Editing Ford Heights, Illinois

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
<!-- See Template:Infobox settlement for additional fields and descriptions -->
| name                    = Ford Heights, Illinois
| settlement_type         = [[Village]]
| image_skyline           = 
| image_alt               = 
| image_caption           = 
| image_flag              = Flag of Ford Heights, Illinois.png
| flag_alt                = 
| image_seal              = Ford Heights Seal.png
| seal_alt                = 
| image_shield            = 
| shield_alt              = 
| nickname                = 
| motto                   = 
| image_map = File:Cook County Illinois Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Ford Heights Highlighted.svg
| mapsize = 260px
| map_caption = Location of Ford Heights in Cook County, Illinois.
| pushpin_map = United States Chicago metropolitan area#Illinois#USA
| pushpin_relief = yes
| pushpin_label = Ford Heights
| coordinates             = {{coord|41|30|33|N|87|35|17|W|display=inline,title}}
| coor_pinpoint           = 
| coordinates_footnotes   = 
| subdivision_type        = Country
| subdivision_name        = {{US}}
| subdivision_type1       = State
| subdivision_name1       = Illinois
| subdivision_type2       = [[County (United States)|County]]
| subdivision_name2       = [[Cook County, Illinois|Cook]]
| subdivision_type3       = [[Civil township|Township]]
| subdivision_name3       = [[Bloom Township, Cook County, Illinois|Bloom]]
| established_title       = [[Municipal corporation|Incorporated]]
| established_date        = 1949
| founder                 = 
| seat_type               = 
| seat                    = 
| government_footnotes    = 
| government_type         = 
| leader_party            = 
| leader_title            = [[Mayor]]
| leader_name             = vacant
| leader_title1           = 
| leader_name1            = 
| unit_pref               = Imperial
| area_footnotes          = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020">{{cite web|title=2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_17.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=March 15, 2022}}</ref>
| area_urban_footnotes    = <!-- <ref> </re> -->
| area_rural_footnotes    = <!-- <ref> </re> -->
| area_metro_footnotes    = <!-- <ref> </re> -->
| area_magnitude          = <!-- use only to set a special wikilink -->
| area_note               = 
| area_water_percent      = 0
| area_rank               = 
| area_blank1_title       = 
| area_blank2_title       = <!-- square miles -->
| area_total_sq_mi        = 1.95
| area_land_sq_mi         = 1.95
| area_water_sq_mi        = 0.00
| area_urban_sq_mi        = 
| area_rural_sq_mi        = 
| area_metro_sq_mi        = 
| area_blank1_sq_mi       = 
| area_blank2_sq_mi       = <!-- acres -->
| area_total_acre         = 
| area_land_acre          = 
| area_water_acre         = 
| area_urban_acre         = 
| area_rural_acre         = 
| area_metro_acre         = 
| area_blank1_acre        = 
| area_blank2_acre        = 
| length_mi               = 
| width_mi                = 
| dimensions_footnotes    = 
| elevation_footnotes     = 
| elevation_ft            = 
| population_footnotes    = 
| population_total        = 1813
| population_as_of        = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_density_sq_mi = 931.65
| population_demonym      = 
| population_note         = 
| timezone1               = 
| utc_offset1             = 
| timezone1_DST           = 
| utc_offset1_DST         = 
| postal_code_type        = [[ZIP code|<span style="white-space:nowrap;">ZIP code(s)</span>]]
| postal_code             = 60411
| area_code_type          = [[North American Numbering Plan|<span style="white-space:nowrap;">Area code(s)</span>]]
| area_code               = 708
| iso_code                = 
| geocode                 = 26710
| website                 = {{URL|http://www.villageoffordheights.com/}}
| footnotes               = <!-- demographics (section 1) -->
| demographics_type1      = Standard of living ([[American Community Survey|2007–11]])
| demographics1_footnotes = 
| demographics1_title1    = [[Per capita income]]
| demographics1_info1     = $12,217
| demographics1_title2    = [[Real estate appraisal|Median home value]]
| demographics1_info2     = $80,200
|pop_est_as_of = 
|pop_est_footnotes = 
|population_est = 
|blank_name = [[Federal Information Processing Standards|FIPS code]]
|blank_info = 17-26710
|area_total_km2 = 5.04
|area_land_km2 = 5.04
|area_water_km2 = 0.00
|population_density_km2 = 359.65
}}

