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Chicago Heights, Illinois
Chicago Heights is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 27,480 at the 2020 census. A southern suburb in the Chicago metropolitan area, its nicknames include "The Crossroads of the Nation" and "Da Heights”.
The first recorded settlement by non-native Americans of the area that would become Chicago Heights occurred in 1833 when Absalom Wells built a cabin on the ridge above Thorn Creek. By the 1840s, a small rural community known as Thorn Grove had been formed, centered around a Presbyterian church.
In the 1890s, a group of Chicago developers led by Charles Wacker formed the Chicago Heights Land Association to create an outer-ring industrial suburb of Chicago. They convinced many businesses to construct factories in the new development, including Inland Steel, the Owens-Illinois Glass Company, and the Ludowici Roofing Tile Company, among many others.
The newly-created factories and plants drew large numbers of Italian, Polish, Slovak, Lithuanian, Irish, and Black workers to the East Side and Hill neighborhoods. A downtown area formed and became a center of activity for the surrounding region. In 1916, the Lincoln Highway Association was persuaded to route the country's first transcontinental highway through the city, leading the community to be dubbed "the crossroads of the nation."
During the Prohibition era, the city was home to many bootleggers. Al Capone was a frequent presence, and criminal bootlegging operations employed many area runners, sugar buyers, and plumbers. Period newspaper accounts placed the value of locally-produced alcohol during the 1925-1929 period at $35 million.
During the Great Depression the area was hard-hit due to its large industrial presence. World War II drove production in local factories essential for the war effort, which led to a resurgence in area prosperity during the 1950s. A Ford stamping factory created during that decade helped further the area. The area declined economically during the 1970s as heavy manufacturing scaled down or left the region.
Chicago Heights lies on the high land of the Tinley Moraine, with the higher and older Valparaiso Moraine lying just to the south of the city.
According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Chicago Heights has a total area of 10.30 square miles (26.68 km2), of which 10.28 square miles (26.63 km2) (or 99.87%) is land and 0.01 square miles (0.03 km2) (or 0.13%) is water.
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Chicago Heights, Illinois
Chicago Heights is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 27,480 at the 2020 census. A southern suburb in the Chicago metropolitan area, its nicknames include "The Crossroads of the Nation" and "Da Heights”.
The first recorded settlement by non-native Americans of the area that would become Chicago Heights occurred in 1833 when Absalom Wells built a cabin on the ridge above Thorn Creek. By the 1840s, a small rural community known as Thorn Grove had been formed, centered around a Presbyterian church.
In the 1890s, a group of Chicago developers led by Charles Wacker formed the Chicago Heights Land Association to create an outer-ring industrial suburb of Chicago. They convinced many businesses to construct factories in the new development, including Inland Steel, the Owens-Illinois Glass Company, and the Ludowici Roofing Tile Company, among many others.
The newly-created factories and plants drew large numbers of Italian, Polish, Slovak, Lithuanian, Irish, and Black workers to the East Side and Hill neighborhoods. A downtown area formed and became a center of activity for the surrounding region. In 1916, the Lincoln Highway Association was persuaded to route the country's first transcontinental highway through the city, leading the community to be dubbed "the crossroads of the nation."
During the Prohibition era, the city was home to many bootleggers. Al Capone was a frequent presence, and criminal bootlegging operations employed many area runners, sugar buyers, and plumbers. Period newspaper accounts placed the value of locally-produced alcohol during the 1925-1929 period at $35 million.
During the Great Depression the area was hard-hit due to its large industrial presence. World War II drove production in local factories essential for the war effort, which led to a resurgence in area prosperity during the 1950s. A Ford stamping factory created during that decade helped further the area. The area declined economically during the 1970s as heavy manufacturing scaled down or left the region.
Chicago Heights lies on the high land of the Tinley Moraine, with the higher and older Valparaiso Moraine lying just to the south of the city.
According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Chicago Heights has a total area of 10.30 square miles (26.68 km2), of which 10.28 square miles (26.63 km2) (or 99.87%) is land and 0.01 square miles (0.03 km2) (or 0.13%) is water.