Summit, Illinois
Encyclopedia
Summit is a village in Cook County
, Illinois
, United States
. The population was 10,637 at the 2000 census. The village is best known as the setting to Ernest Hemingway's 1927 short story "The Killers
".
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the village has a total area of 2.3 square miles (6 km²), of which 2.1 square miles (5.4 km²) are land and 0.2 square mile (0.517997622 km²) (6.58%) is water. Most of "Summit" is actually in the floodplain
of the Des Plaines River
.
of 2000, there were 10,637 people, 3,356 households, and 2,416 families residing in the village. The population density
was 5,008.7 people per square mile (1,937.2/km²). There were 3,552 housing units at an average density of 1,672.6 per square mile (646.9/km²). The racial makeup
of the village was 63.31% White, 12.05% African American
, 0.30% Native American
, 1.41% Asian
, 0.02% Pacific Islander
, 19.64% from other races
, and 3.27% from two or more races. Hispanic
or Latino
of any race were 48.47% of the population, with Mexican American
s representing 44.3%.
The top three non-Hispanic, non-African American ancestries reported in Summit as of the 2000 census were Polish
(11.7%), German
(5.2%) and Irish
(4.4%).
There were 3,356 households out of which 38.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.7% were married couples
living together, 15.8% had a female householder $32,287 versus $21,628 for females. The per capita income
for the village was $14,611. About 12.6% of families and 16.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.5% of those under age 18 and 11.2% of those age 65 or over.
District 217.
operates a corn milling and processing plant at 65th Street and Archer Avenue, in an area known as Argo. This facility is one of the largest of its kind in the world.
ACH Food Companies, Inc. operates a manufacturing and processing plant here for MAZOLA corn oil, KARO corn syrup and ARGO Baking Powder and Corn Starch.
The National Center for Food Safety and Technology is located adjacent to the Corn Products plant. It is affiliated with the Illinois Institute of Technology
and the Food and Drug Administration
's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.
Frito-Lay
has a zone office in Summit. Summit has also been the home of the Desplaines Valley News
newspaper since 1913.
Cook County, Illinois
Cook County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois, with its county seat in Chicago. It is the second most populous county in the United States after Los Angeles County. The county has 5,194,675 residents, which is 40.5 percent of all Illinois residents. Cook County's population is larger than...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 10,637 at the 2000 census. The village is best known as the setting to Ernest Hemingway's 1927 short story "The Killers
The Killers (short story)
'"The Killers"' is a short story by Ernest Hemingway. It first appeared to the public in 1927 in Scribner's Magazine. How much Hemingway received for the literary piece is unknown, but some sources state it was $200. Historians have some documents showing that the working title of the piece was...
".
Geography
Summit is located at 41°47′19"N 87°48′50"W (41.788530, -87.813909).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the village has a total area of 2.3 square miles (6 km²), of which 2.1 square miles (5.4 km²) are land and 0.2 square mile (0.517997622 km²) (6.58%) is water. Most of "Summit" is actually in the floodplain
Floodplain
A floodplain, or flood plain, is a flat or nearly flat land adjacent a stream or river that stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls and experiences flooding during periods of high discharge...
of the Des Plaines River
Des Plaines River
The Des Plaines River is a river that flows southward for through southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois in the U.S. Midwest, eventually meeting the Kankakee River west of Channahon to form the Illinois River, a tributary of the Mississippi River....
.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 10,637 people, 3,356 households, and 2,416 families residing in the village. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 5,008.7 people per square mile (1,937.2/km²). There were 3,552 housing units at an average density of 1,672.6 per square mile (646.9/km²). The racial makeup
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
of the village was 63.31% White, 12.05% African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
, 0.30% Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
, 1.41% Asian
Asian American
Asian Americans are Americans of Asian descent. The U.S. Census Bureau definition of Asians as "Asian” refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan,...
, 0.02% Pacific Islander
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islander , is a geographic term to describe the indigenous inhabitants of any of the three major sub-regions of Oceania: Polynesia, Melanesia and Micronesia.According to the Encyclopædia Britannica, these three regions, together with their islands consist of:Polynesia:...
, 19.64% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 3.27% from two or more races. Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
or Latino
Latino
The demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American descent."* "A Latin American."* "A person of Hispanic, especially Latin-American, descent, often one living in the United States."...
of any race were 48.47% of the population, with Mexican American
Mexican American
Mexican Americans are Americans of Mexican descent. As of July 2009, Mexican Americans make up 10.3% of the United States' population with over 31,689,000 Americans listed as of Mexican ancestry. Mexican Americans comprise 66% of all Hispanics and Latinos in the United States...
s representing 44.3%.
The top three non-Hispanic, non-African American ancestries reported in Summit as of the 2000 census were Polish
Polish American
A Polish American , is a citizen of the United States of Polish descent. There are an estimated 10 million Polish Americans, representing about 3.2% of the population of the United States...
(11.7%), German
German American
German Americans are citizens of the United States of German ancestry and comprise about 51 million people, or 17% of the U.S. population, the country's largest self-reported ancestral group...