'''Ford Heights''' (formerly '''East Chicago Heights''') is a village in [[Cook County, Illinois]], United States. The population was 1,813 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ford Heights village, Illinois|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=1600000US1726710|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]|accessdate=January 26, 2022}}</ref> A suburb of [[Chicago]], many of the area's first settlers were [[African American]] and since its incorporation in 1949 the village has remained predominantly Black. Due to the lack of commercial activity and financial stability, the village has declined over the years. [[Urban renewal]] efforts were attempted in the 1960s, although the village has continued to decline.

==Geography==
Ford Heights is located at {{coord|41.509285|-87.587938|type:city_region:US|format=dms|display=inline}}.<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=April 23, 2011|date=February 12, 2011|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}</ref>

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Ford Heights has a total area of {{convert|1.95|sqmi|km2|2}}, all land.<ref name="gaz2021">{{Cite web |publisher=United States Census Bureau |title=Gazetteer Files |url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html |access-date=June 29, 2022 |website=Census.gov}}</ref> The village lies on the edge of the [[Tinley Moraine]].

===Surrounding areas===
<div style= width:500px;">
:{{pad|18em}} [[Glenwood, Illinois|Glenwood]] 
:{{pad|10em}} [[Chicago Heights, Illinois|Chicago Heights]] [[Image:Up arrow left.svg|20px]] [[Image:Up-1.svg|30px]] [[Image:Up arrow right.svg|20px]] [[Lynwood, Illinois|Lynwood]]
:{{pad|9.5em}} [[Chicago Heights, Illinois|Chicago Heights]] [[Image:Left.svg|30px]] {{pad|1.5em}}[[Image:Right.svg|30px]] [[Lynwood, Illinois|Lynwood]]
:{{pad|10em}} [[Chicago Heights, Illinois|Chicago Heights]] [[Image:Down arrow left.svg|20px]] [[Image:Down arrow.svg|30px]] [[Image:Down arrow right.svg|20px]] [[Sauk Village, Illinois|Sauk Village]]
:{{pad|18em}} [[Sauk Village, Illinois|Sauk Village]]
</div>

==History==
The area that would eventually become Ford Heights was first settled in the late 1840s.<ref name="EncyclopediaChicago">{{cite encyclopedia | url = http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/472.html | title = Ford Heights, IL | encyclopedia = Encyclopedia of Chicago | access-date = March 18, 2009}}</ref> It served as a stopping point on the [[Underground Railroad]] for runaway slaves fleeing to freedom.<ref name="VillageofFordHeights">[http://www.fordheights.org/Vil_Hall/history.html History] – Village of Ford Heights, Illinois, USA. Accessed March 18, 2009.</ref><ref>[http://webserve.govst.edu/cscc/comms/comfiles/ford_hts/ford_hts.html The Chicago Southland Communities: Ford Heights] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050920161826/http://webserve.govst.edu/cscc/comms/comfiles/ford_hts/ford_hts.html |date=September 20, 2005 }} – Chicago Southland Chamber of Commerce. Accessed March 18, 2009.</ref> By the early 20th century, the area had developed into an agricultural community of farms operated mostly by [[Polish people|Poles]], [[Lithuanian people|Lithuanians]], and [[Italian people|Italians]]. After [[World War I]], [[African American]]s from the [[Southern United States|Southern U.S.]] migrated to the area and worked on the farms.

