Country Club Hills, Illinois

Country Club Hills is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is a suburb and south of Chicago. The population was 16,775 at the 2020 census.

History
10,000 years ago, during a glacial period, there was a complex of moraines in this area, before modern times.

Country Club Hills was historically known as Copper's Grove, a German Farmer-based place, throughout the 1800s. It was used for growing crops, and a lot more at that time.

In the 1950s, Copper's Grove started to transition into present-day Country Club Hills, where farms started to move away, and started to get more populated. As a result, Country Club Hills became a incorporated city in 1958. The first town hall was located on a farmhouse on the southeastern corner of present day Cicero Ave. and 183rd St. That building relocated to currently the Police Department building on 175th St in 1975.

The city has been developing rapidly since then, especially in 2006, where the city used a $16 million municipal bond to build a $5 million amphitheatre on the City Campus, a $2 million fire station, an upgraded community park, and various infrastructure improvement projects.

Geography
According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Country Club Hills has a total area of 4.99 sqmi, of which 4.97 sqmi (or 99.66%) is land and 0.02 sqmi (or 0.34%) is water.

Country Club Hills is neighbored by Hazel Crest to the east, Flossmoor and Matteson to the south, Oak Forest to the northwest, Markham to the north, and the Cook County Forest Preserves and Tinley Park to the west.

Demographics
As of the 2020 census there were 16,775 people, 5,695 households, and 3,802 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,363.75 PD/sqmi. There were 6,164 housing units at an average density of 1,236.01 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 86.46% African American, 6.30% White, 0.79% Asian, 0.27% Native American, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 2.21% from other races, and 3.95% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.04% of the population.

There were 5,695 households, out of which 27.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.96% were married couples living together, 21.79% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.24% were non-families. 29.06% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.31% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.59 and the average family size was 2.88.

The city's age distribution consisted of 22.0% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 23.7% from 25 to 44, 29.8% from 45 to 64, and 15.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.9 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $70,306, and the median income for a family was $85,357. Males had a median income of $51,563 versus $42,955 for females. The per capita income for the city was $30,318. About 11.2% of families and 12.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.7% of those under age 18 and 10.8% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture
In 2006, Country Club Hills became the location of Chicago metropolitan area's largest Wal-Mart Supercenter at over 203000 sqft. The development was an anchor to the first phase of the Gatling Square Mile, Cook County's largest parcel of undeveloped land at about 400 acre.

Country Club Hills is part of the Grande Prairie Public Library District. The Grande Prairie Public Library is located in nearby Hazel Crest.

Government
Country Club Hills is divided between two congressional districts. Nearly all of the city is in Illinois's 2nd congressional district, but some small areas along the city's western edge – primarily between 179th and 183rd Streets west of Lavergne Avenue – are in the 1st district.

Education
Since 1967, Country Club Hills has been home to Bremen Community High School District 228's Hillcrest High School, located at 175th and Pulaski (Crawford),(which serves most of the city north of 183rd St.). The school has been on an academic watch list for 6 years, and is currently in a "restructuring plan" to increase school academics. Parts of the city west of Cicero Ave, and North of 183rd St/I-80 attends Tinley Park High School, also in Bremen Community High School District 228. The southern half of the city (South of 183rd St) attends Rich Central High School, which is in Rich Township School District 227.

Country Club Hills School District 160 serves most of the city, which contains 2 elementary schools, and Southwood Middle School. Prairie-Hills School District 144 serves portions of the city north of 175th St. and east of Pulaski Rd., which contains 6 elementary schools, and Prairie-Hills Junior High School in neighboring Markham.

Transportation
Pace provides bus service on multiple routes connecting Country Club Hills to destinations across the Southland.

Notable people

 * Danny Clark, linebacker for the New York Giants
 * Marquice Cole, defensive back for the New York Jets
 * Herb Coleman, American player of gridiron football
 * Dee Dee Davis, actress, best known in her role as Bryana “Baby Girl” Thomkins on the Bernie Mac Show
 * Koko Taylor, blues singer