Crestwood is a village southwest of downtown Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 10,826.
Geography According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Crestwood has a total area of , of which (or 99.09%) is land and (or 0.91%) is water.
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition +Crestwood village, Illinois – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 2000Pop 2010% 2000% 2010White alone (NH)10,1399,0737,71090.12%82.86%71.22%Black or African American alone (NH)4987401,0844.43%6.76%10.01%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)121320.11%0.12%0.02%Asian alone (NH)821051860.73%0.96%1.72%Pacific Islander alone (NH)0100.00%0.01%0.00%Other race alone (NH)410300.04%0.09%0.28%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)1021162660.91%1.06%2.46%Hispanic or Latino (any race)4148921,5483.68%8.15%14.30%Total11,25110,95010,826100.00%100.00%100.00%
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Crestwood had a population of 10,826 people. The population density was . The median age was 48.5 years. 15.1% of residents were under the age of 18 and 24.7% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 87.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 84.2 males age 18 and over.
100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 4,931 households in Crestwood, including 2,281 families. Of all households, 19.6% had children under the age of 18 living in them, 34.7% were married-couple households, 21.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 37.6% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 41.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 5,202 housing units at an average density of . 5.2% of housing units were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.3% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.8%.
Income and poverty
The median income for a household in the village was $60,541, and the median income for a family was $69,965. Males had a median income of $55,303 versus $31,707 for females. The per capita income for the village was $30,003. About 3.1% of families and 11.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.4% of those under age 18 and 16.8% of those age 65 or over. Government and politics
Government Crestwood is a Council–manager village. The mayor with the approval of the village board appoints a village manager to oversee the daily affairs of the village. The current village manager is William Graffeo, who has served in that role since 2010.
Crestwood's government used to rebate to its residents a portion of their property and other municipal tax payments. It was praised by proponents of small government for its low taxes and cheap government. Crestwood's rebates ended in 2009 so that the village could pay the legal fees associated with the contaminated water scandal.
Crestwood is home to several units of the Illinois National Guard, including Battery B, 2nd Battalion 122 Field Artillery; Company B, 404th Brigade Support Battalion; Company G, 634th Brigade Support Battalion; 108th Signal Company; and the 1744th Transportation Company.
+Crestwood Elected Officials NameElected positionParty affiliation Kenneth Klein MayorCrestwood United PartyCatherine M. JohnsonVillage ClerkCrestwood United PartyAnthony J. Benigno TrusteeCrestwood United PartyLinda M. MadlenerTrusteeCrestwood United PartyKevin WasagTrusteeCrestwood United PartyFrank CaldarioTrusteeCrestwood United PartyBrian SkalaTrusteeCrestwood United PartyDenise M. PietruchaTrusteeCrestwood United Party
On November 17, 2021, Mayor Louis Presta resigned after pleading guilty to a federal bribery case regarding red light cameras installed in the village.
Robert Stranczek, son of former mayor Chester Stranczek. Chester retired in October 2007, and it was then announced that Robert would be taking over his father's role as mayor.
Politics Crestwood is currently governed by the Crestwood United Party. The Crestwood United Party is composed of members from both the Republican Party and Democratic Party.
Crestwood is considered competitive on the state and federal level. It has been won by both democrats and republicans in recent years.
Political districts +Crestwood Political DistrictsLevelNamePosition PartyFederalDick DurbinUS SenatorDemocraticFederal Tammy DuckworthUS SenatorDemocraticFederal Jonathan JacksonUS Rep IL-1DemocraticFederalSean CastenUS Rep IL-6DemocraticStateBill Cunningham State Sen IL-18DemocraticStateEmil Jones IIIState Sen IL-14DemocraticStateMary GillState Rep IL-35DemocraticStateJustin Slaughter State Rep IL-27DemocraticState Bob RitaState Rep Il-28DemocraticCountyMonica GordonCommissioner District 5DemocraticCountyDonna Miller Commissioner District 6DemocraticCountySean MorrisonCommissioner District 17Republican
Transportation Crestwood is served by Pace routes 383 and 385. Routes 383 and 385 terminate at Midway station, the terminus of the CTA Orange Line.
While Crestwood does not have rail service, it is in close proximity to Midlothian station which is served by Metra's Rock Island District to LaSalle Street.
Sports teams The Windy City ThunderBolts, a professional baseball team playing in the Frontier League (FL), play at Ozinga Field in Crestwood since 1995. They are the only professional sport team located in Crestwood.
Education
Delia M. Turner Elementary School, a Pre-K - Kindergarten school of the Posen-Robbins School District 143½, is within Crestwood.
Nathan Hale Elementary School is another elementary school in the area.Nathan Hale Elementary School
Kolmar Elementary School Midlothian School District 143 - Midlothian School District 143
Home . Turner Elementary School. Retrieved on February 24, 2013. "3847 W. 135th Street Robbins, Illinois 60472""2010 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP: Crestwood village, IL." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on February 24, 2013.
Notable people
Ron Mahay, pitcher for eight Major League Baseball teams Joan Patricia Murphy, Illinois politician Chester Stranczek, former mayor
Water contamination
In April 2009, the Chicago Tribune in an investigative article titled "Poison in the Well", reported that the water from a well used to supply residents with drinking water had been contaminated with chemicals (including two linked to the known carcinogen perchloroethylene) from dry cleaning solvents. Village of Crestwood officials, including Mayor Robert Stranczek, and the former mayor Chester Stranczek, were accused of secretly and illegally using the well and lying to regulatory authorities in order to cover that up. The ensuing investigation has generated three class-action lawsuits, two wrongful death lawsuits, and several federal raids.Michael Hawthorne and Annie Sweeney, "Guilty Plea in Tainted Water Case," The Chicago Tribune, Friday, April 12, 2013, section 1, p. 1 Tricia Krause, a mother of a son who had leukemia for six years and a daughter who had a brain tumor alerted the USEPA of the wrongdoings of the Village of Crestwood officials.
In April 2013, certified water operator Frank Scaccia pleaded guilty to one count of making a false statement. Crestwood's police chief and former water supervisor, Theresa Neubauer, was also found guilty of making false statements to regulators. Former Mayor Chester Stranczek was declared not fit to stand trial due to dementia.
See also
Crestwood Public Library
References
External links Official website