Richton Park, Illinois
Village in Illinois, United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Richton Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 12,775 at the 2020 census.[2] It is a south suburb of Chicago.
Richton Park, Illinois | |
|---|---|
Welcome sign at Main Street | |
 Seal | |
| Motto: "Proud Past; Bright Future" | |
 Location of Richton Park in Cook County, Illinois. | |
  Richton Park  Richton Park  Richton Park | |
| Coordinates: 41°28′55″N 87°43′31″W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Illinois |
| County | Cook |
| Township | Rich |
| Area | |
• Total | 4.41 sq mi (11.41 km2) |
| • Land | 4.39 sq mi (11.37 km2) |
| • Water | 0.012 sq mi (0.03 km2) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 12,775 |
| • Density | 2,908.8/sq mi (1,123.08/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| ZIP Code(s) | 60471, 60443 |
| Area code | 708 |
| FIPS code | 17-63706 |
| Website | www |
History
Richton Park sits along the Sauk Trail, a major trail used by the several Native American tribes for travel. By the 1840s German migrants settled in the area and created a small farming community.
The village was named after a Richton in Vermont, the native home of a first settler.[3]
On the evening of June 7, 2008, an EF2 tornado went through portions of Richton Park, damaging homes and businesses.[4]
Geography
Richton Park is located at 41°28′55″N 87°43′31″W (41.481992, -87.725352).[5]
The village is bordered by Matteson to the north, Park Forest to the east, and University Park to the south.
According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Richton Park has a total area of 4.40 square miles (11.40 km2), of which 4.39 square miles (11.37 km2) (or 99.73%) is land and 0.01 square miles (0.03 km2) (or 0.27%) is water.[6]
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition
| Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2000[10] | Pop 2010[8] | Pop 2020[9] | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 4,232 | 1,543 | 804 | 33.77% | 11.31% | 6.29% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 7,374 | 11,156 | 10,988 | 58.84% | 81.75% | 86.01% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 26 | 12 | 21 | 0.21% | 0.09% | 0.16% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 188 | 136 | 94 | 1.50% | 1.00% | 0.74% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 4 | 8 | 1 | 0.03% | 0.06% | 0.01% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 25 | 19 | 34 | 0.20% | 0.14% | 0.27% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | 200 | 295 | 291 | 1.60% | 2.16% | 2.28% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 484 | 477 | 542 | 3.86% | 3.50% | 4.24% |
| Total | 12,533 | 13,646 | 12,775 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Richton Park had a population of 12,775, with 5,063 households and 3,298 families.[11][12]
The median age was 40.1 years. 21.7% of residents were under the age of 18 and 14.7% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females, there were 80.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 74.6 males.[11]
The population density was 2,900.77 inhabitants per square mile (1,119.99/km2). There were 5,487 housing units at an average density of 1,245.91 per square mile (481.05/km2).[13]
Of housing units in Richton Park, 7.7% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.4% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.9%.[11]
99.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 1.0% lived in rural areas.[14]
Of households in Richton Park, 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 31.0% were married-couple households, 17.4% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 46.4% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 32.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[11]
Income and poverty
The median income for a household in the village was $63,777, and the median income for a family was $82,208. Males had a median income of $49,393 versus $43,399 for females. The per capita income for the village was $28,756. About 8.3% of families and 11.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.6% of those under age 18 and 25.1% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Matteson School District 162 is headquartered in Richton Park and serves portions of the village.[15]
Elementary School District 159 serves portions of Richton Park.
Rich Township High School Fine Arts and Communications Campus and Southland College Preparatory Charter High School are the two public high schools that serve Richton Park, both schools are located in the village.
The Richton Park Public Library District has served the village since 1972.
Transportation
The Richton Park station provides Metra commuter rail service along the Metra Electric District. Trains travel north to Millennium station in Chicago, and south to University Park station.[16]
Notable places
- Rich City Skate (Formerly Olympic Skate World) - Featured in the HBO documentary United Skates, highlighting African American roller skating rinks.
Government
Richton Park is in Illinois's 2nd congressional district.