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Sauk Village, Illinois

Sauk Village (locally known as "The Village") is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, with a small portion in Will County. The population was 9,921 at the 2020 census.

Geography
Sauk Village is located at 41.48861°N, -87.56556°W (41.488535, -87.565658).

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Sauk Village has a total area of 4.00 sqmi, of which 3.99 sqmi (or 99.90%) is land and 0.00 sqmi (or 0.10%) is water.

The village stands on the Tinley Moraine. The Glenwood Shoreline cuts through the village.

Neighboring towns include the Illinois communities of Lynwood to the northeast, Ford Heights to the north, Chicago Heights to the northwest, South Chicago Heights to the west, Steger to the southwest, and Crete to the south. The town of Dyer, Indiana, is the nearest community to the east.

Demographics
As of the 2020 census there were 9,921 people, 3,237 households, and 2,338 families residing in the village. The population density was 2,482.73 PD/sqmi. There were 3,740 housing units at an average density of 935.94 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 68.14% African American, 16.64% White, 0.46% Native American, 0.46% Asian, 0.13% Pacific Islander, 7.00% from other races, and 7.17% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 13.39% of the population.

There were 3,237 households, out of which 39.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 25.70% were married couples living together, 35.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.77% were non-families. 22.58% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.32% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.59 and the average family size was 3.17.

The village's age distribution consisted of 29.1% under the age of 18, 12.6% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 10.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.5 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $46,061, and the median income for a family was $46,337. Males had a median income of $27,416 versus $25,698 for females. The per capita income for the village was $18,976. About 22.2% of families and 27.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 52.2% of those under age 18 and 5.5% of those age 65 or over.

History
The area that is now known as Sauk Village has been a center of activity for hundreds of years. Originally, several Native American tribes inhabited this land, which is a part of an area of high ground surrounding Lake Michigan known as the Valparaiso Moraine. The Native Americans used this high ground for transporting herd animals and trade items. Though the Potawatomi and Illinois Confederation tribes were native to the area, the Sauk people, from Michigan, became the namesake of the Sauk Trail. As the westward expansion increased during the 19th century, the Sauk tribes were forced to move westward. Annually, they would travel the Sauk Trail to collect treaty money from Canada and the United States.

This area was initially invaded by the American settlers in 1830 and consequently opened to them in 1838. Vincent Sauter and Frederick Richards came to Bloom in 1839, and settled at New Strasburg (soon to be Sauk Village). Christian Millar, the first blacksmith, and H. Beekley, the first house carpenter, located here in 1842. Though the original settlers of Sauk Village moved here from the East Coast, their roots were in Western Europe, especially France and Germany. The first immigrants to the area were Hiram Wood, Henry Ayen, and Rowley. After these original settlers, a second wave of families moved to the Sauk Village area, including such familiar names such as Parrino, Gatto, Kavelage, Reichert, Sauter, Rickenberger, Kloss, Barnes, Jung, Schaller, Schmidt, Kline, and Peters. Postmaster Charles Sauter named the settlement Strassburg, after Strasbourg, France, home of many of the original settlers. Back when the area was originally being settled by Americans, land sold for $1.25 an acre.

In 1847, St. Jakob's Church was built. Father Francis Fischer was the first priest of the church, which had twenty parishioners. In 1871, the original church was struck by lightning and burned to the ground. The church was promptly rebuilt, only to be struck again in 1873. After this second lightning strike, the church was moved to what became the corner of Sauk Trail and the Calumet Expressway, where it would stand until its razing in 2004. The name of the church was changed from the German St. Jakob to St. James in 1917 as a result of anti-German attitudes due to World War I. During the Great Depression of the 1930s, St. James Church experienced a shortage in revenues. Area residents helped by hand-digging the basement of the church in order to create a hall that could be rented out. On November 11, 1940, a tornado touched down in the area, causing extensive damage to the roof of St. James Church. Area residents may have known the Old St. James Church as the Old Community Center. The graveyard directly behind where the Old St. James Church stood is the St. James Cemetery at Strassburg. It is the final resting place for many of Sauk Village's original settlers. While the church was being readied for demolition in 2004, former Trustee Richard Derosier, while cleaning the attic of the old church, stumbled over an old relic cross that once hung in the old St. James Church. The old relic cross now hangs at the entry to St. James Church some 150 years later. The original bell, cast in the 19th century, stands outside St. James Church today as a testament to the history and sacrifices of so many families of Sauk Village. St. James permanently closed in 2023.

When the Calumet Expressway was built in the late 1950s, the Strassburg area was seen as a prime real estate development. The AMBO I Construction firm moved into the area in 1956, building homes in what is now known as the Garden Section, near the Calumet Expressway and just south of Sauk Trail. The community was incorporated on March 12, 1957, as Sauk Village, since there was a town in southern Illinois that already had the name Strasburg. Thomas J. Nichols served as Sauk Village's first president.

Since its incorporation in 1957, Sauk Village has undergone considerable change and expansion. By 1961, a special census showed that Sauk Village had 1,258 homes and 5,774 residents. Strassburg and Cynthia Street (now known as Wagoner) Schools were built during this time to accommodate the needs of residents' children. Though construction came to a virtual halt during the mid-1960s, by the early 1970s development was beginning again. In 1970, Rickover Junior High School opened its doors, and additions were made to the existing schools. Throughout the 1970s, developments such as the Amber Manor Apartments (now known as the Crossroads), Surreybrook Plaza, and St. James Estates were booming. Under the direction of Mayor Theisen and the Village Board, the Village Hall and Police Station moved out of a renovated residential duplex to the now Old Village Hall in 1977 on Torrence Avenue. The building at the time would cost about $250,000, considerably less than the $5 million the new Village Hall would cost in 2008.

The area continued to expand through the early 1980s with the addition of more homes to the St. James Estates area and new subdivisions such as the Carlisle Estates and Southbrook. The Community Center behind the old Village Hall first opened its doors in 1982, coinciding with the village's 25th anniversary. In the late 1980s, construction began on the Sauk Pointe Industrial Park on Sauk Trail west of the Calumet Expressway. Pacesetter Steel became the first company to move into the park in 1988. During the same year, Sauk Plaza underwent a 1.1 million dollar renovation project, which brought several new businesses into the community.

The 1990s promised to be yet another decade of expansion for Sauk Village. In 1990, Carolina Freight opened for business, bringing numerous jobs to the area. Building began in 1993 on the Carolina Subdivision, south of Sauk Trail and east of the Calumet Expressway. This subdivision would be the first residential development in nearly a decade. The 1990 census showed Sauk Village as having a population of 9,704. The 2000 census data showed the population at about 10,411.

2005 saw an investigation into the finances of School District 168 and what was described by the Cook County State's Attorney as the "worst case of financial fraud by a public official." Superintendent of Schools Thomas Ryan, School Board President Louise Morales, and Building and Grounds supervisor Edward Bernacki were all charged with felonies for stealing funds from the school district. Ryan was the only one who was sentenced to a prison term of 8 years. Ryan was released in 2008 after serving more than two years and repaying some $400,000 in restitution to District 168.

In 2007, bold plans were being made for the construction of a new Village Hall and Senior Citizen Center. Groundbreaking began in August 2007 on the new Sauk Village Municipal Center and Senior Citizen Center. The groundbreaking coincided with the village's 50th anniversary celebrations. On November 1, 2008, the new Village Hall was dedicated at a ceremony attended by Mayor Roger Peckham and the Board of Trustees, by former mayors Paesel and Collins, former village trustees Joseph Wiszowaty, Mary Seery, V. Zeke Luther, Rita Kueny, Patricia Hasse, former village clerks Marjorie Tuley and Elizabeth Selvey, and several other local mayors and many other distinguished guests. The New Municipal Center is an open concept contemporary design occupying about 18500 sqft and costing $5 million. Construction took 14 months and was to be paid for not with property tax dollars but from impact fees resulting from the influx of industrial development in the village's Logisticenter, according to Village Manager Dieterich. Because of the national economic downturn by 2012, impact fees generated were not adequate to cover the debt service on the Revenue Bonds issued in 2007 to build the Municipal Center. The Village was forced to levy property taxes to cover the bond payments in 2012, 2013 and 2014. The old Village Hall was taken over by the Police Department.

Water testing began detecting concentrations of vinyl chloride, a known carcinogen, in the communities well water in 2009. The Village took one of the three wells it has off line as concentration levels continued to rise. With the Village stuck in political gridlock and a legal battle with the State of Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, by 2012 the Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan stepped in and forced the Village to provide bottled water to the residents until a temporary air strippers were installed to remove the vinyl chloride from the well water. By August 2012 the State of Illinois installed temporary air strippers and the village discontinued providing bottled water. Permanent Air Strippers were on the drawing board in 2012 and construction finally became a reality as the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency approved a low-interest loan of $4.8 million for the village. Construction on the permanent air strippers got under way by spring of 2014 and is expected to be complete by fall, 2014.

On March 12, 2012, voters went to the polls and approved a referendum to abandon the Village's well water in favor of Lake Michigan Water. To date, there has been no plan or timeline provided as to when the Village will transition to Lake Michigan water as "Permanent" air strippers are scheduled to be installed in Fall, 2014. In 2013, as part of the "water improvement plan" upgrades to the Iron Removal System installed in 1988 are to be completed.

McConathy Public Library
A group of avid readers began a volunteer library which was housed in the basement of Katz Corner School, once located on Burnham Avenue. In June 1973, a referendum was passed and the Sauk Village Library District was formed in 1974. Jack Hurwitz was the first library director. He was assisted by Mary Frances Pena, who later would become head librarian.

