Cicero is a community that looks out for each other
During the 1920s, the Chicago suburb of Cicero was a hideout for infamous gangster Al Capone as he tried to distance himself from the Chicago Police. One hundred years later, the town located just 8 miles west of downtown Chicago is where people look out for each other. For almost 100 years after its incorporation, the town featured a high concentration of Eastern European residents. By the early 2000s, the area became predominantly Hispanic. Today, 90% of the population is Latino.
Downtown Cicero comprises many small businesses and restaurants.
Cicero is located 8 miles west of downtown Chicago.
Latino culture is on display at the Dia Del Niño Celebration in Cicero.
St. Mary of Czestochowa Church is a stunning Czech church in Cicero.
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Cicero residents focus on safety
According to the FBI Crime Data Explorer, the number of property and violent crime instances is lower than in Chicago. “Neighborhood patrols are common in Cicero,” says Emmanuel Nevarez, a real estate agent with Midwest Signature Properties Company. “It’s a system where if you see something, you say something to the police department. It’s part of it being a close community.” The Cicero Police Department allows residents to report a crime online. The Cicero Community Collaborative hosted a summit with youth and police to help strengthen the bond between them.
The town of Cicero also ensures the care of older residents through the Senior Services Center. “They offer help clearing out the leaves, painting projects or providing transportation to doctors’ appointments,” Nevarez says. The services are available for those 62 years and older and disabled residents.
Retail and restaurants in the north part of Cicero
Shopping and dining options are plentiful throughout Cicero, especially along Cicero Avenue and West Cermak Road. Most locally owned taquerias are located on Cermak, a main east/west artery. An extensive box-store development is on Cicero Avenue south of Cermak. Large grocery chains like Walmart Supercenter and Aldi are also nearby.
Cicero residents shop for groceries at Aldi.
La Chiquita Taqueria is one of many taquerias along Cermak in Cicero.
Residents take advantage of great deals at Sam's Club in Cicero.
Residents can find discounted groceries in bulk at Sam's Club in Cicero.
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Cicero Community Park
Cicero Community Park is a gathering place for the community year-round. The Summer in the Park series has live music, food vendors and games on Wednesday and Sunday evenings. The park lights up for Christmas in colder months, and the Bobby Hull Community Ice Rink opens. Manor Park is just south of the tracks on Park Avenue, with a small playground on the west side and a swimming pool. Cicero Stadium hosts wrestling and boxing events and has often been the site of the Chicago Golden Gloves, a local amateur boxing tournament. South of Cicero, in the nearby community of Stickney, is Hawthorne Race Course, the oldest continually run, family-owned horse racing track in North America. Opened in 1891, it features thoroughbred horse racing in the spring and fall.
The town celebrates its Czech and Slovak roots in early October during the Houby Festival, a four-day event at the Cicero Fairgrounds at 34th and Laramie. It features a parade, food vendors, live entertainment and carnival rides. Residents also come out for the Mexican Independence Day parade.
The Bobby Hull Community Ice Rink opens in the winter in Cicero.
Hawthorne Race Course opened in 1891 and is an important part of Cicero's history.
Cicero Community Park lights up for Christmas in colder months.
Cicero Stadium hosts wrestling and boxing events.
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Capone-era houses in Cicero
The median price for a single-family home in Cicero is $270,000, compared to $325,000 in Chicago. "Outside of the southside of Chicago, Cicero has the highest concentration of Chicago-style bungalows," Nevarez says. Single-family homes range from $150,000 to $400,000. A large percentage of them were built in the 1920s. “Many of those homes have been rehabilitated, and they’re gorgeous,” he adds. Condos and townhouses are less common and are priced from $100,000 to $300,000. There are plenty of duplexes and multi-family units, with pricing from $140,000 to $510,000.
There are various houses of worship in Cicero. One that’s historic is the St. Mary of Czestochowa Catholic Church, built in 1918. It’s a neo-Gothic building with twin steeples 200 feet tall that can be seen for miles.
Well-maintained brick bungalows are a popular home style in Cicero.
Homes in Cicero are emblematic of Chicago architecture in a variety of styles.
Duplexes and multi-family units range in price from $140,000 to $510,000 in Cicero.
Brick two story homes with side entrances can be found all throughout Cicero.
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Industrial buildings in Cicero
In the 1900s, Cicero was a very active industrial area. One of the relics of that past is a tower that remains from a telephone equipment and household appliance factory that closed in 1983 and once employed 45.000 people. It can be seen looking over a shopping center at the busy intersection of Cermak Road and Cicero Avenue. Today, there's still an industrial presence south of Interstate 290, including an Amazon Fulfillment Center, a steel distributor, an auto parts supplier and a wholesale bakery.
Corey Steel Company is a steel distributor and major employer in Cicero.
Cicero is a shipping corridor that borders Chicago's West Side.
Located in Cicero, Frank Korinek & Co. supplies Chicagoland with baking supplies.
There are many examples of Cicero's industrial legacy.
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Separate districts for elementary and high schools in Cicero
Cicero Elementary School District 99, which serves the town, is rated a D-minus on Niche. Some elementary schools are kindergarten through sixth grade, while others are kindergarten through third or fourth through sixth. Unity Junior High School splits seventh and eighth graders into its west and east campuses. Students feed into Morton East High School, which is rated a C. Our Lady of Charity, a private Catholic school, serves kindergarten through eighth grade. Morton College is a two-year community college that enrolls just under 4,000 students.
Lincoln Elementary School has 732 students in grades PK and K-6.
Unity Jr. High School has 2,054 students with a student-teacher ratio of 15 to 1.
Our Lady of Charity School is a private, Catholic school with 230 students.
Morton East High School has an overall C grade according to Niche.
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CTA and Metra trains
Commuters to downtown Chicago can take the Metra train into Union Station or the Pink Line CTA train from the 54th and Cermak terminal, which goes into the Loop area of downtown. CTA, the Chicago city bus system, and Pace, the primary suburban transit source, cover public bus transportation. The city is bordered by Interstate 290 to the north and Interstate 55 to the south, both of which service the downtown area. Loyola University Medical Center is less than 2 miles west. Cicero is 5 miles north of Midway International Airport and 21 miles southeast of O'Hare International.
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