Lake Villa, Illinois

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Lake Villa is a village in Lake County, Illinois, United States. The population was 5,864 at the 2000 census, and estimated to be 8,492 as of 2005.

Contents

[edit] Geography

Lake Villa is located at 42°25′3″N, 88°4′56″W (42.417546, -88.082360)GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 16.8 km² (6.5 mi²). 14.8 km² (5.7 mi²) of it is land and 1.9 km² (0.8 mi²) of it (11.57%) is water.

The village lies in a gently rolling moraine landscape, dominated by lakes of glacial origin. Among these are Cedar Lake, north of the village center, and Deep Lake, to the east. There are several smaller lakes and ponds, along with a diminishing complement of wetlands. The lakes and ponds have been important in Lake Villa's historic tourist industry, as well as some small ice production.

Drainage is ultimately to the Des Plaines and Fox Rivers.

The Wisconsin Central Railway runs through the village center. This is a heavily used freight line which also carries Metra commuter rail traffic from Antioch, Illinois to the Chicago Loop.

[edit] Demographics

As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 5,864 people, 2,052 households, and 1,594 families residing in the village. The population density was 395.8/km² (1,024.4/mi²). There were 2,135 housing units at an average density of 144.1/km² (373.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the village was 92.94% White, 2.47% African American, 0.12% Native American, 1.64% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 0.89% from other races, and 1.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.09% of the population.

There were 2,052 households out of which 45.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.9% were married couples living together, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.3% were non-families. 17.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.20.

In the village the population was spread out with 32.1% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 37.8% from 25 to 44, 18.9% from 45 to 64, and 5.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 99.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.5 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $65,078, and the median income for a family was $75,078. Males had a median income of $51,806 versus $36,961 for females. The per capita income for the village was $26,238. About 1.9% of families and 3.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.7% of those under age 18 and 7.3% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Elected officials

Mayor
Frank M. Loffredo

Trustees
David Dykstra
Bill Effinger
Joyce F. Frayer
Darlene Hall
David T. Hartwig
James MacDonald

[edit] History

Lake Villa's history began well over a century ago, before its incorporation on February 21, 1901. Originally settled in the early 1800's, Lake Villa was once a resort town where the affluent and many other tourists came to relax. Several of the early mansions built here at that time, still stand and are a rich part of our history.

There's no doubt that the great E.J. Lehmann, Merchant Prince of State Street, had a profound impact on the history of Lake Villa. By bringing in the railroad and a resort hotel, the area was the "Lake Geneva" of its time. A depot was completed and the first passenger train stopped at Lake Villa on July 26, 1886. Passenger train service was reestablished on the Wisconsin Central in 1995. In 1996, the Lake Villa Train Station was reconstructed according to the original architectural plans. In On Mondays - Fridays, the single track is shared by 10 passenger trains a day and countless freights. Sidings added along the way are currently being connected to make a second track and seven-day service.

Ice cutting in the winter was one of Lake Villa's past industries. The Knickerbocker Ice Company built a plant (1888) on the south shore of Deep Lake with a railroad spur to the site. Blocks of ice were cut from the frozen area lakes and shipped by train to Chicago. Horses pulled huge double cut saws along the lakes and steam engines lifted the 22-inch blocks on 14-foot high ropes and pulleys to the warehouse. Many local farmers worked the ice fields in the winter.

The town center at that time was along Route 83 at Cedar Avenue. The northeast corner had a meat market, a restaurant and Dixon's Sugar House. Just north was Lehmann's Lake Villa Hotel on the east shore of Cedar Lake, where Cedar Village now stands. The Methodist Episcopal Church of Lake Villa held the southwest corner, having been moved by wagon in 1892. The church is now a private residence. Across the street to the east were a post office, a livery stable and bus barn owned by E.J. Lehmann and John Stratton, offering horse drawn bus and carriage rides to local resorts from the train station and sight-seeing tours. To the east was the fabulous Lehmann home, a stucco castle built in 1888 overlooking Deep Lake. Just north of the Lehmann property were two more hotels; the Jarvis House and the Darby House. The local newspaper was called the Lake Villa Advocate.

Population from the Bureau of the Census Library shows an interesting growth pattern for the Village. In 1910 the population was 343. By 1920 it had grown to 407, which increased to 487 during the next 10 years. The Great Depression years saw a dip in the number of people living in Lake Villa, and by 1940, the figure had fallen to 439. A post war jump took place during the 1940s, and by 1950 the population had nearly doubled to 824. The increase continued and 1960 saw a population of 903.

Certificates in the Village files register growth at smaller intervals than the Census Bureau's regular decade counts. In 1966, the Village had a population of 1,024, which grew to 1,090 in the next five years. By 1981 the population stood at 1,462; 1987's count was 2,395; by 1989 the figure had climbed to 2,752; and in 1990, the population reached 2,857. A special census conducted by the Census Bureau in 1997 showed a population increase to 3,957; and in 2000 the population was 5,864?. The 2004 special Census population is 7,994.

(This synopsis was provided by Debbie Effinger of the Village Hall of Lake Villa.)

[edit] External links

[edit] Documentation

Brysiewicz, Joseph W. Chicago's metropolitan fringe : Lake Villa, Illinois : the construction of multiple historical narratives [Lake Forest, Illinois : Lake Forest College,] 2001.

Brysiewicz, Joseph W. Lake Villa Township, Illinois Chicago : Arcadia Publications, 2001.

Encyclopedia of Chicago / edited by James R. Grossman, Ann Durkin Keating & Janice L. Reiff Chicago : University of Chicago Press, 2004]

Lake Villa then and now : centennial history of Lake Villa, Illinois, 1901 - 2001 / compiled and edited by Candace M. Saunders and Julianne Kloc Trychta Lake Villa, Illinois : Village of Lake Villa, Illinois, 2001.

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