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Steger, Illinois
Official seal of Steger, Illinois
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Location of Steger in Cook County, Illinois.
Location of Steger in Cook County, Illinois.
Location of Illinois in the United States
Location of Illinois in the United States
Country United States
State Illinois
Counties Will, Cook
Townships Bloom (Cook), Crete (Will)
Founded 1896
Area
 • Total 3.40 sq mi (8.82 km2)
 • Land 3.40 sq mi (8.82 km2)
 • Water 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
702 ft (214 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 9,584
 • Density 2,815.51/sq mi (1,087.08/km2)
Time zone UTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST) UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP Code(s)
60475
Area code(s) 708
FIPS code 17-72520
Wikimedia Commons Steger, Illinois

Steger is a village in Cook County and Will County, Illinois, United States. It is 35 miles (56 km) south of Chicago and had a population of 9,584 at the 2020 census.

History

The settlement was founded in 1891 by Chicago real estate interests and initially named Columbia Heights in honor of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition which the City of Chicago had been preparing to host since 1889.

John Valentine Steger built a piano factory there on a parcel of land south of Chicago Heights that was sited immediately west of the Chicago and Eastern Illinois Railroad tracks and bordered by the tracks, Vincennes Avenue (now Chicago Road) and 33rd and 34th Streets. By 1904, the factory covered 23 acres (9.3 ha) and had a capacity of sixteen thousand pianos per year.

Steger was incorporated in 1896 with 324 residents, at which time John Steger agreed to pay $400 toward incorporation costs with the understanding that the town would change its name to Steger, and he subsequently served two terms as the village's board president. He avoided the issues that had plagued George Pullman in his "model town" by encouraging private home ownership and commerce. By 1920, Steger was called the "piano capital of the world", producing more than a hundred pianos a day. After demand diminished for pianos, the plant closed in 1928.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, Steger has a total area of 3.45 square miles (8.94 km2), all land.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1900 712
1910 2,161 203.5%
1920 2,304 6.6%
1930 2,985 29.6%
1940 3,369 12.9%
1950 4,358 29.4%
1960 6,432 47.6%
1970 8,104 26.0%
1980 9,269 14.4%
1990 8,584 −7.4%
2000 9,682 12.8%
2010 9,570 −1.2%
2020 9,584 0.1%
U.S. Decennial Census
2010 2020
Steger village, 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) 8,053 6,103 4,536 83.17% 63.77% 47.33%
Black or African American alone (NH) 606 1,818 2,481 6.26% 19.00% 25.89%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 28 8 12 0.29% 0.08% 0.13%
Asian alone (NH) 46 96 74 0.48% 1.00% 0.77%
Pacific Islander alone (NH) 6 0 2 0.06% 0.00% 0.02%
Some Other Race alone (NH) 16 7 56 0.17% 0.07% 0.58%
Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (NH) 146 181 388 1.51% 1.89% 4.05%
Hispanic or Latino 781 1,357 2,035 8.07% 14.18% 21.23%
Total 9,682 9,570 9,584 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%
Chicago and Eastern Illinois 265 (GP35) passing the Steger, IL Depot on November 26, 1965 (27482523861)
Steger depot, 1965

As of the 2020 census there were 9,584 people, 4,014 households, and 2,351 families residing in the village. The population density was 2,815.51 inhabitants per square mile (1,087.07/km2). There were 4,293 housing units at an average density of 1,261.16 per square mile (486.94/km2). The racial makeup of the village was 51.93% White, 26.46% African American, 0.53% Native American, 0.81% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 9.46% from other races, and 10.77% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 21.23% of the population.

There were 4,014 households, out of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.21% were married couples living together, 13.23% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.43% were non-families. 34.98% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.75% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.07 and the average family size was 2.31.

The village's age distribution consisted of 22.1% under the age of 18, 9.7% from 18 to 24, 24% from 25 to 44, 26.3% from 45 to 64, and 17.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 117.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 112.1 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $49,492, and the median income for a family was $67,639. Males had a median income of $48,100 versus $29,272 for females. The per capita income for the village was $26,564. About 8.4% of families and 12.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.0% of those under age 18 and 5.0% of those age 65 or over.

Parks and recreation

Steger Fire Department c 1920
Steger Fire Department, circa 1920

Steger has two main parks: Harold Hecht (Fireman's) Park and Veteran's Park.

Transportation

Pace provides bus service on Route 358 connecting Steger to downtown Chicago Heights and other destinations.

Notable people

See also

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

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