The library outgrew the basement at Katz Corner School and moved to a single-story house at 1909 Sauk Trail, and Linda Gapsewitz became the new director. In 1984, the library moved to a storefront in Surreybrook Plaza. In 1986, the Sauk Village Library District Board of Trustees changed the district's name to the Nancy L. McConathy Public Library District, to honor library district trustee and Village Clerk Nancy L. McConathy, who had died suddenly.

In 2006, under the direction of the Library Board and Library Director Nanette Wargo, the library finally realized the vision of all of those volunteers and moved into their very own library building. The building was originally envisioned for land once owned on 223rd Street near Torrence Avenue, but was built at 21737 Jeffery Avenue. The building was designed by ARC Architects of Frankfort, Illinois.

Politics
The village's first mayor, then referred to as Village President, was Thomas J. Nichols, who was elected in 1957, when the village was incorporated. Nichols served two terms from 1957 to 1965. He was succeeded by Roger F. Theisen in 1965. During the Theisen administration, the village saw the largest expansion of its geographical boundaries and the largest growth in housing as a result of the baby-boomers moving from the larger urban centers to the more rural Sauk Village. Theisen continued the "bedroom community" character of the community. Theisen had the Village Board change the title of Village President to Mayor but continuing the Village Board system of government. Theisen appointed Theodore "Ted" Theodore as his Executive Assistant, effectively what is now the Village Manager's position. Theodore would serve in that capacity through the next administration.

The village's third mayor, Edward W. Paesel was elected in April 1977, beating out long-time incumbent Roger Theisen. Paesel was a school teacher at the time of his election. During Paesel's time in office the village experienced some growth but still experienced the difficulties of the economic downturn as many blue collar jobs left the area. It wasn't until the late 1980s that some of the largest developments came about. DSI on Torrence Avenue, the expansion of Roadway Express and Carolina Freight, two very successful Tax Increment Financing (TIF) districts, and Pacesetter Steel were all attributed to the vision of Edward Paesel. An ambitious project spearheaded by Paesel which did not come about was the GM-Saturn automobile plant, proposed for the northwest corner of the Calumet Expressway and Sauk Trail. Saturn officials opted for an alternate location. Since leaving office Paesel has served on the Third Regional Airport Clearinghouse and now serves as executive director of the South Suburban Mayor and Managers Association and served a brief period in 2006 as District 168 Board Member. Paesel has remained one of the staunchest advocates for Sauk Village since he was first elected to the Village Board in 1973.

Mark Collins, an iron worker, who was Mayor Paesel's "preferred candidate", won election as a part-time mayor after beating out his one-time ally and colleague trustee Richard Derosier and a crowded field of candidates in April 1989. On April 4, 1989, many Chicago media outlets descended on Sauk Village to cover the election of Joseph Wiszowaty, a high school student who was elected to the Village Board of Trustees, and became the youngest man elected in the state of Illinois. Wiszowaty ran on a "change" platform and would in fact bring that change to the Village Board. Wiszowaty would find himself voting against the administration on many issues during his term in office. Wiszowaty made a presentation to the owners of the Chicago Bears to build a new stadium on the property that was proposed for the GM-Saturn plant, after securing economic commitment to expand the Enterprise Zone from the administration of Chicago Heights. The Bears declined the proposal and opted to stay in Chicago with commitments for a newer more modern stadium. Collins, Wiszowaty and the Board were sworn on May 9, 1989. During Collins' first term as mayor, new housing construction began again after a many-year hiatus. Many of the day-to-day activities that were handled by the mayor were now being handled by the village manager. Wiszowaty served his term from 1989 to 1993, when he challenged incumbent mayor Mark Collins but lost in a three-way race. Wiszowaty was born and raised in Sauk Village and would have been the youngest mayor Sauk Village ever elected had he succeeded. A petition to have Wiszowaty run again for the village board was circulated in 1995 by supporters, which likely would have led to another run for mayor in 1997, but Wiszowaty chose not to seek election to his old seat on the board.

Collins survived his re-election bid for a second term as mayor in April 1993, beating out trustee Joseph Wiszowaty and another candidate, again with the same core of supporters that brought him to office in 1989. In September 1994 the administration was under intense scrutiny over the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. Allegations included contractors doing shoddy work and allowing massive cost overruns on projects, and the village's hiring of unbonded and unlicensed contractors. In December 1994, citing "serious questions" relating to the village's handling of a program to refurbish single-family homes, Cook County suspended the release of grant money to the village for new projects. Shortly afterward, the Cook County State's Attorney began an investigation into the mishandling of the CDBG program and several other blunders by the Collins administration. This would cause supporters of Collins to look for an alternative candidate in 1997. On April 1, 1997, Collins was defeated by Roger Peckham, his own appointee to the Village Board. Peckham during the 1997 election accused the administration, when it came to dealing with new developments, of jumping at opportunities rather than considering serious planning. Peckham, who was serving as Village Trustee, said that the mayor would not communicate with the Board of Trustees on important matters. Peckham had two very close challenges in the 2001 and in 2005 elections. 2005 saw one of the closest mayoral elections in the village's history, in which Peckham survived with only a 43-vote victory against trustee David Hanks.

Peckham announced in 2008 that he would not seek a fourth term, stating, "The community has moved along during my term." But Peckham also said he had hoped for more economic, retail and housing development in the village. Lewis Tower would win election as Sauk Village's sixth mayor by a 2 to 1 majority over Village Trustee Derrick Burgess in April 2009 and has become the first African-American to serve as mayor.

November 7, 2012, residents of Sauk Village were stunned to hear via email that embattled Mayor Lewis Towers resigned. Towers is the first and only mayor to have resigned the office of Mayor. Towers had been at political odds with the Village Board as the village was stuck in "gridlock". On November 8, 2012, the Village Board of Trustees selected David Hanks as acting mayor to serve out the remainder of Lewis Towers' unexpired term until May 2013. Hanks announced during a press conference he would not seek election as mayor and that he would return to his seat on the Village Board of Trustees as soon as the new mayor takes the oath of office. Hanks then filed to be a candidate for Mayor in December 2012. On April 9, 2013, Hanks won election with 46% of the vote in a 4-way race.

The village hired a Village Manager in 1988. At the time outgoing mayor Edward Paesel said that there was nobody at Village Hall with the experience necessary to run the administrative functions, and the village's mayor's position had been made part-time. Richard Dieterich was hired and continues today as Village Manager. Dieterich relocated to Sauk Village from Nebraska. To date, Dieterich has served under three mayors and numerous trustees, and has provided 20 years of leadership and continuity to Sauk Village to date.

A changing of the guard was said to have taken place in April 1985 when incumbent Village Clerk Agnes Theodore was beaten out at the polls after many years as Village Clerk by Nancy L. McConathy. Theodore, whose husband was the Executive Assistant to the mayor, refused to leave her position, and McConathy filed suit against the mayor, Village Board of Trustees and Agnes Theodore to force Theodore to leave her elected position. Theodore claimed she was not only an elected official but also an employee of the village and the administration did nothing to support McConathy's contention. On April 5, 1986, McConathy collapsed at the village's annual Appreciation Dinner and died just short of serving a full year in office. McConathy's lawsuit brought prior to her death was settled by McConathy's estate some time later, without the village admitting any liability. Prior to her election as Village Clerk, Nancy L. McConathy served as a library trustee. The Sauk Village Library District changed the name of the library's district to the Nancy L. McConathy Public Library District in her honor.

It was "All in the Family" from 1981 until 1983 when Raymond Gavin, who would actually go on to serve as one of the longest serving village trustees (elected to five terms but would resign before the end), and his son David Gavin served on the Village Board together. This has been the only time that a father and son has served on the Village Board together. A father and daughter have served on the Village Board, but not together. Mary Seery (née Slawnikowski) 1993-2005 did not seek re-election to the Village Board in 2005, and that made way for her father James Slawnikowski, who went on to serve one term.

Raymond Gavin (1967–1986) served the longest consecutive time in office as Village Trustee (19 years), and Robert Werner (1971–1987) and Matthew M. Murphy (1957–1973) served as Village Trustees for 16 years in office, all three longer than any mayor of the village. The three men served on the board together from 1971 to 1973. However, the longest serving elected official in Sauk Village history is Agnes Theodore, who served 25 years as Village Clerk from 1960 to 1985. Honors were given to Robert Werner as the baseball park on the north end of the Village were dedicated to his name. Mathew Murphy received a street named in his honor on the east side of town. However, no honors have yet been given to Raymond Gavin, the longest serving Village Trustee.

Harriet Kaminski (née Wiszowaty) made history in 1965, becoming the first woman to become a Village Trustee. She was followed by Alberta Goe (1965-1966), Catherine Moretti (1967-1968), and several other women. Sauk Village currently has two women serving as Village Trustees.

In 2009, Sauk Village elected its first African-American mayor, Lewis Towers, whose slate of candidates under the party banner Citizens for Progress would take office on May 12. After taking office, Towers and the new Village Board found that Sauk Village was facing its worst economic crisis in history with a $2 million budget deficit to plug and no funds in the coffers left over by the previous administration. The new administration saw some shake-ups as well with previous administrative appointees Police Chief Thomas Lachetta and Fire Chief Christopher Sewell retiring and resigning respectively.

