The Village of Alsip was first settled by Europeans of mostly German and Dutch descent in the 1830's as a truck farming area. Prior to being settled by Europeans, the area was inhabited by the Potawatomi Indians, a large Potawatomi settlement was located nearby. French explorers and missionaries, including Marquette and Joliet, visited the area during the 15^th and 16^th centuries, establishing a Catholic mission church here in 1696 near what is now 122^nd Street and Loveland Avenue. The mission church eventually  burned down, forcing it=s parishioners, mostly French trappers and Native American converts, to travel east to another French mission near what is now 123^rd Street and Vincennes Avenue in Blue Island.  Alsip later developed into a small industrial center. One of the first industries to emerge was a clay quarry and brick factory owned and operated by Frank Alsip. The business, which was established in 1885,  was one of the area=s largest employers. Although the Alsip family did much for the economic development of the area, they did not reside in the community that would later bear their name; preferring to reside instead in the City of Chicago. When the village was incorporated May 2nd, 1927, it was named after the Alsip family.  Since that time, Alsip has grown to cover approximately 8.5 square miles. Today, Alsip is a combination of business and residential areas with a population of approximately 21,000 residents.  Alsip is also now the home of over 800 commercial, industrial, retail and corporate businesses. Some of these businesses include: Coca Cola, Griffith Laboratories International Headquarters, Crown Cork and Seal Inc., and Landis Plastics.

Alsip is located in the south/central portion of Cook County Illinois, and is about 19 miles Southwest of downtown Chicago. Alsip=s northern edge borders the City of Chicago, making it conveniently located for business and residential alike. The population of Alsip is relatively young with a median age of 26.9 years.  49% of the working population is employed in white collar positions. The remaining 51% are engaged in work categorized as blue collar.  60% of Alsip families have incomes between $35,000 and $65,000 annually.