Riverdale, Illinois

This article is about the Cook County village. For the adjacent Chicago community area, see Riverdale, Chicago.

Riverdale, Illinois
County:	Cook
Township:	Thornton
Mayor:	Deyon Dean
ZIP code(s):	60827
Area code(s):	708
Population (2000):	15,055
Change from 1990:	up 10.10%
Density:	4,138.6/mi² (1,596.9/km²)
Area:	3.8 mi² (9.8 km²)
Per capita income:	$14,461 (median: $38,321)
Home value:	$84,357 (2000) (median: $83,300)
Website:	www.villageofriverdale.org
Demographics (2000) White Black Hispanic Asian 11.07% 86.38% 2.43% 0.19% Islander Native Other 0.05% 0.16% 1.04%

Riverdale is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 15,055 at the 2000 census.

Geography

Riverdale is located at 41°38′26″N 87°37′50″W (41.640684, -87.630645).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 3.8 square miles (9.8 km²), of which, 3.6 square miles (9.3 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km²) of it (3.96%) is water.

Demographics

As of the 2000 census, there were 15,055 people, 4,987 households, and 3,675 families residing in the village. The population density was 4,138.6 people per square mile (1,596.9/km²). There were 5,441 housing units at an average density of 1,495.7 per square mile (577.1/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 11.07% White, 86.38% African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 1.04% from other races, and 1.11% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.43% of the population.

The top non-African American ancestries reported in Riverdale as of the 2000 census were German (2.7%) and Polish (2.3%).

There were 4,987 households out of which 47.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.3% were married couples living together, 33.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.3% were non-families. 22.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.02 and the average family size was 3.50.

In the village the population was spread out with 37.6% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 32.3% from 25 to 44, 14.5% from 45 to 64, and 6.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females there were 84.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 74.2 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $38,321, and the median income for a family was $41,892. Males had a median income of $36,005 versus $29,521 for females. The per capita income for the village was $14,461. About 16.6% of families and 18.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.8% of those under age 18 and 9.7% of those age 65 or over.

In a September 30th, 2011 article, Riverdale, Illinois was listed as the number 7 city out of 9 that is closest to going broke in the United States. The article stated that "Riverdale has run operational deficits for a number of consecutive years, driven primarily by a reduction in the amount the village relies on debt financing."

Government

Riverdale is divided between two congressional districts. Most of the city is in Illinois' 2nd congressional district; the area west of Ashland Avenue and the area southwest of 141st and Halsted Streets are in the 1st district. The local government of Riverdale consists of six elected trustees, one elected village clerk, and one elected mayor. On Tuesday, April 7, 2009 the incumbent mayor, Zenovia Evans was defeated by Trustee and now Mayor-elect Deyon Dean.

Police Department - Fallen Officers

In the history of the Riverdale Police Department, one officer has been killed in the line of duty.

Officer	Date of death	Age	Tenure	Cause of death
Detective William (Wally) Rolniak, Jr. [1]	February 4, 2004	39	14 years	Gunfire

Famous natives

• Antwaan Randle El – NFL wide receiver
• Charles Christian Hammer - Classical Guitarist
• Betty Robinson - Won the Olympic Gold Medal in the 400 meter relay events during the 1936 Olympics.
• Marcheline Bertrand - American actress, mother of actress Angelina Jolie