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{{Use American English|date=June 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
<!-- See Template:Infobox settlement for additional fields and descriptions -->
| name = Cicero, Illinois
| native_name =
| native_name_lang = <!-- ISO 639-2 code e.g. "fr" for French. If more than one, use {{lang}} instead -->
| settlement_type = [[List of towns and villages in Illinois|Town]]
| image_skyline = J. Sterling Morton High School East Auditorium.jpg
| image_alt =
| image_caption = [[J. Sterling Morton High School East Auditorium|Chodl Auditorium]]
| image_flag = Flag of Cicero, Illinois.png
| flag_size = 150px
| flag_alt =
| image_seal = Cicero Seal.png
| seal_alt =
| image_shield =
| shield_alt =
| nickname =
| motto =
| image_map = File:Cook County Illinois incorporated and unincorporated areas Cicero highlighted.svg
| mapsize = 260px
| map_caption = Location of Cicero in Cook County, Illinois
| pushpin_map = United States Chicago Greater #Illinois#USA
| pushpin_relief = yes
| pushpin_label = Cicero
| coordinates = {{Coord|41|50|40|N|87|45|33|W|type:city(85,000)_region:US-IL|display=inline,title}}
| coor_pinpoint =
| coordinates_footnotes = <ref name="gnis"/>
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = {{US}}
| subdivision_type1 = State
| subdivision_name1 = Illinois
| subdivision_type2 = [[County (United States)|County]]
| subdivision_name2 = [[Cook County, Illinois|Cook]]
| subdivision_type3 = [[Civil township|Township]]
| subdivision_name3 = [[Cicero Township, Cook County, Illinois|Cicero]]
| established_title = [[Incorporated town|Incorporated]]
| established_date = {{start date|1867|02|28}}
| founder =
| seat_type =
| seat =
| government_footnotes =
| government_type = [[Council–manager government|Council–manager]]
| leader_party =
| leader_title = [[President (government title)#Sub-national|President]]
| leader_name = Larry Dominick
| leader_title1 =
| leader_name1 =
| unit_pref = Imperial
| area_footnotes = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020">{{cite web|title=2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_17.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=March 15, 2022|archive-date=March 15, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220315130646/https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_17.txt|url-status=live}}</ref>
| area_urban_footnotes = <!-- <ref> </re> -->
| area_rural_footnotes = <!-- <ref> </re> -->
| area_metro_footnotes = <!-- <ref> </re> -->
| area_magnitude = <!-- use only to set a special wikilink -->
| area_note =
| area_water_percent = 0
| area_rank =
| area_blank1_title =
| area_blank2_title = <!-- square miles -->
| area_total_sq_mi = 5.87
| area_land_sq_mi = 5.87
| area_water_sq_mi = 0.00
| area_urban_sq_mi =
| area_rural_sq_mi =
| area_metro_sq_mi =
| area_blank1_sq_mi =
| area_blank2_sq_mi = <!-- acres -->
| area_total_acre =
| area_land_acre =
| area_water_acre =
| area_urban_acre =
| area_rural_acre =
| area_metro_acre =
| area_blank1_acre =
| area_blank2_acre =
| length_mi =
| width_mi =
| dimensions_footnotes =
| elevation_footnotes = <ref name=gnis/>
| elevation_ft = 607
| population_footnotes =
| population_total = 85268
| population_as_of = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_density_sq_mi = 14538.45
| population_demonym =
| population_note =
| timezone1 =
| utc_offset1 =
| timezone1_DST =
| utc_offset1_DST =
| postal_code_type = [[ZIP Code]]
| postal_code = 60804
| area_code_type = [[North American Numbering Plan|<span style="white-space:nowrap;">Area code(s)</span>]]
| area_code = [[Area code 708|708/464]]
| iso_code =
| geocode = {{FIPS|17|14351}}
| website = {{URL|www.thetownofcicero.com}}
| footnotes = <ref name="ilsostownsearch">{{cite web| url = http://www.ilsos.gov/isa/localgovnameindexsrch.jsp| title = Name Index to Illinois Local Governments| author = Illinois Regional Archives Depository System| department = Illinois State Archives| publisher = [[Illinois Secretary of State]]| access-date = May 2, 2013| archive-date = November 10, 2013| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131110230747/http://www.ilsos.gov/isa/localgovnameindexsrch.jsp| url-status = live}}</ref>
<!-- demographics (section 1) -->
| demographics_type1 = Standard of living ([[American Community Survey|2011]])
| demographics1_footnotes =
| demographics1_title1 = [[Per capita income]]
| demographics1_info1 = $14,539
| demographics1_title2 = [[Real estate appraisal|Median home value]]
| demographics1_info2 = $157,500
|pop_est_as_of =
|pop_est_footnotes =
|population_est =
|blank_name = [[Federal Information Processing Standards|FIPS code]]
|blank_info = 17-14351
|blank1_name = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info = 2584746<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2396647}}</ref>
|area_total_km2 = 15.19
|area_land_km2 = 15.19
|area_water_km2 = 0.00
|population_density_km2 = 5613.28
}}
