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Palos Heights, Illinois
City
City of Palos Heights
Palos Heights Public Library
Palos Heights Public Library
Flag of Palos Heights, Illinois
Flag
Official seal of Palos Heights, Illinois
Seal
Location of Palos Heights in Cook County, Illinois.
Location of Palos Heights in Cook County, Illinois.
Location of Illinois in the United States
Location of Illinois in the United States
Country United States
State Illinois
County Cook
Township Palos, Worth
Incorporated 1959
Government
 • Type Mayor–council
Area
 • Total 3.87 sq mi (10.03 km2)
 • Land 3.77 sq mi (9.77 km2)
 • Water 0.10 sq mi (0.25 km2)  2.58%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 12,068
 • Density 3,197.67/sq mi (1,234.77/km2)
Standard of living (2007-11)
 • Per capita income $39,954
 • Median home value $301,300
ZIP code(s)
60463
Area code(s) 708
Geocode 57381
FIPS code 17-57381

Palos Heights is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is a southwest suburb of Chicago. Per the 2020 census, the population was 12,068.

Geography

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Palos Heights has a total area of 3.87 square miles (10.02 km2), of which 3.77 square miles (9.76 km2) (or 97.47%) is land and 0.10 square miles (0.26 km2) (or 2.53%) is water.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1960 3,775
1970 8,544 126.3%
1980 11,096 29.9%
1990 11,478 3.4%
2000 11,260 −1.9%
2010 12,515 11.1%
2020 12,068 −3.6%
U.S. Decennial Census
2010 2020

2020 Census

As of the 2020 census there were 12,068 people, 4,625 households, and 3,407 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,116.74 inhabitants per square mile (1,203.38/km2). There were 5,114 housing units at an average density of 1,320.76 per square mile (509.95/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 90.25% White, 1.91% Asian, 1.67% African American, 0.07% Native American, 1.32% from other races, and 4.78% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.35% of the population.

There were 4,625 households, out of which 21.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.46% were married couples living together, 9.04% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.34% were non-families. 21.75% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.16% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.98 and the average family size was 2.55.

The city's age distribution consisted of 17.3% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 19.2% from 25 to 44, 25.7% from 45 to 64, and 30.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 51.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $90,995, and the median income for a family was $105,134. Males had a median income of $64,583 versus $44,342 for females. The per capita income for the city was $44,721. About 3.8% of families and 5.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.9% of those under age 18 and 5.3% of those age 65 or over.

Palos Heights city, Illinois – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) Pop 2000 Pop 2010 Pop 2020 % 2000 % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 10,727 11,456 10,734 95.27% 91.54% 88.95%
Black or African American alone (NH) 47 208 196 0.42% 1.66% 1.62%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 9 6 4 0.08% 0.05% 0.03%
Asian alone (NH) 232 249 224 2.06% 1.99% 1.86%
Pacific Islander alone (NH) 0 1 0 0.00% 0.01% 0.00%
Some Other Race alone (NH) 6 13 29 0.05% 0.10% 0.24%
Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (NH) 78 108 235 0.69% 0.86% 1.95%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 161 474 646 1.43% 3.79% 5.35%
Total 11,260 12,515 12,068 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

Neighborhoods

Palos Heights has the following neighborhoods, each with distinct characteristics:

  • Lake Katherine
  • Colonial Heights/Old Palos
  • Downtown
  • Ishnala
  • Laurel Glen
  • Navajo Hills
  • Oak Hills Country Club Village
  • Old Westgate
  • Palos Pines
  • Westgate Valley

Education

Primary and secondary schools

Palos Heights is served by four school districts. The four districts are: Palos Heights School District 128, Palos Community Consolidated School District 118, Community High School District 218, and Consolidated High School District 230.

District 128 operates one pre-school (Indian Hill), two elementary schools (Chippewa and Navajo Heights), and a junior high school (Independence). District 118 also operates two elementary schools (Palos East and Palos West) and a middle school (Palos South). The district's Palos East elementary is situated within the city's boundaries.

Community High School District 218's Alan B. Shepard High School serves Palos Heights and several neighboring communities. Students can choose from more than 200 different courses, including advanced placement courses, foreign language, computer programming, computer-aided design, robotics, graphic design, and desktop publishing. In addition, students can participate in a full roster of sports.

Consolidated High School District 230's Amos Alonzo Stagg High School, located in Palos Hills, serves Palos Heights students living west of Harlem Avenue (Illinois Route 43). It also offers more than 200 courses designed to meet the academic needs of college-bound students and the training needs of career-oriented students.

Several private and parochial schools in Palos Heights offer alternatives to public school education. Among the schools are St. Alexander Catholic School, Palos Evangelical Lutheran Elementary School, Elim Christian School, Chicago Christian High School, and Stone Church Christian Academy. The latter offers the full range of college preparatory, business, and technology courses. Kennedy School is in nearby Palos Hills. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago operates the Catholic schools. Incarnation Catholic School closed in 2018.

Colleges and universities

Palos Heights students can readily commute to Moraine Valley Community College in nearby Palos Hills. Moraine Valley serves the local residents through classes, seminars, lectures, concerts, plays, and other activities. Trinity Christian College is also located in Palos Heights.

Public library

Palos Heights Public Library serves the community.

History

Palos Heights was incorporated on April 11, 1959, on its fourth attempt at the ballot with the results 850 to 684. It officially became a city on April 16, 1959. Shortly thereafter, Z. Erol Smith was elected its first mayor and was re-elected three times, serving until 1973.

In 1965, a group of scholars met in Palos Heights to discuss the need for a contemporary translation of the Bible. The necessity of the project was agreed upon, and shortly thereafter, the New International Version (NIV) was initiated in Palos Heights.

Notable people

  • Brian Bogusevic, outfielder with Houston Astros and Chicago Cubs
  • Peter Brown, singer-songwriter, co-wrote Madonna's "Material Girl", was raised in Palos Heights
  • Kendall Coyne Schofield, ice hockey Olympic gold medallist and forward with the PWHPA
  • David Dombrowski, president, CEO, and general manager of Boston Red Sox
  • Brendan Houlihan, former member of the Cook County Board of Review
  • Jim Hughes, pitcher with Brooklyn Dodgers, Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox
  • Arlene Kotil, professional baseball player
  • Jennifer Lien, actress (Star Trek: Voyager)
  • Christine Magnuson, two-time Olympic swimming medalist
  • Ryan Murphy, USA Olympic swimmer
  • Ed Olczyk, member of USA hockey team at 1984 Olympics, NHL player, coach and broadcaster
  • Tony Pashos, retired professional football player
  • Quentin Richardson, forward and guard with the Miami Heat
  • Herb Schumann, former Cook County commissioner
  • Robin Tunney, actress (The Craft, The Mentalist)
  • Paul Vallas, candidate in 2023 Chicago mayoral election, lists a home in Palos Heights as his primary residence.

Transportation

Palos Heights has a station on Metra's SouthWest Service, which provides daily rail service between the village of Manhattan and Chicago Union Station. Palos Heights is served by three Pace bus routes.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Palos Heights (Illinois) para niños

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