Alsip, Illinois facts for kids

Alsip, Illinois
Village
Village of Alsip, Illinois
Location in Cook County and the state of Illinois.
Location of Illinois in the United States
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	Cook
Township	Worth
Incorporated	1840
Area
• Total	6.49 sq mi (16.8 km2)
• Land	6.39 sq mi (16.6 km2)
• Water	0.10 sq mi (0.3 km2)  1.54%
Population (2010)
• Total	19,277
• Density	3,016.7/sq mi (1,164.8/km2)
	Down 2.27% from 2000
Standard of living (2007-11)
• Per capita income	$25,286
• Median home value	$202,100
ZIP code(s)	60803
Area code(s)	708
Geocode	01010

Alsip is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 19,277 at the 2010 census. 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.

Geography

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.

Alsip is located at 41°40′14″N 87°43′56″W (41.670433, -87.732199).

According to the 2010 census, Alsip has a total area of 6.494 square miles (16.82 km²), of which 6.39 square miles (16.55 km²) (or 98.4%) is land and 0.104 square miles (0.27 km²) (or 1.6%) is water.

Alsip is bordered to the west by the villages of Worth and Palos Heights. 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.

Most of the town lies to the north of the Cal-Sag Channel. However, Chippewa Ridge subdivision lies southwest of the Cal-Sag. 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.

The Alsip area is home to two predominantly African-American cemeteries, Burr Oak and Restvale cemeteries, which are the resting places of many Chicago blues musicians (including Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon and Dinah Washington), athletes (Jimmie Crutchfield), and other celebrities. Emmett Till, whose murder in Mississippi at age 14 in 1955 was an important moment in the Civil Rights Movement, is buried at Burr Oak. In 2004, that cemetery was covered in the national media when the murder investigation was re-opened, and Till's body was exhumed.

Five years later, on July 9, 2009, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart alleged that four workers at Burr Oak cemetery dug up more than 200 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 and convicted with one count each of dismembering a human body.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1930	327		—
1940	541		65.4%
1950	1,228		127.0%
1960	3,770		207.0%
1970	11,608		207.9%
1980	17,134		47.6%
1990	18,227		6.4%
2000	19,725		8.2%
2010	19,277		−2.3%
Est. 2015	19,346		0.4%
U.S. Decennial Census

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 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 81.64% White, 10.09% African American, 0.15% Native American, 2.10% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 3.22% from other races, and 2.76% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.76% 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%).

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.

Images for kids

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  The Alsip Village Hall is found on 123rd Street between Cicero Avenue and Kostner Avenue.

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  The public library district combines the municipalities of Alsip and neighboring Merrionette Park, though the library is located in Alsip on Pulaski Road.