Lake County, Illinois

Lake County is a county in the northeastern corner of the state of Illinois, on the shore of Lake Michigan. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 703,462, which is an increase of 9.2% from 644,356 in 2000.^[1] Its county seat is Waukegan, Illinois.^[2] The county is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. According to the 2000 Census, Lake County is the 31st richest county by per capita income. The lakefront communities of Lake Forest and Highland Park are part of the affluent North Shore area.

Originally part of McHenry County, the townships comprising Lake County were carved out into a separate county in 1839.

Naval Station Great Lakes is located in the city of North Chicago in Lake County. It is the United States Navy's Headquarters Command for training, and the Navy's only recruit training center.

History

The county, which was primarily unsettled prairie and was still home to its native Potawatomi Indians, was created by the Illinois State Legislature in 1839. At that time, Libertyville, then known as Independence Grove, was the first county seat. In 1841, however, the county's residents voted to move the county government to Little Fort, now Waukegan, where the commissioners had purchased a section of land from the state. Lake County's first courthouse was built on part of that land in 1844 and the remainder was sold to pay for the $4,000 construction cost.

The county's first courthouse was used solely for court sessions and the jail, but in 1853, commissioners constructed a building to accommodate county administration offices and house records. When fire damaged the courthouse on October 19, 1875, the county records were saved because they were in the adjacent building.

After the fire, proposals were made to move the county seat to Highland Park, Libertyville or another site in central Lake County. The county commissioners, however, decided to rebuild in Waukegan. The east half of the building was reconstructed at a cost of $45,000. In 1895, the first jail building was added to the government complex and a west addition was added to the courthouse in 1922. By 1938, county commissioners saw a need for additional space and approved the addition of a 5th Floor. This courthouse, however, was demolished in 1967 to make room for a new high-rise administration building, which was completed with the addition of the jail in 1969 and courts in 1970.

Shortly thereafter, the Lake County Board commissioned the construction of a multi-faceted justice facility and ground was broken in 1986 for the Robert H. Babcox Justice Center, named in memory of Sheriff Babcox, who served as Lake County Sheriff from 1982-1988. The justice center, which houses the county jail, work release program, sheriff's administration offices and three courtrooms, was finished in 1989 at a cost of $29.6 million.

Additional county government facilities have been built or expanded throughout Lake County, including the Coroner's Office, Health Department/Community Health Center facilities, Division of Transportation, Public Works and Winchester House. Lake County government services extend throughout the county's 470 square miles (1,200 km²).

The historic Half Day Inn, a tavern/restaurant, was constructed in 1843. This structure, once located at the corner of Milwaukee Avenue and Rte. 45/ Olde Half Day Road, had long been the oldest structure in Lake County (older than the Casper Ott Cabin) until it was demolished in 2007 (in the eyes of some residents unnecessarily) to make way for retail space, condominiums, and a retention pond.

Demographics

As of the census^[3] of 2000, there were 644,356 people, 216,297 households, and 163,953 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,440 people per square mile (556/km²). There were 225,919 housing units at an average density of 505 per square mile (195/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 80.11% White, 6.94% Black or African American, 0.28% Native American, 3.90% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 6.72% from other races, and 2.01% from two or more races. 14.39% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 17.0% were of German, 9.0% Irish, 7.2% Polish, 6.4% Italian and 5.0% American ancestry according to Census 2000. 78.7% spoke English, 12.9% Spanish and 1.0% Russian as their first language.

The Census estimates of 2005 showed Lake County with 68.6% of its residents being non-Hispanic whites, 6.8% African American and 5.5% Asian. 18.2% were Hispanic or Latino of any race.^[4]

According to the 2000 census there were 216,297 households out of which 42.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.20% were married couples living together, 9.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.20% were non-families. 19.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.88 and the average family size was 3.33.

In the county the population was spread out with 29.40% under the age of 18, 8.90% from 18 to 24, 31.60% from 25 to 44, 21.60% from 45 to 64, and 8.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 101.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.30 males. Waukegan and North Chicago account for 20% of the county's population.