'''Cicero''' is a [[Incorporated town#Illinois|town]] in [[Cook County, Illinois]], United States, and a suburb of [[Chicago]]. As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], the population was 85,268, making it the [[List of cities in Illinois#Most populous places|11th-most populous municipality in Illinois]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Cicero town, Illinois|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=1600000US1714351|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=April 15, 2022|archive-date=April 14, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220414010018/https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=1600000US1714351|url-status=live}}</ref> The town is named after [[Cicero|Marcus Tullius Cicero]], a [[Roman Republic|Roman]] statesman and orator. With a population more than 89% Hispanic, the town is the most Hispanic in the state of Illinois.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.myjournalcourier.com/news/article/home-hispanic-population-17473504.php|title=State's Hispanic population now fifth in nation | Journal-Courier}}{{Dead link|date=May 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
==History==
[[File:Hawthorne Works tower 2012 1.JPG|thumb|upright|left|The last vestige of the [[Hawthorne Works]], which at its peak in the early 20th century employed over 40,000 workers.]]
Originally, [[Cicero Township, Cook County, Illinois|Cicero Township]] occupied an area six times the size of its current territory. The cities of [[Oak Park, Illinois|Oak Park]] and [[Berwyn, Illinois|Berwyn]] were incorporated from portions of Cicero Township, and other portions, such as [[Austin, Chicago|Austin]], were annexed into the city of [[Chicago]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/287.html |title=Cicero, IL |publisher=Encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org |access-date=November 17, 2012 |archive-date=November 27, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121127192427/http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/287.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
By 1911, an [[aerodrome]] called the Cicero Flying Field had been established as the town's first aircraft facility of any type,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://lincolnbeachey.com/cicart.html |title=CICERO FLYING FIELD - Origin, Operation, Obscurity and Legacy - 1891 to 1916 - OPERATION, 1911 - THE ESTABLISHMENT OF CICERO FLYING FIELD |last=Gray |first=Carroll |date=2005 |website=lincolnbeachey.com |publisher=Carroll F. Gray |access-date=September 7, 2017 |quote=The second great aeronautical event of 1911 around Chicago was the establishment by the A.C.I. of a top-notch flying field named 'Cicero Flying Field' (or simply 'Cicero') within the township limits of Cicero (bounded by 16th St., 52nd Ave., 22nd St. and 48th Avenue. At some point during May, the A.C.I. was given a five year lease on the Cicero property by the Grant Land Association, Harold F. McCormick's property holding company. At the conclusion of the 1911 Aviation Meet, the hangars in Grant Park were moved to the southern edge of the 2-1/2 sq. mi. lot in Cicero. |archive-date=May 9, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170509163329/http://www.lincolnbeachey.com/cicart.html |url-status=live }}</ref> located on a roughly square plot of land about 800 meters (1/2-mile) per side, on then-open ground at {{Coord|41|51|19|N|87|44|56|W|type:landmark_region:US-IL}} by the Aero Club of Illinois, founded on February 10, 1910.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://lincolnbeachey.com/cicart.html |title=CICERO FLYING FIELD - Origin, Operation, Obscurity and Legacy - 1891 to 1916 - 1909 & 1910 - GLENN H. CURTISS & THE AERO CLUB OF ILLINOIS |last=Gray |first=Carroll |date=2005 |website=lincolnbeachey.com |publisher=Carroll F. Gray |access-date=September 7, 2017 |quote=The day before his two-day exhibition flights at the [[Hawthorne Race Course|Hawthorne Race Track]] in Cicero, Illinois, on October 16 and 17, 1909, [[Glenn Curtiss]] spoke to the Chicago Automobile Club and suggested that an aero club be formed in Chicago. In response to his remarks, the Aero Club of Illinois ('A.C.I.') was incorporated on February 10, 1910, with [[Octave Chanute]] as its first president—a perfect choice, to be sure... The second great aeronautical event of 1911 around Chicago was the establishment by the A.C.I. of a top-notch flying field named 'Cicero Flying Field' (or simply 'Cicero') within the township limits of Cicero (bounded by [West] 16th St., 52nd Ave [S. Laramie Avenue]., 22nd St [West Cermak Road]. and [[Illinois Route 50|48th Ave]].), conveniently located adjacent to interurban rail service—just a 15 min. 5¢ trip on the [[Douglas branch|Douglas Park 'L']] from downtown Chicago, and also was served by two streetcar lines. |archive-date=May 9, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170509163329/http://www.lincolnbeachey.com/cicart.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Famous pilots like [[Hans-Joachim Buddecke]], [[Lincoln Beachey]], [[Chance M. Vought]] and others flew from there at various times during the [[Aviation in the pioneer era|"pioneer era" of aviation]] in the United States shortly before the nation's involvement in [[World War I]]; the field closed in mid-April 1916.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://lincolnbeachey.com/cicart.html |title=CICERO FLYING FIELD - Origin, Operation, Obscurity and Legacy - 1891 to 1916 - 1916 - THE FINAL FLIGHT & A NEW FIELD |last=Gray |first=Carroll |date=2005 |website=lincolnbeachey.com |publisher=Carroll F. Gray |access-date=September 7, 2017 |quote=On April 16, 1916, when 'Matty' Laird took off from Cicero Flying Field, at the controls of his self-designed and self-built Boneshaker biplane and flew to the new Partridge & Keller aviation field at 87th St. and Pulaski Road, in Chicago, Cicero Flying Field ceased to be. The next day, the Aero Club of Illinois (A.C.I.) officially opened its new 640 acre [[Ashburn Flying Field|'''Ashburn Field''']] on land purchased by A.C.I. President 'Pop' Dickinson for the A.C.I. Ashburn was located at 83rd St. and Cicero Avenue, about 7-1/2 miles almost due south of Cicero. All of the hangars and buildings at Cicero had been moved to Ashburn Field some months earlier. |archive-date=May 9, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170509163329/http://www.lincolnbeachey.com/cicart.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
