Kenilworth, Illinois

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Kenilworth is a village in Cook County, Illinois, approximately 17 mi (28 km) north of downtown Chicago. It is the newest of the eight suburban North Shore communities bordering Lake Michigan, and is the only one developed as a planned community. Joseph Sears purchased 223.6 acres in one of the last undeveloped areas near Chicago's lakeshore for $150,300 in 1889. Seven years later, the population had reached 300 residents, fulfilling the legal requirement for incorporation. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 2,494.

Kenilworth has a reputation as the wealthiest and most exclusive community in Chicagoland. In April 2005, American Demographics magazine named Kenilworth's ZIP code (60043) the 11th most affluent in the US and in April 2006, Forbes magazine ranked Kenilworth as the 88th most expensive ZIP code [1].

Kenilworth does not have its own fire department or library; the town shares a fire department with neighboring Winnetka and library with neighboring Wilmette or Winnetka. Residents are allowed to get a library card at Wilmette or Winnetka libraries. Kenilworth has its own police department and 9-1-1 call center.

1 Political Backround
2 Local Government
3 Education
4 Public Entities
5 Kenilworth Assembly Hall
6 Rebel Football
7 Geography
8 Demographics
9 External links

[edit] Political Backround

Kenilworth is mainly a conservative town, with well over fifty percent of the residents being right wing.

[edit] Local Government

A few years ago in a local election Mr. T. Tolbert Chisum won the election for Kenilworth mayor. It is unsure by how many votes he won by. At first it looked like he won by three votes but at one point it has been said that he won by only two votes.

[edit] Education

Kenilworth has its own public school district, with its only school being Joseph Sears School, named after the founder of the village. The school, commonly known as Sears, runs from junior kindergarten through eighth grade, with about sixty students per grade. Sears has its own gymnasium, auditorium, library, and two high-tech computer labs, in addition to a blacktop and large fields behind the school. Annual events that go on at Sears include The Eighth Grade Play, the Spelling Bee, the Geography Bee, Scamper (concert put-on by the Girl Scouts), and Field Day. Most students participate in one of the school's athletic teams, including basketball, football, volleyball, soccer, and field hockey. While Sears is a public school, many people outside of the community think of it as a private school, because the entire student body comes from the same wealthy neighborhood.

There are no private schools in the small village of Kenilworth itself, but some K-8 students do attend nearby schools such as Sts. Faith, Hope and Charity, St. Joseph, St. Francis Xavier or North Shore Country Day.

The vast majority of high schoolers in Kenilworth attend New Trier High School, the district high school just down the road, but others attend a variety of private schools including local and boarding schools. The most popular choices for students looking for alternatives include local private schools such as Loyola Academy and Lake Forest Academy as well as boarding schools like The Hotchkiss School and Deerfield Academy.

[edit] Public Entities

Places in Kenilworth include The Kenilworth Beach, Pee Wee Field, Townley Field, The Ware Garden, McKinely Park, Kenilworth Train Station, Joseph Sears School, The Kenilworth Club, Kenilworth Union Church, Episcopal Church, Kenilworth Gas Station.

To the north there is a White Hen Pantry (in Winnetka) and Captain Nemo's Subs (in Wilmette) and to the south is Plaza del Lago(in Wilmette) and Homer's Restaurant and Ice Cream(in Wilmette).

[edit] Kenilworth Assembly Hall

Formerly known as the Kenilworth Club, the Assembly Hall is a community building in the center of the village used for civic events for the town's gatherings, school-related events, and private organizations' meetings. The building was constructed by George Maher in 1907, and will reach its centennial comemmoration next summer. The community house is used by the Historical Society, Joseph Sears School, and the Boy and Girl Scouts programs among others. In addition, a handful of yearly events go on at the Kenilworth Club, including Bingo Night, The Memorial Day Parade, and the Halloween Party. According to the official website, the Club's mission is, "To educate members of the community about the village, its history and architecture, as represented by the Assembly Hall itself; to promote friendly relations among its members; to serve their social needs; and to promote cultural activities, provide literary entertainment and encourage mental culture."

[edit] Rebel Football

Kenilworth has its own sixth through eighth grade football program, called the Rebels. The team is comprised of mostly boys from Sears School, but the team usually fields a few students from Wilmette and Winnetka. The squad practices four days a week during the season, and plays on weekdays at Townley Field, the field directly behind the school. While the first ten or so games are fun to watch, the spectacle of the year is the last game of the season, against their rivals to the south, Wilmette Football. Wilmette is roughly twenty times the size of tiny Kenilworth, but the Rebels seem to put up a fight year in and year out. The game is always the final match of the season, and is always under the lights in either Kenilworth or Wilmette. The Rebels have rich tradition of tough coaches, and a good running game, very similiar to the hometown Chicago Bears.

[edit] Geography

Kenilworth is located at 42°5′17″N, 87°42′57″W (42.088128, -87.716009)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 1.6 km² (0.6 mi²), all land.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 2,494 people, 792 households, and 697 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,604.9/km² (4,190.8/mi²). There were 815 housing units at an average density of 524.5/km² (1,369.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the village was 97.27% White, 0.16% African American, 0.04% Native American, 2.25% Asian, and 0.28% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.36% of the population.

There were 792 households out of which 49.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 81.7% were married couples living together, 5.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 11.9% were non-families. 10.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.15 and the average family size was 3.39.

In the village the population was spread out with 34.8% under the age of 18, 4.0% from 18 to 24, 19.7% from 25 to 44, 29.7% from 45 to 64, and 11.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 90.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.3 males.

The median income for a household in the village is $297,585, as is the median income for a family. Males had a median income of over $100,000 versus $69,375 for females. The per capita income for the village was $100,718. None of the families were below the poverty line.