The median income for a household in the county was $66,973, and the median income for a family was $76,424 (these figures had risen to $76,940 and $88,851 respectively as of a 2007 estimate^[5]). Males had a median income of $50,789 versus $33,458 for females. The per capita income for the county was $32,102. About 4.00% of families and 5.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.00% of those under age 18 and 4.80% of those age 65 or over. The 2000 Census reported that Lake County had the second median highest household income of any county in the state, behind DuPage County.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 1,368.48 square miles (3,544.3 km²), of which 443.67 square miles (1,149.1 km²) (or 32.42%) is land and 924.81 square miles (2,395.2 km²) (or 67.58%) is water.^[6] much of it in Lake Michigan

State parks

• Illinois Beach State Park
• North Point Marina
• Volo Bog State Natural Area
• Chain O'Lakes State Park

Lakes

Besides Lake Michigan, lakes in the county include:

Forest preserves and natural areas

Lake County's forest preserves and natural areas are administered by the Lake County Forest Preserves district. These facilities include traditional nature preserves, such as the Ryerson Conservation Area, as well as golf courses and historic homes, such as the Adlai Stevenson historic home.^[7] A long north-south string of the preserves in Lake County, including Half Day Woods, Old School Forest Preserve, Independence Grove, and Van Patten Woods, form the Des Plaines River Greenway, which contains the Des Plaines River Trail, a popular place for walking, running, and biking.

Adjacent counties

• Kenosha County, Wisconsin - north
• Allegan County, Michigan - northeast¹
• Van Buren County, Michigan - east¹
• Berrien County, Michigan - southeast¹
• Cook County, Illinois - south
• McHenry County, Illinois - west

¹ Boundary lies entirely in Lake Michigan.

Major highways

• Interstate 94
• U.S. Highway 12
• U.S. Highway 14
• U.S. Highway 41
• U.S. Highway 45
• Illinois Route 21
• Illinois Route 22
• Illinois Route 43
• Illinois Route 53
• Illinois Route 59
• Illinois Route 60
• Illinois Route 83
• Illinois Route 120
• Illinois Route 131
• Illinois Route 132
• Illinois Route 137
• Illinois Route 134
• Illinois Route 173

Townships

The county is divided into eighteen townships.

Cities, villages and census-designated places

Cities

Villages

Unincorporated communities

Sports

The following sports teams play in Lake County:

- Lake County Fielders baseball

Sites of interest

Amusement Parks

• Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois

Harbors

• North Point Marina in Winthrop Harbor, Illinois
• Waukegan Harbor in Waukegan, Illinois

Museums

• Volo Auto Museum in Volo, Illinois
• Lake County Discovery Museum in Wauconda, Illinois
• Warbird Heritage Foundation in Waukegan, Illinois
• Waukegan History Museum in Waukegan, Illinois

Shopping

• Belvidere Discount Mall in Waukegan, Illinois
• Deer Park Town Center in Deer Park, Illinois
• Downtown Waukegan, Illinois in Waukegan, Illinois
• Fountain Square of Waukegan in Waukegan, Illinois
• Gurnee Mills in Gurnee, Illinois
• Westfield Hawthorn Center in Vernon Hills, Illinois

Theatres

• Clockwise Theatre in Waukegan, Illinois
• Genesee Theatre in Waukegan, Illinois

Other

• Naval Station Great Lakes
• Ravinia Park located in Highland Park, Illinois.
• Tempel Farms - Lipizzan Horse Stables and Outdoor Arena
• Key Lime Cove Water Resort, located in Gurnee, Illinois

Notable natives and residents

Notable people who are natives of or have lived in Lake County include:

