Named for the heights which are now part of the adjacent Beverly, the area was settled in the late 19th century at the intersection of two railroad lines.

The area largely retained its middle-class character during its racial transition, declining somewhat in recent years.

Historically influenced by transit, Washington Heights includes the original site of the former Chicago Bridge & Iron Company.

The Brainerd Bungalow Historic District and the Carter G. Woodson Regional Library, home of the largest collection of African-American history in the midwestern United States, are in the area.

[4] The earliest known non-indigenous settlers in the area were DeWitt Lane in 1832, and Norman Rexford and Jefferson Gardner in 1834.

[1] Wilcox had well water on his farm, which he served to travellers on the Vincennes Trail to Indiana; his tavern (and many others in the area) was popular, since nearby Beverly prohibited the sale of alcohol.

[5] Potawatami Indians remained in the area until they were expelled by treaty and settled in modern-day Kansas and Oklahoma in 1844.

[a][5] Irish, Germans, and native-born Americans settled the intersection of modern-day 103rd Street and Vincennes Avenue in 1860.

[4] Settlers and speculators were attracted to the area, which was at the intersection of the Rock Island Railroad and Panhandle Lines; both had been built in 1852.

[2] Brainerd was settled in 1880, northwest of Washington Heights;[11] unlike Fernwood, it grew slowly due to a lack of transportation.

[15] The area's residents at this time were predominantly Irish, German and Swedish workers, who had moved from Englewood and Greater Grand Crossing.

[4] In 1940, foreign-born whites were 12.5 percent of the population; the top five nationalities were German, Irish, Swedish, Canadian, and English (or Welsh).

[4] Despite fears by many whites of decreasing property values, the economic status of the new residents differed little; Washington Heights remained middle-class.

[18] Known as the Renaissance at Beverly Ridge,[19] the original development plan for the site failed due to lack of funds during a housing-market crash[19] after about 25 homes were built.

[18] This developer, who had close relations to alderman Carrie Austin, also failed to meet expectations, being unable to produce the promised 91 houses by June 2019 and leading to the city cutting off public funds to the project that December.

The project continued during the early 2020s without incident, except on a single block that was beleaguered by problems in home construction and delays in contract closing.

Given that the block is[update] expected to be renamed in honor of the new developer, a white man, and the neighborhood is majority black was also the source of controversy given the issues.

[23] About three-quarters of the housing stock, 74.3 percent, in Washington Heights consists[update] of single-family detached homes.

[30] Although 42 architects are known to have designed the district's buildings, several (including William E. Sammons, Braucher, McClellan, Joneke, and Johnson) dominated the construction.

[1] The original Washington Heights settlement was centered around 103rd Street and Vincennes Avenue,[1] and was annexed by Chicago in 1890.

[56] A small area north of 97th Street and west of Beverly Boulevard is part of Illinois's 3rd congressional district, represented by Democrat Marie Newman.

[63] Washington Heights is in the Chicago Police Department's 22nd District, whose headquarters is in nearby Morgan Park.

[68] Washington Heights does not have[update] any post offices, but some are located in nearby Auburn Gresham, Roseland, and Morgan Park.

[44] Highly-walkable areas account for approximately 91 percent of people and jobs;[74] the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning defines such areas by population density, city-block length, tree-canopy cover, fatalities (or serious injuries) to pedestrians and bicyclists, density at intersections, and nearby amenities.

[82] Named for African-American historian Carter G. Woodson, the library contains the Vivian G. Harsh Research Collection of Afro-American History and Literature (the largest collection of African-American history in the midwestern United States)[17] and the sculpture Jacob's Ladder by South Side native Richard Hunt.

[78] The Chicago Park District completed the purchase in 1938, and quickly added athletic facilities and a fieldhouse.

[78] Brainerd Park is not a contributing property to the Bungalow Historic District due to its late completion, although it has been noted as always intended for community use.

[86] Joseph Robichaux Park was created in the late 1960s from land adjacent to Chicago and Western Indiana Railroad tracks, and its development began in 1970.

[90] The Forest Preserve District of Cook County's Dan Ryan Woods are in Beverly, adjacent to the northwest corner of Washington Heights, and contains the Calumet Division Maintenance Headquarters.

[94] In 2018 a mural of Taylor and a quote of his was painted on a wall adjacent to the trail by Chicago artist Bernard Williams.