Palos Township is one of 29

townships A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Ca ...

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 U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

. As of the 2010 census, its population was 54,615, with its most populous municipality being

Palos Hills Palos Hills is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is a southwest suburb of Chicago. The city was established in 1958 and had reached a population of 18,530 in the 2020 census. It is the home of Moraine Valley Community College as ...

(pop. 17,484). The vast majority of the township's population resides in its eastern half; the half west of

La Grange Road Mannheim Road, also known as La Grange Road from Cermak Road to U.S. Route 30 (US 30; Lincoln Highway), is a north–south major street in the near-western suburbs of Chicago. It carries US 12 from Des Plaines to 95th St near Hickory H ...

consists mainly of facilities in the

Cook County Forest Preserves The Forest Preserve District of Cook County is a governmental commission in Cook County, Illinois, that owns and manages a network of open spaces, containing forest, prairie, wetland, streams, and lakes, that are mostly set aside as natural areas ...

. In 1850 the small town of Trenton, Illinois changed its name to Palos; this recommendation was made by M.S. Powell, the local postmaster, whose ancestor supposedly sailed with

Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus * lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo * es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón * pt, Cristóvão Colombo * ca, Cristòfor (or ) * la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...

from

Palos de la Frontera Palos de la Frontera () is a town and municipality located in the southwestern Spanish province of Huelva, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is situated some from the provincial capital, Huelva. According to the 2015 census, the city ...

. When it incorporated as a village in 1914, Palos officially became

Palos Park Palos Park is a village in southwestern Cook County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 4,899. Geography Palos Park is located at (41.665682, -87.836633). According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Palos Park ...

. The neighboring communities of Palos Hills and Palos Heights incorporated at later points. All three municipalities lie completely or substantially within Palos Township. Township offices are located at 10802 S. Roberts Road in Palos Hills. Other municipalities with significant portions in the township include Hickory Hills, Worth and Bridgeview. Palos Township's approximate borders are

Harlem Avenue Harlem Avenue is a major north–south street located in Chicago and its west, southwest, and northwest suburbs. It stretches from Glenview Road in Glenview to the intersection of East South Street and South Drecksler Road in Peotone, where ...

(

Illinois Route 43 Illinois Route 43 (IL 43) is a major north–south state highway in the U.S. state of Illinois. It runs from U.S. Route 30 (US 30) in Frankfort north to the large intersection of IL 120 (Belvidere Road) and US 41 (Skokie Highway) in ...

) on the east, 135th Street on the south, Will-Cook Road extended to the

DuPage County DuPage County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois, and one of the collar counties of the Chicago metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 932,877, making it Illinois' second-most populous county. Its county seat is ...

line on the west, and 87th Street on the north; in the northwest, the township border follows the

Des Plaines River The Des Plaines River () is a river that flows southward for U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed May 13, 2011 through southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois''American Her ...

from 87th Street to DuPage County's southeast corner. The

Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal The Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, historically known as the Chicago Drainage Canal, is a canal system that connects the Chicago River to the Des Plaines River. It reverses the direction of the Main Stem and the South Branch of the Chicago R ...

, designated a National Historic District in 2011, passes through the township just south of the river, and 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 ...

roughly bisects the township from east to west.

Township services

According to Illinois law, townships are responsible for the maintenance of township roadways, the governance of the General Assistance program and the assessment of real property. In Cook County, townships are not responsible for assessing real property as the

Cook County Assessor The Cook County Assessor is the assessor and county government officer of Cook County, Illinois. Office description Before the creation of the position of Cook County Assessor in 1932, the Cook County Board of Assessors completed assessments i ...

performs that function. Some townships have adopted other duties, including the provision of health services. Palos Township runs a health service providing low- or no-cost physical examinations, sick visits, cholesterol tests and screenings, pregnancy tests, blood pressure screening, immunizations, podiatry services for senior citizens and other services. Other services provided by Palos Township include free tax preparation for senior citizens, temporary handicapped placards, voter services, speaker's bureau, and much more.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, Palos Township covers an area of ; of this, (95.86 percent) is land and (4.14 percent) is water.

Borders

Palos Township is bordered on the north by Lyons Township, on the east by Worth Township, on the south by Orland Township, and on the west by Lemont Township. The northwest border with Lyons Township follows the

, directly adjacent to the

(managed by the

Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD), originally known as the Sanitary District of Chicago, is a special-purpose district chartered to operate in Cook County, Illinois since 1889. Although its name may imply other ...

