Harvey

History

In 1871–72, a syndicate of six area businessmen purchased 1,700 acres of land and divided it into lots, establishing the "South Lawn" community. On October 1, 1874, contractor John Gay purchased two lots and began grading streets. He also graded a railway line for the Grand Trunk Western Railroad from Thornton through South Lawn, which was instrumental in generating industrial development. In 1880, Harvey L. Hopkins established the first significant local industry, a mower factory. Turlington Harvey preferred the town be named "Turlington," but postmaster William H. Pease suggested "Harvey" to recognize both Turlington Harvey and Harvey Hopkins, the first local industrialist. On April 15, 1895, a local referendum elevated the village to city status, and Jonathan W. Matthews was elected Harvey's first mayor on May 25. In February 1903, the city established a public library. Driven by flourishing local industries, Harvey experienced its greatest growth in the prosperous post-WWII years. In June 1964, the city announced the forthcoming construction of the Dixie Square Mall, named after the former Dixie-Hi Golf Course which it would replace. Harvey celebrated its 75th anniversary in 1966, highlighted by the grand opening of Dixie Square on November 10, along with the opening of a new city hall and municipal building three days later. Despite the initial popularity of Dixie Square, the mall's opening had a negative impact, as small businesses in downtown Harvey declined and eventually closed; the downtown shopping district failed to recover. Responding to the civil rights movement, the city council enacted a fair housing ordinance on May 27, 1968. By 1966, reports of robberies, auto thefts, and instances of resisting arrest had increased by over 50 percent from 1964.…

Geography

Harvey has a total area of , all land. : Dixmoor / Riverdale : Posen Riverdale / Dolton : Markham Dolton / Phoenix / South Holland : Markham South Holland : Markham / East Hazelcrest

Race & ethnicity