(5.2%) and Irish
Irish American
Irish Americans are citizens of the United States who can trace their ancestry to Ireland. A total of 36,278,332 Americans—estimated at 11.9% of the total population—reported Irish ancestry in the 2008 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau...
(4.4%).
There were 3,356 households out of which 38.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.7% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 15.8% had a female householder $32,287 versus $21,628 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the village was $14,611. About 12.6% of families and 16.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.5% of those under age 18 and 11.2% of those age 65 or over.
Public Education
Elementary and middle school students attend Summit District 104 schools, and then move on to Argo Community High SchoolArgo Community High School
Argo Community High School District 217 is a school located in Summit, Illinois, United States. The district draws students from the communities of Summit, Bedford Park, Bridgeview, Justice, Willow Springs, and a portion of Hickory Hills....
District 217.
Business and Industry
Corn Products InternationalCorn Products International
Corn Products International, Inc. is an Illinois-based refiner and processor of corn-based food additives and sweeteners. It operates factories in 15 countries.- Company :...
operates a corn milling and processing plant at 65th Street and Archer Avenue, in an area known as Argo. This facility is one of the largest of its kind in the world.
ACH Food Companies, Inc. operates a manufacturing and processing plant here for MAZOLA corn oil, KARO corn syrup and ARGO Baking Powder and Corn Starch.
The National Center for Food Safety and Technology is located adjacent to the Corn Products plant. It is affiliated with the Illinois Institute of Technology
Illinois Institute of Technology
Illinois Institute of Technology, commonly called Illinois Tech or IIT, is a private Ph.D.-granting university located in Chicago, Illinois, with programs in engineering, science, psychology, architecture, business, communications, industrial technology, information technology, design, and law...
and the Food and Drug Administration
Food and Drug Administration
The Food and Drug Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, one of the United States federal executive departments...
's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.
Frito-Lay
Frito-Lay
Frito-Lay North America is the division of PepsiCo that manufactures, markets and sells corn chips, potato chips and other snack foods. The primary snack food brands produced under the Frito-Lay name include Fritos corn chips, Cheetos cheese-flavored snacks, Doritos and Tostitos tortilla chips,...
has a zone office in Summit. Summit has also been the home of the Desplaines Valley News
Desplaines Valley News
The Desplaines Valley News is the self-proclaimed “newspaper of record” for the Southwest Suburban Chicago communities of Bedford Park, Bridgeview, Brookfield, Countryside, Hodgkins, Indian Head Park, Justice, La Grange Highlands, Lyons, McCook, Summit and Willow Springs...
newspaper since 1913.
Transportation
Summit's multimodal transportation network encompasses the following:- Stevenson ExpresswayStevenson ExpresswayThe Stevenson Expressway is the major Interstate highway leading southwest out of the city of Chicago in Illinois. It is signed as Interstate 55 for the entire length....
- Tri-State TollwayTri-State TollwayThe Tri-State Tollway is a U.S. toll road maintained by the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority in northeastern Illinois which is considered one of the most heavily traveled highways in the country...
- Chicago Midway International Airport (approximately 3 miles east)
- Argo Crossing Rail Junction - Indiana Harbor Belt RailroadIndiana Harbor Belt RailroadThe Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad is a Class III railroad in the United States. The line comprises of track—30 miles of single mainline track, of double-main track and of additional yard and side track—starting northwest of Chicago in Franklin Park, Illinois, traveling southeast...
/CSX and Canadian National RailwayCanadian National RailwayThe Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....
/Union Pacific RailroadUnion Pacific RailroadThe Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman.... - Summit (Amtrak station)Summit (Amtrak station)The Summit Amtrak station is a train station in Summit, Illinois, United States served by Amtrak, the national railroad passenger system, through Amtrak Illinois' Lincoln Service. The station also serves Metra's Heritage Corridor commuter line, which operates only during morning and evening rush...
and MetraMetraMetra is the commuter rail division of the Illinois Regional Transportation Authority. The system serves Chicago and its metropolitan area through 240 stations on 11 different rail lines. Throughout the 21st century, Metra has been the second busiest commuter rail system in the United States by...
Heritage CorridorHeritage CorridorThe Heritage Corridor Line is a commuter rail line provided and operated by Metra in Chicago, Illinois, and its surrounding suburbs. While Metra does not specifically refer to any of its lines by a particular color, the timetable accents for the Heritage Corridor line are printed in dark "Alton... - Chicago Transit AuthorityChicago Transit AuthorityChicago Transit Authority, also known as CTA, is the operator of mass transit within the City of Chicago, Illinois and some of its surrounding suburbs....
and PacePace (transit)Pace is the suburban bus division of the Regional Transportation Authority in the Chicago metropolitan area. It was created in 1983 by the RTA Act, which established the formula that provides funding to CTA, Metra and Pace. In 2010, Pace had 35.077 million riders. Pace's headquarters are in...
buses - Illinois and Michigan CanalIllinois and Michigan CanalThe Illinois and Michigan Canal ran from the Bridgeport neighborhood in Chicago on the Chicago River to LaSalle-Peru, Illinois, on the Illinois River. It was finished in 1848 when Chicago Mayor James Hutchinson Woodworth presided over its opening; and it allowed boat transportation from the Great...