) which connects

Lake Michigan Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the east, its basin is conjoined with that o ...

with the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

. Other bordering township include Homer Township (Will County) on the southwest corner; Bremen Township (Cook County) on the southeast corner; Stickney Township (Cook County) on the northeast corner and Downers Grove Township (DuPage County) on the northwest corner.

Cities, towns, villages

* Bridgeview (the quarter southwest of 87th Street and Harlem Avenue) * Hickory Hills (all but the small portion north of 87th Street) *

Orland Park Orland Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, with a small portion in Will County. The village is a suburb of Chicago. Per the 2020 census, Orland Park had a population of 58,703. Located 25 miles (40 km) southwest of Chicago ...

(the small area north of 135th Street) * Palos Heights (the half west of Harlem) *

(all but a small area west of Will-Cook Road) * Willow Springs (the largely non-residential portion south of 87th Street and east of the Des Plaines River, and east of the DuPage County line) * Worth (the third west of Harlem)

Adjacent townships

* Lyons Township (north) * Stickney Township (northeast) * Worth Township (east) * Bremen Township (southeast) * Orland Township (south) * Homer Township, Will County (southwest) * Lemont Township (west) * Downers Grove Township, DuPage County (northwest)

Cemeteries

The township contains three cemeteries: Fairmount-Willow Hills, Oak Hill and Sacred Heart Catholic.

Major highways

Interstate 294 Interstate 294 (I-294) is a tolled auxiliary Interstate Highway in northeastern Illinois. It forms the southern portion of the Tri-State Tollway in Illinois. I-294 runs from South Holland at I-80/ I-94 and Illinois Route 394 (IL 394) to N ...

U.S. Route 12 U.S. Route 12 (US 12) is an east–west United States Numbered Highways, United States highway, running from Aberdeen, Washington, to Detroit, Detroit, Michigan, for almost . The highway has mostly been superseded by Interstate 90 (I-90) an ...

U.S. Route 20 U.S. Route 20 or U.S. Highway 20 (US 20) is an east–west United States Numbered Highway that stretches from the Pacific Northwest east to New England. The "0" in its route number indicates that US 20 is a major coast-to-coast route. S ...

U.S. Route 45 U.S. Route 45 (US 45) is a major north-south United States highway and a border-to-border route, from Lake Superior to the Gulf of Mexico. A sign at the highway's northern terminus notes the total distance as . US 45 is notable for incorporatin ...

Illinois Route 7 Illinois Route 7 (IL 7, Illinois 7) is a northeast–southwest state road in northeastern Illinois. Currently, IL 7 runs from U.S. Route 6 (US 6) at Rockdale north through Joliet, and Crest Hill into Lockport, and then east to Orland Park ...

Illinois Route 83 Illinois Route 83 (IL 83) is a major north–south state highway in northeast Illinois. It stretches from U.S. Route 30 (US 30, Lincoln Highway) by Lynwood and Dyer, Indiana, north to the Wisconsin border by Antioch at Wisconsin High ...

Illinois Route 171 Illinois Route 171 (IL 171) is a north–south state highway in northeastern Illinois. It runs from U.S. Route 6 (US 6) in Joliet north to Illinois Route 72 at the Chicago– Park Ridge border. The section of IL 171 on Archer Ave ...

Airports and landing strips

* Palos Community Hospital Heliport

Lakes

* Bull Frog Lake * Hambone Lake * Horsetail Lake * Maple Lake * Papoose Lake * Tuma Lake

Landmarks

* Orland Grove Forest Preserve * Palos Sag-Valley Forest Preserve These

woods: * Burr Oak Woods (west quarter) * Cherry Hill Woods * Crooked Creek Woods * Forty Acres Woods * Groundhog Slough Woods * Henry De Tonty * Hickory Hills Woods * Hidden Pond Woods * Mcclaughry Springs Woods * Mcmahon Woods * Paddock Woods * Palos Park Woods * Paw Paw Woods * Pioneer Woods * Pulaski Woods * Saganashkee Slough Woods * Spears Woods * Swallow Cliff Woods * Tampier Slough Woods (east half) * White Oak Woods * Willow Springs Woods * Wolf Road Woods