A new subdivision known as the "Park Addition" was created on a farm road from [[Chicago Heights, Illinois|Chicago Heights]] to [[Indiana]], and it attracted residents to the area during the early 1920s. In 1924, 40 families successfully petitioned for electrical service. Soon after, the main east–west road became a two-lane concrete highway designated as [[U.S. Route 30]], part of the transcontinental [[Lincoln Highway]]. By the 1930s, the Park Addition had telephone service and was known as East Chicago Heights.<ref name="EncyclopediaChicago"/> During the 1940s, Alberta Armstrong and others organized both black and white women in the community to raise funds for a new fire truck. By 1948, they had become the East Chicago Heights Citizens Association.<ref name="EncyclopediaChicago"/>

East Chicago Heights was incorporated as a village in 1949.<ref name="VillageofFordHeights"/> The first mayor was Charlie Williams.<ref>{{cite book|url=http://www.idaillinois.org/digital/collection/bb/id/8992/rec/33|first=|last=|authorlink=|title=Illinois blue book, 1951-1952|pages=708 |publisher=[[State of Illinois]]|date=|isbn=}}</ref> In the [[1950 United States census|1950 census]], 1,548 people lived in the village – 76.9% of whom were black. The Ford Motor Company opened a stamping plant adjacent to the village in 1956. The company offered minorities an equal opportunity for well-paying jobs, and East Chicago Heights developed into a [[blue-collar]] community inhabited mostly by middle-class black families whose housing choices in suburban Chicago were severely limited at that time.<ref name="VillageofFordHeights"/> The village's population more than doubled to 3,270 by 1960. That growth continued throughout the decade, with one of the biggest successes being the Sunnyfield subdivision, which opened in 1964 and became one of the most popular neighborhoods in East Chicago Heights.<ref name="EncyclopediaChicago"/>

Towards the end of the 1960s, over {{convert|60|acre}} of housing deemed substandard were cleared and replaced by federally subsidized [[Public housing in the United States|public housing]]. These developments attracted lower income residents to East Chicago Heights, which strained the village's resources, already limited by little commercial activity and a small tax base.<ref name="EncyclopediaChicago"/> The population rose to 5,000 in 1970 and peaked at 5,347 in 1980. In an attempt to annex the unincorporated site of the Ford Stamping Plant, the village of East Chicago Heights changed its name to Ford Heights in 1987. The move was unsuccessful, and the land eventually was annexed by the neighboring city of [[Chicago Heights, Illinois|Chicago Heights]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia | url = http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/238.html | title = Suburbs and Cities as a Dual Metropolis | encyclopedia = Encyclopedia of Chicago | access-date = March 18, 2009}}</ref>

Often viewed as one of Chicago's most impoverished suburbs and at one point the poorest suburb in the United States,<ref>{{cite web | url = https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE2DB103FF933A05757C0A961948260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all | title = The View from Poorest U.S. Suburb | author = Dirk Johnson |work=[[The New York Times]] | date = April 30, 1987 | access-date = September 15, 2008}}</ref> Ford Heights has experienced high levels of political corruption, decaying infrastructure, and an elevated crime rate. In 2008, the [[Cook County Sheriff's Department]] took over law enforcement duties for the village.<ref>{{cite news|title=Ford Heights loses police dept.|url=https://abc7chicago.com/archive/6095027/|agency=ABC7 News|date=April 21, 2008}}</ref> Between 1980 and 2020, the population of Ford Heights declined by more than 66%.

