Douglas Deuchler

Cicero Revisited (Il) (Images of America) Douglas Deuchler

Strategically located seven miles west of Chicago's Loop, multifaceted Cicero is one of the oldest and largest municipalities in Illinois. In the late 19th century, this unique industrial suburb developed as an ethnic patchwork of self-sufficient immigrant neighborhoods. Since the Roaring Twenties, when mobster kingpin Al Capone set up shop there, the town has often been characterized by corruption and controversy. Yet the Cicero story continues to be full of promise and adventure, vision and accomplishment. As its population has shifted from heavily eastern European to predominantly Hispanic, Cicero remains a vibrant community where residents maintain strong civic pride, work ethic, and family values.