Demographics

Governance

Palos Township is governed by a township board of trustees sometimes called the township board or town board. The town board consists of five voting members and includes the elected township supervisor and four elected township trustees. The town board is responsible for providing a budget and taxes sufficient to run the operations of the township government each year. The supervisor is a voting member of the town board but is also the chief executive officer and the chief financial officer of the township. The township clerk, assessor and highway commissioner are elected officials; however, they do not have a vote on the town board. Duties and powers of the supervisor The township supervisor is the chief executive officer of the township and is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the township along with the following other duties: *Chairing all meetings of the township board; *Serving as township treasurer; *Serving as supervisor of General Assistance; *Serving as supervisor of buildings and grounds. Current township elected officials *Supervisor Colleen Grant-Schumann (Palos Heights – Republican) *Clerk Jane Nolan (Palos Hills – Democratic) *Assessor Robert E. Maloney (Palos Hills – Democratic) *Highway Commissioner Gene Adams (Palos Park – Republican) *Trustee Brent Woods (Worth – Republican) – Supervisor Pro-Tem *Trustee Richard C. Riley (Palos Hills – Republican) *Trustee Sharon M. Brannigan (Palos Heights – Republican) *Trustee Pam Jeanes (Palos Park – Republican)

Education

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 ...

Amos Alonzo Stagg High School Amos Alonzo Stagg High School, Stagg, or AAS, is a public four-year high school located at the intersection of S. Roberts Rd. and W. 111th Street in Palos Hills, Illinois, a southwest suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is part o ...

–

Consolidated High School District 230 Consolidated High School District 230 is a public high school district headquartered in Orland Park, Illinois in the Chicago metropolitan area. It has over 8,300 students in three high schools. Communities served by the district include all or p ...

Carl Sandburg High School Carl Sandburg High School, Sandburg, or CSHS, is a public four-year high school located at the intersection of La Grange Road and Southmoor Drive in Orland Park, Illinois, a southwest suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is ...

– Consolidated High School District 230 * Conrady Junior High School – North Palos School District 117 * Glen Oaks Elementary School – North Palos School District 117 * Oak Ridge Elementary School – North Palos School District 117 * Dorn Elementary School – North Palos School District 117 * Sorrick Elementary School – North Palos School District 117 * Palos East Elementary School –

Palos School District 118 Palos School District 118 (Palos 118) is a school district headquartered in Palos Park, Illinois, in the Chicago metropolitan area. The district serves these areas: Palos Park, Palos Heights, and a southern section of Palos Hills. It also serve ...

* Palos West Elementary School – Palos School District 118 * Palos South Elementary School – Palos School District 118 * Worthwoods Elementary School –

Worth School District 127 Worth School District 127 is an elementary school district based in Worth, a southern Chicago suburb located in Cook County, Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its larg ...

Political districts

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 ...

– Congressman

Bobby Rush Bobby Lee Rush (born November 23, 1946) is an American politician, activist and pastor who served as the U.S. representative for for three decades. A civil rights activist during the 1960s, Rush co-founded the Illinois chapter of the Black Pan ...

(D) *

Illinois's 3rd congressional district Illinois's 3rd congressional district includes part of Cook County, and has been represented by Democrat Marie Newman since January 3, 2021. The district was previously represented by Dan Lipinski from 2005 to 2021, and by Lipinski's father Bi ...

– Congressman

Marie Newman Marie Newman (née Klassen; born April 13, 1964) is an American politician and marketing consultant who served as the U.S. representative from Illinois's 3rd congressional district from 2021 to 2023. The district encompasses parts of southweste ...

(D) * State Senate District 14 – Senator Emil Jones, Jr. (D) * State Senate District 16 – Senator Jacqueline Y. Collins (D) * State Senate District 18 – Senator William Cunnigham (D) * State House District 27 – Monique D. Davis (D) * State House District 31 – Mary E. Flowers (D) * State House District 32 – André Thapedi (D) * State House District 35 – Representative Fran Hurley (D) * State House District 36 – Representative Kelly Burke (D) * Cook County Board District 6 – Commissioner Donna Miller (D) * Cook County Board District 17 – Commissioner Sean M. Morrison (R) * Cook County Board of (Tax) Review District 1 – Commissioner Tammy Wendt (D) * 4th Judicial Sub-Circuit * 15th Judicial Sub-Circuit

References

*
United States Census Bureau 2007 TIGER/Line Shapefiles

United States National Atlas

External links

Palos Township official website

Township Officials of Illinois

Cook County official site
{{authority control Townships in Cook County, Illinois Townships in Illinois