After building his criminal empire in Chicago, [[Al Capone]] moved to Cicero to escape the reach of Chicago police.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Duechler |first1=Doug |date=September 5, 2006 |title=Part II: From Capone to 'Bohemian Wall Street' to, of course, Betty |url=http://www.oakpark.com/News/Articles/9-5-2006/Colorful-Cicero/ |department=News |newspaper=[[Wednesday Journal#Wednesday Journal|Wednesday Journal of Oak Park and River Forest]] |series=Colorful Cicero |___location=[[Oak Park, Illinois]] |publisher=[[Wednesday Journal]] |lccn=sn91055447 |oclc=24273230 |access-date=November 16, 2016 |archive-date=January 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210119013321/https://www.oakpark.com/News/Articles/9-5-2006/Colorful-Cicero/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[1924 Cicero, Illinois municipal elections|1924 Cicero municipal elections]] were particularly violent due to gang-related efforts to secure a favorable election result.
On July 11–12, 1951, a [[Cicero Race Riot of 1951|race riot erupted in Cicero]] when a white mob of around 4,000 attacked and burned an apartment building at 6139 W. 19th Street that housed the [[African-American]] family of Harvey Clark Jr., a [[Chicago Transit Authority]] bus driver who had relocated to the all-white city. Governor [[Adlai Stevenson II|Adlai E. Stevenson]] was forced to call out the [[Illinois National Guard]]. The Clarks moved away and the building had to be boarded up.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM68ZW_1951_Race_Riots_Then_Now_Cicero_IL |title=1951 Race Riots Then & Now - Cicero, IL |access-date=May 26, 2013 |archive-date=November 28, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121128132003/http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM68ZW_1951_Race_Riots_Then_Now_Cicero_IL |url-status=live }}</ref> The Cicero riot received worldwide condemnation.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Wilkerson|first=Isabel|title=The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration|publisher=Random House|year=2020|isbn=978-0-679-44432-9|___location=New York|pages=375}}</ref>
Cicero was taken up and abandoned several times as site for a [[civil rights]] march in the mid-1960s. Cicero had a [[sundown town]] policy prohibiting African Americans from living in the city.<ref>{{cite news|title='Victory' Means Little to Cicero|first=Robert|last=Nolte|work=[[Billings Gazette]]|___location=Billings, Montana|date=September 8, 1966|page=7|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/29074025/|via=Newspapers.com|quote=Although he says the Cicero march was a victory, residents of Cicero probably feel no different about Negroes than they did one week ago. (Negroes are not allowed to live in Cicero, but ironically, 15,000 of them work in the suburb's factories and stores five days a week.)}}</ref> The [[American Friends Service Committee]], [[Martin Luther King Jr.]], and many affiliated organizations, including churches, were conducting marches against housing and school ''de facto'' segregation and inequality in Chicago and several suburbs, but the leaders feared an overly violent response in [[Chicago Lawn, Chicago|Chicago Lawn]] and Cicero.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/256.html |title=Chicago Lawn |publisher=Encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org |access-date=November 17, 2012 |archive-date=August 10, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120810010733/http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/256.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Eventually, a substantial march (met by catcalls, flying bottles and bricks) was conducted in Chicago Lawn, but only a splinter group, led by [[Jesse Jackson]], marched in Cicero.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/eyesontheprize/story/12_chicago.html |title=American Experience.Eyes on the Prize.The Story of the Movement |publisher=PBS |access-date=November 17, 2012 |archive-date=January 31, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170131090222/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/eyesontheprize/story/12_chicago.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> The marches in the Chicago suburbs helped galvanize support for the passage of the [[Civil Rights Act of 1968]], extending federal prohibitions against discrimination to private housing. The act also created the [[United States Department of Housing and Urban Development]]'s [[Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity]], which enforces the law.
