Harvey, Illinois

Harvey, Illinois
City
Central Business District
Central Business District
Flag of Harvey, Illinois
Flag
Official seal of Harvey, Illinois
Seal
Location of Harvey in Cook County, Illinois.
Location of Harvey in Cook County, Illinois.
Harvey is located in Greater Chicago
Harvey
Harvey
Harvey is located in Illinois
Harvey
Harvey
Harvey is located in the United States
Harvey
Harvey
Coordinates: 41°36′36″N 87°38′48″W / 41.61000°N 87.64667°W / 41.61000; -87.64667
CountryUnited States
StateIllinois
CountyCook
TownshipThornton, Bremen
FoundedMay 1891
VillageMay 1891
Government
 • MayorVacant
Area
[1]
 • Total
6.20 sq mi (16.07 km2)
 • Land6.20 sq mi (16.07 km2)
 • Water0 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
[2]
604 ft (184 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
20,324
 • Density3,274.8/sq mi (1,264.41/km2)
Time zoneUTC-6 (CST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP Code(s)
60426–60428
Area code708
FIPS code17-33383
Wikimedia CommonsHarvey, Illinois
Websitewww.cityofharveyil.gov

Harvey is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 20,324 at the 2020 census.[3]

Harvey is bordered by the villages of Dixmoor and Riverdale to the north; Dolton, Phoenix, and South Holland to the east; East Hazel Crest to the south; and Hazel Crest, Markham and Posen to the west.

History

Advertisement by The Harvey Land Association that appeared on November 8, 1890, in the Chicago Daily Tribune

Beginnings

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.[4] In 1880, Harvey L. Hopkins established the first significant local industry, a mowing machine factory.[4] In 1889, Turlington W. Harvey made large land purchases, which he transferred to the Harvey Land Association.[4] Harvey was a close associate of Dwight Moody, the founder of the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago.[5]

On April 12, 1890, local voters incorporated the new town as one of the Temperance Towns, to be a model town for Christian values. It was closely modeled after the company town of Pullman, which eventually was annexed into the city of Chicago.[5] 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.[4] On June 11, 1891, Peter B. Lamb was elected the first village president.[5] A public school district was established in April 1892.[6] 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.[7] In February 1903, the city established a public library.[8]

Growth and decline

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.[9] 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.[10] Despite the initial popularity of Dixie Square, the mall's opening had a negative impact, as small businesses in downtown Harvey declined and closed.[11][12] Responding to the civil rights movement, the city council enacted a fair housing ordinance on May 27, 1968.[10]

As with other Rust Belt industrial communities, Harvey was severely affected by deindustrialization and rising crime rates from the 1960s, resulting in white flight.[13] By 1966, reports of robberies, auto thefts, and instances of resisting arrest had increased by over 50 percent from 1964.[14] The Dixie Square Mall closed in November 1978.[15] The city reached its peak population in 1980. By this time, it was beginning to suffer losses in jobs and population through restructuring of steel and similar industries.

In the 2000s and 2010s, Mayor Eric Kellogg attempted to boost Harvey's economy, with little success. Kellogg offered developers millions of dollars in incentives to revive the long-vacant Dixie Square Mall, but trends in retail adversely affected malls around the country.[16] The city granted a developer $10 million in incentives to redevelop the Chicago Park Hotel, but he abandoned the project before completion, leaving the building gutted.[17]

In February 2018, Harvey became the first city in Illinois to have its revenue garnished by the State in order to fund the city's pension liabilities. The city laid off employees in order to deal with the changes.[18]

Most recent Harvey mayor Christopher J. Clark, who had served as the city's mayor since 2019, died on January 30, 2026.[19][20]

Geography

Harvey has a total area of 6.21 square miles (16.08 km2), all land.[21]

Surrounding areas

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
19005,395—
19107,22734.0%
19209,21627.5%
193016,37477.7%
194017,8789.2%
195020,68315.7%
196029,07140.6%
197034,63619.1%
198035,8103.4%
199029,767−16.9%
200030,0000.8%
201025,282−15.7%
202020,324−19.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[22]
2010[23] 2020[24]

