Lyons, Illinois

Lyons is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 10,255 at the 2000 census.

Notoriety

Lyons was and is still known for its notorious links to organized crime up until the late 1980s. Mayor William Smith, for whom a village park was named, was being subjected to a federal corruption investigation when he abruptly died from cancer. The small town was littered with strip clubs and bars along its Ogden Avenue corridor. Today, it is a working class area, though much of the nearby manufacturing work has dried up (e.g., Electro-Motive & Reynolds).

Geography

Lyons is located at 41°48′48″N 87°49′19″W (41.813258, -87.821812)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 5.8 km² (2.2 mi²). 5.7 km² (2.2 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (2.22%) is water.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 10,255 people, 4,032 households, and 2,556 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,791.6/km² (4,646.8/mi²). There were 4,219 housing units at an average density of 737.1/km² (1,911.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the village was 86.89% White, 1.00% African American, 0.24% Native American, 1.39% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 6.86% from other races, and 3.57% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 16.27% of the population.

There were 4,032 households out of which 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.8% were married couples living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.6% were non-families. 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.21.

In the village the population was spread out with 24.2% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 32.7% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 13.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 99.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.3 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $44,306, and the median income for a family was $51,384. Males had a median income of $37,076 versus $28,627 for females. The per capita income for the village was $20,172. About 4.4% of families and 6.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.6% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Lyons is in Illinois' 3rd congressional district.

Education

Lyons is served by the Lyons School District 103 and the J. Sterling Morton High School District 201's J. Sterling Morton West High School.

Lyons operates the Lyons Public Library.

External links

• Lyons Public Library

• Lyons, by Mark Athitakis, a photographic history of the town