The 1980s and 1990s saw a heavy influx of [[Hispanic]] (mostly [[Mexican American|Mexican]] and [[Central America]]n) residents to Cicero. Once considered mainly a [[Czech American|Czech]] or [[Bohemia]]n town, most of the European-style restaurants and shops on 22nd Street (now [[Cermak Road]]) have been replaced by Spanish-titled businesses. In addition, Cicero has a small black community.
Cicero has seen a revival in its commercial sector, with many new mini-malls and large retail stores. New condominiums are also being built in the city.
Cicero has long had a reputation of government scandal. In 2002, Republican Town President [[Betty Loren-Maltese]] was sent to [[Federal Bureau of Prisons|federal prison]] in California for misappropriating $12 million in funds.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/aug/31/usa.matthewengel| title=Spirit of Capone lives on in Mobtown, Illinois| last= Engel| first=Matthew|date=August 31, 2002|work=The Guardian| accessdate=April 10, 2011|___location=Cicero, Illinois}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ipsn.org/indictments/loren-maltese_indictment/betty_loren-maltese_perps.htm |title=Betty Loren-Maltese and fellow perps |publisher=Ipsn.org |date=June 16, 2001 |access-date=November 17, 2012 |archive-date=August 22, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120822102506/http://www.ipsn.org/indictments/loren-maltese_indictment/betty_loren-maltese_perps.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>
==Geography==
According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Cicero has a total area of {{convert|5.87|sqmi|km2|2}}, all land.<ref name="gaz2021">{{Cite web |title=Gazetteer Files |url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html |access-date=June 29, 2022 |website=Census.gov |archive-date=August 24, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190824085937/https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Cicero formerly ran from Harlem Avenue to Western Avenue and Pershing Road to North Avenue; however, much of this area was annexed by Chicago.
===Climate===
Cicero is in the Hot-summer humid continental climate, or [[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]] Dfa zone. The zone includes four distinct seasons. Winter is cold with snow. Spring warms up with precipitation and storms. Summer has high precipitation and storms. Fall cools down.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Humid continental climate {{!}} Temperature, Precipitation & Seasons {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/science/humid-continental-climate |access-date=2025-04-05 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref>
{|
|-
|{{climate chart
| Cicero
| -9| -5| 84
| -9| 1| 66
| -2| 11| 50
| 6| 23| 122
| 8| 27| 132
| 17| 31| 118
| 20| 33| 90
| 20| 33| 109
| 17| 29| 61
| 8| 20| 91
| 3| 11| 51
| -8| -1| 47
|float=left
|clear=left
|source = <ref name = "nasa">{{Cite web|url= http://neo.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/dataset_index.php|title= NASA Earth Observations Data Set Index|access-date= January 30, 2016|publisher= NASA|archive-date= May 10, 2020|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200510015442/https://neo.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/dataset_index.php|url-status= dead}}</ref>
}}
|}
==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1860= 1272
|1870= 1545
|1880= 5182
|1890= 10204
|1900= 16310
|1910= 14557
|1920= 44995
|1930= 66602
|1940= 64712
|1950= 67544
|1960= 69130
|1970= 67058
|1980= 61232
|1990= 67436
|2000= 85616
|2010= 83895
|2020= 85268
|estyear=
|estimate=
|estref=
|align-fn=center
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/decade.html|title=Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades|publisher=[[US Census Bureau]]|access-date=|archive-date=July 6, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220706023553/https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/decade.html|url-status=live}}</ref><br /> 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2/> 2020<ref name=2020CensusP2/>
}}As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Explore Census Data |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=1600000US1714351 |access-date=June 28, 2022 |website=data.census.gov}}</ref> there were 85,268 people, 22,698 households, and 17,508 families residing in the town. The population density was {{Convert|14,538.45|PD/sqmi|PD/km2}}. There were 25,836 housing units at an average density of {{Convert|4,405.12|/sqmi|/km2}}. The racial makeup of the town was 19.22% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 3.72% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 4.26% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.59% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.04% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 46.86% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 25.30% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 89.00% of the population.
