Alsip is a village in
Cook County
Cook County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Illinois and the second-most-populous county in the United States, after Los Angeles County, California. More than 40% of all residents of Illinois live within Cook County. As of 20 ...
,
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
. The population was 19,063 at the 2020 census. It is part of the
Chicago metropolitan area
The Chicago metropolitan area, also colloquially referred to as Chicagoland, is a metropolitan area in the Midwestern United States. Encompassing 10,286 sq mi (28,120 km2), the metropolitan area includes the city of Chicago, its suburbs and h ...
.
Alsip was settled in the 1830s by German and Dutch farmers. The village is named after Frank Alsip, the owner of a brickyard that opened there in 1885. The village began to grow after the
Tri-State Tollway The Tri-State Tollway is a toll highway in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Illinois. It follows:
*Interstate 80 from I-94/I-294/IL 394 in South Holland to I-294 in Hazel Crest;
*Interstate 294 from I-80/I-94/IL 394 in South Holl ...
was built there in 1959.
Geography
Alsip is located at (41.670433, -87.732199).
According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Alsip has a total area of , of which (or 98.49%) is land and (or 1.51%) is water.
Alsip is bordered to the west by the villages of
Worth and
Palos Heights. To the south is
Crestwood.
Oak Lawn lies to the north.
Merrionette Park,
Blue Island
Blue Island is a city in Cook County, Illinois, located approximately south of Chicago's Loop. Blue Island is adjacent to the city of Chicago and shares its northern boundary with that city's Morgan Park neighborhood. The population was 22,558 ...
, and
Robbins lie to the east (north-south, respectively). The
Mount Greenwood neighborhood of
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
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, subdivision_name ...
lies to the north and east.
Most of the town lies to the north of the
Cal-Sag Channel
The Calumet River is a system of heavily industrialized rivers and canals in the region between the south side of Chicago, Illinois, and the city of Gary, Indiana. Historically, the Little Calumet River and the Grand Calumet River were one, the ...
. However, Chippewa Ridge subdivision, which was built upon the former Alsip Nursery, lies southwest of the Cal-Sag. In conjunction with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the Water Reclamation District of Chicago, the village operates a boat launch on the canal, permitting inland access to
Lake Michigan.
The Alsip area is home to two predominantly African-American cemeteries,
Burr Oak
''Quercus macrocarpa'', the bur oak or burr oak, is a species of oak tree native to eastern North America. It is in the white oak section, ''Quercus'' sect. ''Quercus'', and is also called mossycup oak, mossycup white oak, blue oak, or scrub oa ...
and
Restvale cemeteries, which are the resting places of many
Chicago blues
Chicago blues is a form of blues music developed in Chicago, Illinois. It is based on earlier blues idioms, such as Delta blues, but performed in an urban style. It developed alongside the Great Migration of the first half of the twentieth cent ...
musicians (including
Muddy Waters
McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913 April 30, 1983), known professionally as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer and musician who was an important figure in the post-war blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of modern Chicago ...
,
Willie Dixon and
Dinah Washington
Dinah Washington (born Ruth Lee Jones; August 29, 1924 – December 14, 1963) was an American singer and pianist, who has been cited as "the most popular black female recording artist of the 1950s songs". Primarily a jazz vocalist, she performe ...
), athletes (
Jimmie Crutchfield
John "Jimmie" William Crutchfield (March 25, 1910 – April 1, 1993) was a professional baseball outfielder in Negro league baseball from 1930 to 1945.
Career
Crutchfield began his career with the Birmingham Black Barons in 1930 but the foll ...
), and other celebrities.
Emmett Till, whose murder in
Mississippi
Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...
at age 14 in 1955 was an important moment in the
Civil Rights Movement
The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional racial segregation, discrimination, and disenfranchisement throughout the Unite ...
, is buried at Burr Oak. In 2004, that cemetery was covered in the national media when the murder investigation was re-opened, and Till's body was exhumed.
Six years later, on July 9, 2010, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart alleged that four workers at Burr Oak cemetery dug up more than 200 graves, dumped the bodies into unmarked mass graves, and resold the plots to unsuspecting members of the public. The three men and one woman were charged and convicted with one count each of dismembering a human body.
Demographics
As of the
2020 census there were 19,063 people, 7,796 households, and 4,455 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 8,016 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 51.58%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...
, 22.48%
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 1.95%
Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 0.70%
Native American, 0.06%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...
, 12.20% from
other races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 11.05% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...
or
Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
of any race were 26.52% of the population.
The top five non-African American, non-Hispanic ancestries reported in Alsip as of the 2000 census were
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
(17.1%),
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
(14.0%),
Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Poles
Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...
(9.7%),
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
(4.8%) and
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
(3.5%).
There were 7,796 households, out of which 51.95% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.60% were married couples living together, 13.94% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.86% were non-families. 38.13% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.23% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.27 and the average family size was 2.41.
The village's age distribution consisted of 23.5% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 19.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.3 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $58,768, and the median income for a family was $72,444. Males had a median income of $48,254 versus $36,313 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population.
Per capita i ...
for the village was $30,308. About 7.7% of families and 7.7% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including 4.0% of those under age 18 and 11.3% of those age 65 or over.
''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 can be of any race.''
