Calumet Heights, Chicago

Coordinates: 41°43′42″N 87°34′47″W / 41.72833°N 87.57972°W / 41.72833; -87.57972
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Calumet Heights
Community area
Community Area 48 - Calumet Heights
Location within the city of Chicago
Location within the city of Chicago
Coordinates: 41°43′42″N 87°34′47″W / 41.72833°N 87.57972°W / 41.72833; -87.57972
CountryUnited States
StateIllinois
CountyCook
CityChicago
Neighborhoods
list
Area
 • Total1.77 sq mi (4.58 km2)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total13,088
 • Density7,400/sq mi (2,900/km2)
ZIP Codes
parts of 60617, 60619
Median household income$49,923[1]
Source: U.S. Census, Record Information Services

Calumet Heights, located on the

Chicago, Illinois
. Calumet Heights is bounded by 87th Street on the north, South Chicago Avenue on the east, and railroad lines on the west and south (along 95th Street).

History

Calumet Heights was swampy and relatively unoccupied throughout the nineteenth century. In 1870, the Calumet and Chicago Canal Dock Company purchased the Stony Island Ridge.[2] A railroad was built in 1881 along the western border of Calumet Heights leading to the development of the neighborhood.[3] The area became part of the Village of Hyde Park in 1889. Shortly thereafter, Hyde Park Township was annexed by Chicago.[2]

During the Chicago Freedom Movement, Calumet Heights was one of the few areas in which Martin Luther King Jr. received a positive reception in which he was hosted by a Calumet Heights business owner. During this same period, Dr. King was hit with a brick during a march in a white-majority area of Chicago.[4][5]

Demographics

The area that is now Calumet Heights was initially settled by Irish and German immigrants. Those residents were eventually replaced by Italian, Polish and Yugoslavian immigrants. In the 1960s, the first

African American families moved to Calumet Heights and received a hostile reception. Unlike other communities that underwent white flight during this period, Calumet Heights maintained much of its wealth.[6] As of 2015, the median income in Calumet Heights is slightly greater than that of Chicago at-large. This includes a greater percentage of Calumet Heights residents making $75,000 to $149,999 than Chicago at-large.[1]

According to a 2017 analysis by the

Latino of any race were 3.2% of the population. In the area, the population was spread out, with 20.1% under the age of 19, 13.3% from 20 to 34, 20.6% from 35 to 49, 21.9% from 50 to 64, and 24.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years.[1]

Economy

An analysis by the

University of Illinois at Chicago's Great Cities Institute estimates there are 2,327 jobs in the Calumet Heights community area.[7] The top employing industry sector in the Calumet Heights area is healthcare (58.7%). Healthcare is followed by accommodation and food (12.1%), retail trade (8.4%), administration (3.6%) and other service (3.5%). Over half of the workers in these fields reside outside of Chicago.[1] 56% of Calumet Heights residents are in the labor force. 83% of those are considered to be employed and 17% to be unemployed.[1] The top 5 employing industry sectors of community residents are healthcare (18.5%), education (14.1%), public administration (9.8%), administration (8.4%) and retail trade (8.2%). Over one third of Calumet Heights residents commute to Chicago's central business district and a little less than one third of Calumet Heights residents commute outside of Chicago.[1]

The Commercial Avenue TIF district is partially located in Calumet Heights.[8] Calumet Heights also includes a portion of Chicago Enterprise Zone 3. An enterprise zone is an economic development tool created by state statute which allows for various tax exemptions on activities related to development, including an exemption on taxes paid on building materials.[9][10]

Education

The Bronzeville Children's Museum at 9301 South Stony Island Avenue

Calumet Heights is part of City of Chicago School District #299 and City Colleges of Chicago District #508. The nearest City Colleges campus was Olive–Harvey College in Pullman. A high school diploma had been earned by 88.5% of Calumet Heights residents and a bachelor's degree had been earned by 27.4% of residents.[1] The Bronzeville Children's Museum, the only children's museum in the United States focused on African-American history moved to Calumet Heights from Evergreen Park, Illinois in the early 2000s.[11]

Geography

Calumet Heights is bounded by 87th Street on the north, South Chicago Avenue on the east, and railroad lines on the west and south (along 95th Street). It includes the

Blue Island
).

Politics

Calumet Heights is a stronghold for the

2012 presidential election, Calumet Heights cast 8,727 votes for Barack Obama and 95 votes for Mitt Romney. It was Obama's 18th largest margin of victory by percentage points in the 76 community areas he won.[13]

At the local level, Calumet Heights is located in Chicago's 7th, 8th, and 10th represented by Democrats

Notable people

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Community Data Snapshot - Calumet Heights" (PDF). cmap.illinois.gov. MetroPulse. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  2. ^ a b c Kouri, Charles (November 22, 1991). "Upwardly mobile Calumet Heights a 'high-end' community". Chicago Tribune – via ProQuest.
  3. ^ Encyclopaedia Chicago: Calumet Heights
  4. Chicago, Illinois. Retrieved April 16, 2018 – via NewsBank
    .
  5. .
  6. ^ White, John C. (February 6, 1983). "A neighborhood success story: Community changes color, but remains stable". Chicago Tribune. p. 5 – via ProQuest.
  7. ^ "Economic Fact Sheet #1: Chicago and Cook County Economic Trends" (PDF). University of Illinois Chicago. July 11, 2016. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
  8. ^ "Commercial Avenue TIF". City of Chicago Department of Planning and Development. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
  9. ^ "Chicago III (2016)" (PDF). Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. January 23, 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 17, 2018. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  10. ^ "Illinois Enterprise Zone Act (20 ILCS 655/)". Illinois General Assembly. February 28, 1990. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
  11. ProQuest 420731623
    .
  12. DNAinfo.com. Archived from the original
    on March 17, 2017. Retrieved March 16, 2017.
  13. DNAinfo.com. Archived from the original
    on March 17, 2017. Retrieved March 16, 2017.
  14. ^ Connolly, Colleen (February 6, 2015). "Get to Know Your Ward: 7th Ward". Ward Room. WMAQ-TV. Retrieved December 25, 2017.
  15. ^ Connolly, Colleen (February 6, 2015). "Get to Know Your Ward: 8th Ward". Ward Room. WMAQ-TV. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
  16. ^ Connolly, Colleen (February 6, 2015). "Get to Know Your Ward: 10th Ward". Ward Room. WMAQ-TV. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
  17. ^ Nickeas, Peter (February 23, 2019). "Blaze strikes Clerk Dorothy Brown's home". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  18. ^ Bazer, Mark (September 17, 2014). "Common is Back in the Neighborhood". No. October 2014. Chicago magazine.
  19. Chicago, Illinois: Chicago Sun-Times
    . Retrieved December 27, 2018.

External links