There were 22,698 households, out of which 45.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.83% were married couples living together, 19.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.87% were non-families. 18.99% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.63% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 4.06 and the average family size was 3.55.
The town's age distribution consisted of 28.0% under the age of 18, 12.3% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 8.5% who were 15 years of age or older. The median age was 31.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $53,726, and the median income for a family was $56,632. Males had a median income of $33,835 versus $26,101 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the town was $20,040. About 11.4% of families and 13.8% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 18.3% of those under age 18 and 15.3% of those age 65 or over.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+'''Cicero town, Illinois – Racial and ethnic composition'''<br /><small>{{nobold|''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.''}}</small>
!Race / Ethnicity <small>(''NH = Non-Hispanic'')</small>
!Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>{{Cite web|title=P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Cicero city, Illinois|url=https://data.census.gov/table?g=1600000US1714351&tid=DECENNIALSF12000.P004|website=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=January 26, 2024}}</ref>
!Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Cicero town, Illinois|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=1600000US1714351&tid=DECENNIALPL2010.P2|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=January 26, 2024|archive-date=October 12, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231012170645/https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=1600000US1714351&tid=DECENNIALPL2010.P2|url-status=live}}</ref>
!{{partial|Pop 2020}}<ref name=2020CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Cicero town, Illinois|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=1600000US1714351&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=January 26, 2024|archive-date=October 12, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231012171326/https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=1600000US1714351&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|url-status=live}}</ref>
!% 2000
!% 2010
!{{partial|% 2020}}
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino whites|White]] alone (NH)
|16,787
|7,696
|style='background: #ffffe6; |5,332
|19.61%
|9.17%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |6.25%
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino African Americans|Black or African American]] alone (NH)
|674
|2,690
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2,870
|0.79%
|3.21%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.37%
|-
|[[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] or [[Alaska Native]] alone (NH)
|139
|56
|style='background: #ffffe6; |71
|0.16%
|0.07%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.08%
|-
|[[Asian Americans|Asian]] alone (NH)
|771
|467
|style='background: #ffffe6; |456
|0.90%
|0.56%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.53%
|-
|[[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]] alone (NH)
|13
|26
|style='background: #ffffe6; |14
|0.02%
|0.03%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.02%
|-
|[[Race and ethnicity in the United States census|Other race]] alone (NH)
|64
|90
|style='background: #ffffe6; |162
|0.07%
|0.11%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.19%
|-
|[[Multiracial Americans|Mixed race or Multiracial]] (NH)
|869
|257
|style='background: #ffffe6; |473
|1.01%
|0.31%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.55%
|-
|[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] (any race)
|66,299
|72,609
|style='background: #ffffe6; |75,890
|77.44%
|86.55%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |89.00%
|-
|'''Total'''
|'''85,616'''
|'''83,891'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''85,268'''
|'''100.00%'''
|'''100.00%'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''100.00%'''
|}
As of 2011, 52.5% of occupied housing units were owned properties, and 47.5% were rentals. There were 4,667 vacant housing units. The average age of home properties was greater than 66 years.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/11_1YR/DP04/1600000US1714351| archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212083210/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/11_1YR/DP04/1600000US1714351| url-status=dead| archive-date=February 12, 2020| title=Selected Housing Characteristics: 2011 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates (DP03): Cicero town, Illinois| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder| access-date=February 14, 2013}}</ref>
Cicero is a factory town. As of 1999, about a quarter of the city contained one of the greatest industrial concentrations in the world. There were more than 150 factories in {{convert|2.8|km|abbr=on|order=flip}}, producing communications and electronic equipment, sugar, printing presses, steel castings, tool and die makers' supplies, forging and rubber goods.{{Citation needed|date=February 2013}}
==Arts and culture==
{{Unreferenced section|date=December 2022}}
[[File:St. Mary of Częstochowa - Cicero from east 2.jpg|thumb|upright|[[St. Mary of Częstochowa (Cicero, Illinois)|St. Mary of Częstochowa]]]]
*[[St. Mary of Czestochowa in Cicero|St. Mary of Czestochowa]], a [[Neo-Gothic]] church built in the [[Polish Cathedral style]] along with the sculpture of [[Christ the King]] by famed sculptor Professor [[Czesław Dźwigaj]], who also cast the monumental [[bronze]] doors at [[Basilica of St. Hyacinth|St. Hyacinth's Basilica]] in Chicago. The church's other claim to fame is as the site of [[Al Capone]]'s sister Mafalda's wedding in 1930.
