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Blue Island (formerly Portland) is a city in Cook County, Illinois, USA. The population was 23,463 at the 2000 census.
Blue Island is so named because it is situated on a ridge of land that was once an island when the glacial Lake Chicago existed thousands of years ago. The the name is also believed by some to be associated with a breed of blue flower that once covered the ridge, making it look like a blue island if viewed from a distance. Both of these name theories are speculations made by the town's population. Dinosaurs once roamed on this land and artifacts of dinosaur bones are found regularly in the backyards of residents while planting gardens. The city is a hub for Metra trains.
Geography
Blue Island is located at (41.658412, -87.679424).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 10.7 km² (4.1 mi²). 10.4 km² (4.0 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (2.18%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 23,463 people, 8,247 households, and 5,467 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,247.9/km² (5,822.4/mi²). There were 8,750 housing units at an average density of 838.3/km² (2,171.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 53.68% White, 24.10% African American, 0.58% Native American, 0.37% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 17.68% from other races, and 3.55% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 37.93% of the population.
There were 8,247 households out of which 37.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.3% were married couples living together, 19.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.7% were non-families. 28.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.84 and the average family size was 3.54.
In the city the population was spread out with 30.1% under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 32.1% from 25 to 44, 17.4% from 45 to 64, and 9.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 95.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $36,520, and the median income for a family was $42,277. Males had a median income of $31,599 versus $26,425 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,156. About 12.3% of families and 13.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.4% of those under age 18 and 6.6% of those age 65 or over.
External links
- News about Blue Island from www.weloveblueisland.com
"Blue Island, Illinois"