the village has a total area of 2.8 square miles (7.3 km²), all land.
- was little more than a milk stop along the Rock Island Railroad serving a few area farmers. In 1900, a group of wealthy Chicago
industrialists, looking for respite and retreat from the crowded city, discovered the green knolls and rolling fairways of the new Midlothian Country Club
and golf
course deciding they needed faster transportation, they petitioned the Rock Island to build a spur track, and soon passenger trains were speeding people from Chicago to the quiet little village.
The Rock Island also built a depot - complete with an electric car to ride around Midlothian - and traffic to Midlothian began increasing. By 1915, land developers who saw opportunity in Midlothian began arriving, purchased land from farmers and subdivided the farms into tracts of land for housing developments. Soon the first general store opened, then a school, and then more businesses offering goods and services to serve the community's fast-growing population. The Midlothian Fire Department
was organized in 1924.
By 1927, there were so many people living in the area that community leaders decided it was time to formally organize the community and incorporate it. On March 17, it was incorporated as the Village of Midlothian, taking its name from the golf course around which the community had grown and prospered. The following month, John H. Hamilton was elected as the Villages' first president.
In the '30s and '40s, homes continued to be built for people moving to and settling down in Midlothian. The Kreis Brothers opened the Ford Garage (where the village's fire engine was kept) and Chuck Cavallini began selling ice cream
from his corner "Sweet Shop" (the Cavallini family would later own and operate the renowned Cavallini's Restaurant - home of the "Chuck Wagon" dinners - which served patrons from Midlothian, surrounding communities and even Chicago for a half century before closing in 1989). The first copy of The Messenger newspaper was printed in 1929 by the Andrews brothers, above the old Largent store located on 147th Street just west of Kildare. The first editor was Kevin McGann, who later served as aide-de-camp to General Dwight Eisenhower during World War II. McGann also worked with the General
on his two books.
In 1949 Midlothian's present Village Hall was built at 148th and Pulaski
. It provided a permanent "home" for the village staff. The facilities have been expanded and recently renovated; the Village Hall complex now houses the administrative staff, public works offices and garages, the fire department administrative offices and Station 1, the police department administrative offices, records, communications and investigative resources, a conference room and meeting room used by residents as well as staff, and the Village Board Chambers. Monthly hearings for parking tickets and housing-code violations are also held in the Chambers.
. That Midlothian is in Scotland where golf was first played and so it was chosen as a fitting name for the new club. The club was one of the first golf clubs in the country and remains a prestigious course. The mayor's annual charity golf classic is held every summer at the Midlothian Country Club. The club also played host to the 1914 U.S. Open
.
The top five non-African, non-Hispanic ancestries reported in Midlothian as of the 2000 census were German
(27.5%), Irish
(26.5%), Polish
(15.4%), Italian
(10.4%) and English
(5.2%).
There were 5,158 households out of which 37.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.9% were married couples
living together, 13.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.4% were non-families. 22.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.26.
In the village the population was spread out with 28.1% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 32.0% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 10.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 95.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.8 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $50,000, and the median income for a family was $58,945. Males had a median income of $43,693 versus $31,116 for females. The per capita income
for the village was $20,150. About 5.5% of families and 7.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.3% of those under age 18 and 9.4% of those age 65 or over.
Victor Ames, who resided in Midlothian his entire life, flew several missions on D-Day, and in support of the invasion of France. He later became an engineer and took part in inventing the Trackmobile, a vehicle that drives on both streets and railroads.
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...
, United States. The population was 14,315 at the 2000 census.
Geography
Midlothian is located at 41°37′35"N 87°43′17"W (41.626383, -87.721373).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 2.8 square miles (7.3 km²), all land.
History
Until the turn of the century, the area now known as the Village of Midlothian - named for an ancient borough in ScotlandScotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
- was little more than a milk stop along the Rock Island Railroad serving a few area farmers. In 1900, a group of wealthy Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
industrialists, looking for respite and retreat from the crowded city, discovered the green knolls and rolling fairways of the new Midlothian Country Club
Midlothian Country Club
Midlothian Country Club is a golf course in Midlothian, Illinois. It is located eighteen miles southwest of Chicago and built on of land. Designed by Herbert James Tweedie and opened in 1898. The course was updated by the Ken Killian and Richard P. Nugent design team...
and golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
course deciding they needed faster transportation, they petitioned the Rock Island to build a spur track, and soon passenger trains were speeding people from Chicago to the quiet little village.
The Rock Island also built a depot - complete with an electric car to ride around Midlothian - and traffic to Midlothian began increasing. By 1915, land developers who saw opportunity in Midlothian began arriving, purchased land from farmers and subdivided the farms into tracts of land for housing developments. Soon the first general store opened, then a school, and then more businesses offering goods and services to serve the community's fast-growing population. The Midlothian Fire Department
Fire department
A fire department or fire brigade is a public or private organization that provides fire protection for a certain jurisdiction, which typically is a municipality, county, or fire protection district...
was organized in 1924.