*[[J. Sterling Morton High School East|J. Sterling Morton High School, East Campus]], also known as Morton East High School, was built in 1894. The original school was destroyed by fire in 1924, and the current building was constructed. Located at 2423 S. Austin Blvd, Morton East serves residents of Cicero.
*[[Chodl Auditorium]], located inside Morton East High School, was built in 1924 (completed 1927) to replace the 1,200-seat auditorium which was destroyed by fire. The auditorium was originally a dual-purpose room, serving as a gymnasium for students, and was originally built for this purpose. In 1967 the school stopped using the auditorium as a gymnasium. Chodl Auditorium is among the largest non-commercial [[proscenium]] theatres in the Chicago Metropolitan Area and is listed with the [[National Register of Historic Places]].
*[[Hawthorne Works]] Tower, one of the original towers of the enormous [[Western Electric]] manufacturing plant that once stood east of Cicero Avenue, is still located behind the Hawthorne Works Shopping Center near the corner of Cermak Road (22nd Street) and Cicero Avenue.
*[[Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame]].
On the south side of Cicero, there were two racetracks. [[Hawthorne Race Course]], located in Cicero and [[Stickney, Illinois|Stickney]], is a [[horse racing]] track still in operation. Just north of it was [[Chicago Motor Speedway at Sportsman's Park]], which was formerly Sportsman's Park Racetrack (for horse racing) for many years. This Sportsman's Park facility is now closed, acquired by the Town of Cicero, and has since been demolished. Facilities of the [[Wirtz Corporation|Wirtz Beverage Group]] have been built on the west half and a [[Walmart]] built on the east half.
==Government==
[[File:Cicero Town Hall.jpg|thumb|Cicero Town Hall on [[Cermak Road]]]]
Most of Cicero is in [[Illinois's 4th congressional district]]; the area south of the railroad at approximately 33rd Street is in the [[Illinois' 3rd congressional district|3rd district]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thetownofcicero.com/ |title=Welcome to The Town of Cicero |publisher=Thetownofcicero.com |access-date=November 17, 2012 |archive-date=November 25, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121125003409/http://www.thetownofcicero.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
The [[United States Postal Service]] operates the Cicero Post Office at 2440 South Laramie Avenue.<ref>"[http://usps.whitepages.com/service/post_office/4340?p=1&s=IL&service_name=post_office&z=Cicero Post Office Location - CICERO] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120720120906/http://usps.whitepages.com/service/post_office/4340?p=1&s=IL&service_name=post_office&z=Cicero |date=2012-07-20 }}." ''[[United States Postal Service]]''. Retrieved on April 17, 2009.</ref>
===Town presidents===
* Joseph Z. Klenha, c.1923-1929 <ref name=Graveyard>{{citation |work=Political Graveyard |title=Mayors and Town Presidents of Cicero, Illinois |editor=Lawrence Kestenbaum |url= https://politicalgraveyard.com/geo/IL/ofc/cicero.html |access-date= 2025-05-18 }}</ref><ref>{{citation |title=Illinois Blue Book, 1929-1930 |url= https://www.idaillinois.org/digital/collection/bb/id/29705/rec/38 |via= [[Illinois State Library]] }}</ref>
* Joseph C. Cerny, c.1933-1935 <ref>{{citation |title=Illinois Blue Book, 1933-1934 |url= https://www.idaillinois.org/digital/collection/bb/id/12765/rec/40 |via= Illinois State Library }}</ref><ref name=Graveyard />
* George Stedronsky, c.1937-1943 <ref name=Graveyard /><ref>{{citation |title=Illinois Blue Book, 1943-1944 |url=https://www.idaillinois.org/digital/collection/bb/id/30805/rec/45 |via= Illinois State Library }}</ref>
* Henry J. Sandusky, c.1945-1959 <ref name=Graveyard /><ref>{{citation |title=Illinois Blue Book, 1945-1946 |url=https://www.idaillinois.org/digital/collection/bb/id/16491/rec/46 |via= Illinois State Library }}</ref><ref>{{citation |title=Illinois Blue Book, 1959-1960 |url=https://www.idaillinois.org/digital/collection/bb/id/11793 |via= Illinois State Library }}</ref>