Government
Most of Alsip is in
Illinois's 1st congressional district
Illinois's first congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Illinois. Based in Cook County, the district includes much of the South Side of Chicago, and continues southwest to Joliet.
From 2003 to early 2013 it ext ...
; the portion north of 115th Street, and the city block northeast of 119th Street and Lawndale Avenue, are in the
3rd district.
Policy-making and legislative authority are vested in the governing Village Board consisting of the Village President, often referred to as the Mayor, and six Trustees, and a Village Clerk. The Village Clerk is an ex officio member of the Board and does not vote. All Board members are elected at large. All Board members serve four-year terms, with the Village President, the Village Clerk, and three Trustees elected usually on the first Tuesday in April following Presidential election year, while the other three Trustees are usually elected on the first Tuesday in April two years later. Beginning with those elected in the April 4, 2017 election, no person may hold the office of Village President, Village Clerk, or Village Trustee for more than three consecutive four-year terms.
The current Village government, as of May 2019 (with the year their term ends):
*Mayor: John D. Ryan (2021)
*Clerk: Susan M. Petzel (2021)
*Trustee: Richard S. Dalzell (2023)
*Trustee: Christine L. McLawhorn (2023)
*Trustee: Christopher W. Murphy (2023)
*Trustee: Michael J. Zielinski (2021)
*Trustee: Monica M. Juarez (2021)
*Trustee: Catalina Nava-Esparza (2021) (Elected to a two-year term to fill the remaining term of Trustee who resigned)
Each trustee and the mayor serve on one or more committees or commissions which oversee government functions. The individual assignments are available at the village website.
There are also a finance director who helps guide the government on fiduciary matters and a law firm that serves as the village attorneys to guide the government on legal matters.
Mayors
* Gustave Termunde (1927–33)
* Leonard Holmberg (1933–36)
* John Benck (1936–56)
* John J. Alsterda (1956–61)
* Raymond L. Termunde (1961–73)
* Arnold A. Andrews (1973–2005)
* Patrick E. Kitching (2005–2016)
* John D. Ryan (2017–Present)
Education
;Elementary school districts
*
Alsip-Hazelgreen-Oaklawn School District 126
**Prairie Junior High School in Alsip
*
Atwood Heights School District 125 Atwood may refer to:
Places
United States
* Atwood, Placentia, California
* Atwood, Colorado
* Atwood, Illinois
* Atwood, Indiana
* Atwood, Iowa
* Atwood, Kansas
* Atwood, Kentucky
* Atwood, Michigan
* Atwood, Nevada
* Atwood, Oklahoma
* ...
**Lawn Manor Elementary School in Oak Lawn
**Meadow Lane Intermediate School in Alsip
**Hamlin Junior High School in Alsip
*
Cook County School District 130
Cook or The Cook may refer to:
Food preparation
* Cooking, the preparation of food
* Cook (domestic worker), a household staff member who prepares food
* Cook (professional), an individual who prepares food for consumption in the food industry
* ...
;Secondary School District
*
Community High School District 218
The Community High School District 218 is a public high school district with offices in Oak Lawn, Illinois. As of 2017–18, there are 5,405 students enrolled in three high schools and an alternative high school. The district also owns two lear ...
;Community college
*
Moraine Valley Community College
Moraine Valley Community College is a public community college in Palos Hills, Illinois. Founded in 1967, it is surrounded by the Cook County Forest Preserves. The college also operates satellite centers in Blue Island and Tinley Park, Illin ...
;Private schools
*
Marist High School, a coed Catholic school in Chicago affiliated with the
Marist Brothers
The Marist Brothers of the Schools, commonly known as simply the Marist Brothers, is an international community of Catholic religious institute of brothers. In 1817, St. Marcellin Champagnat, a Marist priest from France, founded the Marist Brothe ...
*
Brother Rice High School, an all-male Catholic school in Chicago affiliated with the
Congregation of Christian Brothers
The Congregation of Christian Brothers ( la, Congregatio Fratrum Christianorum; abbreviated CFC) is a worldwide religious community within the Catholic Church, founded by Blessed Edmund Ignatius Rice, Edmund Rice.
Their first school was opened i ...
*
Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School
Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School is an all-girls Catholic high school located in the Mount Greenwood neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois at 3737 West 99th Street. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago. Mother McAuley i ...
, an all-female Catholic school in Chicago affiliated with the
Sisters of Mercy
The Sisters of Mercy is a religious institute of Catholic women founded in 1831 in Dublin, Ireland, by Catherine McAuley. As of 2019, the institute had about 6200 sisters worldwide, organized into a number of independent congregations. They a ...
*
Chicago Christian High School
Chicago Christian High School or CCHS is a private Christian school in Palos Heights, Illinois
Palos Heights is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is a southwest suburb of Chicago. Per the 2020 census, the population was 12,068 ...
Business and industry
Alsip is home to the international headquarters of
Griffith Laboratories.
One of the two Chicago area
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlant ...
bottling plants is located in Alsip.
Alsip is home to Alsip MiniMill, a producer of
corrugating medium using Old Corrugated Containers (OCC) as the primary raw material.
References
External links
Official Village of Alsip official website
{{Authority control
Villages in Cook County, Illinois
Populated places established in 1840
1840 establishments in Illinois
Majority-minority cities and towns in Cook County, Illinois