Markham, Illinois | |
|---|---|
 Seal | |
| Nickname: Prairie Capital of the Prairie State | |
| Motto: Unity for the Community | |
 Location of Markham in Cook County, Illinois. | |
  Markham  Markham  Markham | |
| Coordinates:41°35′51″N87°41′30″W / 41.59750°N 87.69167°W /41.59750; -87.69167 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Illinois |
| County | Cook |
| Townships | Bremen,Thornton |
| Incorporated | 1925 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Roger Agpawa |
| Area | |
• Total | 5.41 sq mi (14.00 km2) |
| • Land | 5.41 sq mi (14.00 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0.00 km2) 0% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 11,661 |
| • Density | 2,157.5/sq mi (833.01/km2) |
| Standard of living (2007-2011) | |
| • Per capita income | $19,318 |
| • Median home value | $120,300 |
| ZIP code(s) | 60428 |
| Area code(s) | 708 |
| Geocode | 47007 |
| FIPS code | 17-47007 |
| Website | www |
Markham is a city and asouth suburb ofChicago inCook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 11,661 at the 2020 census.[2]
 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Markham, Illinois" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(April 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
It is claimed this area was beach 10,000 years ago. After countless ages of geologic swamps, marshes and sloughs, the prairies dominated the landscape with groves of trees, flowers, and wildlife in abundance.
Markham, southwest of the southern tip ofLake Michigan, had been a crossroad for early pioneers. In 1816 a treaty was made with theOttawa,Chippewa andPotawatomi tribes which ceded a corridor of land located between a point north of theChicago River and the mouth of theCalumet River to the settlers. The southern boundary, one of two Indian Treaty Boundary Lines, was surveyed along a line from theKankakee River to Lake Michigan. The line still appears on government maps and now includes a short portion ofInterstate 57 near theUS 6 interchange northwest of Markham.
The village of Markham was incorporated in 1925 with a population under 300. The village was named for Charles H. Markham, president of theIllinois Central Railroad 1911–1918, 1919–1926. In the mid-1930s, the Croissant Park subdivision was built and increased the population from 349 to 1,388. After World War II, Markham's population doubled to 2,753 residents by 1950. The village developed into abedroom community as residents sought homes, not industry. An airport developed at 165th Street and Kedzie Avenue was the nearest field outside of Chicago. The airport site was located near what is now the Cook County Sixth Circuit Courthouse. On August 24, 1967, Markham was incorporated as a city.[citation needed]
In 1860, a German immigrant named Lawrence Roesner made his way to the southern boundary and settled on land located in the northwest corner of Markham. He brought with him six seedlings from theBlack Forest ofGermany and planted them along the Indian Boundary Line. This "Lone Pine Tree" was adopted as the official city symbol in 1985. The lone survivor of six pine trees brought from the Black Forest in 1860 died in 1986. The Markham City Council appropriated money to get a replacement tree from the Black Forest, which the Markham Garden Club planted that year.
Markham is located at41°35′51″N87°41′30″W / 41.59750°N 87.69167°W /41.59750; -87.69167 (41.597467, -87.691570).[3]
According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Markham has a total area of 5.41 square miles (14.01 km2), all land.[4]
There are approximately 500 acres (2.0 km2) of virgin and restoredprairie land located within the boundary of Markham. There are four prairies known as "Dropseed", "Sundrop", "Paintbrush", and "Gensburg". The prairie is under the supervision ofNortheastern Illinois University andThe Nature Conservancy. TheGensburg-Markham Prairie portion has been designated aNational Natural Landmark. The prairies continue to grow and flourish with the help of the Friends of the Indian Boundary Prairies.[5]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930 | 349 | — | |
| 1940 | 1,288 | 269.1% | |
| 1950 | 2,783 | 116.1% | |
| 1960 | 11,704 | 320.6% | |
| 1970 | 15,987 | 36.6% | |
| 1980 | 15,534 | −2.8% | |
| 1990 | 13,136 | −15.4% | |
| 2000 | 12,620 | −3.9% | |
| 2010 | 12,508 | −0.9% | |
| 2020 | 11,661 | −6.8% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[6] 2010[7] 2020[8] | |||
| Race / Ethnicity(NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 1970[9] | Pop 1980[10] | Pop 1990[11] | Pop 2000[12] | Pop 2010[7] | Pop 2020[8] | % 1970 | % 1980 | % 1990 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 7,946 | 4,316 | 2,860 | 2,062 | 1,275 | 823 | 49.70% | 28.45% | 21.77% | 16.34% | 10.19% | 7.06% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 7,981 | 10,545 | 10,045 | 9,903 | 10,076 | 8,420 | 49.92% | 69.50% | 76.47% | 78.47% | 80.56% | 72.21% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 27 | 25[13] | 41 | 13 | 15 | 11 | 0.17% | 0.16% | 0.31% | 0.10% | 0.12% | 0.09% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 8 | 24[14] | 0 | 75 | 84 | 103 | 0.05% | 0.16% | 0.00% | 0.59% | 0.67% | 0.88% |
