| Calumet Heights | |
|---|---|
| — Community area — | |
| Community Area 48 - Calumet Heights | |
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| Coordinates: 41°43′42″N 87°34′47″W / 41.72833°N 87.57972°WCoordinates: 41°43′42″N 87°34′47″W / 41.72833°N 87.57972°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Illinois |
| County | Cook |
| City | Chicago |
| Neighborhoods |
list
Calumet
Heights
Pill Hill |
| Area | |
| - Total | 1.8 sq mi (4.58 km2) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - Total | 15,974 |
| - Density | 9,033.3/sq mi (3,487.8/km2) |
| population down 8.47% from 1990 | |
| Demographics | |
| - White | 1.29% |
| - Black | 92.8% |
| - Hispanic | 4.68% |
| - Asian | 0.21% |
| - Other | 1.07% |
| Time zone | CST (UTC-6) |
| - Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP Codes | parts of 60617, 60619 |
| Median income | $55,645 |
| Source: U.S. Census, Record Information Services | |
Calumet Heights, located on the South Side of the city, is one of the 77 well-defined community areas of Chicago, Illinois. Calumet Heights is bounded by 87th Street on the north, South Chicago Avenue on the east, and railroad lines on the west and south (along 95th Street). It includes the neighborhoods of Calumet Heights and Pill Hill. Beginning at about 91st Street and Constance Avenue is the geographical feature for which it was named, a stony hill that was once an island when glacial Lake Chicago covered the area thousands of years ago. Early pioneers gave this hill the name Stony Island because at a distance it looked like an island in set a trackless prairie sea. (See also the nearby Blue Island).
Community Area 48, 11 miles SE of the Loop. The community takes its name from the nearby Calumet River and from the ridge of Niagara limestone that runs through the area.
The swampy Calumet Heights region remained largely unoccupied throughout much of the nineteenth century. Though travellers passed through, few settled. In the 1870s, the Calumet and Chicago Canal and Dock Company acquired property in what was by then part of the incorporated Township of Hyde Park, holding it for future use. In 1881, the New York, Chicago & St. Louis railroad built rail yards at the area's western border, and a small settlement began to develop nearby. A new quarry near 92nd Street prompted further settlement. Real-estate developer Samuel E. Gross purchased a portion of the Calumet and Chicago Company's land in 1887, creating the new Calumet Heights subdivision. Though Chicago annexed the entire Hyde Park Township just two years later, and the adjacent Stony Island and South Chicago Heights subdivisions followed in 1890 and 1891, residential growth remained slow for several decades.
By 1920, Calumet Heights had 3,248 residents, many of them, especially in the eastern section, foreign-born. During the following decade, the community experienced a surge in residential building, and population more than doubled, to 7,343 by 1930. The large foreign-born population included many Poles, Italians, Irish, and Yugoslavians. The new housing included many single-family homes, though an area of apartments also developed west of Stony Island Avenue, between 87th and 91st Streets. Building slowed dramatically during the Great Depression, however, and much of Calumet Heights remained vacant.
The postwar years saw renewed growth. The 92nd Street quarry was filled in and a group of small homes constructed there. A shopping area developed around Stony Island Avenue and 87th Street. The community's population grew to 9,349 in 1950, and surged to 19,352 in 1960.
Between 1960 and 1980 the Calumet Heights community experienced a sea change in its population. A few African Americans began to move in during the early 1960s. By 1970, they made up 45 percent of the population; by 1980, more than 86 percent. Louis Rosen, whose family remained in Calumet Heights well beyond most of their white neighbors, documented this change in The South Side: The Racial Transformation of an American Neighborhood (1998).
Throughout the last decades of the twentieth century, Calumet Heights remained solidly middle class, with many professionals and other white-collar workers being drawn to its well-kept homes. In 1990, nearly three-quarters of the homes were single-family, and of these, four of five were owner-occupied.
Calumet Heights comprises two distinct residential areas. The Stony Island Heights neighborhood occupies the eastern two-thirds of the community. More affluent still is the Pill Hill neighborhood, said to be named for the large number of doctors from nearby South Chicago Hospital who own spacious homes perched upon the Stony Island ridge.