Racial and ethnic composition

Harvey city, Illinois – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) Pop 1970[25] Pop 1980[26] Pop 1990[27] Pop 2000[28] Pop 2010[23] Pop 2020[24] % 1970 % 1980 % 1990 % 2000 % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 23,741 10,602 4,104 1,903 913 591 68.54% 29.61% 13.79% 6.34% 3.61% 2.91%
Black or African American alone (NH) 10,711 23,347 23,827 23,732 19,046 12,729 30.92% 65.20% 80.05% 79.11% 75.33% 62.63%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 27 52 [29] 39 37 33 25 0.08% 0.15% 0.13% 0.12% 0.13% 0.12%
Asian alone (NH) 37 [30] 63 [31] 12 103 199 490 0.11% 0.18% 0.04% 0.34% 0.79% 2.41%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) x [32] 2 [33] 0 5 10 8 x 0.01% 0.00% 0.02% 0.04% 0.04%
Other race alone (NH) 120 101 [34] 23 33 15 91 0.35% 0.28% 0.08% 0.11% 0.06% 0.45%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) x [35] x [36] x [37] 353 267 350 x x x 1.18% 1.06% 1.72%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) x [38] 1,643 1,762 3,834 4,799 6,040 x 4.59% 5.92% 12.78% 18.98% 29.72%
Total 34,636 35,810 29,767 30,000 25,282 20,324 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Harvey had a population of 20,324. The median age was 36.4 years. 25.3% of residents were under the age of 18 and 14.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 98.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 96.0 males age 18 and over.[39][40]

100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.[41]

There were 7,100 households in Harvey, of which 34.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 27.0% were married-couple households, 26.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 40.1% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 30.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[39]

There were 8,531 housing units, of which 16.8% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.5% and the rental vacancy rate was 9.6%.[39]

Racial composition as of the 2020 census[40]
Race Number Percent
White 1,194 5.9%
Black or African American 12,871 63.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 166 0.8%
Asian 508 2.5%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 8 0.0%
Some other race 4,176 20.5%
Two or more races 1,401 6.9%
Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 6,040 29.7%

2000 census

There were 8,657 households, out of which 34.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 27.90% were married couples living together, 31.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.56% were non-families. 33.67% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.49% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.62 and the average family size was 2.77.

The city's age distribution consisted of 25.8% under the age of 18, 11.9% from 18 to 24, 24.2% from 25 to 44, 24.7% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $32,635, and the median income for a family was $45,729. Males had a median income of $28,204 versus $24,671 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,919. About 25.3% of families and 31.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 47.6% of those under age 18 and 17.6% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Harvey is in Illinois's 2nd congressional district.

The city faces severe financial problems.[42] From 2010 to 2013, it failed to fund its police and fire pensions, paying just $140 of $10.1 million required contributions.[43] This problem has been reported in other Chicago suburbs with economic problems.[43] Since 2007, Harvey has refused to audit its municipal finances as required by the state.[44] The Securities and Exchange Commission alleges that during this time, there was "a scheme to divert bond proceeds for improper purposes."[45]

As of September 2014, some aldermen were concerned the city could soon be unable to make payroll.[46] In 2017, the city was forced to pay almost $11 million in unpaid and underpaid pension fund contributions for the city's firefighters. A panel of judges on the Illinois First District Appellate Court in Chicago determined that Harvey's mayor and city Council had improperly abused their discretionary powers for years. According to the Cook County Record, "The case had landed in Cook County court in 2010, when the Board of Trustees of the City of Harvey Firefighters’ Pension Fund first filed suit against the city of Harvey, alleging chronic underfunding of the pension fund, which managed pension money for 67 retired firefighters, had left the fund teetering on the verge of insolvency."[47]

Mayors of Harvey

Economy

Similarly to other regional communities, heavy industry dominated the Harvey economy for most of its history.[53] Among the major employers were the Whiting Corporation, which operated in Harvey from 1894 until 2000,[54] manufacturing cupola furnaces, overhead cranes, and locomotive repair equipment, among other products.[53] Other prominent manufacturers included American Stove (plant operated in Harvey 1897–1948), Bliss & Laughlin (cold-rolled steel), Wyman-Gordon, and Allis-Chalmers (formerly the Buda Engine Co., which was acquired by Allis-Chalmers in 1953).[53] Sinclair Oil (ARCO from 1969) established a research laboratory in Harvey in October 1948.[53]

Education

Harvey Public School District 152 operates public elementary schools in most of Harvey. A portion of Harvey is within the Posen-Robbins School District 143½.[55] and a portion is within Dolton - Riverdale School District 148 Thornton Township High Schools District 205 operates the public high school. The portion under the Posen-Robbins School District 143½ is a part of the Bremen High School District 228.

There are also two private PreK - 12 schools in Harvey: Outreach Exceptional Learning Academy and Standberry Christian Academy.

