Europeans established a truck farming settlement in Alsip in the 1830s. The territory was mainly occupied by Dutch and German families who cultivated the land. Half a century later, the area had evolved into a tiny yet productive industrial hub. A clay quarry and brickyard were among the original manufacturing businesses to take shape in the region, started by Frank Alsip in 1885. Alsip and his family contributed largely to the expansion of the budding urban center over the years and when it was incorporated in 1927, there was no question whom the village would be named after.
Today Alsip is a diversified and self-sufficient community with residential neighborhoods and business districts that include industrial, corporate and retail companies. Roughly 21,000 people reside in Alsip, which is located about 20 miles southwest of Chicago in the Calumet Sag Channel. The Cal-Sag is a man-made waterway that connects the Chicago Sanitary & Ship Canal and the Little Calumet River. There's a public boat launch off 127th Street that is a busy spot in the summer when Alsip residents are hot to get their recreational watercraft back in the water.
The Alsip Park District has been around since 1965 and now operates 20 different recreational locations around the village, offering residents a wide variety of outdoor activities and seasonal programs. Together the park sites present an opportunity for every interest, from biking and walking the dog to swimming and golf. Some of the designated park areas are simple playgrounds where Alsip families can bring the tots to climb the jungle gym, while other spots step it up a notch with outside athletic fields and indoor sports.
The majority of residential real estate in Alsip, Illinois is detached single-family homes with an assortment of condominiums and townhouse units scattered throughout the village. Detached split-levels are quite common in Alsip. Prices for these two- to four-bedrooms abodes stretch from $140,000 to the upper $300,000s. Home buyers won't find a lot of new constructions on the market in Alsip except for a handful of townhomes and condos in the low $200,000s. More over, the real estate here was built between 10 and 50 years ago.
Alsip Residential Real Estate Info for Single-Family Detached Homes
Average Sale Price 2005-2006
Average # of Days on the Market
Number of Sales 2005-2006
One Year Price Change
Price Change Since 94
$233,186
57
154
11%
91%
Source: Multiple Listings Service of Northern Illinois