Alsip, Illinois Information
Alsip is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 19,725 at the 2000 census.[2] It is a suburb of Chicago.
Alsip was settled in the 1830s by German and Dutch farmers. The village is named after Frank Alsip, the owner of a brickyard that opened there in 1885. The village began to grow after the Tri-State Tollway was built there in 1959.
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Geography
Alsip is located at 41°40′14″N 87°43′56″W / 41.67056°N 87.73222°W Coordinates: 41°40′14″N 87°43′56″W / 41.67056°N 87.73222°W (41.670433, -87.732199)[3].
This is one of the two water towers which are notable landmarks with their dark red color and fluted shaft. Both are visible to travelers on I-294.According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 6.5 square miles (16.9 km²), of which, 6.4 square miles (16.5 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.4 km²) of it (2.45%) is water.
Alsip is bordered to the west by Worth, Illinois. To the south is Crestwood. Oak Lawn lies to the north. Merrionette Park, Blue Island, and Robbins lie to the east (north-south, respectively). The Mount Greenwood neighborhood of Chicago lies to the north and east.[4]
Most of the town lies to the north of the Cal-Sag Channel. In conjunction with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the Water Reclamation District of Chicago, the Village operates a boat launch on the canal, permitting inland access to Lake Michigan[5]
Alsip is also home to two cemeteries, Burr Oak and Restvale, both of which are predominantly African-American. While there are many famous people buried there, Restvale is particularly known as the final resting place of several notable Blues Musicians, perhaps the most notable being Muddy Waters. Burr Oak's most notable burial may be Emmett Till, whose murder in Mississippi at age 14 in 1955 was an important moment in the American Civil Rights Movement. In 2004, the cemetery was covered in the national media when the murder investigation was reopened, and Till's body was exhumed[6] On July 9, 2009 Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart said four workers at Burr Oak cemetery allegedly dug up more than 100 graves, dumped the bodies into unmarked mass graves and resold the plots to unsuspecting members of the public. The three men and one woman were charged Thursday with one count each of dismembering a human body.[7]
Demographics
The municipal logo for the Village of Alsip; it denotes the importance of industry and education, as well as transportation and community unity.As of the census[8] of 2000, there were 19,725 people, 7,536 households, and 5,011 families residing in the village. The population density was 3,098.5 people per square mile (1,195.6/km²). There were 7,756 housing units at an average density of 1,218.3 per square mile (470.1/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 81.6% White, 10.1% African American, 0.1% Native American, 2.1% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 3.2% from other races, and 2.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.8% of the population.
The top five non-African American, non-Hispanic ancestries reported in Alsip as of the 2000 census were Irish (24.2%), German (20.7%), Polish (17.3%), Italian (11.8%) and English (3.4%).[9]
There were 7,536 households out of which 34.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.0% were married couples living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.5% were non-families. 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.26.
In the village the population was spread out with 26.4% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 32.5% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 11.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 93.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.5 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $47,963, and the median income for a family was $54,846. Males had a median income of $42,233 versus $31,395 for females. The per capita income for the village was $20,498. About 5.2% of families and 6.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.2% of those under age 18 and 9.1% of those age 65 or over.
Government
The Alsip Village Hall is found on 123rd Street between Cicero Avenue and Kostner Avenue.Most of Alsip is in Illinois' 1st congressional district; the portion north of 115th Street, and the city block northeast of 119th Street and Lawndale Avenue, are in the 3rd district.
The Village government consists of a mayor, a clerk, and six trustees. All of these positions are four year terms, with the mayor, clerk, and three of the trustees being elected in the same year, and the remaining three trustees elected in midterm elections. The current mayor was re-elected in 2009, with midterm elections being previously held in 2007. All of these positions are voted on at-large.
The current Village government, as of August 2010 (with the year their term ends):
- Mayor: Patrick E. Kitching (2013)
- Clerk: Deborah L. Venhuizen (2013)
- Trustee: Sheila B. McGreal (2011)
- Trustee: Daniel F. Godfrey, Jr. (2011)
- Trustee: Steven A. Daddona (2013)
- Trustee: James T. Quinn (2013)
- Trustee: Kevin P. Michaels (2011)
- Trustee: John R. Shapiro (2013)
Each trustee and the mayor serve on one or more committees or commissions which oversee government functions. The individual assignments are available at the Village website.
There are also a Finance Director who helps guide the government on fiduciary matters and a law firm that serves as the Village Attorneys to guide the government on legal matters.[10][11]
Mayors of Alsip
- Gustave Termunde (1927–33)
- Leonard Holmberg (1933–36)
- John Benck (1936–56)
- John J. Alsterda (1956–61)
- Raymond L. Termunde (1961–73)
- Arnold A. Andrews (1973–2005)
- Patrick E. Kitching (2005–present)[12]
Education
The public library district combines the municipalities of Alsip and neighboring Merrionette Park, though the library is located in Alsip on Pulaski Road.Elementary School Districts
- Alsip-Hazelgreen-Oaklawn School District 126 [13]
- Prairie Junior High School in Alsip
- Atwood Heights District 125[14]
- Lawn Manor Elementary School in Oak Lawn
- Meadow Lane Intermediate School in Alsip
- Hamlin Junior High School in Alsip
- Cook County District 130[15]
Secondary School District
- Community High School District 218[16]
Community College
Private Schools
- Marist High School, a coed Catholic school in Chicago affiliated with the Marist Brothers
- Brother Rice High School, an all-male Catholic school in Chicago affiliated with the Congregation of Christian Brothers
- Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School, an all-female Catholic school in Chicago affiliated with the Sisters of Mercy
- Chicago Christian High School
Business and Industry
Alsip is home to the international headquarters of Griffith Laboratories.[18]
One of the two Chicago area Coca-Cola bottling plants is located in Alsip.
References
- ^ "Census 2000: Detailed 60-Page Demographic Profiles for All Counties, Townships, & Municipalities in Northeastern Illinois". Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning. March 19, 2004. http://www.nipc.org/forecasting/SF3_Profile_Place/. Retrieved 2008-08-01.
- ^ City data. 2000 census information Retrieved on May 16, 2007
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
- ^ http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=41.670433,-87.732199&spn=0.10,0.10 Surrounding communities
- ^ http://www.alsip.org.il/Boat%20Launch.htm / Alsip Boat Launch information
- ^ "Body of ’55 civil rights victim returned to grave". Associated Press. 2005-06-04. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8059747/. Retrieved 2007-08-24.
- ^ Mitchell, Mary; Every family's nightmare: Burr Oak Cemetery graves allegedly stripped for profit; 9 July 2009; Chicago Sun-Times; accessed 9 July 2009
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ Profile of General Demographic Characteristics, Alsip, IllinoisPDF (39.0 KiB). U.S. Census Bureau. Accessed 2007-04-10.
- ^ Current elected officials of Alsip
- ^ Municipal Departments, Committees, and Commissions
- ^ Mayors of Alsip, Illinois
- ^ District 126 website
- ^ District 125 website
- ^ District 130 website
- ^ District 218 website
- ^ Moraine Valley C. C. website
- ^ Griffith Laboratories Corporate website
External links
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| Chicago Ridge, Illinois | Oak Lawn, Illinois | Mount Greenwood, Chicago | ||
| Worth, Illinois | Merrionette Park, Illinois | |||
| Alsip, Illinois | ||||
| Palos Heights, Illinois | Crestwood, Illinois | Blue Island, Illinois |
Categories: Villages in Illinois | Chicago metropolitan area | Populated places in Cook County, Illinois
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