Further shakeups in 2010 included Mayor Towers' appointee as Chief of Police Frank Martin, who had the shortest tenure as Police Chief in village history (five months). The Village Board voted 4 to 2 to fire Martin following claims of racial discrimination. Martin, at age 75, the first African-American appointed Police Chief, was accused by several white police officers of mismanagement and holding officers to a higher standard than himself. Also allegedly fired because of the shakeup was the Mayor's Chief of Staff Burnetta Hill-Corely. The Chief of Staff position replaced the Village Manager when Towers was sworn in during 2009.

Mayor Towers sees that times ahead will still be challenging but are "looking up". While the economic recession has hit Sauk Village hard in 2009, the village has managed to work through the challenges.

Between 1990 and 2010 the demographic makeup of Sauk Village has changed from a predominantly white blue collar middle class community to a more racially integrated community. Numerous industrial construction projects which had hoped to bring jobs to the area had been halted in 2008 as one of the worst economic recessions began.

Mayor Derrick Burgess, before his election as Mayor in April 2017 proposed the Burgess Plan for Progress which was what he called the "roadmap toward a Pathway to Progress". The Village Board of Trustees formally adopted his plan as the Strategic Plan for Progress. This was the Village's first Strategic Plan ever adopted by a Village Board. In 2017, the Village applied for and received a grant from the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning to update their old Comprehensive Plan. Teska and Associates was chosen as the consultant for the plan which was completed in 2019.

Election facts
Elections are typically held in early April every 2 years. both Mayoral and Trustee elections happen every 4 years, with Trustee elections happening 2 years out of sync compared to Mayoral Elections.

2009 Mayoral Election
Held on April 7, 2009. Voters elected Lewis Towers over current Village Board Trustee Derrick Burgess by 62% to 37% respectively. Towers went on to become Sauk Village's 6th mayor, and both the first African-American Mayor and the to have won running on a party affiliation.

2011 Election
Held on April 5, 2011. This was David Hanks fourth term as Village Trustee. This made him the third Village Trustee to have been re-elected for four consecutive terms. The other Village Trustees to have been re-elected to run four consecutive terms were Matthew Murphy and Raymond Gavin. Hanks and his running mates of the People's Voice Party, incumbent Trustee Derrick Burgess, and the first Hispanic/Latino Village Trustee ever elected, Robert Chavez, won with about a 3 to 1 margin over the candidates supported by Mayor Towers. The new Village Board took office on May 10, 2011.

2013 Mayoral Election
November 7, 2012, Mayor Lewis Towers resigned. Towers is the first and only mayor to have resigned the office of Mayor. Towers had been at political odds with the Village Board as the village was stuck in "gridlock". On November 8, 2012, the Village Board of Trustees selected David Hanks as acting mayor to serve out the remainder of Lewis Towers' unexpired term until May 2013. Hanks announced during a press conference he would not seek election as mayor and that he would return to his seat on the Village Board of Trustees as soon as the new mayor takes the oath of office. Hanks then filed to be a candidate for Mayor in December 2012. The election was held on April 9, 2013, Hanks won the election with 42% of the vote in a 4-way race.

2015 Election
Held on April 7, 2015. Derrick Burgess was elected to a 3rd term as Trustee with nearly 62% of the ballot. Also elected were Cecial Tates, a retired Lieutenant-Colonel and former District 168 School Board President along with newcomer Kelvin Jones. This election was historic as two incumbents were not re-elected, an event that had not happened since 1971.

2017 Mayoral Election
Held on April 4, 2017. David Hanks announced he would not seek re-election. Hanks followed his predecessor Lewis Towers as only serving one term as Mayor. Village Trustee Derrick Burgess announced his intention to run Mayor of Sauk Village.

Burgess was elected as the 8th Mayor of Sauk Village. Trustee Derrick Burgess was elected with 55% of the vote over two challengers. Burgess took office on May 9, 2017. Marva Campbell-Pruitt was elected Village Clerk beating out two-term incumbent Clerk Debbie Williams. Pruitt is the first to defeat an elected Village Clerk since Nancy McConathy beat out long-time Clerk Agnes Theodore in 1985, and also is the first African-American elected Village Clerk.

2019 Election
Held on April 2, 2019. One of the seats on the Board of Trustees was decided by a coin flip. Both Beth Zupon and Gary T. Bell both received 288 votes. Bell won the coin flip.

2021 Mayoral Election
Held on April 6, 2021. Derrick Burgess was Elected for a second consecutive term with 53% of the vote. The other candidates were Debra Williams who received 31% and Lynda Washington who received 15%.

2023 Election
Held on April 4, 2023. This election had a 5.6% turnout. All Trustees elected in this election won by default

Development and growth
The largest growth of the village came in the early 1990s when the village annexed nearly 1 sqmi as a result of a major land grab with neighbors Steger and Ford Heights. The size of the annexation was only rivaled by the growth in the early 1960s when the village just began and housing growth was at an all-time high. The largest parcel annexed came in 1991 when 500 acre at the northwest corner of Sauk Trail and the Calumet Expressway was finally added to the village. The 500 acre parcel was previously proposed for the GM-Saturn plant by Mayor Paesel and the new Chicago Bears Stadium by Trustee Wiszowaty.

Development would finally take off in 2004 when Sauk Village marketed the property to national developers and selected DP Partners out of Reno, Nevada. In November 2004 the company entered into a development agreement with the village. In January 2005, DP Partners closed on the first 100 acre and began development two months later. In its master plan, the company plans to spend $150 million to develop 5000000 sqft of warehouse and manufacturing space. LogistiCenter Business Park currently occupies 325 acre and has a 496260 sqft distribution facility (expandable up to 1.2 million square feet).

Winpak announced it was locating a portion packaging facility in Sauk Village, after purchasing 28.9 acres of land within the LogistiCenter development in 2011, a Class A business park. The 2011 buildout was for 267,000 sqft and in 2016 Winpak completed their planned expansion to a total of 615,000 sqft. Through incentives by the State of Illinois, Cook County and Commonwealth Edison, Winpak was able to remain in Sauk Village.

Sauk Village found success in 2017 with the sale of 32 acres of land that it had owned for years at the Northwest corner of Sauk Trail and Illinois 394. Gas-N-Wash was Sauk Village's first major commercial development in over 30 years which included a $13 million private investment. The owners broke ground in 2018 and by June 2019 Gas N Wash owners celebrated their grand opening of their 12,000 square foot convenience store, restaurants and truck stop thanks to the Economic Development efforts of Mayor Derrick Burgess.

Government
Sauk Village is governed by an elected six-member Board of Trustees and Mayor. The Mayor/Village President is a "part-time" position and he appoints the Village Administrator, Treasurer, Police Chief, Fire Chief, Public Works Superintendent, all Directors and other Village Department Heads and members of Committees and Commissions with the "advice and consent" of the Village Board of Trustees pursuant to Illinois law.

Board of Trustees:
 * Mayor/Village President: Derrick Burgess (elected April 4, 2017, re-elected April 6, 2021, sworn in on May 9, 2017)
 * Village Clerk: Marva Campbell-Pruitt (elected April 4, 2017, re-elected April 6, 2021, sworn in office May 9, 2017)
 * Village Treasurer: Position Vacant
 * Eugene Carter (first appointed 2023, term expires 2025)
 * Arnold Coleman (Trustee first elected 2021 expires 2025)
 * Diane Sapp (Trustee 2023 unexpired term expires 2025)
 * Debra Williams (first elected 2019; term expires 2027)
 * Raven Johnson (first elected 2023; term expires 2027)
 * Aretha Burns (first appointed 2022, elected 2023 term expires 2027)

Village Trustees are part-time positions, and they currently earn $125 per meeting that they attend.

Officers & Department Heads
 * Village Administrator: Interim Tim Williams - appointed 2023
 * Corporation Counsel Ancel & Glick- appointed 2021
 * Police Chief Malcolm White- reappointed 2018, reappointed 2021
 * Fire Chief Stephen Barrett - reappointed 2019, reappointed 2021
 * Director of Emergency Management Agency Position consolidated with Fire Chief
 * Director of Public Works interim Anthony Gilyard - appointed 2023
 * Village Engineer Robinson Engineering LTD - reappointed 2017, reappointed 2021
 * Director of Finance Renee Lewis- Interim Director
 * Director of Community Development Antonio Cooper- appointed 2021

While the mayor's position is currently part-time, he retains executive powers and those granted by Illinois statute and currently serves "full-time". The mayor currently also serves as the village's Liquor Control Commissioner. Sauk Village is a Mayor and Village Board of Trustees form of government, the Village Administrator handles the day-to-day operations.

Sauk Village is also serviced by the Bloom Township Board of Trustees, Nancy L. McConathy Library District and Consolidated School District 168, High School District 206 and Prairie State College Board of Trustees. All of these bodies have elective offices

All of Sauk Village is in Illinois' 2nd congressional district.

Mayors of Sauk Village

 * 1) Thomas J. Nichols (1957–1965)
 * 2) Roger F. Theisen (1965–1977)
 * 3) Edward W. Paesel (1977–1989)
 * 4) Mark J. Collins (1989–1997)
 * 5) Roger G. Peckham (1997–2009)
 * 6) Lewis Towers (2009–2012)
 * 7) David A. Hanks (2012–2017)
 * 8) Derrick N. Burgess (2017–present)

Notable people

 * Jeff Allen - actor and Christian comedian
 * Cory Hardrict - is an American actor. He has appeared in film and television since the late 1990s. He has also been an executive producer for the 2012 film Neighborhood Watch.
 * Jan Johnson is an American former athlete who competed mainly in the pole vault. He graduated in 1972 from the University of Alabama, where he holds the school record in the pole vault at 18 feet, 1/2 inch. In 1972, the gymnasium of Rickover Junior High School in Sauk Village, Illinois was dedicated and named in his honor.

title: Sauk Village, Illinois


text:
Schaumburg, Illinois

Schaumburg is a village located mostly in Cook County and partly in DuPage County in northeastern Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 Census, the population was 78,723, making Schaumburg the most populous incorporated village in the United States. Schaumburg is around 28 mi northwest of the Chicago Loop and 10 mi northwest of O'Hare International Airport. It is part of the Golden Corridor.