Harvey is located within Illinois Community College District 510.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Pace Harvey Transportation Center

Harvey is served by two stations along the Metra Electric University Park line to Chicago. One is at 147th Street (a.k.a. Sibley Boulevard) and Clinton Street, and the other is at Park Avenue and 154th Street. Eleven Pace bus routes serve Harvey and the Pace Harvey Transportation Center.[56]

Three major north–south streets in Chicago venture as far south as Harvey in some capacity. Halsted Street (Illinois Route 1) runs through the east side of town. Dixie Highway, as it is known in Harvey, is Western Avenue in Chicago. Finally, Chicago's Ashland Avenue becomes Wood Street in Harvey. The reason for this is a surveyor's error along the line where Interstate 57 is now located; Harvey's street names and numbers conform to the section lines rather than actual distance from Chicago's base lines (as indicated by the jogs in Halsted Street near 150th Street and 159th Street between Harvey and Markham, as examples). Harvey's own Ashland Avenue serves as the east–west dividing line for house numbering.

Notable people

The Dixie Square Mall, an abandoned shopping mall in Harvey, was the setting for filming of the car chase scene in The Blues Brothers.[57]

See also

  • Chicago portal
  • flag Illinois portal

References

  1. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on March 15, 2022. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  2. ^ "USGS detail on Newtown". Archived from the original on November 6, 2023. Retrieved October 21, 2007.
  3. ^ "Harvey city, Illinois, Illinois profile". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on January 25, 2022. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  4. ^ a b c d Kerr, Alec C., ed. (1962). History: The City of Harvey 1890–1962. Harvey, Illinois: First National Bank in Harvey. Retrieved April 26, 2026.
  5. ^ a b c Gilbert, James (1991). Perfect Cities: Chicago's Utopias of 1893. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. pp. 192–198. ISBN 9780226293172.
  6. ^ Kerr, Alec C., ed. (1962). History: The City of Harvey 1890–1962. Harvey, Illinois: First National Bank in Harvey. pp. 75–79. Retrieved April 26, 2026.
  7. ^ Kerr, Alec C., ed. (1962). History: The City of Harvey 1890–1962. Harvey, Illinois: First National Bank in Harvey. pp. 47–56. Retrieved April 26, 2026.
  8. ^ Kerr, Alec C., ed. (1962). History: The City of Harvey 1890–1962. Harvey, Illinois: First National Bank in Harvey. pp. 61–62. Retrieved April 26, 2026.
  9. ^ "Review of News that Made Headlines in the '60s". Harvey Tribune. No. 104. December 28, 1969. p. 1.
  10. ^ a b "Review of News that Made Headlines in the '60s (II)". Harvey Tribune. No. 1. January 1, 1970. p. 1.
  11. ^ Fegelman, Andrew (August 9, 1985). "Harvey left reeling as 3 firms bail out". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 27, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.Limited access icon
  12. ^ Fegelman, Andrew (August 9, 1985). "Harvey left reeling as 3 firms bail out (2)". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 27, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.Limited access icon
  13. ^ Corley, Cheryl (September 6, 2017). "Once A Blue-Collar Powerhouse, A Chicago Suburb Now Faces A Dim Future". NPR. Retrieved April 26, 2026.
  14. ^ "Harvey Police to Get Wage Hike". Chicago Tribune. September 18, 1966. Retrieved April 27, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.Limited access icon
  15. ^ "Harvey's JCPenney store closing after January". Southtown Star. December 24, 1978. p. 13. Archived from the original on August 23, 2022. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
  16. ^ "New retail in store for Dixie Mall site". Chicago Business. March 25, 2006. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
  17. ^ "Harvey hotel deal rife with red flags". Chicago Tribune. July 5, 2013. Archived from the original on January 21, 2025. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
  18. ^ Zak Koeske (April 10, 2018). "Harvey lays off 40 police and fire employees, union officials say". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on April 24, 2018.
  19. ^ Sobol, Rosemary (January 30, 2026). "Harvey mayor Christopher J. Clark dead". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
  20. ^ "Harvey Mayor Christopher Clark dies, city officials confirm". CBS Chicago. January 30, 2026. Retrieved January 30, 2026.
  21. ^ "Gazetteer Files". Census.gov. Archived from the original on August 24, 2019. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
  22. ^ "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on July 6, 2022.
  23. ^ a b "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Harvey city, Illinois". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on January 20, 2025. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  24. ^ a b "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Harvey city, Illinois". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  25. ^ "1970 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Illinois - Table 16 - Race by Sex, for Places of 10,000 to 50,000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 27, 2025. Retrieved February 25, 2025.
