Eastwood, Illinois

Eastwood (from the Yiddish עסטערוואַלד Estervald, literally Esther's Woods) is a city in Wabash County, Illinois. The city is bordered to the west by Kennedy, to the north by Martin, to the south by Flushing, and to the east by Wabash Heights.

History
Eastwood was originally settled during the 1850s by farmers. In 1871, Shaughnessy Township was formed, which occupied all of present-day Eastwood.

The actual town of Eastwood was founded just shortly after World War I. At the time of it's founding, the city of Kennedy did not reach out to the present-day boundary; and the site of the original town was a crossing of two paved roads through farmland. The town's founders, Rabbi Aaron Schlaussmann and his wife Esther, came to the area in 1921 and built a dirt road off of what is now the Rabbi's namesake boulevard. On that dirt road, they built a large Colonial-style home.

In 1923, the Schlaussmann family built and ran a grocer at the corner of what is now Rabbi Aaron Schlaussmann Boulevard and Holden Road. Many of the area's farmers relocated to the intersection, buying large plots of land and building their homes on them. It wasn't until the 1940s, however, that the area experienced large-scale growth. During World War II, Rabbi Schlaussman and his wife promoted the small town as a safe place for new immigrants. This brought many Jewish Americans to what was then a modest town. Between 1940 and 1949, the population had increased from 1,206 to over 15,000.

In 1951, the city was incorporated as Eastwood, an Anglicized form of Estervald, which was namesaked after Esther Schlaussmann. By 1954, the city of Kennedy had grown out to Eastwood's borders, sparking the construction of Interstate 157 around the city border of Kennedy.

The connection with Kennedy caused the city of Eastwood to further urbanize during the 1950s and 1960s. Dense neighborhoods began developing around the existing city land. In between these dense pockets, semi-urban neighborhoods began developing with similar housing, but larger lots. This prompted annexes of land from Wabash Heights and Fayette which already had claim on those areas.

In 1970, the population of Eastwood was 29,986. The city founded a Downtown Development Authority in 1977 after the neighborhood located at the intersection of Rabbi Schlaussman Boulevard and Eastwood Avenue, the main intersection; began to face vacancy and economical issues. The Downtown Development Authority began to purchase older, worn out houses and tore them down, offering discounted land purchase to mid-rise office developers.

Two large office buildings were built on the main intersection. The Harwald Building, located on the northeast corner, was built in 1979. The larger Roanoake Park Building was built on the northwest corner was built in 1983. Because of these buildings and population density, the area was dubbed "Downtown Eastwood". New shops and apartments developed in the late 1980s attracting both the wealthy and the poor alike.

In 1991, the city began development on a modern subdivision on a large vacant plat of land on the city's central west side, bordering the city of Kennedy and the Interstate Highway. Homes were then sold individually by the city to buyers by 1993. It was called an "Urban Redevelopment Project" officially by the city. However, citizens tend to refer to it as the "Mercedes Bend" because of wealth in the subdivision.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 35,108 people, 14,628 households, and 10,030 families residing in the city. The population density was 5,162.9 per square mile. There were 14,628 housing units at an average density of 2,151.2/sq mi.

The racial makeup of the city was 64.9% White, 18.5% African American, 14.11% Asian, 0.13% Native American, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.65% from other races, and 1.70% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.03% of the population.

Top ancestries in the city were Polish (16.21%), Irish (10.38%), German (9.42%), Chinese (4.91%) and Dutch (4.24%).

In 1990, the median income for a household in the city was $38,921, and the median income for a family was $41,182.

In 2000, the median income for a household in the city was $42,369, and the median income for a family was $49,164. The per capita income for the city was $18,904. About 12.1% of families and 13.6% of the population were below the poverty line.

Income by racial groups is as follows:
 * Native American: $36,816 (Family: $39,287)
 * Black: $41,184 (Family: $45,719)
 * Hispanic: $43,177 (Family: $48,120)
 * White: $45,183 (Family: $49,672)
 * Multi-Racial: $47,931 (Family: $52,478)
 * Asian: $52,611 (Family: $60,464)

Income by educational status is as follows:
 * Less than High School: $24,556 ($12,348 per capita)
 * High School or GED: $39,275 ($17,181 per capita)
 * Less than 1 year college: $46,853 ($20,634 per capita)
 * Associates' Degree: $50,176 ($23,833 per capita)
 * Bachelors' Degree: $52,281 ($27,118 per capita)
 * Masters' Degree: $103,228 ($57,646 per capita)
 * Doctorate Degree: $167,418 ($92,657 per capita)

Housing
The median house price in Eastwood was $82,425 in 2008. The average rent was $842 for houses and $461 for apartments. Renters made up 17.21% of the city population.

The city's vacancy rate in 2009 was 7.5%. Foreclosures make up 97.4% of vacant homes.

Crime
The City of Eastwood boasts a low violent crime rate, but a high Property Crime rate. Eastwood is known as a major automobile theft city. Because of the number of stolen vehicles, the city has set up a bait car program, which since it's founding in 1994 has created a 14% drop in the amount of stolen cars.

Crime in the city is regulated by the Eastwood Police Department, with some assistance from detectives in the Wabash Heights Police Department. Eastwood's department has a total of 52 sworn officers and an auxillary force of 12.

The current chief of police is Mackenzie White, who is also the youngest police chief in the county at the age of 31. White, who became an officer at age 19, has won six commendations in his short, yet productive police career. This includes the Lifesaving Badge which was awarded to him in 1997 after shooting and arrested 47-year-old John Parson, who had crossed over the city line from Kennedy in a pursuit before opening fire on Kennedy officer Shaun Wheeler, critically wounding him.

Education
The city is served by the Eastwood School District. Eastwood City High, a 3,500 student facility, serves as the only high school in the city. Eastwood also has two middle schools, Carlsson Junior High and Pietruszak Middle School.

According to the 2000 US Census:
 * 21.1% did not finish High School
 * 78.9% of citizens were high school graduates
 * 14.8% attended less than one year of college
 * 6.2% attended college for more than one year but did not finish


 * 24.4% of citizens held a college degree
 * 9.2% associates
 * 7.3% bachelors
 * 4.1% masters
 * 3.8% doctorate

Religion
While Eastwood is regionally known as a largely Jewish city, the majority of the population identifies itself as Catholic.

54.18% of the people in Eastwood are religious, meaning they affiliate with a religion.


 * 30.18% are Catholic
 * 12.31% in are Jewish
 * 4.72% are Protestant
 * 4.33% are Baptist
 * 2.10% affilitates with Islam.
 * 0.51% are LDS
 * 0.03% are an eastern faith

Notable Citizens
Tom Nellis - Manager of the Kennedy Vikings basketball team.