In 2018, Money magazine ranked the Village of Schaumburg the Best Place to Live in Illinois. In 2017, Money ranked Schaumburg the 9th-best place to live in the United States.

Along with Bolingbrook, Schaumburg has one of Illinois's two IKEA stores. It also is home to the Woodfield Mall, one of the largest shopping malls in the United States, which features almost 300 stores and restaurants. Schaumburg's transition from a rural community to a suburban city began with Alfred Campanelli's first large-scale suburban-style development in 1959 and Woodfield Mall's opening on September 9, 1971.

Schaumburg is bordered by Hoffman Estates and Palatine to the north, Inverness in northwest, Rolling Meadows to the northeast, Elk Grove Village to the southeast, Roselle to the south, Hanover Park to the southwest, and Streamwood to the west.

19th century
The village of Schaumburg was incorporated on March 7, 1956, but the heritage of Schaumburg dates back to much earlier times when the first inhabitants of the area were members of the Sauk, Fox, Potawatomi, and Kickapoo Native American tribes. By the mid-19th century, settlers first began to arrive from Bonn, Germany and the eastern United States. Many of the Germans came from Schaumburg-Lippe, a small princely state now in Lower Saxony.

Legend has it that one of the earliest settlers was Trumball Kent from Oswego, New York. Kent, a "Yankee", as settlers from New England were called in the west, farmed property in the northeast corner of the township. Another Yankee was Horace Williams, who owned substantial lands but lived in the hamlet of Palatine in Palatine Township. Ernst Schween settled in 1835 not far from what used to be called Olde Schaumburg Centre, in what was then and is now known as Sarah's Grove. Another early settler in Schaumburg Township was German-born Johann Sunderlage. According to one legend, Sunderlage was a member of a survey team that divided Cook County into townships around 1833; according to another legend, he worked on a survey team on the Joliet canal. He liked the area so much that, upon completion of the project, he returned to Europe and brought his family and friends from Germany and settled in the area now known as Hoffman Estates in Schaumburg Township around 1836. His home still stands in its original location.

Sunderlage and his family occupied their land in the township until the federal land sale of 1842 allowed them to buy the property and obtain the deed. Sunderlage and Kent represented the predominant groups that settled Schaumburg Township in its early days. In 1840, 56 percent of the township households originated from the eastern United States, while 28 percent were German-born. By the 1850s, the population mix had changed to 28 percent "Yankee" and 48 percent German.

By 1870, Schaumburg Township had become completely German. Land records show that most of the property in the township was owned by German immigrants or their descendants. This pattern emerged as many Yankee "settlers" continued to travel west for the promise of newly opened lands on the Great Plains. The land they owned in Schaumburg was then purchased by German-born immigrants.

Schaumburg Township remained almost exclusively under German ownership until the Great Depression of the 1930s. The Depression caused the foreclosure on some German-owned farms which were then purchased by non-German individuals and companies. Nonetheless, German heritage remained important in the area. German was the first language of the majority of households until the 1950s.

St. Peter Lutheran Church, the community's oldest Christian church, had services in German as late as 1970. The church remains as a museum, as does the second church of this congregation. Services were first held at the then-existing Rohlwing-Fenz store, at the southwest corner of the intersection of Schaumburg Road and Roselle Road, until their first church building was completed in 1847. The pastor was Francis Hoffman, who walked from the Bensenville area to hold the Christian religious meetings in Schaumburg. He later served as Lieutenant Governor of Illinois. When he retired from the church's ministry, he moved to Wisconsin where he operated an experimental farm and edited a German-language agricultural newspaper. Other people of the area who were notable in the 1840s included Quindel, Winkelhake, Moeller, Fenz, Kastning, Lichthardt, Meyer, Rohlwing, Thies, Scheiderling, Hattendorf, Nerge, and Freise.

Sarah's Grove
The original 1842 township survey names the grove (immediately west of the center of the township, in sections 21 and 22) as Sarah's Grove. Three families lived near a grove of woods on the northwest end of the township, and each family had a woman named Sarah (Sarah McChesney, Sarah Frisbe, and Sarah Smith). At a township meeting in 1850, citizens debated new names for the town. A wealthy landowner named Friedrich Heinrich Nerge, at one point during the meeting, slammed his fist on the table and yelled in Low German, "Schaumburg schall et heiten!" (The English translation: "It will be called Schaumburg!"). At that point, the township became officially called Schaumburg.

The name was taken from Grafschaft Schaumburg (Schaumburg County) in Germany, then a part of Hessen-Kassel, now in Lower Saxony. Most of the township's German settlers were from Schaumburg; many were born in the parish of Apelern. Some came from Hannover, but the people of Schaumburg had more influence.

Schaumburg Township prospered during its early days. The area's main occupation was farming, with potato growing, dairy products and raising cattle as main sources of income. The land was a very large meadow surrounded by extensive wilderness. Wildlife such as geese, ducks, quail, prairie chickens, rabbits, pheasant and deer were abundant. In 1858, a small market area emerged at what is now the intersection of Schaumburg and Roselle roads. Schaumburg Center was the market center for the surrounding agricultural producers. It included two general stores, four cheese factories, a cobbler, a tailor, a wagon maker, and a blacksmith.

Most of the early growth in the northeast region of Illinois occurred along the Fox River Valley and the major rail lines. Since neither of these transportation networks served Schaumburg Township at the time, the township remained rather isolated. Few roads existed, and several of those were often impassable. To reach a large market, Schaumburg farmers had to travel 27 mi in ox-drawn or horse-drawn wagons to Chicago, which only had about 35,000 inhabitants at that time.

20th century

In 1900, a 50-year anniversary brochure reported the following account: "Schaumburg has the reputation of being the model community of Cook County. Also, the town of Schaumburg is an example of a community for all other towns in Cook County and probably in other counties, too. Schaumburg is prompt in the payment of its taxes; it supports churches and schools; it has also the best roads in the land and – Schaumburg has never had a jail. Finally, it is not just for the settlers only, but also for foreigners."

In 1925, O. D. Jennings, the founder of what was once one of the largest manufacturers of slot machines in the United States, purchased a house in the village. It would be his and his wife's home until his death in 1953. On the death of his widow, the house and its surrounding park lands were donated to the village and used as the Village Hall until 1971.

Schaumburg's relative isolation was broken, however, as the automobile became the primary mode of travel. The construction of O'Hare International Airport near Rosemont (about 11 mi away) in 1955 in what was previously O'Hare field, the construction of the Northwest Tollway through the farmlands in 1956 and the presence of a technical and business workforce at the Pure Oil Company in Schaumburg now put Schaumburg in a location rampant with suburban growth. In response to development pressures, the area encompassing what was known as Schaumburg Centre was incorporated in 1956. At the time of incorporation, the village consisted of two square miles and a population of 130 residents.

Incorporation enabled the village to control its growth and development. Early village leaders are credited with the foresight and planning that has made later economic growth possible. The original comprehensive plan adopted by the Village Board in 1961 reserved large tracts of land for industrial, commercial, and office development; mostly the Woodfield area surrounding what is now Woodfield Mall. Growth in these sectors has made the village a major employer in the area and the home of Illinois's second-largest retail center.

Schaumburg's expansion during the 1960s changed the character of the community dramatically. Schaumburg was no longer a quiet rural community. In 1959, Alfred Campanelli began construction of the first large residential subdivision in the village, known as Weathersfield. This area contains several thousand single-family homes built in 22 stages over two decades. In total, Campanelli constructed over 6,800 housing units or approximately 20% of the village's housing stock. Schaumburg's YMCA is named after him.

In 1967, an apartment complex called International Village (located at the intersection of Meacham and Algonquin roads) was built as Schaumburg's first residential area not entirely occupied by single-family homes. The following year, Motorola began to construct its corporate headquarters across the street.

During this time, country singer Bob Atcher ("You Are My Sunshine"), who had become known on WLS' National Barn Dance radio program, became the Schaumburg village president. He held that position until 1975.

In the 1970s, the tremendous growth that had taken place in the previous decade continued. By 1970, the village population had grown to 18,730. That same year, a second expressway, Interstate 290, opened on the eastern boundary of the village. This provided another link to Chicago and further enhanced its stature in the eyes of the region's many developers. The following year, Woodfield Mall opened in Schaumburg. During the remainder of the decade, Schaumburg experienced phenomenal commercial, industrial and residential development.

In 1978, the Village Board formally established the Olde Schaumburg Centre Overlay District to preserve the character of the area located at the intersection of Schaumburg and Roselle roads. The Olde Schaumburg Centre Commission, also established in 1978, reviews new development and restoration projects in the district to ensure the continued historic appeal of the area.

By 1980, Schaumburg had expanded to 18.3 sqmi of land area, and its population had swelled to 53,305 residents. During the early- and mid-1980s, development focused on large corporate office buildings in the emerging "Woodfield Center" along Golf Road. The late 1980s were characterized by the vast expansion of small manufacturing and warehouse uses in the industrial and business parks in the village's northeast and southwest quadrants. Other development such as large manufacturing facilities, commercial retail centers, and large suite hotels boomed in the 1980s. Schaumburg was profiled in Joel Garreau's 1991 book about edge cities as, "a suburb conforming to a new form of urban development in which large concentrations of jobs exist, though outside the traditional downtown city centers."