| Native Hawaiian orPacific Islander alone (NH) | x | 0[15] | 0[16] | 2 | 8 | 0 | x | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.02% | 0.06% | 0.00% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 25 | 45 | 9 | 7 | 22 | 32 | 0.16% | 0.30% | 0.07% | 0.06% | 0.18% | 0.27% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | x[17] | x[18] | x[19] | 162 | 191 | 258 | x | x | x | 1.28% | 1.53% | 2.21% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | x | 217 | 181 | 396 | 837 | 2,014 | x | 1.43%[20] | 1.38% | 3.14% | 6.69% | 17.57% |
| Total | 15,987 | 15,172 | 13,136 | 12,620 | 12,508 | 11,661 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the2020 census[21] there were 11,661 people, 3,832 households, and 2,821 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,157.45 inhabitants per square mile (833.00/km2). There were 4,283 housing units at an average density of 792.41 per square mile (305.95/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 72.93%African American, 8.88%White, 0.91%Asian, 0.39%Native American, 10.26% fromother races, and 6.64% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 17.27% of the population.
There were 3,832 households, out of which 39.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 28.42% were married couples living together, 37.42% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.38% were non-families. 23.12% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.15% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.84 and the average family size was 3.23.
The city's age distribution consisted of 31.2% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 24.3% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 73.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $42,050, and the median income for a family was $45,880. Males had a median income of $28,214 versus $29,815 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $19,580. About 17.4% of families and 20.9% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 37.6% of those under age 18 and 14.8% of those age 65 or over.
In 2017,Roger Agpawa was electedmayor.[22] He had previously served asfire chief in neighboringCountry Club Hills. Having been convicted in 1999 of felonymail fraud in a federalhealth insurance case, he is one of the firstconvictedfelons to have been electedmayor. Experts state that he would have been ineligible to serve in the highest office in that city, despite being sworn in as mayor in October 2018 after an 18-month legal battle.[23][24]
| Mayors of Markham, Illinois | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Markham is divided between two congressional districts. Most of the city is inIllinois's 2nd congressional district, consisting of the area south of theDan Ryan Expressway (I-57) that is bordered on the west by Homan Avenue from 155th to 161st streets, Trumbull Avenue from 161st to 163rd, and Lawndale Avenue from 163rd to 167th; the rest of the city is part of the1st district.
In theIllinois State Senate Markham is split by two districts:
In theIllinois House of Representatives Markham is split by two districts:
Most of Markham is within Prairie-Hills School District 144, which includes 6 elementary schools, and Prairie-Hills Junior High School. A portion of Markham is within thePosen-Robbins School District 143½, which includes 4 elementary schools, and Thomas J. Kellar Middle School.[28] Another Portion is within Hazel Crest School District 152.5, which includes 2 elementary schools, and Robert Frost Middle School. The remaining portion is withinHarvey School District 152, which includes 5 elementary schools, and Brooks Middle School.
Most of Markham is served byBremen High School, with another portion attendingHillcrest High School, and the remaining section goes toTinley Park High School inBremen Community High School District 228[29] The rest of the city is served byThornwood High School withinThornton Township High School District 205.
The Markam Police Department is responsible for public safety and law enforcement.
Anthony "Tony" DeBois, the deputy police chief from 2008 to 2012 and described as an "ally of Markham Mayor David Webb Jr." by theChicago Tribune, had been the subject to numerous lawsuits allegingbrutality and misconduct from 2004 to 2011.[30][31] In 2014 he was sentenced to 5 years in federal prison for raping a woman under arrest in 2010 and lying about it to the FBI in 2012.[31][32]
Pace provides bus service on multiple routes connecting Markham to destinations across theSouthland.[33]
In Markham, voters ousted 12-year Mayor William Sparger, electing their first black mayor, and 26-year Treasurer George Petersen was also defeated. Evans R. Miller, a former alderman, beat Sparger by 95 votes.
Places adjacent to Markham, Illinois | |
|---|---|
Authority control databases: Geographic |
|---|
