Richton Park, Illinois

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Richton Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 12,533 at the 2000 census.

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 Richton Park Library District
4 External links

[edit] Geography

Richton Park is located at 41°28′55″N, 87°43′31″W (41.481992, -87.725352)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 8.8 km² (3.4 mi²). 8.7 km² (3.4 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (0.59%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 12,533 people, 4,578 households, and 3,200 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,435.9/km² (3,714.7/mi²). There were 4,730 housing units at an average density of 541.9/km² (1,401.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the village was 35.70% White, 59.10% African American, 0.24% Native American, 1.53% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.33% from other races, and 2.06% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.86% of the population.

There were 4,578 households out of which 39.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.5% were married couples living together, 18.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.1% were non-families. 26.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.25.

In the village the population was spread out with 28.8% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 32.7% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 7.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 84.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.2 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $48,299, and the median income for a family was $58,661. Males had a median income of $44,637 versus $35,231 for females. The per capita income for the village was $22,626. About 4.2% of families and 7.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.2% of those under age 18 and 14.4% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Richton Park Library District

The Richton Park Library District was conceived when Village trustees investigated the need for and interest in library service for the residents of Richton Park. The village officials observed strong public demand for a library, and in 1972 they rented a storefront at 22365 Governors Highway.

Since the storefront was a coffee-house volunteers had to engage in extensive cleaning and renovation in order to convert it into a library. Volunteers constructed shelves for the books and furniture was donated to the library. Books were obtained through donations from area residents, the Suburban Library System, and the Illinois State Library. Fundraisers, including bake sales, book sales and paper drives were held to secure additional funding. The library soon opened and was staffed entirely with volunteers. In 1974, village residents approved a referendum to establish the Richton Park Library District.

With rapid growth of the Library, village residents and staff realized that the storefront facility was inadequate. In 1979 the Village agreed to lease the old Village Hall to the Library to facilitate expansion. The new library opened on March 30, 1981 at 4045 Sauk Trail after extensive renovation. The next few years saw tremendous growth in the population of Richton Park and an increased demand for library services. In the fall of 1984 a new addition was built, offering more room for books, services and people.

Use of the library continued to grow throughout the 1980's and 1990's. In 1995, voters approved funding to double the size of the Library. With a larger building, more services were added including new computers with Internet access.