  26. ^ "1980 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Illinois- Table 14 - Persons by Race and Table 16 (p. 18-28) - Total Persons and Spanish Origin Persons by Type of Spanish Origin and Race (p. 29-39)" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 27, 2025. Retrieved February 25, 2025.
  27. ^ "1990 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Illinois - Table 6 - Race and Hispanic Orogin" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 30, 2025. Retrieved February 25, 2025.
  28. ^ "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Harvey city, Illinois". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  29. ^ Compilation of American Indian, Eskimo, Aleut categories
  30. ^ Compilation of Japanese, Chinese, and Filipino categories. Other Asian groups would be included in the Some Other Race category
  31. ^ Compilation of Japanese, Chinese, Filipino, Korean, Asian Indian, and Vietnamese categories. Other Asian groups would be included in the Some Other Race category
  32. ^ Not an option in the 1970 Census
  33. ^ Compiliation of Hawaiian, Guamanian, and Samoan categories. Other Pacific Islander groups would be included in the Some Other Race category
  34. ^ Calculated as the difference between the total population and all other categories
  35. ^ Not an option in the 1970 Census
  36. ^ Not an option in the 1980 Census
  37. ^ Not an option in the 1990 Census
  38. ^ Not an option in the 1970 Census
  39. ^ a b c "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved April 8, 2026.
  40. ^ a b "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved April 8, 2026.
  41. ^ "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)". United States Census Bureau. 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2026.
  42. ^ "SEC accuses City of Harvey, comptroller of fraud - Early & Often". Archived from the original on August 19, 2014. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
  43. ^ a b "Dozens of suburban police and fire pension funds drying up - Early & Often". Archived from the original on August 19, 2014. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
  44. ^ "Harvey status quo aided by state, feds". Archived from the original on February 14, 2014. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
  45. ^ "Feds turn up heat on suburban bookkeeper's role in water agency - Early & Often". Archived from the original on August 19, 2014. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
  46. ^ "Harvey To Vote On Police Department Audit By Cook County Sheriff". September 21, 2014. Archived from the original on September 24, 2014. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
  47. ^ Bilyk, Jonathan (August 7, 2017). "Appeals court: Pension fund has right to $11M, potential tax hike from Harvey for underpaying pensions". Cook County Record. Archived from the original on September 18, 2018. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
  48. ^ Lindop, John (June 14, 1960). "Court Battle Looms On Annexation Bid". Harvey Tribune. Archived from the original on January 20, 2025. Retrieved October 5, 2024 – via NewspaperArchive.com.
  49. ^ "The Candidates Go On Record". Markham Tribune. March 31, 1963. Archived from the original on January 20, 2025. Retrieved October 5, 2024 – via NewspaperArchive.com.
  50. ^ "James Haines for Mayor". South Holland Tribune. February 24, 1963. Archived from the original on January 21, 2025. Retrieved October 5, 2024 – via NewspaperArchive.com.
  51. ^ Kerch, Steve (April 15, 1983). "Blacks Unite In Harvey To Elect Mayor". The Chicago Tribune. pp. 1, 3. Archived from the original on July 11, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  52. ^ Ayers, Ronald (February 6, 1983). "Time is right for a black mayor: David Johnson". Harvey Star Tribune – via NewspaperArchive.com.
  53. ^ a b c d Kerr, Alec C., ed. (1962). History: The City of Harvey 1890–1962. Harvey, Illinois: First National Bank in Harvey. pp. 87–100. Retrieved April 26, 2026.
  54. ^ Yazgan, Esra Özkan; Boothby, Thomas E. (2020). "Describing the Historical and Technical Context of Mill Buildings around 1900: The Whiting Foundry Equipment Company Complex in Harvey, Ill". Construction History. 35 (2). JSTOR: 25–42. Retrieved April 26, 2026.
  55. ^ "Welcome to Posen-Robbins School District 143.5 Archived 2013-05-24 at the Wayback Machine." Posen-Robbins School District 143½. Retrieved on February 24, 2013.
  56. ^ "Pace Bus". www.pacebus.com. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
  57. ^ Sophia (April 26, 2022). "Shopping Malls May Be Staples Of Society, But These Abandoned Ones Are Terrifying". Only In Your State. Archived from the original on August 18, 2022. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
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