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1950= 1548
|1960= 3270
|1970= 5000
|1980= 5347
|1990= 4259
|2000= 3456
|2010= 2763
|2020= 1813
|align-fn=center
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/decade.html|title=Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades|publisher=[[US Census Bureau]]|access-date=}}</ref><br> 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2/> 2020<ref name=2020CensusP2/>
}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+'''Ford Heights, Illinois – Racial and ethnic composition'''<br><small>{{nobold|''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.''}}</small>
!Race / Ethnicity <small>(''NH = Non-Hispanic'')</small>
!Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>{{Cite web|title=P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Ford Heights village, Illinois |url=https://data.census.gov/table?g=1600000US1726710&tid=DECENNIALSF12000.P004|website=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=January 26, 2024}}</ref>
!Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Ford Heights village, Illinois|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=1600000US1726710&tid=DECENNIALPL2010.P2|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!{{partial|Pop 2020}}<ref name=2020CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Ford Heights village, Illinois|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=1600000US1726710&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!% 2000
!% 2010
!{{partial|% 2020}}
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino whites|White]] alone (NH)
|47
|40
|style='background: #ffffe6; |44
|1.36%
|1.45%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.43%
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino African Americans|Black or African American]] alone (NH)
|3,296
|2,635
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,651
|95.37%
|95.37%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |91.06%
|-
|[[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] or [[Alaska Native]] alone (NH)
|1
|6
|style='background: #ffffe6; |7
|0.03%
|0.22%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.39%
|-
|[[Asian Americans|Asian]] alone (NH)
|3
|3
|style='background: #ffffe6; |4
|0.09%
|0.11%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.22%
|-
|[[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]] alone (NH)
|0
|0
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0
|0.00%
|0.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.00%
|-
|[[Race and ethnicity in the United States census|Other race]] alone (NH)
|1
|0
|style='background: #ffffe6; |3
|0.03%
|0.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.17%
|-
|[[Multiracial Americans|Mixed race or Multiracial]] (NH)
|21
|37
|style='background: #ffffe6; |37
|0.61%
|1.34%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.04%
|-
|[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] (any race)
|87
|42
|style='background: #ffffe6; |67
|2.52%
|1.52%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.70%
|-
|'''Total'''
|'''3,456'''
|'''2,763'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''1,813'''
|'''100.00%'''
|'''100.00%'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''100.00%'''
|}

As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Explore Census Data |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=1600000US1726710 |access-date=June 28, 2022 |website=data.census.gov}}</ref> there were 1,813 people, 885 households, and 567 families residing in the village. The population density was {{Convert|931.65|PD/sqmi|PD/km2}}. There were 692 housing units at an average density of {{Convert|355.60|/sqmi|/km2}}. The racial makeup of the village was 91.73% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 2.81% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.50% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.22% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.00% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 2.04% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 2.70% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 3.70% of the population.

There were 885 households, out of which 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 13.33% were married couples living together, 42.82% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.93% were non-families. 30.51% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.67% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 4.05 and the average family size was 3.06.

The village's age distribution consisted of 24.6% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 28.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.9 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $37,083, and the median income for a family was $40,082. Males had a median income of $22,263 versus $33,819 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the village was $17,494. About 36.9% of families and 37.8% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 66.2% of those under age 18 and 18.1% of those age 65 or over.

==Government==
[[File:US 30 in Ford Heights, Illinois.jpg|thumb|right|320px|[[US 30]] in Ford Heights]]
Ford Heights is in [[Illinois's 2nd congressional district]].