By 1990, Schaumburg's population was increasing at a slower rate as the land available for residential development was rapidly disappearing. The population in 1990 had risen to 68,586, an increase of 15,281 since 1980. Although this was still an impressive growth rate, it was apparent that Schaumburg was nearing its residential capacity within the terms of current land management.

Office development in the 1990s had also slowed. The once booming office market slumped due to the large supply of office space in the northwest suburbs and the limited demand by typical users in the financial, insurance, and real estate sectors. However, the Schaumburg commercial market enjoyed substantial expansion during this period. Since 1990, Schaumburg has witnessed the development of 2 e6ft2 of commercial space, including a variety of retail uses. Another mall named One Schaumburg Place and a retail area called Village Green were built in the early 1990s. One Schaumburg Place quickly lost most of its stores, eventually left only a theater and, a few years later, was completely reconstructed into a walkthrough shopping area with an AMC Theater and GameWorks as its major businesses. Around the same time, Woodfield Mall underwent a major redesign, adding retail space and removing previous attractions. A Nordstrom was added to one branch of the mall as well, increasing the number of anchor stores to five. Woodfield Mall is now an international tourist attraction, harboring visitors every day from locations as far away as Japan. IKEA, an internationally known home furnishings store, opened its 458000 sqft Schaumburg location near Woodfield in the late 1990s.

In 1994, the village bought the Schaumburg Regional Airport from its formerly-private owners and refurbished it with 90% of the funds for the purchase and refurbishment acquired by federal grant, 5% from the State of Illinois, 2.5% Cook County and the village putting up the remaining 2.5%, with the village gaining 100% control of the property.

The village finalized the purchase of the Town Square shopping center (also previously known as Olde Town Centre) in 1995, and began a slow, but now complete, redevelopment. The 27 acre site at the southwest corner of Schaumburg and Roselle roads has been transformed into a diverse development offering several stores, the Schaumburg Township District Library (relocated from Bethel Lane), a few other offices and services, such as temp agencies, and a public amphitheater set in a walk-through area that was designed to be available as a gathering point for citizens. The area also still includes the Trickster Gallery, a museum celebrating the heritage of the Native Americans indigenous to the area. The new development was designed to be "the new downtown", but this largely did not catch on and is primarily used by Schaumburg's government.

Minor league baseball came to the village in the spring of 1999. Alexian Field (named for Alexian Brothers Hospital in the adjacent Elk Grove Village), a 7,000-seat baseball stadium, was built in partnership with the Schaumburg Park District. Alexian Field was home to the Schaumburg Flyers, a member of the independent Northern League. The Northern League split after the 2010 season with several teams joining three other independent professional leagues. Alexian Field was without a professional team for the 2011 season but in 2012 became home to the Frontier League's Schaumburg Boomers and was renamed Boomers Stadium.

21st century
In 2000, the village purchased 45 acre next to a short, independent stretch of Meacham Road. This was developed into the Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel & Convention Center.

Schaumburg's population as of the year 2000 was 75,386 according to U.S. Census.

Geography
Schaumburg is located at 42.03028°N, -88.08389°W (42.0302057, −88.0838750).

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Schaumburg has a total area of 19.47 sqmi, of which 19.35 sqmi (or 99.39%) is land and 0.12 sqmi (or 0.61%) is water. Its elevation varies between 750 and 850 feet above sea level, with a high point of 850 feet at the intersection of Schaumburg Road and Webster Lane. Schaumburg serves as the headwaters of the West Branch Dupage River, which drains the central and western portions of the village, flowing to the southwest. The West Branch of the Salt Creek drains the eastern portion of the village, flowing eastward into Busse Lake.

Demographics
As of the 2020 census there were 78,723 people, 30,249 households, and 18,707 families residing in the village. The population density was 4,044.34 PD/sqmi. There were 33,459 housing units at an average density of 1,718.93 /mi2. The racial makeup of the village was 57.55% White, 4.28% African American, 0.43% Native American, 26.46% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 4.26% from other races, and 7.00% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.50% of the population.

There were 30,249 households, out of which 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.38% were married couples living together, 8.34% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.16% were non-families. 32.98% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.37% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.15 and the average family size was 2.41.

The village's age distribution consisted of 22.7% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 31.7% from 25 to 44, 24.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.9 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $82,387, and the median income for a family was $98,640. Males had a median income of $63,479 versus $43,286 for females. The per capita income for the village was $42,303. About 4.4% of families and 5.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.8% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over.

Economy
Companies headquartered in Schaumburg include Zurich North America, Motorola Solutions and Perdoceo Education Corporation the former Career Education Corporation. As of 2011 many Japanese companies have their U.S. headquarters in Schaumburg and Hoffman Estates.

Top employers
According to the Village's website, the top employers in the village are:

Transportation
Schaumburg has a station on Metra's Milwaukee District West Line, which goes between Elgin and Chicago Union Station. The Suburban Transit Access Route (STAR Line) originally planned to have two stations at the IKEA department store and on Roselle Road near the north of the village, but those plans were shelved by Metra in 2012. The only current station is near Boomers Stadium. Additionally, the Schaumburg Regional Airport, a small general aviation airport, is located along Irving Park Road just west of Roselle Road.

Pace's local and I-90 Express buses stop at the Northwest Transportation Center hub in Schaumburg near the Woodfield Mall with busses to Rosemont Transportation Center (where passengers can connect with the Blue Line to Chicago) and Elgin. Pace also offers dial-a-ride bus service that is open to the general public. Reservations must be made a minimum of 90 minutes in advance.

Education
Public schools in Schaumburg are funded by property taxes, not sales tax.

The public school district is Community Consolidated School District 54. The elementary schools of district 54, only some of which are in Schaumburg, have received awards such as the Blue Ribbon Awards and Teachers Who Excel award. The schools in the area also have Special Education and Dual Language classes, as well as programs for the gifted.

Schaumburg is part of Township High School District 211, which has five high schools: Schaumburg High School, Hoffman Estates High School, Conant High School, Fremd High School and Palatine High School. Schaumburg High School recently finished remodeling the outside of the building and adding extra classrooms, science labs and faculty offices. District 211 also completed a similar project at Conant High School.

Schaumburg also has a number of private and religious schools, such as Schaumburg Christian School, St. Peter Lutheran School, St. Hubert Catholic School, Our Lady of Annabelle Grace Catholic Academy, and Hadi School of Excellence.

Not-for-profit

 * The Illinois Institute of Art – Schaumburg campus (formerly for-profit)
 * Roosevelt University's campus in Schaumburg is the largest four-year university in Chicago's Northwest suburbs, serving approximately 2,500 students. The campus is located in the former headquarters office building of the Pure Oil Company. Roosevelt converted the building into a comprehensive campus in 1996. The Albert A. Robin Campus is home to the Doctor of Pharmacy program, which accepted its inaugural class in July 2011. Roosevelt's PharmD program is the Midwest's only three-year, year-round program of its kind. In July 2014, it achieved full accreditation for its Doctor of Pharmacy curriculum. The campus is also home to the university's only PhD program (Industrial-Organizational Psychology), which began in August 2012.

For-profit

 * The Lake Forest Graduate School of Management's Schaumburg campus, an arm of Argosy University (formerly the Illinois Institute of Psychology)
 * American InterContinental University

Public library
Schaumburg Township District Library has a main branch in Schaumburg and two smaller branches in Hanover Park and Hoffman Estates. The complete collection of materials totals more than 560,000 as of April 2017. The Library is a member of Reaching Across Illinois Library System, which allows people with a card from any member library to use the same card at any other member library. Schaumburg Township District Library is one of the largest libraries in the country with multiple meeting and discussion rooms; a high-tech Teen Place for youth ages 12–19; a kidsZone with materials, activities and play space for kids; a newly created Workshop for all ages to explore, create and learn; and a recently renovated Commons area with room for all ages to read, work and collaborate. The Library also has a drive-up window for easy drop-off and pick-up of materials. It offers enriching and entertaining programs all year long, such as book discussions, technology classes, ESL classes, DIY workshops and informational lectures.

Notable people

 * Lou Clarizio, former Negro league outfielder
 * Susan Downey (née Levin), producer and wife of actor Robert Downey Jr., 1991 Schaumburg High School valedictorian
 * Jason Guida, professional mixed martial artist
 * Matt Haag, professional Call of Duty player
 * Kurt Kittner, former NFL quarterback for the Chicago Bears and Atlanta Falcons
 * Jessica Lu, actress and model
 * Shane Madej, internet personality, writer and producer, known for Buzzfeed Unsolved and Watcher on YouTube.
 * Chris Mueller, soccer player who plays as a winger for Chicago Fire FC in Major League Soccer and the United States national team.
 * Adwar Mousa, Assyrian singer-songwriter

Parks
In the spring of 2017, the Schaumburg Park District opened its newest children's playground Bison's Bluff Nature Playground. Bison's Bluff, a part of the Spring Valley Nature Center & Heritage Farm, is designed to engage children in a natural setting with a play area that consists of natural materials (logs, boulders, sand, water, etc.) as well as manufactured features that mimic a rock bluff and cliff face, fallen logs, and flowing stream. The stated goal of Bison's Bluff is to inspire today's youth to remain active, develop agility, learn resilience, discover the benefits of cooperation and experimentation, solve problems, and learn to navigate the world around them confidently.(2017)

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Schaumburg, Illinois


text:
Schiller Park, Illinois

Schiller Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 11,709 at the 2020 census.