* John Karner, c.1971-1972 <ref>{{citation |title=Illinois Blue Book, 1971-1972 |url=https://www.idaillinois.org/digital/collection/bb/id/33367/rec/59 |via= Illinois State Library }}</ref>
* [[Henry Klosak|Henry J. Klosak]], 1980-1992<ref>{{citation |title=Illinois Blue Book, 1991-1992 |url= https://www.idaillinois.org/digital/collection/bb/id/34237/rec/69 |via= Illinois State Library }}</ref>
* [[Betty Loren-Maltese]], 1993–2002
* Ramiro Gonzalez, c.2004 <ref>{{citation |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040212133252/http://www.thetownofcicero.com/government.htm |url= http://www.thetownofcicero.com/government.htm |archive-date=2004-02-12 |title=Government |work=www.thetownofcicero.com |publisher=Town of Cicero |___location=Illinois |via=[[Wayback Machine]] }}</ref>
* Larry Dominick, 2005-present <ref>{{citation |url=https://thetownofcicero.com/office-of-the-president/ |title=Office of the President |work=thetownofcicero.com |publisher=Town of Cicero |___location=Illinois |access-date= 2025-05-18 }}</ref>
==Education==
Cicero is served by [[Cicero Elementary School District 99]] and comprises 16 schools, making it one of the largest public school districts outside of Chicago. Elementary students attend the following schools, depending on residency: Burnham (K-6), Cicero East (4–6), Cicero West (PK-4), Columbus East (4–6), Columbus West (PK-4), Drexel (K-6), Early Childhood Center (PK), Goodwin (PK-6), Liberty (K-3), Lincoln (PK-6), Roosevelt (4–6), Sherlock (PK-6), Warren Park (PK-6), Wilson (K-6), and Unity Junior High (7–8), which is separated into East–west sections. East side being held for eighth graders & seventh graders on the West side. Unity is the second largest middle school in the country. High school students entering their freshman year attend the Freshman Center and then continue high school at [[J. Sterling Morton High School East|Morton East]] of the [[J. Sterling Morton High School District 201]]. The McKinley Educational Center serves as an alternative school for 5th-8th graders and the Morton Alternative School serves as an alternative school for 9th-12th graders
The [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago]] operates two PK-8 schools in Cicero. Our Lady of Charity School is one.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.olc-school.org/ |title=Welcome To Our Lady of Charity School in Cicero, Illinois |publisher=Olc-school.org |date=November 13, 2012 |access-date=November 17, 2012 |archive-date=November 5, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105181856/http://www.olc-school.org/ |url-status=live }}</ref> St. Frances of Rome School was supposed to close in 2024 but stayed open and is still operating.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.archchicago.org/news-release/-/article/2024/03/06/st-frances-of-rome-school-in-cicero-to-stay-open | title=St. Frances of Rome School in Cicero to Stay Open }}</ref>
From 1927 until 1972, Cicero was the home of [[Timothy Christian School (Illinois)|Timothy Christian School]].
Cicero is also home to [[Morton College]].
==Infrastructure==
[[File:54th Cermak boarding platform, looking west (51241095693).jpg|thumb|[[54th/Cermak station]]]]
===Transportation===
{{Unreferenced section|date=December 2022}}
Cicero is served by two major railroad lines, the [[BNSF Railway]] and the [[Belt Railway of Chicago|Belt Line Railroad]]. Public Transportation is provided by [[Metra]]'s [[BNSF Line]] between [[Aurora, Illinois|Aurora]] and Chicago's [[Chicago Union Station|Union Station]] with a stop at the [[Cicero station (Metra)|Cicero station]] near [[Cicero Avenue]] and 26th Street. Currently, this station is undergoing a much needed reconstruction and expansion by Metra. Also, the [[Chicago "L"]]{{'s}} [[Pink Line (CTA)|Pink Line]] provides daily service from the {{cta|54th/Cermak}} terminal to the [[The Loop (CTA)|Loop]]. Its {{cta|Cicero|Pink}} station is also located in Cicero. Multiple [[Pace (transit)|Pace]] and [[Chicago Transit Authority]] bus routes cover portions of Cicero.
