Crete, Illinois

For other uses, see Crete (disambiguation).

Crete
Village
Motto:  "Gateway to the Southland"
Location of Crete in Will County, Illinois.
Location of Illinois in the United States
Coordinates: 41°27′21″N87°37′8″W / 41.45583°N 87.61889°W / 41.45583; -87.61889
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	Will
Founded	1836
Founded by	Dyantha and Willard Wood
Government
• Mayor	Michael Einhorn
Area [1]
• Total	9.47 sq mi (24.52 km2)
• Land	9.45 sq mi (24.47 km2)
• Water	0.02 sq mi (0.04 km2)
Population  (2020)
• Total	8,465
• Density	890/sq mi (350/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
ZIP Code(s)	60417
Area code	708
FIPS code	17-17523
Wikimedia Commons	Crete, Illinois
Website	villageofcrete.org

Crete is a village in Will County, Illinois, United States. It is a far south suburb of Chicago, 30 miles from the Loop and only 6 miles from the Indiana border. The population was 8,465 at the 2020 census. Originally named Wood's Corner, it was founded in 1836 by Vermonters Dyantha and Willard Wood. ^[2]

Geography

Crete is located at 41°27′21″N87°37′8″W / 41.45583°N 87.61889°W / 41.45583; -87.61889 (41.455910, -87.618798). ^[3]

According to the 2010 census, Crete has a total area of 9.627 square miles (24.93 km²), of which 9.61 square miles (24.89 km²) (or 99.82%) is land and 0.017 square miles (0.04 km²) (or 0.18%) is water. ^[4] Crete is located about 2 miles (3.2 km) west of Illinois Route 394 and within 40 miles (64 km) of downtown Chicago. Willow Brook Estates, an unincorporated area between Crete and the Indiana border, uses the Crete postal code and is considered an eastern extension of the village.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1880	539		—
1890	641		18.9%
1900	700		9.2%
1910	840		20.0%
1920	945		12.5%
1930	1,429		51.2%
1940	1,772		24.0%
1950	2,298		29.7%
1960	3,464		50.7%
1970	4,656		34.4%
1980	5,417		16.3%
1990	6,773		25.0%
2000	7,346		8.5%
2010	8,259		12.4%
2020	8,465		2.5%
U.S. Decennial Census [5] 2020 U.S. Census [6]

As of the July 2021 U.S. census, ^[7] there were 8,407 people, 3,300 households and 2,52 people per household. The median household income was $80,718 2021 dollars, and 5.3% of people were below the poverty line. In 2020, the population density was of 899.7 per square mile. ^[8]

The median value of owner-occupied housing units from 2017 to 2021 was of $172,700 2021 dollars, and the median gross rent was $1,111. 94.6% of households had a computer. ^[7]

In 2021, the racial makeup of the village was 57.8% White Alone, 31.8% African American, 0.3% Native American and Alaska Native, 0.5% Asian, and 0.3% Multiracial. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 8.7% of the population. 3.6% of people living in Crete were born outside of the U.S. ^[7]

There were 18.5% people under the age of 18, 3.3% under 5 years old, and 26.6% 65 years of age or older. 53.3% of people were female, and from 2017 to 2021 there were 486 veterans and 154 employer firms.

Education

All public schools in Crete are managed by Crete Monee Community Unit School District 201U, which is a unit school district which combines elementary, middle, and high schools. Serving the village of Crete are:

• Crete Elementary School (pre-kindergarten through 5th grade)
• Balmoral Elementary School (pre-kindergarten through 5th grade)
• Crete Monee Middle School (6th through 8th grade)
• Crete-Monee High School (9th through 12th grades)

Illinois Lutheran is a Pre-K to 12th grade school of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod in Crete. ^{[9] [10]}

Governors State University is in University Park, which borders Crete.

Local attractions

• Crete is home to Balmoral Park Racetrack.
• The forest preserve along with Plum Creek (Goodenow Grove), a park with ice skating and sledding in the winter, and hiking in the summer. (Goodenow Grove does, however, have a Beecher, Illinois address.)

References

1. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
2. "History of Main Street - Crete Illinois". Archived from the original on May 18, 2008. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
3. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
4. "G001 - Geographic Identifiers - 2010 Census Summary File 1". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved August 2, 2015.
5. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
6. ^[ dead link ‍]
7. "QuickFacts - Crete village, Illinois". United States Census Bureau. July 2021. Archived from the original on May 7, 2023. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
8. "G001 - Geographic Identifiers - 2010 Census Summary File 1". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved August 2, 2015.
9. "Pursue Excellence".
10. "What is Lutheran".

External links

• Official village website