Ford Heights, Illinois

Coordinates: 41°30′33″N 87°35′17″W / 41.50917°N 87.58806°W / 41.50917; -87.58806
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Ford Heights, Illinois
East Chicago Heights, Illinois
Village
ZIP code(s)
60411
Area code(s)708
Geocode26710
FIPS code17-26710
Websitewww.villageoffordheights.com

Ford Heights (formerly East Chicago Heights) is a village and a suburb of

African American and since its incorporation in 1949 the village has remained predominantly Black. Due to the lack of commercial activity and financial stability, the village has declined over the years. Urban renewal
efforts were attempted in the 1960s, although the village has continued to decline.

Geography

Ford Heights is located at 41°30′33″N 87°35′17″W / 41.509285°N 87.587938°W / 41.509285; -87.587938.[3]

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Ford Heights has a total area of 1.95 square miles (5.05 km2), all land.[4] The village lies on the edge of the Tinley Moraine.

Surrounding areas

  Glenwood
  Chicago Heights Lynwood
  Chicago Heights   Lynwood
  Chicago Heights Sauk Village
  Sauk Village

History

The area that would eventually become Ford Heights was first settled in the late 1840s.

African Americans 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, part of the transcontinental Lincoln Highway. By the 1930s, the Park Addition had telephone service and was known as East Chicago Heights.[5] 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.[5]

East Chicago Heights was incorporated as a village in 1949.

blue-collar community inhabited mostly by middle-class black families whose housing choices in suburban Chicago were severely limited at that time.[6] 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.[5]

Towards the end of the 1960s, over 60 acres (24 ha) 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.[5] 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.[9]

Often viewed as one of Chicago's most impoverished suburbs and at one point the poorest suburb in the United States,

Cook County Sheriff's Department took over law enforcement duties for the village.[11]
Between 1980 and 2020, the population of Ford Heights declined by more than 66%.

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
19501,548—
19603,270111.2%
19705,00052.9%
19805,3476.9%
19904,259−20.3%
20003,456−18.9%
20102,763−20.1%
20201,813−34.4%
U.S. Decennial Census[12]
2010[13] 2020[14]

As of the

Latino
of any race were 3.70% of the population.

There were 885 households, out of which 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 13.33% were married couples living together, 42.82% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.93% were non-families. 30.51% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.67% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 4.05 and the average family size was 3.06.

The village's age distribution consisted of 24.6% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 28.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.9 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $37,083, and the median income for a family was $40,082. Males had a median income of $22,263 versus $33,819 for females. The

poverty line
, including 66.2% of those under age 18 and 18.1% of those age 65 or over.

Ford Heights, Illinois – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) Pop 2000[16] Pop 2010[13] Pop 2020[14] % 2000 % 2010 % 2020
White
alone (NH) 		47 40 44 1.36% 1.45% 2.43%
Black or African American
alone (NH) 		3,296 2,635 1,651 95.37% 95.37% 91.06%
Alaska Native
alone (NH) 		1 6 7 0.03% 0.22% 0.39%
Asian alone (NH) 3 3 4 0.09% 0.11% 0.22%
Pacific Islander alone (NH) 0 0 0 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Some Other Race alone (NH) 1 0 3 0.03% 0.00% 0.17%
Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (NH) 21 37 37 0.61% 1.34% 2.04%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 87 42 67 2.52% 1.52% 3.70%
Total 3,456 2,763 1,813 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

Government

US 30
in Ford Heights

Ford Heights is in Illinois's 2nd congressional district.

Mayors of Ford Heights

Education

Public education in the village of Ford Heights is provided by Ford Heights School District 169 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, which is part of Bloom Township High School District 206.

Transportation

Pace provides bus service on routes 357 and 358 connecting Ford Heights to Chicago Heights and other destinations across the Southland.[33]

References

  1. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  2. ^ "Ford Heights village, Illinois". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
  3. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  4. ^ Bureau, US Census. "Gazetteer Files". Census.gov. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Ford Heights, IL". Encyclopedia of Chicago. Retrieved March 18, 2009.
  6. ^ a b c History – Village of Ford Heights, Illinois, USA. Accessed March 18, 2009.
  7. ^ The Chicago Southland Communities: Ford Heights Archived 2005-09-20 at the Wayback Machine – Chicago Southland Chamber of Commerce. Accessed March 18, 2009.
  8. State of Illinois
    . p. 708.
  9. ^ "Suburbs and Cities as a Dual Metropolis". Encyclopedia of Chicago. Retrieved March 18, 2009.
  10. ^ Dirk Johnson (April 30, 1987). "The View from Poorest U.S. Suburb". The New York Times. Retrieved September 15, 2008.
  11. ^ "Ford Heights loses police dept". ABC7 News. April 21, 2008.
  12. US Census Bureau
    .
  13. ^ a b "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Ford Heights village, Illinois". United States Census Bureau.
  14. ^ a b "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Ford Heights village, Illinois". United States Census Bureau.
  15. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
  16. ^ "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Ford Heights village, Illinois". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  17. Newspapers.com
    .
  18. State of Illinois
    . p. 699.
  19. ^
    Newspapers.com
    .
  20. ^
    Newspapers.com
    .
  21. Newspapers.com
    .
  22. State of Illinois
    . p. 720.
  23. State of Illinois
    . p. 750.
  24. State of Illinois
    . p. 895.
  25. Newspapers.com
    .
  26. NewspaperArchive.com
    .
  27. ^
    Newspapers.com
    .
  28. Newspapers.com
    .
  29. Newspapers.com
    .
  30. ^ Berg, Austin (August 23, 2018). "One of the state's poorest communities is already facing enormous financial pressures". illinoispolicy.org.
  31. ^ Nickson, Giavonni (March 21, 2021). "Ford Heights Mayor Annie Coulter Seeks Re-Election". The Southland Journal.
  32. Chicago Defender
    .
  33. ^ "RTA System Map" (PDF). Retrieved January 31, 2024.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ford_Heights,_Illinois&oldid=1216178767"