Chicago Heights is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 27,480 at the 2020 census, and was estimated at 26,533 in 2024.
History
The first recorded settlement by non-native Americans of the area that would become Chicago Heights occurred in 1833 when Absalom Wells built a cabin on the ridge above Thorn Creek. By the 1840s, a small rural community known as Thorn Grove had been formed, centered around a Presbyterian church.
The newly-created factories and plants drew large numbers of Italian, Polish, Slovak, Lithuanian, Irish, and Black workers to the East Side and Hill neighborhoods. A downtown area formed and became a center of activity for the surrounding region. In 1916, the Lincoln Highway Association was persuaded to route the country's first transcontinental highway through the city, leading the community to be dubbed "the crossroads of the nation."
Surrounding communities
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: Homewood / Glenwood
: Flossmoor 20px 30px 20px Glenwood
: Olympia Fields 30px 30px Ford Heights
: Park Forest 20px 30px 20px Sauk Village
: South Chicago Heights
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