Olympia Fields is noteworthy as one of the wealthiest and best educated, majority African-American communities in the United States.[3] The village's zip code (60461) is one of three majority African American communities which rank among the top five percent in the U.S. for median household income and share of adults with college degrees,[4] and Olympia Fields also has the highest black homeownership rate in the country among majority-black municipalities.[5]
History
The area that comprises the village today was once farmland managed by immigrant families during the 1830s. The Illinois Central Railroad began serving the area in the 1850s, which fostered population and economic growth during that era.
In 1893, the Columbian Exposition opened in Chicago, and southern Cook County became an increasingly popular retreat for busy Chicagoans. By 1913, the area's lush woodlands and rolling terrain convinced a group of investors led by Charles Beach to establish a golf course catering to Chicago's wealthy elite. Beach and his friend James Gardner developed a magnificent 72-hole golf course and country club, chartered in 1915 as Olympia Fields Country Club. Amos Alonzo Stagg, the famed football coach of the University of Chicago, became the Club's first president. The name "Olympia" was proposed by Stagg. The word "Fields" was added because it aptly described the young community's pastoral terrain.
In the early 20th century, golf and the resort atmosphere in the area south of Chicago became so popular that some families lived in canvas-covered "cottages" during the summer months, while others built more permanent homes on the western side of the railroad tracks beginning as early as 1919. The clubhouse, built in 1924, is on the National Register of Historic Places. The golf course is considered one of the finest in the nation. It was home to the 1928 and 2003 U.S. Open, the 1925 and 1961 PGA Championship, the 1997 U.S. Senior Open, the 1927, 1933 and 1968 Western Open, the 2015 U.S. Amateur Championship, the 2017 Women's PGA Championship and the 2020 BMW Championship.
The country club's founder, Charles Beach, organized the effort to incorporate the residential areas around the Country Club as a municipality, and in 1927, the Village of Olympia Fields was created with Beach as its first president. His home, built to reflect the design and character of the Country Club, still stands at the southwest corner of Kedzie Avenue and 203rd Street. Today, the grounds of the Country Club remain unincorporated, outside the jurisdiction of the Olympia Fields village government.
Olympia Fields has received the Tree City USA award for many years of having demonstrated a commitment to caring for and managing the village's public trees.[6]
According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Olympia Fields has a total area of 2.94 square miles (7.61 km2), of which 2.94 square miles (7.61 km2) (or 99.86%) is land and 0.00 square miles (0.00 km2) (or 0.14%) is water.[8]
As of the 2020 census[2] there were 4,718 people, 1,960 households, and 1,157 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,603.13 inhabitants per square mile (618.97/km2). There were 1,929 housing units at an average density of 655.45 per square mile (253.07/km2). The racial makeup of the village was 78.06% African American, 15.15% White, 0.34% Native American, 1.46% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 1.48% from other races, and 3.50% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.12% of the population.
There were 1,960 households, out of which 24.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.97% were married couples living together, 7.81% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.97% were non-families. 36.99% of all households were made up of individuals, and 31.94% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.43 and the average family size was 2.51.
The village's age distribution consisted of 20.3% under the age of 18, 11.8% from 18 to 24, 15.2% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 31.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 81.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.5 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $93,350, and the median income for a family was $111,458. Males had a median income of $65,609 versus $36,773 for females. The per capita income for the village was $46,882. About 2.1% of families and 7.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.9% of those under age 18 and 12.5% of those age 65 or over.
Olympia Fields, Illinois – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
Pace provides bus service on Route 357 connecting Olympia Fields to destinations across the Southland.[13]
Education
While the majority of the village is served by Arcadia Elementary School in Olympia Fields, a small portion of the village is served by Western Avenue Elementary School in Flossmoor.
Although most of Olympia Fields' students attend Arcadia (K-3) through third grade, school assignments get confusing from there. The Arcadia students head to Indiana School (grades 4-6) in Park Forest, O.W. Huth Middle School (grades 7-8) in Matteson, then back to Olympia Fields for high school. Students from Graymoor and The Greens neighborhoods go to school in Flossmoor. Students who live in the Greens attend Flossmoor schools until eighth grade, then attend Rich Central for High School. Students who live in Graymoor attend Flossmoor schools from kindergarten until twelfth grade. The Wysteria neighborhood students study in Chicago Heights.[14]
Students from Olympia Fields attend six different public school districts: Elementary Districts 161, 162 and 170 and High School Districts 206, 227 and 233.[15]
Flossmoor School District 161 (Western Avenue Elementary School) encompasses Graymoor and The Greens residents only
Flossmoor School District 161 (Parker Junior High School) encompasses Graymoor and The Greens residents only
Matteson School District 162 (Arcadia and Indiana Elementary Schools) includes all of Olympia Fields, except for Graymoor, Wysteria and the Greens
Matteson School District 162 (O.W. Huth Middle School) includes all of Olympia Fields, except for Graymoor, Wysteria and the Greens
Matteson School District 162 (Illinois School) includes all of Olympia Fields, except for Graymoor, Wysteria and the Greens
Rich Township High School District 227 (Rich Central High School) includes all of Olympia Fields, except for Graymoor and Wysteria.
Rich Township High School District 227 (Southland College Preparatory Charter High School) includes all of Olympia Fields, except for Graymoor and Wysteria. Southland College Prep was formed in 2010 by Dr. Blondean Y. Davis. Southland College Prep is a public charter school open to any student in grades 9-12 who resides within Rich Township High School District 227. Southland College Prep operates on a European-Asian school model nine-hour school day from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. five days a week. The college prep curriculum is rigorous with a strong emphasis on math, science, technology, language and fine arts. After-school extra-curricular activities include sports, speech and forensics, band, orchestra, chorus, dance and service projects. Students earn 30 credit hours; eight more than are typically required of traditional high school graduates.
Chicago Heights School District 170 (Kennedy School) for Wysteria residents only
Chicago Heights School District 170 (Chicago Heights Middle School) for Wysteria residents only
Bloom Township High School District 206 (Bloom High School) for Wysteria residents only
Nearby Private Schools
Marian Catholic High School is a co-educational, college preparatory 9-12 secondary school in Chicago Heights, Illinois. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago
Infant Jesus of Prague School is a co-educational, Roman Catholic K-8 school operated by the Infant Jesus of Prague Parish in Flossmoor. IJP, as the school is known, is a two-time winner of the U.S. Department of Education's Blue Ribbon Award.
Church of the Nazarene Nursery School and Kindergarten is a co-educational, Christian nursery school and kindergarten serving children from ages six weeks to six years during the normal school year and up to the age of twelve years during the summer program.
Colleges & Universities
Prairie State College is a community college in Chicago Heights that offers associate degrees in several areas of study, including liberal arts, business, and vocational training.
Governors State University is also within a short drive from the village. GSU offers a wide variety of programs and curriculums.
Other nearby colleges and university include Joliet Junior College, South Suburban College, Trinity Christian College, Lewis University, as well as Chicago's many institutions of higher education.
The METRA train service has two stations in the Village which makes for easy access to many universities located in Chicago. The average commute to downtown Chicago from Olympia Fields is 45 minutes. From there, bus service is available to most locations.[15]
Nnedi Okorafor, a Nigerian-American writer of fantasy, science fiction, and speculative fiction; winner of World Fantasy Award for Best Novel and the Wole Soyinka Prize for African Literature
