- Olympia Fields, Illinois
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Olympia Fields Village Country United States State Illinois County Cook Coordinates 41°31′6″N 87°41′34″W / 41.51833°N 87.69278°W Area 2.8 sq mi (7 km2) - land 2.8 sq mi (7 km2) Population 4,732 (2000) Density 1,665.3 / sq mi (643 / km2) Founded 1927 Government village Village president Linzey D. Jones Timezone CST (UTC-6) - summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5) Postal code 60461 Area code 708 
Location of Olympia Fields within IllinoisWikimedia Commons: Olympia Fields, Illinois Website: http://www.olympia-fields.com/ Olympia Fields is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 4,732 at the 2000 census. It is the location of the prestigious Olympia Fields Country Club, and is also noteworthy as one of the wealthiest majority black communities in the United States. It is home to the Tolentine Monastery and Care Center of the Augustinian Order.
Contents
History
Investors in the 1910s sought land in what is now Olympia Fields for a golf course catering to Chicago's elite. Among these investors was Charles Beach, who envisioned a residential community to surround the golf course. The golf course and club was established in 1915. Its name, Olympia Fields Country Club, was selected by University of Chicago coach Alonzo Stagg.[1]
In 1927, the Olympia Fields residential community formally completed the process of incorporation as a village. Charles Beach was the village's first president.
Geography
Olympia Fields is located at 41°31′6″N 87°41′34″W / 41.51833°N 87.69278°W (41.518290, -87.692744)[2].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 2.8 square miles (7.3 km2), all of it land.
Demographics
As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 4,732 people, 1,696 households, and 1,380 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,665.3 people per square mile (643.3/km²). There were 1,915 housing units at an average density of 673.9 per square mile (260.3/km²).
There were 1,696 households out of which 28.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.07.
In the village the population was spread out with 23.1% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 19.5% from 25 to 44, 32.9% from 45 to 64, and 19.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females there were 91.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.2 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $94,827, and the median income for a family was $100,121. Males had a median income of $62,170 versus $46,435 for females. The per capita income for the village was $46,698. About 3.1% of families and 4.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.4% of those under age 18 and 8.6% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Olympia Fields is in Illinois' 2nd congressional district.
Transportation
There is a Metra rail station in the village that offers commuters frequent scheduled round-trip transportation to Chicago on the Metra Electric Main Line.
On March 26, 2003, Olympia Fields and neighboring Park Forest were hit by a large meteorite shower, "the first time that a meteorite shower has hit such a populated area," according to Field Museum curator Meenakshi Wadhwa.[4] The museum spent about $30,000 to acquire about six pounds of meteorites that fell, and other meteorites were also recovered.
Notable people
R&B singer R. Kelly owns a house in the Maynegate subdivision of Olympia Fields.
References
- ^ :http://www.villageprofile.com/illinois/olympiafields/olympiafields.html#hist
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ Trivedi, Bijal P. (2003-05-13). "Chicago Meteor Shower a Windfall for Area Scientists". National Geographic News. National Geographic. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/05/0513_030513_tvmeteorites.html. Retrieved 2007-11-01.
External links
Categories:- Villages in Illinois
- Populated places in Illinois with African American majority populations
- Populated places in Cook County, Illinois
- Chicago metropolitan area
- Populated places established in 1927
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