===Mayors of Ford Heights===
{| class="toccolours collapsible collapsed" width=60% align="left"
|-
! style="background:#F5DEB3"|  <small>Mayors of Ford Heights, Illinois</small>
|-
|
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! Number
! Image
! Mayor
! Years
! Notes
|- style="height:2em"
|-
| 1
|
| Charlie (Charley) Williams †
| 1949–1952
| First mayor of East Chicago Heights<ref>{{Cite news|first= Nicholas|last=Veronico |authorlink=   |title= Group Plans to Secede from Village  |newspaper=[[The Chicago Tribune]]|date= April 7, 1949|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune/128112258/|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=http://www.idaillinois.org/digital/collection/bb/id/8983/rec/33|first=|last=|authorlink=|title=Illinois blue book, 1951-1952|pages=699 |publisher=[[State of Illinois]]|date=|isbn=}}</ref><br> 
Elected January 11, 1949, to a 4-year term<ref name=WilliamsDead>{{Cite news|first= |last= |authorlink=   |title= President of East heights Dead at 49  |newspaper=[[The Chicago Heights Star]]|date=February 5, 1952 |url= https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-chicago-heights-star/128113767/|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref><br> Died February 2, 1952, while in office.<ref name=WilliamsDead/><br>Special election held in April 1952.<ref name=WilliamsDeath>{{Cite news|first= |last= |authorlink=   |title=Harvey Adair To Run For Mayor OF East heights   |newspaper=[[The Chicago Heights Star]]|date=March 25, 1952 |url= https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-chicago-heights-star/128110761/|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>
|-
|2
| [[File:Reverand Theodore McMillan, mayor of East Chicago Heights.jpg|100px]]
| Theodore McMillan
| 1952–1953<br> 1953–1957<br> 1957–1961
| Won special election to complete term of Mayor Williams<ref name=WilliamsDeath/><br> Won election in April 1953 to a full term<ref>{{Cite news|first= |last= |authorlink=   |title=Incumbernts Elected in So. Heights   |newspaper=[[The Chicago Heights Star]]|date=April 24, 1953 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-chicago-heights-star/128111855/ |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=http://www.idaillinois.org/digital/collection/bb/id/9880/rec/10|first=|last=|authorlink=|title=Illinois blue book, 1953-1954|pages=720 |publisher=[[State of Illinois]]|date=|isbn=}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=http://www.idaillinois.org/digital/collection/bb/id/11638|first=|last=|authorlink=|title=Illinois blue book, 1955-1956|pages=750 |publisher=[[State of Illinois]]|date=|isbn=}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=http://www.idaillinois.org/digital/collection/bb/id/32359/rec/18|first=|last=|authorlink=|title=Illinois blue book, 1957-1958|pages=895 |publisher=[[State of Illinois]]|date=|isbn=}}</ref>
|-
|3
|
| Luvert Listenbee
| 1961–1965<br> 1965–1969<br> 1969–1973
| <ref>{{Cite news|first=Paul |last= McGrath|authorlink=   |title= Outlook Brighter for "Poorest Town"  |newspaper=[[The Chicago Tribune]]|date=March 13, 1966 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune/128143024/ |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>
|-
|4
| [[File:Saul Beck, mayor of Ford Heights (1985).jpg|100px]]
| Saul Beck<br> (1st term)
| 1973–1977<br>1977–1981  <br> 1981–1985<br> 1985–1989    
| <ref>{{Cite news|first= |last= |authorlink=   |title= Beck Takes Office, Names Committees  |newspaper=[[The Chicago Heights Star]]|date=May 6, 1973 |url=https://www.newspaperarchive.com/politics-clipping-may-06-1973-3976788/ |via=[[NewspaperArchive.com]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|first= |last= |authorlink=   |title=East Heights mayor faces two challengers in election contest |newspaper=[[The Chicago Heights Star]]|date= March 24, 1985|url=https://www.newspaperarchive.com/other-articles-clipping-mar-24-1985-4692721/ |via=[[NewspaperArchive.com]]|pages=[https://www.newspaperarchive.com/other-articles-clipping-mar-24-1985-4692721/ A1], [https://www.newspaperarchive.com/politics-clipping-mar-24-1985-4692736/ A14] |archive-url=| archive-date=}}</ref><ref name=Bid>{{Cite news|first= |last= |authorlink=   |title=  6 mayors lose in bid for reelection |newspaper=[[The Chicago Tribune]]|date= April 6, 1989|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune/128144310/ |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>
|-
| 5
| [[File:Gloria Bryant, Mayor of Ford Heights.jpg|100px]]
| Gloria Bryant
| 1989–1993
| <ref name=Bid/><ref>{{Cite news|first= |last= |authorlink=   |title= Dist. 169 to Name Two Board Members  |newspaper=[[The Chicago Heights Star]]|date= April 10, 1975|url=https://www.newspaperarchive.com/politics-clipping-apr-10-1975-4692494/ |via=[[NewspaperArchive.com]]|archive-url=| archive-date=}}</ref>
|-
| (4)
| [[File:Saul Beck, mayor of Ford Heights (1985).jpg|100px]]
| Saul Beck <br> (2nd term)
| 1993–1997<br> 1997–2001<br> 2001–2005<br> 2005–2009
| <ref>{{Cite news|first= |last= |authorlink=   |title=  Chicago Suburb is a Definition of Poor |newspaper=[[The Belleville News-Democrat]]|date=May 26, 1987 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-belleville-news-democrat/128096127/ |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>
|-
| 6
| 
| Charles R. Griffin<br> (1st term)
| 2009–2017
| <ref>{{Cite news|first=Lolly |last=Bowean |authorlink=   |title= 6 mayors apparently shown door  |newspaper=[[The Chicago Tribune]]|date=April 10, 2009|url= https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune/128146988/|via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|first= Austin|last= Berg|authorlink=   |title= One of the state's poorest communities is already facing enormous financial pressures.  |newspaper=illinoispolicy.org|date=August 23, 2018 |url= https://www.illinoispolicy.org/ford-heights-ex-mayor-charged-with-stealing-150k-from-village/|via=}}</ref>
|-
| 7
| 
| Annie Coulter
| 2017–2021
|<ref>{{Cite news|first=Giavonni |last= Nickson |authorlink=   |title= Ford Heights Mayor Annie Coulter Seeks Re-Election  |newspaper=[[The Southland Journal]]|date=March 21, 2021 |url=https://thesouthlandjournal.com/ford-heights-mayor-annie-coulter-seeks-re-election/ |via=}}</ref>
|-
| (6)
|
| Charles R. Griffin<br> (2nd term)
| 2021 – September 25, 2024
|<ref>{{Cite news|first= Tammy|last= Gibson|authorlink=   |title= Illinois Election Results and History Made in the South Suburbs.  |newspaper=[[Chicago Defender]]|date=April 8, 2021 |url= https://chicagodefender.com/illinois-election-results-and-history-made-in-the-south-suburbs/|via=}}</ref><br> Resigned effective September 25, 2024 after conviction for corruption.<ref>{{Cite news|first= Robert|last=Herguth |authorlink=   |title=  Days after his conviction on corruption charges, Ford Heights mayor says he's stepping down |newspaper=[[Chicago Sun-Times]]|date= September 27, 2024|url= https://chicago.suntimes.com/the-watchdogs/2024/09/27/ford-heights-mayor-charles-griffin-resigned-embezzlement-south-suburb|via=|archive-url=| archive-date=}}</ref>
|-
|-
| 8
|
| Freddie Wilson<br> (acting)
| September 28, 2024 –
|<ref>{{Cite news|first= Evelyn|last= Holmes|authorlink=   |title=Ford Heights appoints acting mayor after former mayor resigns over theft, misconduct convictions|newspaper=[[WLS-TV]]|date=September 28, 2024 |url= https://abc7chicago.com/post/ford-heights-village-board-appoints-acting-mayor-after-former-charles-griffin-resigns-theft-misconduct-conviction/15369141/|via=}}</ref>
|-
|}
|}
{{clear}}

