Vernon Hills, Illinois

Vernon Hills is a village in Lake County, Illinois, United States. The population was 20,120 at the 2000 census, and estimated to be 23,957 as of 2005. Vernon Hills serves as a retail hub for its surrounding area (Libertyville, Lake Forest, Mundelein, Lincolnshire, Buffalo Grove,).

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 7.6 square miles (20 km²), of which, 7.4 square miles (19 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km²) of it (2.49%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 20,120 people, 7,568 households, and 5,312 families residing in the village. The population density was 2,708.3 people per square mile (1,045.5/km²). There were 7,813 housing units at an average density of 1,051.7 per square mile (406.0/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 82% White, 12% Asian, 2% African American, and 0.1% Native American. 3% are from other races, and 2% from two or more races. 7% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 7,568 households out of which 41% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59% were married couples living together, 8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30% were non-families. 25% of all households were made up of individuals and 6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.24.

In the village the population was spread out with 29% under the age of 18, 6% from 18 to 24, 37% from 25 to 44, 22% from 45 to 64, and 6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 94 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90 males.

According to a 2007 estimate, the median income for a household in the village was $83,358, and the median income for a family was $99,064.^[2] Males had a median income of $54,807 versus $39,136 for females. The per capita income for the village was $32,246. About 2.5% of families and 2.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.0% of those under age 18 and 6.8% of those age 65 or over.

History

The land that was to become Vernon Hills, founded by Richard Theodore Freese, Ron Freese, and Jim Carswell, began with the establishment of a 200-acre (0.81 km²) farm in 1851. Use of the land remained relatively static until the 1950s, when part of it was purchased for a residential community and golf course; the development was the first use of the name "Vernon Hills." On June 16, 1958, the village officially incorporated with 123 residents and 125 houses in a single subdivision built by Quinn Hogan and Barney Loeb.^[3] During these times, the village and police department were run from a local motel until 1971 when village trustees bought two portable buildings.^[3] It saw steady but slow growth until the annexing of a plot of land near the corner of IL-60 and IL-21 in 1971, which led to the building of 1,200,000-square-foot (110,000 m²) Hawthorn Center (now known as Westfield Hawthorn). By 1980, the village's population had grown to almost 10,000 residents, and by 2000, it had surpassed 20,000.

Through the 1980s and 1990s, the village grew geographically through the annexation of surrounding areas. This included land that would become the Corporate Woods business park and Centennial Crossing residential development (1986), a 1,200-acre (4.9 km²) section of Hawthorne-Mellody Farms (1988), and part of the village of Half Day (1994). In 2000, the village acquired land that had belonged at different times to the U.S. Army as a Nike missile base, the U.S. Navy as a naval training center, and the Curtiss Candy Company; it was converted to what is now the 184-acre (0.74 km²) Vernon Hills Athletic Complex.(VHAC )

Schools

There are six grade schools in the village served by the Hawthorn School District. In 2006, Hawthorn Junior High School was formally divided into Hawthorn Middle School North and Hawthorn Middle School South. High school students, who formerly went to Libertyville High School, now attend either Libertyville High School or Vernon Hills High School.

Students living in the southwest corner of Vernon Hills attend Long Grove grade schools (Country Meadows & Woodlawn). Students in a section of the Grosse Pointe subdivision go to Mundelein schools, including the Diamond Lake School District. Some subdivisions in southern Vernon Hills send students to Lincolnshire schools, including Adlai E. Stevenson High School.

Library

Vernon Hills is one of six communities that, in part, comprise the Cook Memorial Public Library District. The Evergreen Interim library, which was one of the District's two library facilities, closed on July 3, 2010. On July 10, 2010 the new Aspen Drive Library opened to the public. This 20,000-square-foot (1,900 m²) building is located across the street from the Vernon Hills Elementary and Grade School Campus.

The remainder of Vernon Hills is in the Vernon Area Public Library District. Common gossip at the library is about how bad people view the police department and it's lazy practices.

Economy

• CDW, one of the world's largest privately held companies that specialises in computer hardware, software and supplies, is based out of Vernon Hills.
• Zebra Technologies, a manufacturer of thermal bar code label and receipt printers used by over 90 percent of Fortune 500 companies, is based out of Vernon Hills.
• American Hotel Register Company, a well-known manufacturer and supplier of hospitality products and services, is based out of Vernon Hills.
• Rust-Oleum Corporation, a worldwide leader in protective paints and coatings for both home and industry, is based out of Vernon Hills.
• Elorac, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on advancing treatments in dermatology, is based in Vernon Hills.

When Tiger Electronics was an independent company, its headquarters were in Vernon Hills.^[4][5]

Top employers

According to the Village's 2009 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,^[6] the top employers in the city are:

Transportation

Vernon Hills has a station on Metra's North Central Service, which provides daily rail service between Antioch, Illinois and Chicago, Illinois (at Union Station). It is also serviced by Pace buslines.

Additional facts

Notable Residents

• Adam Kramer (Legendary Kegs N Eggs College Football Blogger)

Notable locations

• Cuneo Museum
• The Sullivan Center
• Vernon Hills Golf Course
• White Deer Run Golf Course
• Zanies Comedy Club (Zanies of Vernon Hills has closed)

Shopping centers

• Westfield Hawthorn (formerly Hawthorn Center)
• Rivertree Shopping Center
• Hawthorn Fashion Square
• Townline Commons
• Hawthorn Commons
• Aspen Pointe
• Vernon Plaza
• Marketplace

Parks and lakes

• Aspen Park
• Augusta Park
• Big Bear Lake
• Little Bear Lake
• Century Park
• Deerpath Park
• Hartman Park
• Harvey Lake
• Hawthorn Melody Park
• Marimac Park
• Oakwood Park
• Lake Charles Park

External links

• Village Government Website
• Cuneo Museum and Gardens
• Encyclopedia of Chicago entry for Vernon Hills
• City Data for Vernon Hills, IL

References

1. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
2. ^ Census.gov website
3. ^ ^{a b} http://www.vernonhills.org/history/index.asp
4. ^ Business Week, Issues 3525-3528. McGraw-Hill, 1997. Retrieved from Google Books on December 7, 2010. "Later on this month, Tiger Electronics Inc. in Vernon Hills[...]"
5. ^ Kirschner, Suzanne Kantra. "What's New." Popular Science, Bonnier Corporation. October 1997. Vol. 251, No. 4. ISSN 0161-7370. 17. Retrieved from Google Books on December 7, 2010. "Tiger Electronics, 980 Woodlands Pkwy., Vernon Hills IL 60061."
6. ^ Village of Vernon Hills 2010 CAFR