Ironically, there’s no country club in Country Club Hills. Rather, the town’s name stands a simple ode to the calm atmosphere such destinations evoke and the recognition of nearby golf courses and country clubs.
What the city lacks in its name, however, is more than made up for in its vision.
The City of Country Club Hills has its roots in the mind of Joseph E. Merrion, a Chicago-based housing developer, who began building homes near Cicero Avenue and 183rd Street in 1955 with the middle-class homeowner in mind.
Merrion’s subdivisions, characterized by wide lots on curvy streets, attracted immediate attention from prospective buyers as well as the national media—American Home magazine, in fact, honored Merrion for providing among the best home buys in the Midwest. Today that legacy persists in Country Club Hills, a town located 23 miles south of the Loop and inhabited by over 16,000 residents.
The community’s four square miles are almost completely blanketed by residential dwellings much as Merrion and his later colleagues envisioned. And much like Merrion’s first homes, the typical Country Club Hills home remains a solid middle-class residence—two-story abodes with 3-4 bedrooms, two bathrooms, two-car garages, and a private backyard.
Current-day homebuyers looking to build sweat equity will find such homes under $200,000 while those seeking a home in move-in condition will find prices hovering near $250,000. Newer residential subdivisions, meanwhile, have prices rising into the $400,000s.
“Country Club Hills has homes that go up to the $600,000 mark, but overall it’s a community that’s much more affordable than others in the Southland,” said DeShawna Wilson, a Re/Max real estate agent based in Country Club Hills.
Commercial developments seeped into the village slowly at first. It wasn’t until 1961 that the city issued its first commercial building permit and not until 1963 that a grocery store opened.
In recent years, however, Country Club Hills has set its eyes on both economic and civic development. The city now has the region’s largest Wal-Mart store and remains focused on developing the so-called Gatling Square Mile, an undeveloped 400-acre plot that is among Chicagoland’s largest open parcels. Recent years have also witnessed the opening of the Country Club Hills Amphitheatre, dubbed by some as “The Ravinia of the South Side,” and renovated community parks.
Students in Country Club Hills attend the city’s one public high school, Hillcrest High, which opened in 1967. An accomplished athletics program and recognized band are rallying points at the 1,400-student school, which has an average class size of 17, and a graduation rate of 91 percent, a full five points above the state average.
What residents say
“Country Club Hills is a safe community with a magnificent police department and community service officers who patrol the neighborhoods and shopping centers. Plus, it’s beautiful aesthetically with flower planters all throughout the village and everybody’s home kept up well.”
--Wanda Comein, 40-year resident of Country Club Hills
“My husband and I found Country Club Hills to have affordable housing and a home-like feel. It’s amazing how the community and city officials come out for events like the ward picnics, the baseball leagues parade, the Spring Fling, or the 4th of July fireworks. We like being a part of a city that’s moving forward and there’s no way we’re leaving now.”
--Vania Perkins, moved to Country Club Hills in 2003
City of Country Club Hills
4200 W. 183rd St.
708-798-2616
Official Web site: http://www.countryclubhills.org/
Local newspaper: The Star: Country Club Hills, Hazel Crest
Country Club Hills Chamber of Commerce
http://www.countryclubhillschamber.org/
708-798-2616
Population: 16,169
Median household income: $57,701
Median house price: $109,400
- Hispanic origin (any race): 2%
- 15%
- 83%
- 1%
- 1%
- White
- Black
- Asian
- Other
- 10%
- 44%
- 39%
- 7%
- No diploma
- High school
- Bachelor's
- Master's & above
- 1%
- 5%
- 9%
- 11%
- 9%
- 3%
- 13%
- 2%
- 5%
- 16%
- 19%
- 5%
- 2%
- <5
- 5-9
- 10-14
- 15-19
- 20-24
- 25-29
- 30-34
- 35-39
- 40-44
- 45-59
- 60-89
- 90+
- Work@home
