Hegewisch, Chicago

Hegewisch (pronounced "heg-wish"), one of the 77 community areas of Chicago, Illinois, is located on the city's far south side. It is bordered by the neighborhoods of Riverdale and South Deering to the west, the East Side to the north, the village of Burnham to the south and the city of Hammond, Indiana to the east. It is part of the 10th ward of Chicago. John Pope is the alderman as of April 2005. It has a commuter rail station on the South Shore Line. The community area is named for Adolph Hegewisch, the president of U.S. Rolling Stock Company who hoped to establish “an ideal workingman's community” when he laid out the town along a rail line in 1883, six years before Chicago annexed the town. Hegewisch has been recently bounded by 106th street to the north, State Line Road to the east, Torrence Avenue to the west, and 136th street to the south.

One of Hegewisch's more notable features is its unique demographics, being one of the last remaining predominantly white south Chicago community (the other one is Mount Greenwood). In recent years, Hegewisch has seen a dramatic increase in its Hispanic population. As of the most recent census/city survey, the Hegewisch population is 67% white and 29% Hispanic [ [http://www.bestchicagoneighborhoods.com/hegewisch/ Hegewisch | Best Chicago Neighborhoods ] ]

Parks

*Mann Park
*Wolf Lake Wildlife Refuge
*William W. Powers State Recreation Area

chools

*Saint Florian Catholic Elemetary School
*Henry Clay Elementary School
*Virgil I. Grissom Elementary School

Transportation

The South Shore Line (NICTD) stops at the Hegewisch (NICTD) here. The train goes as far westbound as Millennium Station and as far eastbound as South Bend Regional Airport.

Hegewisch is served by three CTA bus routes:
* 30 - South Chicago
* 34 - South Michigan (certain rush-hour trips terminate at 137th/Doty, which is in Hegewisch)
* 108 - Halsted-95th (on school days only)

Hegewisch is also served by three Pace bus routes:
* 355 - Lansing Express
* 358 - Torrence
* 364 - 159th Street (during rush hours only)

Notable current and former residents

* John Pope, Chicago alderman
* Eric Anderson, professional basketball player
* Carmel Bernon Harvey, Jr., Medal of Honor recipient"Oscar Mathæus Nielsen", also known as Oscar "Battling" Nelson, "the Durable Dane," (June 5, 1882-February 7, 1954) was a boxer who held the world lightweight championship on two separate occasions.

Industry

Ford Motor Company's Chicago Assembly Plant is located adjacent to Hegewisch. (The site, at the northwest quadrant of E. 130th Street and Torrence Avenue, is actually within the boundaries of South Deering).

References

External links

* [http://egov.cityofchicago.org/webportal/COCWebPortal/COC_ATTACH/Community_Areas_HEGEWISCH.pdf Official City of Chicago Hegewisch Community Map]
* [http://www.hegewisch.net/ Hegewisch.Net]
* [http://egov.cityofchicago.org/city/webportal/home.do City of Chicago Website] Geographic Location
Center = Hegewisch, Chicago
Northeast = East Side, Chicago
East = Hammond, Indiana
Southeast = Burnham, Illinois
South = Calumet City, Illinois
Southwest = Dolton, Illinois
West = Riverdale, Chicago
Northwest = South Deering, Chicago