Ford Heights

History

The area that would eventually become Ford Heights was first settled in the late 1840s. It served as a stopping point on the Underground Railroad for runaway slaves fleeing to freedom. By the early 20th century, the area had developed into an agricultural community of farms operated mostly by Poles, Lithuanians, and Italians. After World War I, African Americans from the Southern U.S. migrated to the area and worked on the farms. A new subdivision known as the "Park Addition" was created on a farm road from Chicago Heights to Indiana, and it attracted residents to the area during the early 1920s. In 1924, 40 families successfully petitioned for electrical service. Soon after, the main east–west road became a two-lane concrete highway designated as U.S. Route 30, part of the transcontinental Lincoln Highway. By the 1930s, the Park Addition had telephone service and was known as East Chicago Heights. In the 1950 census, 1,548 people lived in the village – 76.9% of whom were black. The Ford Motor Company opened a stamping plant adjacent to the village in 1956. The company offered minorities an equal opportunity for well-paying jobs, and East Chicago Heights developed into a blue-collar community inhabited mostly by middle-class black families whose housing choices in suburban Chicago were severely limited at that time. Often viewed as one of Chicago's most impoverished suburbs and at one point the poorest suburb in the United States, Ford Heights has experienced high levels of political corruption, decaying infrastructure, and an elevated crime rate. In 2008, the Cook County Sheriff's Department took over law enforcement duties for the village. Between 1980 and 2020, the population of Ford Heights declined by more than 66%.

Geography

Ford Heights is located at . According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Ford Heights has a total area of , all land. The village lies on the edge of the Tinley Moraine. : Glenwood : Chicago Heights Lynwood : Chicago Heights Lynwood : Chicago Heights Sauk Village : Sauk Village

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  19,314
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  17,760
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  16,129
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  15,077
• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  14,995
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  14,594
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  13,532
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  13,046

Largest nearby schools

• Homewood-Flossmoor High School
  High · Flossmoor · 2,798 students · 13.9:1 ratio
• Rich Township High School
  High · Olympia Fields · 2,487 students · 12.4:1 ratio
• Thornwood High School
  High · South Holland · 1,996 students · 13.8:1 ratio
• Thornton Fractnl So High School
  High · Lansing · 1,927 students · 18:1 ratio
• Bloom High School
  High · Chicago Heights · 1,737 students · 18.7:1 ratio
• Thornton Township High School
  High · Harvey · 1,628 students · 13.9:1 ratio
• Thornton Fractnl No High School
  High · Calumet City · 1,383 students · 15.9:1 ratio
• Hillcrest High School
  High · Country Club Hills · 1,314 students · 17.1:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.9 — 2026-07-08
  21 km ENE of Kenilworth, Illinois
• M 2.6 — 2025-03-15
  6 km W of Dwight, Illinois
• M 3.1 — 2024-07-15
  2 km WNW of Somonauk, Illinois
• M 2.9 — 2015-03-25
  3 km WNW of Lake in the Hills, Illinois
• M 3.2 — 2013-11-04
  1 km SSW of Lyons, Illinois
• M 2.6 — 2013-06-10
  4 km NNE of Virgil, Illinois