Geography
Schiller Park is located at 41.95623°N, -87.87045°W.

According to the 2010 census, Schiller Park has a total area of 2.77 sqmi, all land.

Demographics
As of the 2020 census there were 11,709 people, 4,437 households, and 3,105 families residing in the village. The population density was 4,227.08 PD/sqmi. There were 4,709 housing units at an average density of 1,700.00 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 64.45% White, 1.67% African American, 1.43% Native American, 7.01% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 14.63% from other races, and 10.79% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 30.99% of the population.

There were 4,437 households, out of which 27.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.36% were married couples living together, 9.13% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.02% were non-families. 24.39% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.22% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.13 and the average family size was 2.59.

The village's age distribution consisted of 21.3% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 28.5% from 45 to 64, and 16.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 113.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 117.3 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $58,637, and the median income for a family was $72,034. Males had a median income of $42,821 versus $35,103 for females. The per capita income for the village was $30,168. About 9.3% of families and 12.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.3% of those under age 18 and 6.6% of those age 65 or over.

Education
Schiller Park School District 81 operates public schools.

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago operates Catholic schools. St. Maria Goretti School was in Schiller Park. From circa 2017 to 2020 the student population declined by 73. The archdiocese stated that the school could remain open if it had 150 students for 2019–2020, but the student population was below that. The archdiocese closed the school in June 2020.

Transportation
The Schiller Park station provides Metra commuter rail service along the North Central Service Line. Trains travel east to Chicago Union Station, and north to Antioch station. Bus service in the village is provided by Pace.

Sister cities

 * Capurso (Italy), 1994

Notable people

 * Edward Bluthardt (1916–1993), Illinois state representative and lawyer; Bluthardt served as mayor of Schiller Park.

title: Schiller Park, Illinois


text:
Skokie, Illinois

Skokie (formerly Niles Center) is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. According to the 2020 census, its population was 67,824. Skokie lies approximately 15 mi north of Chicago's downtown Loop. The name Skokie comes from a Potawatomi word for "marsh". For many years, Skokie promoted itself as "The World's Largest Village". Skokie's streets, like that of many suburbs, are largely a continuation of the Chicago street grid, and the village is served by the Chicago Transit Authority, further cementing its connection to the city.

Skokie was originally a German-Luxembourger farming community, but was later settled by a sizeable Jewish population, especially after World War II. At its peak in the mid-1960s, 58% of the population was Jewish, the largest proportion of any Chicago suburb. Skokie still has many Jewish residents (now about 30% of the population) and over a dozen synagogues. It is home to the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center, which opened in northwest Skokie in 2009.

Skokie has twice received national attention for court cases decided by the United States Supreme Court. In the mid-1970s, it was at the center of National Socialist Party of America v. Village of Skokie, in which a Nazi group, backed by the American Civil Liberties Union, invoked the First Amendment in an attempt to schedule a Nazi rally in Skokie. At the time, Skokie had a significant population of Holocaust survivors. Skokie ultimately lost that case, though the rally was never held.

Beginnings
In 1888, the community was incorporated as Niles Centre. About 1910, the spelling was Americanized to "Niles Center". However, the name caused postal confusion with the neighboring village of Niles. A village-renaming campaign began in the 1930s. In a referendum on November 15, 1940, residents chose the Native American name "Skokie" over the name "Devonshire".

During the real estate boom of the 1920s, large parcels were subdivided; many two- and three-flat apartment buildings were built, with the "Chicago"-style bungalow a dominant architectural specimen. Large-scale development ended as a result of the Great Crash of 1929 and consequent Great Depression. It was not until the 1940s and the 1950s, when parents of the baby boom generation moved their families out of Chicago, that Skokie's housing development began again. Consequently, the village developed commercially, an example being the Old Orchard Shopping Center, currently named Westfield Old Orchard.

During the night of November 27–28, 1934, after a gunfight in nearby Barrington that left two FBI agents dead, two accomplices of notorious 25-year-old bank-robber Baby Face Nelson (Lester Gillis) dumped his bullet-riddled body in a ditch along Niles Center Road adjoining the St. Peter Catholic Cemetery, a block north of Oakton Street in the town.

The first African-American family to move to Skokie arrived in 1961, and open-housing activists helped to integrate the suburb subsequently.

Name
Historic maps named the Skokie marsh as Chewab Skokie, a probable derivation from Kitchi-wap choku, a Potawatomi term meaning "great marsh". Other Indigenous names include skoutay or scoti, an Algonquian words for "fire". "Skokie Marsh" was used by local botanists, notably Henry Chandler Cowles, as early as 1901. The village name was changed from "Niles Center" to "Skokie" by referendum in 1940. The name change may also have been influenced by James Foster Porter, a Chicago resident, who had explored the "Skoki Valley" in Banff National Park in Canada in 1911 and admired the name; Porter supported the name "Skokie" in the referendum.

Supreme Court rulings
Twice in its history, Skokie has been the focal point of cases before the United States Supreme Court. National Socialist Party of America v. Village of Skokie, 432 U.S. 43 (1977), involved a First Amendment issue. Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County (SWANCC) v. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 531 U.S. 159 (2001) touched upon the Commerce Clause.

National Socialist Party of America v. Village of Skokie
In 1977 and 1978, Illinois neo-Nazis of the National Socialist Party of America (NSPA) attempted to hold a march in Skokie, far from their headquarters on Chicago's south side. Originally, the neo-Nazis had planned a political rally in Marquette Park in Chicago. The park is located in what was then a predominantly all-white neighborhood, similar to the situation in 1966, when a crowd of 4,000 Marquette Park residents gathered to watch Martin Luther King Jr. lead a march, some waving Confederate flags or throwing bottles, bricks and rocks at the protesters; King was knocked to his knees when struck by a rock. However, the Chicago authorities thwarted the NSPA's plans.

Seeking another free-speech political venue, the NSPA group chose to march on Skokie. Given the many Holocaust survivors living in Skokie, the village's government thought the Nazi march would be disruptive, and refused the NSPA permission to hold the event. The NSPA appealed that decision, and the American Civil Liberties Union interceded on their behalf, in National Socialist Party of America v. Village of Skokie. An Illinois appeals court raised the injunction issued by a Cook County Circuit Court judge, ruling that the presence of the swastika, the Nazi emblem, would constitute deliberate provocation of the people of Skokie. However, the Court also ruled that Skokie's attorneys had failed to prove that either the Nazi uniform or their printed materials, which it was alleged that the Nazis intended to distribute, would incite violence.

Moreover, because Chicago subsequently lifted its Marquette Park political demonstration ban, the NSPA ultimately held its rally in Chicago. The attempted Illinois Nazi march on Skokie was dramatized in the television film Skokie in 1981. It was satirized in the film The Blues Brothers in 1980.

Migratory bird rule
In 2001, the decision by Skokie and 22 other communities belonging to the Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County to use an isolated wetland as a solid waste disposal site resulted in a lawsuit. Ultimately, the case went all the way to the United States Supreme Court, and resulted in an overturn of the federal migratory bird rule.

Geography
According to the 2010 census, Skokie has a total area of 10.06 sqmi, all land. The village is bordered by Evanston to the east, Chicago to the southeast and southwest, Lincolnwood to the south, Niles to the southwest, Morton Grove to the west, Glenview to the northwest, and Wilmette to the north.

The village's street circulation is a street-grid pattern, with a major east–west thoroughfare every half mile: Old Orchard Road, Golf Road, Church Street, Dempster Street, Main Street, Oakton Street, Howard Street, and Touhy Avenue. The major north–south thoroughfares are Skokie Boulevard, Crawford Avenue, and McCormick Boulevard; the major diagonal streets are Lincoln Avenue, Niles Center Road, East Prairie Road and Gross Point Road.

Skokie's north–south streets continue the street names and (house number) grid values of Chicago's north–south streets – with the notable exceptions of Cicero Avenue, which is renamed Skokie Boulevard within Skokie, and Chicago's Pulaski Road retains its original Chicago City name, Crawford Avenue. The east–west streets continue Evanston's street names, but with Chicago grid values, such that Evanston's Dempster Street is 8800 north in Skokie addresses.

Demographics
As of the 2020 census there were 67,824 people, 22,503 households, and 16,206 families residing in the village. The population density was 6,739.27 PD/sqmi. There were 25,256 housing units at an average density of 2,509.54 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 51.36% White, 7.94% African American, 0.48% Native American, 27.78% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 4.61% from other races, and 7.78% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.59% of the population.

There were 22,503 households, out of which 32.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.68% were married couples living together, 11.23% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.98% were non-families. 25.48% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.28% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.37 and the average family size was 2.78.

The village's age distribution consisted of 23.3% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 22.2% from 25 to 44, 27.6% from 45 to 64, and 20.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.5 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $74,725, and the median income for a family was $93,491. Males had a median income of $46,915 versus $37,025 for females. The per capita income for the village was $37,827. About 7.5% of families and 9.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.9% of those under age 18 and 8.8% of those age 65 or over.

Skokie is approximately 28% Jewish and has over a dozen synagogues.

Skokie also contains a sizeable Assyrian population. Some Assyrian American organizations, such as the Assyrian Universal Alliance Foundation, report that Assyrians make up the largest ethnic group in Skokie, with the population estimate being upwards of 20,000. The population of the local high school district, Niles Township High School District 219, is reported to be about 30% Assyrian, making them the largest ethnic group at the school district as well.

