South Holland is a village and
south suburb of
Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
in
Cook County, Illinois
Cook County is the List of counties in Illinois, most populous county in the U.S. state of Illinois and the List of the most populous counties in the United States, second-most-populous county in the United States, after Los Angeles County, C ...
, United States, within
Thornton Township. The population was 21,465 at the 2020 census. It is named after the
Dutch province of
South Holland
South Holland ( ) is a province of the Netherlands with a population of over 3.8 million as of January 2023 and a population density of about , making it the country's most populous province and one of the world's most densely populated areas. ...
.
History
The area currently occupied by South Holland, Illinois, was first settled in 1846 by immigrants from
South Holland
South Holland ( ) is a province of the Netherlands with a population of over 3.8 million as of January 2023 and a population density of about , making it the country's most populous province and one of the world's most densely populated areas. ...
,
Netherlands
, Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
. When the community formally incorporated as a village in 1894, its population was about 1,000. Originally a general
farming
Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...
community, it later specialized in vegetable growing, especially
onion sets. By the 1940s South Holland was known as the "Onion Set Capital of the World". The town was built on low ground near the
Calumet River
The Calumet River is a system of 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 former ...
and was originally called ''de Laage Prairie'' (Low Prairie) to differentiate it from another Dutch settlement further north on higher ground and called ''de Hooge Prairie'' (now the
Roseland neighborhood of
Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
).
In October 2007,
Forbes.com declared South Holland to be the "Most Livable Metro-Area suburb" of the
Chicago metropolitan area
The Chicago metropolitan area, also referred to as Chicagoland, is the largest metropolitan statistical area in the U.S. state of Illinois, and the Midwest, containing the City of Chicago along with its surrounding suburbs and satellite cities. ...
.
In a book called ''The Shortest History of Migration'', the economist
Ian Goldin explains the concept of
chain migration
Chain migration is the social process by which immigrants from a particular area follow others from that area to a particular destination. The destination may be in another country or in a new location within the same country.
John S. MacDon ...
or network migration by noting that 90% of Dutch migrants from South Holland to the United States settled in three American towns, one of which was South Holland, Illinois.
Geography
South Holland is located at (41.60, -87.60).
It is bordered by
Harvey and
Phoenix to the west,
Dolton to the north,
Thornton to the south, and
Calumet City and
Lansing to the east.
According to the 2010 census, South Holland has a total area of , of which (or 99.78%) is land and (or 0.22%) is water.
South Holland's addresses and numbered streets are 3 blocks ahead of Chicago's grid. For example,
159th Street is actually called 162nd Street.
Surrounding areas
Demographics
As of the
2020 census there were 21,465 people, 7,418 households, and 5,505 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 7,863 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 80.96%
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 10.42%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 0.28%
Native American, 0.42%
Asian, 0.02%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 3.90% from
other races, and 3.99% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or
Latino of any race were 6.60% of the population.
There were 7,418 households, out of which 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.57% were married couples living together, 26.03% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.79% were non-families. 24.16% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.25% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.36 and the average family size was 2.82.
The village's age distribution consisted of 23.0% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 21.8% from 25 to 44, 30.6% from 45 to 64, and 16.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 81.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.6 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $66,859, and the median income for a family was $79,688. Males had a median income of $41,500 versus $35,913 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year.
In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the village was $28,649. About 9.3% of families and 11.2% 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 ...
, including 19.2% of those under age 18 and 11.0% of those age 65 or over.
Government
South Holland is in
Illinois's 2nd congressional district
Illinois's 2nd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Illinois. It stretches south from Chicago's Kenwood community area through portions of the city's South Side and southern suburbs, extending into several m ...
.
Notable people
*
Eddy Curry, forward for the
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16 ...
,
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...
, and
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern C ...
*
Kevin DeYoung, pastor, author
*
*
Kevin Drumm, musician
*
Cliff Floyd, All-Star outfielder for seven
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
teams
*
Ron Hicks (born 1967), bishop of the
Diocese of Joliet. He was a childhood resident of South Holland.
*
Norman J. Kansfield, minister noted for being suspended after officiating at his daughter's same-sex marriage
*
James Meeks, state senator, representing Illinois' 15th district
*
Mark Mulder, pitcher for the
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...
and
St. Louis Cardinals
*
Frederick Nymeyer, industrialist, author, and publisher
*
Robert F. Prevost, Pope Leo XIV, noted for being the 1st American Pope
*
Robert Shaw, former
Chicago alderman and former commissioner of the
Cook County Board of Review
*
Steve Trout, pitcher for the
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...
,
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...
,
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...
, and
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...
*
Jason Weaver, actor and singer
Education
South Holland is served by several school districts:
*
South Holland School District 150
** Greenwood School (K-3)
** McKinley School (4–8)
*
South Holland School District 151
** Taft School (PreK-1)
** Eisenhower School (2–3)
** Madison School (4–5)
** Coolidge Junior High School (6–8)
Thornton Township High School District 205 serves all of South Holland.
Thornwood High School is located in South Holland.
Thornridge High School and
Thornton Township High School are also within District 205.
Two private K-8 schools, Calvin Christian School and Calvary Academy, are located in South Holland, as well as a private high school, Unity Christian Academy. Seton Academy was a Catholic co-educational high school located in the village that closed on June 30, 2016. It was formerly an all-girls school until 2003 when boys were admitted. Christ our Savior School, Holy Ghost School, and Apostolic Kingdom Christian Academy also were once both in South Holland, but both have been closed by the Chicago Archdiocese.
South Holland is home to the main campus of
South Suburban College.
Transportation
Pace provides bus service on multiple routes connecting South Holland to destinations across the
Southland.
Metra is planning to serve South Holland as a stop on the SouthEast Service, a Line which has not seen commuter service since 1935.
In literature
The 1925
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...
-winning novel ''
So Big'' by
Edna Ferber
Edna Ferber (August 15, 1885 – April 16, 1968) was an American novelist, short story writer and playwright. Her novels include the Pulitzer Prize-winning '' So Big'' (1924), '' Show Boat'' (1926; made into the celebrated 1927 musical), '' Cima ...
is set in South Holland. The
Widow Paarlberg inspired one of the main characters and her family farm is preserved in a municipal park.
The 2021 novel "
Termination Shock" by
Neal Stephenson
Neal Town Stephenson (born October 31, 1959) is an American writer known for his works of speculative fiction. His novels have been categorized as science fiction, historical fiction, cyberpunk, and baroque.
Stephenson's work explores mathemati ...
includes a lead character, child of a conservative Dutch father and Indonesian mother, who spends his childhood in South Holland during the 1950s and 1960s. Though the town isn't named its description in the novel fits only South Holland, Illinois during that time period.
References
External links
*
{{authority control
Chicago metropolitan area
Villages in Cook County, Illinois
Populated places established in 1846
Dutch-American culture in Illinois
1846 establishments in Illinois
Majority-minority cities and towns in Cook County, Illinois
Villages in Illinois