Bridgeview is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is located approximately southwest of the Chicago Loop. As of the 2020 census, the village population was 17,027.

History The earliest European settlement in Bridgeview occurred in the 1830s, when the area was still populated by Native American groups. By the 1870s German and Italian settlers began moving into the area for farming purposes. Dutch migrated to the area by the 1920s, at which time farming began to decline; real estate and industry began to develop the area considerably. After Lake Michigan water became available to the area, the population grew significantly. The Bridgeview Community Club was founded in 1938 and became the center of local activities.

The first Palestinians arrived in the 1890s and by 2024, an area between Midway International Airport and a SeatGeek soccer stadium was home to "Little Palestine", the largest Palestinian enclave in the United States.

Bridgeview was incorporated in 1947 with an initial population of approximately 500 residents. Local residents chose the name "Bridgeview" by one vote over "Oketo", which remains a street name in the village today. The term "Bridgeview" connotes views of the area from the Harlem Avenue bridge, 79th Street bridge and 87th Street bridge.

Arab Americans are a growing presence, making up 10.8 percent of the population in 2020. In 1981, an Islamic social club was established and by 1984 it had become a mosque. Two Islamic schools in Bridgeview educate hundreds of students from K-12.

Bridgeview's motto is "A Well Balanced Community", as the village's zoning is divided equally into residential, commercial, and industrial areas. Its proximity to Chicago's Midway Airport and downtown, along with access to major highways, has made it a crossroads of the inner southwest suburbs.

The Fifth District Circuit Court of Cook County is located in Bridgeview near 103rd Street and 76th Avenue.

Geography According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Bridgeview has a total area of , all land.

The village has a roughly rectangular shape; its borders running north and south stagger between 8300 West and 6800 West, but can generally be defined as between Roberts Road and Harlem Avenue. The southern border of the town is 103rd Street between 76th Avenue and Harlem. The northern border is staggered between 6700 South on the west side of the rail tracks and 6900 South on the east side of the rail tracks.

Bridgeview borders the following communities: Bedford Park, Nottingham Park (unincorporated Cook County, often considered part of Chicago due to its 60638 ZIP codeNottingham Park, Illinois), Burbank, Oak Lawn, Chicago Ridge, Palos Hills, Hickory Hills and Justice.

Bridgeview is southwest of the Chicago Loop.

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition +Bridgeview village, Illinois – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 2000Pop 2010% 2000% 2010White alone (NH)12,58912,57411,28782.09%76.46%66.29%Black or African American alone (NH)1264506580.82%2.74%3.86%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)2511150.16%0.07%0.09%Asian alone (NH)3404895642.22%2.97%3.31%Pacific Islander alone (NH)0240.00%0.01%0.02%Other race alone (NH)8323670.54%0.14%0.39%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)7273194414.74%1.94%2.59%Hispanic or Latino (any race)1,4452,5783,9919.42%15.68%23.44%Total15,33516,44617,027100.00%100.00%100.00%

2020 census As of the 2020 census, Bridgeview had a population of 17,027. There were 3,807 families residing in the village. The median age was 37.9 years; 23.5% of residents were under the age of 18 and 15.9% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 101.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 99.8 males age 18 and over.

100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas. The population density was , and there were 6,156 housing units at an average density of . Of Bridgeview's housing units, 4.4% were vacant; the homeowner vacancy rate was 1.7% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.0%.

There were 5,888 households in Bridgeview, of which 34.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 49.1% were married-couple households, 19.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 25.7% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 25.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.27 and the average family size was 2.68.

Income and poverty The median income for a household in the village was $55,102, and the median income for a family was $64,281. Males had a median income of $40,097 versus $32,451 for females. The per capita income for the village was $26,074. About 11.5% of families and 14.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.0% of those under age 18 and 9.6% of those age 65 or over. Sports Bridgeview was the home of the Chicago Fire professional Major League Soccer team between 2006 and 2019, whose stadium was funded and operated by the village. SeatGeek Stadium is also home of the NISA's team, Chicago House AC, the Fire Reserves, the Chicago Red Stars of the National Women's Soccer League and the Chicago Hounds of Major League Rugby. Toyota Park hosted the 2006 Major League Soccer All-Star Game, and continues to be a premier venue for concerts and music festivals.

Government Bridgeview is in Illinois's 6th congressional district.

Education

Public elementary school districts serving Bridgeview include:"Schools." Village of Bridgeview. Retrieved on January 18, 2017. Indian Springs School District 109 Two Indian Springs schools are in the city limits: Bridgeview Elementary School and Lyle Elementary School.Home. Bridgeview Elementary School. Retrieved on January 18, 2017. "7800 South Thomas Bridgeview, IL 60455"Home. Lyle Elementary School. Retrieved on January 18, 2017. "7801 West 75th Street, Bridgeview, IL 60455" Cook County School District 104 North Palos School District 117 Residential areas of the North Palos School District section are zoned to Dorn Elementary School, Glen Oaks Elementary School, and Conrady Middle School; all three schools are in Hickory Hills."Zoning Map." Village of Bridgeview. Retrieved on January 19, 2017."Boundary Information." North Palos School District 117. Retrieved on January 19, 2017. Map of entire district and of Conrady Middle, Map of Dorn and Glen Oaks boundary Ridgeland School District 122 Residents are zoned to Lieb Elementary in Bridgeview and Simmons Middle School in Oak Lawn."Boundaries." Ridgeland School District 122. Retrieved on January 19, 2017.

High school districts: Argo Community High School (District 217) Oak Lawn Community High School (District 229) Consolidated High School District 230 Amos Alonzo Stagg High School serves the section of Bridgeview in District 230"Attendance Areas ." Consolidated High School District 230. Retrieved on January 19, 2017.

Private schools in Bridgeview: Aqsa School (Islamic K-12) Universal School (Islamic K-12)

K-8 private schools in the surrounding area: St. Albert the Great School (Burbank) St. Louis DeMontfort School (Oak Lawn) St. Patricia School (Hickory Hills) Zion Lutheran School (Summit)

Moraine Valley Community College serves area residents.

The Bridgeview Public Library serves residents of the village."Public Services." Village of Brigeview. Retrieved on January 19, 2017.

Transportation Pace provides bus service on multiple routes connecting Bridgeview to destinations across the Southland.

Notable people

Mark Barnett, a former professional motocross racer. Brent Bowers, a former MLB outfielderBrent Bowers Baseball Stats by Baseball Almanac Retrieved February 18, 2017. Steven Landek, current mayor of Bridgeview and Illinois State Senator from 2011 to 2023 Todd Rogers, video game player; former residentChicago Native to be Inducted into Video Game Hall of Fame Retrieved February 18, 2017.

References

External links