By 1927, there were so many people living in the area that community leaders decided it was time to formally organize the community and incorporate it. On March 17, it was incorporated as the Village of Midlothian, taking its name from the golf course around which the community had grown and prospered. The following month, John H. Hamilton was elected as the Villages' first president.
In the '30s and '40s, homes continued to be built for people moving to and settling down in Midlothian. The Kreis Brothers opened the Ford Garage (where the village's fire engine was kept) and Chuck Cavallini began selling ice cream
Ice cream
Ice cream is a frozen dessert usually made from dairy products, such as milk and cream, and often combined with fruits or other ingredients and flavours. Most varieties contain sugar, although some are made with other sweeteners...
from his corner "Sweet Shop" (the Cavallini family would later own and operate the renowned Cavallini's Restaurant - home of the "Chuck Wagon" dinners - which served patrons from Midlothian, surrounding communities and even Chicago for a half century before closing in 1989). The first copy of The Messenger newspaper was printed in 1929 by the Andrews brothers, above the old Largent store located on 147th Street just west of Kildare. The first editor was Kevin McGann, who later served as aide-de-camp to General Dwight Eisenhower during World War II. McGann also worked with the General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
on his two books.
In 1949 Midlothian's present Village Hall was built at 148th and Pulaski
Pulaski
Pulaski most commonly refers to Casimir Pulaski , a Polish military commander and American Revolutionary War hero.-Municipalities in the United States:* Pulaski, Georgia...
. It provided a permanent "home" for the village staff. The facilities have been expanded and recently renovated; the Village Hall complex now houses the administrative staff, public works offices and garages, the fire department administrative offices and Station 1, the police department administrative offices, records, communications and investigative resources, a conference room and meeting room used by residents as well as staff, and the Village Board Chambers. Monthly hearings for parking tickets and housing-code violations are also held in the Chambers.
Midlothian Country Club
The Village of Midlothian takes its name from the Midlothian Country Club, a private club founded in 1898 by prominent Chicago businessmen looking for a summer retreat for their families. They came "way out to the country" (147th Street) and found a piece of property with rolling hills that reminded them of the Midlothian described in Sir Walter Scott's book The Heart of MidlothianThe Heart of Midlothian
The Heart of Midlothian is the seventh of Sir Walter Scott’s Waverley Novels. It was originally published in four volumes on 25 July 1818, under the title of Tales of My Landlord, 2nd series, and the author was given as "Jedediah Cleishbotham, Schoolmaster and Parish-clerk of Gandercleugh"...
. That Midlothian is in Scotland where golf was first played and so it was chosen as a fitting name for the new club. The club was one of the first golf clubs in the country and remains a prestigious course. The mayor's annual charity golf classic is held every summer at the Midlothian Country Club. The club also played host to the 1914 U.S. Open
U.S. Open (golf)
The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour...
.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 14,315 people, 5,158 households, and 3,744 families residing in the village. The population density was 5,059.5 inhabitants per square mile (1,953.0/km²). There were 5,386 housing units at an average density of 1,903.6 per square mile (734.8/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 88.27% White, 6.13% African American, 0.15% Native American, 1.65% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 2.25% from other races, and 1.53% from two or more races. 6.82% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.The top five non-African, non-Hispanic ancestries reported in Midlothian as of the 2000 census were German
German American
German Americans are citizens of the United States of German ancestry and comprise about 51 million people, or 17% of the U.S. population, the country's largest self-reported ancestral group...
(27.5%), Irish
Irish American
Irish Americans are citizens of the United States who can trace their ancestry to Ireland. A total of 36,278,332 Americans—estimated at 11.9% of the total population—reported Irish ancestry in the 2008 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau...
(26.5%), Polish
Polish American
A Polish American , is a citizen of the United States of Polish descent. There are an estimated 10 million Polish Americans, representing about 3.2% of the population of the United States...
(15.4%), Italian
Italian American
An Italian American , is an American of Italian ancestry. The designation may also refer to someone possessing Italian and American dual citizenship...
(10.4%) and English
English American
English Americans are citizens or residents of the United States whose ancestry originates wholly or partly in England....
(5.2%).
There were 5,158 households out of which 37.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.9% 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, 13.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.4% were non-families. 22.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.26.
In the village the population was spread out with 28.1% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 32.0% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 10.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 95.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.8 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $50,000, and the median income for a family was $58,945. Males had a median income of $43,693 versus $31,116 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 $20,150. About 5.5% of families and 7.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.3% of those under age 18 and 9.4% of those age 65 or over.
Famous residents
David Dowaliby, who was accused of murdering his adopted daughter, Jaclyn Dowaliby, lived in Midlothian.Victor Ames, who resided in Midlothian his entire life, flew several missions on D-Day, and in support of the invasion of France. He later became an engineer and took part in inventing the Trackmobile, a vehicle that drives on both streets and railroads.
Schools
- Springfield Elementary School
- Spaulding Elementary School
- Central Park Middle School
- Developmental Learning Program
- St. Christopher School
- Bremen High School