Economy
The village's AAA bond rating attests to strong economic health via prudent fiscal management. In 2003, Skokie became the first municipality in the United States to achieve nationally accredited police, fire, and public works departments, and a Class-1 fire department, per the Insurance Services Office (ISO) ratings. Likewise, in 2003 Money magazine named Skokie one of the 80 fastest-growing suburbs in the U.S.

Besides strong manufacturing and retail commerce bases, Skokie's economy will add health sciences jobs; in 2003, Forest City Enterprises announced their re-development of the vacant Pfizer research laboratories, in downtown Skokie, as the Illinois Science + Technology Park, a 23 acre campus of research installations—2 e6sqft of chemistry, genomics, toxicology laboratories, clean rooms, NMR suites, conference rooms, etc.). In 2006, NorthShore University HealthSystem announced installing their consolidated data center operations at the park, adding 500 jobs to the economy. Map maker Rand McNally is also headquartered in Skokie. More recently, the village has focused heavily on the revitalization of both the downtown and central business districts, incorporating Transit Oriented Development principles in the process.

Top employers
According to the Village's 2018 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the village are:

Notable corporations

 * Peapod, online grocer
 * FelPro, now Tenneco
 * Mayfair Games
 * Rand McNally
 * USRobotics
 * Bell & Howell
 * G.D. Searle, now Pfizer

Arts and culture
Westfield Old Orchard, an upscale shopping center, is one of the country's first and is the third largest mall by total square footage in Illinois.

The Skokie Northshore Sculpture Park is situated along the North Shore Channel between Dempster Street and Touhy Avenue on the east side of McCormick Boulevard. The first sculptures were built in the park in 1988 and it now has over 70 sculptures. Three areas are toured May through October of each year, on the last Sunday of the month with a presentation by a docent. Just north of the sculpture garden is a statue to Mahatma Gandhi with five of his famous quotations engraved around the base. This was dedicated on October 2, 2004.

In addition to municipally-managed public spaces, the village is also home to the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, encompassing Centre East, Northlight Theatre and the Skokie Valley Symphony Orchestra. The facility celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2016. The Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center opened in Skokie on April 19, 2009.

Library
On October 7, 2008, the Skokie Public Library received the 2008 National Medal for Museum and Library Service, notably for its cultural programming and multilingual services.

Parks and recreation
The Skokie Park District maintains public spaces and historical sites within its more than 240 acre of parkland and in its ten facilities.

The Skokie Valley Trail is a multi-use trail connecting the northwest side of Chicago to the communities of Lincolnwood and Skokie. In 2023, the Village announced plans to extend the Valley Line Trail from its current terminus at Dempster-Skokie Station to its northernmost boundary at Old Orchard Road. The result will be a continuous trail from the City of Chicago to the northern suburbs beyond Skokie. The project is estimated to be completed by 2025.

The North Shore Channel Trail also passes through town.

Public schools
Primary school districts include:
 * Skokie School District 68
 * Skokie/Morton Grove School District 69
 * Fairview South School District 72
 * East Prairie School District 73
 * Skokie School District 73.5

Niles Township High School District 219 operates public high schools.

A portion of the city is served by the Evanston/Skokie School District 65 and Evanston Township High School.

High schools

 * Niles North of District 219
 * Niles West of District 219
 * Niles Township District 219, known for its fine arts program, was awarded the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts Top program for fine arts education in the United States on April 27, 2007.
 * Niles East High School closed in 1980 after community efforts to save the school failed.

Junior high schools

 * Oliver McCracken Middle School (formerly Oakview Junior High) of District 73.5
 * East Prairie School (Pre-K through 8th) of District 73
 * Fairview South School of District 72
 * Lincoln Junior High of District 69
 * Old Orchard Junior High of District 68
 * Chute Middle School in Evanston serves a small portion of Skokie residents of Evanston/Skokie District 65

Elementary schools
See the same map as middle schools.
 * Jane Stenson School, (K through 5th) of District 68
 * Devonshire School, (K through 5th) of District 68
 * Highland School, (K through 5th) of District 68
 * Madison School, (pre-K through 2nd) of District 69
 * Edison School, (3rd through 5th) of District 69
 * Fairview North formerly of District 72
 * Fairview South School, (K through 8th) of District 72
 * Elizabeth Meyer School, (pre-K and K) of District 73.5
 * John Middleton School, (1st through 5th) of District 73.5
 * East Prairie School, (Pre-K through 8th) of District 73
 * Walker Elementary School, (K through 5th) of Skokie/Evanston District 65
 * Dr. Bessie Rhodes Magnet School, (K through 8th) of Skokie/Evanston District 65, formerly Timber Ridge Magnet School (may be attended by Skokie students in District 65)

Religious day schools
Jewish:
 * Arie Crown Hebrew Day School (pre-K through 8th), boys and girls
 * Cheder Lubavitch Hebrew Day School (pre-K through 8th), separate boys and girls programs
 * Hillel Torah North Suburban Day School (pre-K through 8th), boys and girls
 * Ida Crown Jewish Academy (9th through 12th), boys and girls
 * Fasman Yeshiva High School (9th through 12th), boys only
 * Solomon Schechter Day School Ginsburg Early Childhood Center. From 1978 to 2012 the day school had a campus in Skokie. After 2012 day students were moved to Northbrook, and the building is now MCC Academy's elementary school. The closure of the Skokie facility occurred as fewer Jewish people lived in Skokie.

Muslim:
 * MCC Academy (Pre-K through elementary are in Skokie, with secondary students in Morton Grove)

Roman Catholic:
 * St. Joan of Arc School (K-8), of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago

Post-secondary education

 * Oakton College (Ray Hartstein Campus) This is the site of the old Niles East High School. The original structure, built in the 1930s, was demolished in the 1990s.
 * Hebrew Theological College, a private university. It was chartered in 1922 as one of the first Modern Orthodox Jewish institutions of higher education in America.
 * National-Louis University has a campus near the Skokie Courthouse.

Public transportation
The Chicago "L"s Yellow Line terminates at the Dempster Street station in Skokie. Construction has been completed on a new Yellow Line train station at Oakton Street, to serve downtown Skokie. It opened on April 30, 2012. Additionally, the CTA is commissioning an alternatives analysis study on the extension of the Yellow Line terminal to Old Orchard Road for Federal Transit Administration New Start grants. The New Starts program allows federal funds to be used for capital projects provided that all extensions for a given problem (i.e., enabling easy transportation for reverse commuters to Westfield Old Orchard) are considered. The extension recommended by the CTA, is the elevation of the Yellow Line to a new terminal south of Old Orchard Road. This extension was canceled.

Although the Yellow Line is the fastest transportation to and from the city, the village also is served by CTA and Pace bus routes. The Pace Pulse Dempster Line opened through the village in 2023. However, Greyhound Bus service to the Dempster Street train station has been discontinued. For automobile transport, Interstate 94, the Edens Expressway, traverses western Skokie, with interchanges at Touhy Avenue, Dempster Street, and Old Orchard Road.

Major highways
Major highways in Skokie include:

Interstate Highways
 * I-94.svg Interstate 94

US Highways
 * US 41.svg US 41

Illinois Highways
 * Illinois 50.svg Route 50
 * Illinois 58.svg Route 58

Notable people

 * Eric Rosen, chess player and Twitch streamer
 * Rob Ambrose, current head coach of Towson Tigers football team of Towson University
 * Louie Belpedio, NHL player for the Minnesota Wild
 * Mike Byster, mathematician, mental calculator and math educator
 * Jovita Carranza (born 1949), 26th Administrator of the Small Business Administration (2020–present). She is a past resident of Skokie.
 * Bobby Ciraldo, filmmaker and web-based artist
 * Bart Conner, Olympic gymnast, 1984 gold medalist
 * David Cromer, theatre director and stage actor
 * David Draiman, lead singer of Disturbed
 * Robert Feder, media blogger, former columnist for Chicago Sun-Times
 * Brenda A. Ferber, author of children's literature
 * Ken Goldstein, singer and author
 * Woody Goss, musician
 * Joel Pollak, politician and journalist
 * Nancy Lee Grahn, actress
 * Phil Handler (1908–1968), NFL football player and coach
 * Erin Heatherton, fashion model and actress
 * Amanda Jones, 1973 Miss USA
 * Shelly Kagan, philosopher
 * David Kaplan, columnist, radio and television personality
 * Jonathan Kite, actor and comedian
 * George Kotsiopoulos, magazine editor, fashion consultant, TV personality
 * Ken Kramer, former Congressman
 * Lou Lang, politician
 * Rashard Mendenhall, former running back in the National Football League
 * Abdel Nader, professional basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association
 * Brent Novoselsky, NFL tight end
 * Noam Pikelny, banjo player, known for association with string quintet Punch Brothers
 * Esther Povitsky, standup comedian, actress and podcast host
 * Matt Reichel, politician
 * Clarke Rosenberg (born 1993), American-Israeli basketball player in the Israel Basketball Premier League
 * Jessy Schram, actress
 * John Gideon Searle, businessman
 * Randy Suess, co-founder of CBBS, the first Bulletin Board System (BBS) ever brought online
 * Calvin Sutker, politician and lawyer
 * Azhar Usman, Indian-American Muslim standup comedian, actor, writer, and producer.
 * Bushra Amiwala, First Gen Z Elected Official in the United States

title: Skokie, Illinois


text:
South Barrington, Illinois

South Barrington is a residential suburb in Cook County, Illinois, United States, south of Barrington. Per the 2020 census, the population was 5,077. South Barrington is a wealthy suburb of Chicago. It is the location of the famous megachurch Willow Creek Community Church, Goebbert's Pumpkin Patch and Farm, and a lifestyle center (shopping center) named The Arboretum of South Barrington.

