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City
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1896
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Illinois
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Cook County
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Thornton Township
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Council-manager
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Mayor
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Michelle M Qualkinbush
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39,071
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2,0779
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5,3780
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up
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325
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1990
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3874
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5291
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1086
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053
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005
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025
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537
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60409
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708
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188
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73
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41
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3651
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87
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3247
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18,123
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10487
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38,902
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89,300
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98,652 ( 2000 )
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wwwcalumetcityorg
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is a city located in
Cook County, Illinois . As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 39,072. The
ZIP Code is 60409.
Calumet City (commonly referred to locally as "Cal City") was once known as West Hammond, since it lies west of the Illinois-Indiana border from
Hammond, Indiana .
In addition to being bordered to the east by Hammond, it is also bordered by
Burnham to the north,
Lansing to the south, and
South Holland to the west.
A notable landmark and point of pride among Cal City residents is their two large water towers painted like the popular "Have a Nice Day" smiley faces:
The Smiley Towers (external link) The following history of the Smiley Towers was found in the 1995 Calumet City Community Guide:
"The Story Behind the Smile"
Some huge smiles have been shedding a positive light on Calumet City since 1973.
The lemon-yellow Smiley Face water towers — one at River Oaks Center and the other at Paxton Avenue and 142nd Street — were an idea suggested by Kim Fornero. Then a child, she could see one of the towers from her home and thought it would “look cute with a smiley face on it,” recalled Dennis Bonic, director of the Calumet City Water Department.
The 1970s were the era of the smiley face. These happy faces appeared on everything from buttons to lunch boxes.
Fornero appealed to then Mayor Robert Stefaniak and he and the city council agreed to have the towers painted. The move made national headlines.
“There was a big to-do about it when they went up on 1973,” Bonic said. “It went national. It was on network TV before I even came to the Water Department.”
It was one of the first times anybody thought to use a water tower as a municipal billboard, he said. Other cities soon followed Calumet City’s example and began putting symbols, slogans and insignias on their water towers.
The Smiley Face towers were heralded as a “progressive community project and a daily reminder to smile,” Bonic said.
The River Oaks tower, known as "Mr. Smiley Face”, sports a bow tie on its “neck”. The other tie-less tower is affectionately known as either “Mrs." or "Miss” Smiley Face”.
"I think everyone likes to see a smiley face and think about the city in a positive light,” he said "It's just a reminder to look on the bright side of things."
Calumet City is featured or mentioned in a number of major movies.
John Belushi 's "Joliet Jake" character from
The Blues Brothers was born in Calumet City. In "
Silence Of The Lambs ",
Buffalo Bill is thought to be hiding in Calumet City, when he is actually in
Belvedere, Ohio .
Calumet City is located at 41°36'51" North, 87°32'47" West (41.614188, -87.546389).
According to the
United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 19.1
Km&2 (7.4
Mi&2 ). 18.8 km&
2 (7.3 mi&
2) of it is land and 0.3 km&
2 (0.1 mi&
2) of it is water. The total area is 1.63% water.
As of the
Census of 2000, there were 39,071 people, 15,139 households, and 10,006 families residing in the city. The
Population Density was 2,077.9/km&
2 (5,378.0/mi&
2). There were 15,947 housing units at an average density of 848.1/km&
2 (2,195.1/mi&
2). The racial makeup of the city was 38.74%
White , 52.91%
African American , 0.25%
Native American , 0.53%
Asian , 0.05%
Pacific Islander , 5.37% from
Other Races , and 2.15% from two or more races. 10.86% of the population were
Hispanic or
Latino of any race.
There were 15,139 households out of which 34.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.3% were
Married Couples living together, 22.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.9% were non-families. 29.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.21.
In the city the population was spread out with 28.7% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 19.2% from 45 to 64, and 12.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 86.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $38,902, and the median income for a family was $45,998. Males had a median income of $37,231 versus $30,555 for females. The
Per Capita Income for the city was $18,123. 12.2% of the population and 9.8% of families were below the
Poverty Line . 17.3% of those under the age of 18 and 7.2% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