===Fire department===
The Cicero Fire Department (CFD) has a staff of 97 professional full time firefighters. The CFD operates out of three fire stations.<ref>[http://www.thetownofcicero.com/departments/fire-department Fire Department] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130206002113/http://www.thetownofcicero.com/departments/fire-department |date=February 6, 2013 }}. Thetownofcicero.com. Retrieved on July 21, 2013.</ref>
==Notable people==
* [[Felix Biestek]] (1912–1994), American priest and professor
* [[Al Capone]] (1899–1947), American gangster and businessman and the co-founder and boss of the Chicago Outfit
* [[JoBe Cerny]] (born 1947), an actor from Cicero, is the voice of the [[Pillsbury Doughboy]]
* [[Joe Mantegna]] (born 1947), Tony award-winning actor, also writer and director
* [[Paul Marcinkus]] (1922-2006), bishop, member of [[Propaganda Due]], and former president of the [[Vatican Bank]]
* [[Erika Sánchez]] (born 1983/1984), American poet and writer
* [[Lee Corso]] (born 1935), former football coach and media personality
* [[Donald F. White]] (1908–2002), Canadian-born American architect and engineer, of African descent<ref name="DSWilson">{{Cite book |last=Wilson |first=Dreck Spurlock |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0OaSAgAAQBAJ |title=African American Architects: A Biographical Dictionary, 1865-1945 |date=March 2004 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-135-95629-5 |pages=600–604 |language=en |chapter=Donald Frank White (1908–2002)}}</ref>
==In popular culture==
{{Unreferenced section|date=December 2022}}
*In the HBO series ''[[Boardwalk Empire]]'', Cicero is the home of Al Capone. Many of the episode plots are based in Cicero.
*Cicero is mentioned as the hometown of [[Saul Goodman|Jimmy McGill/Saul Goodman]] and his brother [[Chuck McGill]] in ''[[Better Call Saul]]''. Cicero is also the central ___location of the animated spinoff show [[Slippin' Jimmy]], which is based on Jimmy's youth.
*In the musical [[Chicago (musical)|''Chicago'']], Velma Kelly mentions Cicero in the number "[[Cell Block Tango]]" as the ___location of the hotel where she murdered her husband Charlie and sister Veronica.
*In [[Walker Percy|Walker Percy's]] novel ''[[Love in the Ruins]]'', the schismatic American Catholic church establishes Cicero, Illinois as its "new Rome."
*In [[Bertolt Brecht]]'s ''[[The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui]]'', Cicero is annexed by Chicago as a [[satire|satirical]] [[allegory]] for the [[Anschluss|Nazi annexation of Austria]].
*In ''[[Guys and Dolls]]'', the Chicago-area gangster "Big Julie" claims to be from "East Cicero, Illinois" (and pronounces the final "s" on Illinois).
*In the 1948 film noir ''[[Sorry, Wrong Number]]'', the story takes place in New York City but in flash-backs recounted by several characters we learn that the story actually begins in Chicago and Cicero. The female character Leona Cotterel (Barbara Stanwyck) is the rich, spoiled daughter of the owner of a pharmaceutical company located in Cicero. She lives with her father in a Chicago mansion. A few years later, after she marries, the story moves to Bayonne, New Jersey, and ends in Manhattan and Staten Island.
*Al Bundy from the show ''[[Married... with Children]]'' mentions that he gets his hair cut in Cicero.
*In the song "Guns Under the Counter" by [[The Fiery Furnaces]] (from their album ''[[Rehearsing My Choir]]''), Cicero is mentioned in the line "In Cicero, Never stand at a window".
==See also==
{{Portal|Chicago|Illinois}}
* [[List of sundown towns in the United States]]
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
{{commons category|Cicero, Illinois}}
*{{official website|http://www.thetownofcicero.com/}}
*[https://www.thisamericanlife.org/179/cicero ''This American Life'' episode about Cicero], released March 16, 2001
*[https://chicagoganghistory.com/suburb/cicero/ Extensive historical coverage of gang activity and racial issues in Cicero]
{{Cicero, Illinois}}
{{Cook County, Illinois}}
{{Chicagoland}}
{{Illinois}}
{{Cicero}}
{{Geographic ___location
| Centre = Cicero
| North = [[Austin, Chicago]]
| Northeast = [[West Garfield Park, Chicago]]
| East = [[North Lawndale, Chicago]] and [[South Lawndale, Chicago]]
| Southeast = [[Archer Heights, Chicago]]
| South = [[Garfield Ridge, Chicago]]
| Southwest =[[Stickney, Illinois|Stickney]]
| West =[[Berwyn, Illinois|Berwyn]]
| Northwest = [[Oak Park, Illinois|Oak Park]]
}}
{{authority control}}
[[Category:Cicero, Illinois| ]]
[[Category:1867 establishments in Illinois]]
[[Category:Chicago metropolitan area]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1867]]
[[Category:Towns in Cook County, Illinois]]
[[Category:Towns in Illinois]]
[[Category:Sundown towns in Illinois]]
[[Category:Majority-minority cities and towns in Cook County, Illinois]]
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