Auto Body, Collision Repair in Orland Hills

About Orland Hills, Illinois

Orland Hills is a suburb in Cook County, 23 miles Southwest of the Loop.  A village of 1.5 square miles, Orland Hills borders Tinley Park to the East and South and Orland Park on the west.  As of the 2000 Census, there were 6,779 people living in 2,153 households.  1,767 families were recorded.  53% of the households had children under the age of 18 living with them.  The average household size was 3.15 and average family size was 3.51.  34% of the population was under 18, 9% was from 18 to 24, 36% were from 25-44, 17% was from 45 to 64, and 4% were 65 or older. 

For countless centuries, the area of Orland Hills, as with much of the south metropolitan region, was predominantly open prairie. Large wooded areas and marshes existed to the north, but the immediate ground was prairie with small wetlands.  Along what would be the village's western edge, an ancient Indian trail led north into the rich hunting areas of the Saganaskie Swamp. The land of Orland Hills was first sold in 1836–37 to six men, most likely land speculators. There is evidence of established farms by the end of the 1850s.

With the exception of minor growth in the small village of Orland Park, Orland Township maintained a stable rural population for a hundred years. However, growth exploded in the 1950s like most of the southwestern suburbs.  Part of this growth in the late 1950s was a small group of about 100 homes at the intersection of 167th Street and 94th Avenue. Open farm country separated this subdivision from the villages of Orland Park and Tinley Park, which also were beginning to grow rapidly. To gain municipal services, the residents of this subdivision incorporated as the Village of Westhaven in 1961.  As with many small communities, Westhaven experienced a variety of financial and administrative difficulties in its early years. Initial growth was slow. Its first request for new housing permits came in 1970, nine years after incorporation. But that began additional new construction and land annexations.  1986, the name of the village was changed to Orland Hills so that it would be more closely and clearly identified as part of Orland Township and the Orland Park area. Commercial development along 159th Street and parts of 94th Avenue has emerged in the 1990s. During development several areas were preserved as wetlands and recreation, including a small lake.

Orland Hills is divided between two congressional districts. The area north of 163rd Street is in Illinois’ 1^st Congressional District, while the area south of 163rd Street is part of the 13^th District.

Orland Hills just celebrated the 50^th anniversary celebration of the founding of the Village of Orland Hills.  US Representative Bobby L. Rush joined in the celebrations and presented Mayor Kyle R. Hastings with a permanent congressional recognition that honors the vision of Orland Hills' founders and the effective leadership by Hastings and others whose combined efforts have enabled the village to grow from less than 500 residents to more than 7,100.   Congressman Rush entered a tribute that recognizes the growth of this dynamic American city in the Congressional Record of the United States.  The document, known as an Extension of Remarks, is an expression of Rush’s admiration for Mayor Hastings, Orland Hills’ original founders, the village’s current leadership and the contribution this growing community continues to make to the State of Illinois and to our nation.

In part, Rush’s tribute said this, “…It is my sincere honor to enter into the Congressional Record this heartfelt tribute to the residents of Orland Hills, their Honorable Mayor Kyle R. Hastings, the trustees and appointed leadership of Administrator John A. Daly, and the Chairman of the 50th Anniversary Committee, an Orland Hills Trustee and the Mayor's son, Kyle R. Hastings II.

“I also want to pay tribute to the thousands of Orland Hills residents who spend significant social capital every day to make their village a true social network—a real place to live and work and raise families.”

For the best collision repair services in Orland Park, come to Kallemeyn Collision Center conveniently located in Palos Heights.