• Jack Benny (February 14, 1894 - December 26, 1974) - American entertainer. Comedian, actor and musician, Benny was one of America's greatest stars of radio and television, and also appeared in many films. Benny was raised in Waukegan, Illinois.
• Ray Bradbury (born August 22, 1920) - American mainstream, fantasy, horror, science fiction, and mystery writer. Best known for his dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 and The Martian Chronicles, Bradbury is widely considered one of the greatest and most popular American writers of speculative fiction of the twentieth century. Bradbury was born in Waukegan, Illinois.
• Barry Bradford, teacher, author, public speaker, famous for helping reopen the Mississippi Burning Case, and the Clyde Kennard Case. National Teacher Of The Year ^[8], Illinois Teacher Of The Year, and winner of the Golden Apple Award for Excellence In Teaching^[9], as well as a Presidential Citation For Civillian Service. ^[10]is a long time resident of Deerfield, Illinois
• Gary Coleman (February 8, 1968 - May 28, 2010) - American actor. Best known for his role as Arnold Jackson in the American sitcom Diff'rent Strokes (1978–1986). Coleman was born in Zion, Illinois.
• Marlon Brando (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) American actor. As a young sex symbol, he is best known for his roles in A Streetcar Named Desire, On the Waterfront and Guys and Dolls. Brando and his family moved to Libertyville, Illinois where he lived from 1937 until 1942.
• Michael Jordan (born February 17, 1963) - a retired American professional basketball player and active businessman. Jordan is widely considered one of the greatest and most popular basketball players of all time. As of 2010, Jordan lives in Highland Park, Illinois.
• Vince Vaughn (born March 28, 1970) - American actor. Best known for his roles in Swingers and Wedding Crashers. Vaughn grew up in Buffalo Grove, Illinois. He then moved to Lake Forest, Illinois, where he graduated from Lake Forest High School in 1988.

Lake County in popular culture

The most notable movies which filmed through the years at Lake county are:

• Ordinary People (1980) - the movie was filmed in Highwood, Highland Park, Lake Bluff, Lake Forest, Northbrook and Wilmette.
• Class (1983) - the movie was filmed at Lake Forest College in Lake Forest and other locations in Chicago.
• Risky Business (1983) - the movie was filmed in Deerfield, Highland Park and Skokie.
• Chain Reaction (1996) - the movie has scenes filmed at a famous Lake Bluff estate and was largely shot in downtown Chicago.
• "Mean Girls" (2004) - The movie, according to writer Tina Fey, is known to place in Evanston although not mentioned throughout the film.

See also

• List of school districts in Lake County, Illinois
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Lake County, Illinois

References

1. ^ "Lake County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/17/17097.html. Retrieved 2011-11-05. 
2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
3. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
4. ^ Lake County QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau
5. ^ http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ACSSAFFFacts?_event=ChangeGeoContext&geo_id=05000US17097&_geoContext=01000US%7C04000US17%7C05000US17093&_street=&_county=lake&_cityTown=lake&_state=04000US17&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=geoSelect&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=010&_submenuId=factsheet_1&ds_name=ACS_2007_3YR_SAFF&_ci_nbr=null&qr_name=null&reg=null%3Anull&_keyword=&_industry=
6. ^ "Census 2010 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Counties". United States Census. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_counties_national.txt. Retrieved 2011-11-05. 
7. ^ "Lake County Forest Preserves". http://www.lcfpd.org/index.cfm. 
8. ^ www.oah.org/awards/awards.tachau.winners.html
9. ^ www.goldenapple.org/pages/academy_directory/26.php
10. ^ http://www.barrybradford.com/2.html.

• Forstall, Richard L. (editor) (1996). Population of states and counties of the United States: 1790 to 1990 : from the twenty-one decennial censuses. United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Population Division. ISBN 0-934213-48-8. 

External links

• Lake County, IL official web site
• Lake County Forest Preserve District official web site
• Preservation Foundation of the Lake County Forest Preserves
• Lake County Animal Control official web site
• Lake County Online web site
• Pioneer Press Lake County Blog
• Lake County, Illinois, CVB - Official Travel Site
• About Lake County