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The area was formally home to Lake Michigan's great ancestor -- Lake Chicago. Few people realize that thousands of years ago, a glacially formed, prehistoric lake much larger than any of our Great Lakes covered much of Illinois and northern Indiana, including all of the present-day city of Chicago.
Ready for a little geography lesson? The lake was formed by the Wisconsin Glacier, a historical glacier that was responsible for altering much of North America's topography. As the glacier retreated from the Midwest due to the warming of the Earth's crust, its waters found other outlets in Niagara Falls and the Ohio River, and the levels of Lake Chicago began to drop dramatically. The resulting swampland retained many prehistoric elements of the glacier's presence (as well as fossilized evidence of the sea that existed before the glacier, but that's a whole other history lesson). Nevertheless, due to its marshy nature, the area remained barren for some time after much of the rest of Illinois had been settled.
During the 19th century many travelers passed through the swampy area that was to someday become Calumet Heights. The location, a sparsely populated portion of the incorporated Township of Hyde Park, seemed ripe with potential to the Calumet and Chicago Canal & Dock Company, who acquired the property in the 1870s. But since they had no idea what to do with it, the region remained largely desolate until 1881, when the New York, Chicago & St. Louis railroad lines built yards along the western edge of the area. As has been evident throughout American history, with trains come people, and it didn't take long for a small settlement to sprout along the side of the tracks here, too. Shortly thereafter, ground was broken in a quarry near 92nd Street, and still more settlers arrived on the scene to lay claim to the new work load.
When a portion of the area was purchased by Samual E. Gross -- then
widely considered to be the P. T. Barnum of subdivided working
class communities -- it was apparent that something huge was on the
horizon for the long-overlooked settlement just southeast of
Chicago. The year was 1887, and by 1890 the new subdivision --
aptly named Calumet Heights after the nearby Calumet River and the
ridge of Niagara limestone quarried in the vicinity -- was folded
into the city of Chicago as part of the annexation of the Hyde Park
Township.
Despite the sparkling new moniker and official Chicago neighborhood designation, it would take three more decades for Calumet Heights realize its full residential potential. In 1920, the neighborhood was home to just over three thousand inhabitants, most of them foreign-born. By the end of that decade, the population surged with the influx of many Italians, Irish, Poles, and Yugoslavians seeking a better economic situation for their families. Subsequently, Calumet Heights experienced a housing boom during which many of the residential homes still standing today were built. The construction was steady and swift, until the Great Depression in 1929 brought most building projects to a stand-still.
By 1920, Calumet Heights had 3,248 residents, many of them, especially in the eastern section, foreign-born. During the following decade, the community experienced a surge in residential building, and population more than doubled, to 7,343 by 1930. The large foreign-born population included many Poles, Italians, Irish, and Yugoslavians. The new housing included many single-family homes, though an area of apartments also developed west of Stony Island Avenue, between 87th and 91st Streets. Building slowed dramatically during the Great Depression, however, and much of Calumet Heights remained vacant.
Thankfully, the post-WWII era ushered in a renewed interest in housing development to the area. Residential developments that had been on hold for years were completed and a shopping area was established in the neighborhood. Even the 92nd Street quarry was filled in to supply additional ground for constructing more new homes.
By 1960, there were nearly 20,000 residents in Calumet Heights. It was during the coming decades that the demographics of the south side Chicago neighborhood shifted dramatically. A 1960 census report shows that over 99 percent of residents were white (mostly first or second generation European immigrants), but the census report of 1990 saw that number drop to just 3.9 percent, with African Americans checking in at over 92 percent. Backtracking back to the 1960s, many Chicago families were interested in moving up.
Between 1960 and 1980 the Calumet Heights community experienced a sea change in its population. A few African Americans began to move in during the early 1960s. By 1970, they made up 45 percent of the population; by 1980, more than 86 percent. Louis Rosen, whose family remained in Calumet Heights well beyond most of their white neighbors, documented this change in The South Side:
The white, upper-middle-class Calumet Heights families started moving into bigger houses in nearby suburbs, while the lower-middle class African-American families began moving from other south side neighborhoods to the idyllic Calumet Heights community. This change was gradual and organic until 1968, when a nationwide string of race riots in response to the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King hit Chicago close to home in the city's west side riots. After this, African American families that could afford it fled to safer environs in Chicago, like Calumet Heights, and the white families that could afford to fled the city altogether. The 92nd Street quarry was filled in and a group of small homes constructed there. A shopping area developed around Stony Island Avenue and 87th Street. The community's population grew to 9,349 in 1950, and surged to 19,352 in 1960.
