South Holland

For a village once known as the Onion Set Capital of the World, thanks to its vegetable farming history, you won't have to peel back too many layers on this one. The Central District neighborhood pillars are family and faith while building toward the future. "The area is very up and coming; Starbucks and other businesses are coming to the neighborhood," Wendy Andrade says. Andrade is a Windy City native and a real estate agent with @properties Christie's International Real Estate. Residents in Central District have stepped away from the hustle of nearby Chicago for a different pace of living with more neighborhood camaraderie. Locals participate in various local events that unite the neighborhood, including Winter Wonderland, a holiday extravaganza with heated tents for watching Christmas movies and trolley rides. Members of the village gather each Arbor Day for a ceremonial planting of a tree. Swing by Route 6 to find the village's business district, where residents find grocery stores and local restaurants. Jewel Osco is the nearby grocery store people visit for their meats, pantry stuffers and produce. Submarine Port Sandwich Shop is a well-known lunch stop, offering made-from-scratch soups and garlic fries to go with their fresh sub sandwiches. Head over to Aurelio's Pizza, known for its signature sauce combo and a thin crust that keeps customers returning. Target, Walmart and other big-name retailers are just a couple miles outside the neighborhood. Most homes in the area are single-family homes in various shapes and sizes. Many styles include ranch, bungalow and split-level designs that range in price from $200,000 to $275,000, with most being around $240,000. "A lot of houses around here are move-in-ready," Andrade says. Sidewalks throughout the neighborhood tend to be narrower, with enough room for one person to walk down but not much space for people to pass each other. Most homes include a driveway or garage, and street parking is an option. Locals will depend on their vehicles to commute with limited public transportation options. Locals will find plenty of space for outdoor recreation activities. Maicach Park is the central park in the neighborhood with green spaces, a playground with swings, picnic tables and walking paths, giving residents plenty of ways to spend a Saturday afternoon. Thorn Lake and Swets Lake add a dash of blue to the otherwise green neighborhood. The South Holland Community Center is integral to Central District's sense of camaraderie. Each October, the Artist's Gallery is installed there to display and celebrate local art by artists in the village. The center regularly offers recreational and fitness classes, and its 50,000-square-foot facility houses a gym, swimming pool, and meeting rooms. Students will start their educational journeys at Greenwood Elementary, a C-plus-graded school by Niche. The school offers a Type to Learn curriculum to help students learn and develop their typing skills. The next stop on their academic adventures is McKinley Junior High School, which receives a C. Students here can participate in extracurricular activities like drama club and student council. Teenagers will attend Thornwood High School, a C institution. Thornwood offers various sports for students, including football, basketball, track and softball.

The Little Calumet River is the northern border for the South River-Cook County neighborhood in South Holland, about 20 miles south of downtown Chicago along Interstate 94. Immigrants from the Netherlands founded the village, hence its name today. “People normally don’t fish in the river because there’s a retention pond between the two major parks and the waterway,” says Eric DiSanto, superintendent with the Department of Public Works for the village of South Holland. With two major parks, it has become a neighborhood baseball haven. The neighborhood has two popular places for baseball leagues to play. Veterans Memorial Park has two baseball fields, a large playground, a gazebo, a picnic pavilion and a paved walking trail totaling a little under a mile around the 21-acre facility. Bikers and runners use the trail, but dogs are not allowed. The park is known for the two war memorials honoring local veterans. The park is also the site of occasional concerts in the summer and the 4th of July Family Fun Festival, with a kids’ bike parade, games, food and live music. “Gouwens Park has four fields where baseball and softball games sometimes go on simultaneously,” DiSanto adds. There are also four tennis courts and a large parking area off Seton Road. With an entrance off Cottage Grove Avenue, the South Holland Trail runs along the south banks of the Little Calumet River, leading to Gouwens Park. Blueberry Field Pancake House & Restaurant is only open until 3 p.m. daily, serving breakfast, brunch and lunch. It’s a family-run restaurant that’s been around since 1999. In addition to being a popular place for breakfast food, it holds a unique distinction in South Holland. They were the first to receive a liquor license in August of 2023 when the village ordinance was lifted that declared South Holland “dry.” It now means that a mimosa can be ordered with pancakes. Kirk’s BBQ was named after restaurant founder Kirk Edwards, who was asked numerous times to open a permanent restaurant after bringing his food to the South Holland Farmers Market. They’re known for their ribs and barbecue turkey tips, served regular or jerk-style with an extra spicy kick. Jewel-Osco and ALDI are located on 162nd Street at the neighborhood's southern edge for grocery trips. Houses on the lower end tend to be around $150,000, ranging up to $275,000. The houses were built in the 1950s and ‘60s and include ranch-style, split-level and Cape Cod. Some homes have been renovated and are generally priced over $200,000, with three to four bedrooms and about 2,000 square feet of living space. About 88 percent of the people living in South River – Cook County own their homes. This neighborhood's average price per square foot is just over $150. At least a part of the elementary school journey in the public school system will go through Eisenhower School, with second and third-graders attending. The school gets a C-minus Niche grade. Coolidge Middle School is also part of the South Holland School District Number 151. The school receives a D-plus on Niche, and the student-teacher ratio is 13-to-1. The school awards one student each year for excellence in community service with the Pershing Broome Award. Thornwood High School is part of the Thornton Township High School District Number 205. The school is rated a C on Niche, and the student-teacher ratio here is 14-to-1. The neighborhood is west of Interstate 94, where northbound leads to downtown Chicago and about a half-hour drive depending on traffic. Further to the west is the Metra commuter rail station in Harvey, a 12-minute drive. The Pace suburban bus service stops at multiple places on 162nd Street and Cottage Grove Avenue.