==Education==
Public education in the village of Ford Heights is provided by [[Ford Heights School District 169]] and [[Bloom Township High School District 206]]: Ford Heights School District 169 operates two campuses: [https://web.archive.org/web/20090502044959/http://www.fordheights169.org/medgar_evers/ Medgar Evers Primary Academic Center (grades PK-4)] and [https://web.archive.org/web/20090414111110/http://www.fordheights169.org/cottage_grove/ Cottage Grove Upper Grade Center (grades 5-8)]. High school students in Ford Heights attend [[Bloom Trail High School]], which is part of Bloom Township High School District 206.

==Transportation==
[[Pace (transit)|Pace]] provides bus service on routes 357 and 358 connecting Ford Heights to Chicago Heights and other destinations across the [[Chicago Southland|Southland]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rtachicago.org/uploads/files/general/RTA-System-Map.pdf|title=RTA System Map|access-date=January 31, 2024}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090106034855/http://www2.illinoisbiz.biz/communityprofiles/profiles/FORDHEIGHTS.HTM Ford Heights Community Profile] - Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity

{{Cook County, Illinois}}
{{Chicagoland}}

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[[Category:Ford Heights, Illinois| ]]
[[Category:Villages in Cook County, Illinois]]
[[Category:Chicago metropolitan area]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1924]]
[[Category:1924 establishments in Illinois]]
[[Category:Underground Railroad in Illinois]]
[[Category:1949 establishments in Illinois]]
[[Category:Majority-minority cities and towns in Cook County, Illinois]]
[[Category:Villages in Illinois]]