Throughout the last decades of the twentieth century, Calumet Heights remained solidly middle class, with many professionals and other white-collar workers being drawn to its well-kept homes. In 1990, nearly three-quarters of the homes were single-family, and of these, four of five were owner-occupied.
Calumet Heights comprises two distinct residential areas. The Stony Island Heights neighborhood occupies the eastern two-thirds of the community. More affluent still is the Pill Hill neighborhood, said to be named for the large number of doctors from nearby South Chicago Hospital who own spacious homes perched upon the Stony Island ridge.
Location: About 13 miles south of the Loop Boundaries: 87th Street to the north, the Chicago Skyway (I-90) to the east, 95th Street to the south and a large rail yard to the west Demographics: For zip code 60617 which includes Calumet Heights neighborhood Median Age: 32.1 Median Household Income: $35,534 13.4% of population 25 and older have bachelor's degree or higher White 23.6% African American 54.6% Hispanic or Latino 34.3% Asian 0.2% American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.5% Other Race 18.8% Two or more races 2.4% (Source: US Census 2000)
After the post-war surge in building, it became apparent to the Chicago Park District that a neighborhood with so many families really ought to have a park. In 1947, the Park District acquired more than seventeen acres to begin the construction of what was then Stoney Island Park, now called Owens Park (the name was changed in the 1980s). The park's new namesake, Olympic athlete Jesse Owens -- having served as the director of the Chicago Boys Club, the Illinois State Athletic Commission and the Illinois Youth Commission -- was very devoted to children, athletics and the city of Chicago. And by the looks of it, this Calumet Heights park does right by the star track and fielder with a soft spot for inner-city kids.
During the dog days of summer, there's nothing better than running through a spray pool -- which is where the little ones spend much of their time -- but there are plenty of other activities at Owens park for people of all ages and abilities. A heated game on one of the baseball diamonds or tennis courts is sure to help Calumet Heighters work up a sweat, and there is a lovely walking trail nearly three-fourths of a mile long, perfect for finally taking those morning jogs that always seem to make it into our yearly resolutions. Parents will love that the fieldhouse here offers several supervised summer camp programs for children ages 6-12, and the kids will love that sports, arts, crafts, and plenty of fieldtrips are always on the agenda, providing fun alternatives to staying with a babysitter at home.
Real Estate This lovely south-east Chicago
neighborhood is an idyllic place to raise a family or buy a first
home. With a gorgeous park, plenty of shopping options and even a
hospital nearby, Calumet Heights more closely resembles a serene
suburb than a south Chicago neighborhood.
Like many neighborhoods with a suburban-vibe, front yards in Calumet Heights tend to be pristine and well-maintained. Streets are wide, landscaped and in great condition. Sidewalks provide safe walking and bike riding space for children. The sizeable backyards are just right for summertime barbecues or outdoor birthday parties. And we don't even mind when winter rolls around because that means carefully crafted snowforts and the ultimate in snowball fights. The homes themselves are each unique, but together they make up lovely, picturesque rows. Apartments and condominiums are largely located in lovingly preserved brick buildings, adding to the architectural beauty and diversity of the neighborhood.
Many of the residences in this predominately middle-class neighborhood are single-family dwellings that rest on green lots edged by towering trees and property-separating bushes. Bungalows, two-stories, split-levels, and ranches abound. There are also several mid-rise residential buildings, vintage courtyard condos and stately townhomes, some with all the quaintness of exterior lampposts and colorful flowerbeds.
Price-wise Calumet Heights is also diverse, with some of the larger (four to six bedroom) homes costing as much as $800,000 dollars. However, there are plenty of very nice, decent-sized houses in the upper $100,000s to mid-$500,000s range as well. Many of the two-bedroom condos in Calumet Heights sell for around $50,000, while other newer or renovated condominiums can cost up to $400,000 for a three-bedroom place.
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  | MyCalumetHeights.com Calumet Height's Online Newsletter - Calumet Heights Illinois |
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