Geography
South Barrington is located at 42.08417°N, -88.15472°W (42.084226, -88.15478).

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, South Barrington has a total area of 7.71 sqmi, of which 7.43 sqmi (or 96.33%) is land and 0.28 sqmi (or 3.67%) is water.

Demographics
As of the 2020 census there were 5,077 people, 1,534 households, and 1,447 families residing in the village. The population density was 658.50 PD/sqmi. There were 1,722 housing units at an average density of 223.35 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 53.20% White, 40.20% Asian, 0.77% African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.55% from other races, and 5.16% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.17% of the population.

There were 1,534 households, out of which 40.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 86.64% were married couples living together, 5.87% had a female householder with no husband present, and 5.67% were non-families. 2.74% of all households were made up of individuals, and 1.76% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.28 and the average family size was 3.24.

The village's age distribution consisted of 28.7% under the age of 18, 4.6% from 18 to 24, 11.7% from 25 to 44, 36.1% from 45 to 64, and 18.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.0 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $183,750, and the median income for a family was $188,496. Males had a median income of $128,277 versus $58,750 for females. The per capita income for the village was $71,005. About 0.8% of families and 1.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.0% of those under age 18 and 2.9% of those age 65 or over.

Education
Most of South Barrington's zoned public schools are in Barrington District 220. The schools in this district that are assigned to homes in the village are:

 * Barbara B Rose Elementary School (K-5)
 * Grove Avenue Elementary School (K-5)
 * Countryside Elementary School (K-5)
 * Barrington Middle School Prairie Campus (6-8)
 * Barrington Middle School Station Campus (6-8)
 * Barrington High School (9-12)

A small portion of the village is served by Thomas Jefferson Elementary School (K-6) in nearby Hoffman Estates, Carl Sandburg Junior High School (7-8) in Rolling Meadows, both of District 15, and William Fremd High School (9-12; Township High School District 211) in Palatine. Another small portion of South Barrington is served by District 300, specifically Parkview Elementary School, Carpentersville Middle School, and Dundee Crown High School. These three schools are located in Carpentersville, Illinois.

Transportation
Pace provides I-90 Express bus service on at the I-90/Barrington Road station at the south end of the village.

Notable people

 * Craig Anderson, goaltender for the Colorado Avalanche and Ottawa Senators
 * Paul Bragiel, Colombian National Team cross-country skier, venture capitalist
 * Gregory Dickow, megachurch pastor and founder of Life Changers International Church
 * Mike Magee, forward with the Chicago Fire Soccer Club
 * Walter Payton, Hall of Fame running back with the Chicago Bears
 * Mike Singletary, Hall of Fame linebacker and coach with several NFL teams

title: South Barrington, Illinois


text:
South Chicago Heights, Illinois

South Chicago Heights is a village and a south suburb in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 4,026 at the 2020 census.

Geography
South Chicago Heights is located at 41.48333°N, -87.6375°W (41.483375, −87.637461).

According to the 2010 census, South Chicago Heights has a total area of 1.596 sqmi, of which 1.58 sqmi (or 99%) is land and 0.016 sqmi (or 1%) is water.

Demographics
As of the 2020 census there were 4,026 people, 1,560 households, and 1,056 families residing in the village. The population density was 2,520.98 PD/sqmi. There were 1,644 housing units at an average density of 1,029.43 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 39.15% White, 17.44% African American, 1.19% Native American, 1.71% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 23.80% from other races, and 16.64% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 47.19% of the population.

There were 1,560 households, out of which 39.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.08% were married couples living together, 26.03% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.31% were non-families. 32.31% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.68% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.16 and the average family size was 2.52.

The village's age distribution consisted of 33.7% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 15.9% from 25 to 44, 28.5% from 45 to 64, and 15.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 71.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.5 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $45,321, and the median income for a family was $46,799. Males had a median income of $39,797 versus $30,529 for females. The per capita income for the village was $19,323. About 18.1% of families and 18.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.7% of those under age 18 and 14.9% of those age 65 or over.

Government
South Chicago Heights is in Illinois's 2nd congressional district.

Transportation
Pace provides bus service on Route 358 connecting South Chicago Heights to destinations across the Southland.

title: South Chicago Heights, Illinois


text:
South Holland, Illinois

South Holland is a village and south suburb of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States, within Thornton Township. The population was 21,465 at the 2020 census.

History
The area currently occupied by South Holland, Illinois, was first settled in 1846 by immigrants from South Holland, Netherlands. When the community formally incorporated as a village in 1894, its population was about 1,000. Originally a general farming 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 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).

In October 2007, Forbes.com declared South Holland to be the "Most Livable Metro-Area suburb" of the Chicago metropolitan area.

Geography
South Holland is located at 41.6°N, -87.6°W (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 7.286 sqmi, of which 7.27 sqmi (or 99.78%) is land and 0.016 sqmi (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

 * Dolton
 * Harvey [[Image:Up arrow left.svg|20px]] [[Image:Up-1.svg|30px]] [[Image:Up arrow right.svg|20px]] Calumet City
 * Phoenix / Harvey [[Image:Left.svg|30px]] [[Image:Right.svg|30px]] Calumet City
 * East Hazel Crest [[Image:Down arrow left.svg|20px]] [[Image:Down arrow.svg|30px]] [[Image:Down arrow right.svg|20px]] Lansing
 * Thornton

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 2,959.87 PD/sqmi. There were 7,863 housing units at an average density of 1,084.25 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 80.96% African American, 10.42% White, 0.28% Native American, 0.42% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 3.90% from other races, and 3.99% from two or more races. Hispanic 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 for the village was $28,649. About 9.3% of families and 11.2% of the population were below the poverty line, 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.

Notable people

 * Eddy Curry, forward for the Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, and Miami Heat
 * Kevin DeYoung, pastor, author
 * Kevin Drumm, musician
 * Cliff Floyd, All-Star outfielder for seven Major League Baseball 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 and St. Louis Cardinals
 * Frederick Nymeyer, industrialist, author, and publisher
 * Robert Shaw, former Chicago alderman and former commissioner of the Cook County Board of Review
 * Steve Trout, pitcher for the Chicago White Sox, Chicago Cubs, New York Yankees, and Seattle Mariners
 * Jason Weaver, actor and singer
 * 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.

The private K-8 schools, Calvin Christian School and Calvary Academy, are located in South Holland. Seton Academy was a Catholic co-educational high school located in the village. It was formerly an all-girls school until 2003 when boys were admitted. Seton Academy closed on June 30, 2016. Christ our Savior School and Holy Ghost School 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.

In literature
The 1925 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel So Big by Edna Ferber 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 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.

title: South Holland, Illinois


text:
Steger, Illinois

Steger is a village in Cook County and Will County, Illinois, United States. It is 35 mi south of Chicago and had a population of 9,584 at the 2020 census.

History
The settlement was founded in 1891 by Chicago real estate interests and initially named Columbia Heights in honor of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition which the City of Chicago had been preparing to host since 1889.

John Valentine Steger built a piano factory there on a parcel of land south of Chicago Heights that was sited immediately west of the Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad tracks and bordered by the tracks, Vincennes Avenue (now Chicago Road) and 33rd and 34th Streets. By 1904, the factory covered 23 acre and had a capacity of sixteen thousand pianos per year.

Steger was incorporated in 1896 with 324 residents, at which time John Steger agreed to pay $400 toward incorporation costs with the understanding that the town would change its name to Steger, and he subsequently served two terms as the village's board president. He avoided the issues that had plagued George Pullman in his "model town" by encouraging private home ownership and commerce. By 1920, Steger was called the "piano capital of the world", producing more than a hundred pianos a day. After demand diminished for pianos, the plant closed in 1928.

Geography
According to the 2010 census, Steger has a total area of 3.45 sqmi, all land.

Demographics

As of the 2020 census there were 9,584 people, 4,014 households, and 2,351 families residing in the village. The population density was 2,815.51 PD/sqmi. There were 4,293 housing units at an average density of 1,261.16 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 51.93% White, 26.46% African American, 0.53% Native American, 0.81% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 9.46% from other races, and 10.77% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 21.23% of the population.

There were 4,014 households, out of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.21% were married couples living together, 13.23% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.43% were non-families. 34.98% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.75% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.07 and the average family size was 2.31.

The village's age distribution consisted of 22.1% under the age of 18, 9.7% from 18 to 24, 24% from 25 to 44, 26.3% from 45 to 64, and 17.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 117.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 112.1 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $49,492, and the median income for a family was $67,639. Males had a median income of $48,100 versus $29,272 for females. The per capita income for the village was $26,564. About 8.4% of families and 12.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.0% of those under age 18 and 5.0% of those age 65 or over.

Parks and recreation

Steger has two main parks: Harold Hecht (Fireman's) Park and Veteran's Park.

Government
Steger is divided between two congressional districts. The area in Cook County is in Illinois's 2nd congressional district, while the area in Will County is in the 11th district.

Transportation
Pace provides bus service on Route 358 connecting Steger to downtown Chicago Heights and other destinations.

Notable people

 * Terry Boers, sports columnist and talk show host
 * Luke Butkus, assistant coach for NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars and University of Illinois
 * Flora Ciarlo, Illinois state legislator
 * Mike Downey, Los Angeles and Chicago newspaper columnist
 * Debbie Halvorson, former United States Congresswoman
 * John Holecek, linebacker for NFL's Buffalo Bills and San Diego Chargers

title: Steger, Illinois