Hegewisch, Chicago Information
Hegewisch (pronounced "heg-wish" by the locals. It derives from a German surname pronounced "hege-vish"), one of the 77 community areas of Chicago, Illinois, is located on the city's far south side. It is bordered by the neighborhoods of Riverdale and South Deering to the west, the East Side to the north, the village of Burnham to the south and the city of Hammond, Indiana to the east. It is part of the 10th ward of Chicago. John Pope is the alderman as of April 2005. The community area is named for Adolph Hegewisch, the president of U.S. Rolling Stock Company who hoped to establish “an ideal workingman's community” when he laid out the town along a rail line in 1883, six years before Chicago annexed the town.
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In the neighborhood
Hegewisch has three distinct areas within the neighborhood: Arizona, Avalon Trails, and Old Hegewisch.
Arizona – referred as such due to the sandy nature of the original soil and presence of the native cactus Opuntia compressa) – lies East of Avenue O and north of 138th St; this area is also sometimes called "the Avenues". Avalon Trails is North of 130th Street, East of Torrence and West of Baltimore Avenue; it is the youngest part of Hegewisch and is built on wetland area where the original settlers of Hegewisch hunted small game and fished. The oldest part of Hegewisch is Old Hegewisch which includes the area North of 138th St, South of 130th St., East of Torrence Avenue, and West of Avenue O.
Parks
- Mann Park
- Wolf Lake Wildlife Refuge
- William W. Powers State Recreation Area
Schools
- Saint Florian Catholic Elementary School
- Henry Clay Elementary School
- Virgil I. Grissom Elementary School
Bus & Rail Transportation
The South Shore Line station in Hegewisch.- Rail Service
The South Shore Line stops at Hegewisch. The train goes as far westbound as Millennium Station in Downtown Chicago and as far eastbound as South Bend Regional Airport in South Bend, Indiana.
Under the most recent version of CTA Red Line extension plan, the Red Line will stop near Hegewisch, stopping on the edge of Altgeld Gardens housing project.
- Bus Service
Hegewisch is served by the following CTA and Pace bus routes:
- #30 South Chicago
- #34 South Michigan (Rush Hour Service)
- #108 - Halsted-95th (School Days)
- #355 Lansing
- #358 Torrence
- #364 159th Street (Rush Hour Service)
Local Media
Hegewisch is served by two bimonthly community newspapers. Our Neighborhood Times is headquarters in Hegewisch and is widely distributed throughout the neighborhood. The South Chicago based Southeast Chicago Observer is distributed in Hegewisch, albeit to a lesser extent. Both papers come out on even-numbered weeks.
Notable current and former residents
- Edward Vrdolyak, Chicago alderman, lawyer
- John Pope, Chicago alderman
- Eric Anderson, professional basketball player
- Carmel Bernon Harvey, Jr., Medal of Honor recipient
- Battling Nelson, a/k/a The Durable Dane, born Oskar Matthæus Nielsen, a boxer who held the world lightweight championship on two separate occasions.
- Dave Marcotte, National Babe Ruth baseball hall of fame. Minor league baseball player (Detroit Tigers)
Industry
Ford Motor Company's Chicago Assembly Plant is located in Hegewisch, at the northwest quadrant of E. 130th Street and Torrence Avenue.
References
External links
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| South Deering, Chicago | East Side, Chicago | |||
| Riverdale, Chicago | Hammond, Indiana | |||
| Hegewisch, Chicago | ||||
| Dolton, Illinois | Calumet City, Illinois | Burnham, Illinois |
Categories:
- Community areas of Chicago, Illinois
- Populated places in the United States with Hispanic majority populations
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