Mettawa, Illinois

History

The name of the town derived from Potawatomi chief Mettaywah, who lived in the area before signing the 1833 Treaty of Chicago and being displaced to Kansas. The traveler Colbee reported visiting the chief's village near the Des Plaines River and eating pork, cakes fried in pork fat, and a corn and bean dish. Many Potawatomi returned to Illinois annually until the end of the nineteenth century to visit their burial grounds.

Mettawa was founded by area residents in 1960 who worked together with a common goal of protecting their rural area from encroaching commercial development. Mettawa's first mayor was James Getz; subsequent mayors included Edward FitzSimons, Julius Abler, Barry McLean and Jess Ray. The current treasurer is Amy Weiland. Famous residents and property owners within the area now known as Mettawa have included two-time presidential nominee Adlai E. Stevenson, city planner Edward H. Bennett, and more recently, news anchor and rancher Bill Kurtis and Chicago Bears' linebacker Brian Urlacher (brother of current Mettawa Mayor Casey Urlacher) and running back Matt Forte. Stevenson's Mettawa estate on the Des Plaines River is a designated Illinois Historic Site and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Conservation and recreation

Mettawa was founded by conservationist landowners and continues to be a center of land conservation and restoration activities. The village also supports a rural, equestrian-friendly lifestyle. Some residents maintain small farming operations, and there are eight horse stables within the village's borders.

The Mettawa Open Lands Association (MOLA) is a non-profit organization that promotes quality open space within the village and encourages the protection of public and private open lands. MOLA supports Mettawa-area residents and open lands (including unincorporated housing developments that are surrounded by village land) with public workdays and educational programs, and provides quality open space management on village properties. In celebration of Mettawa's 50th anniversary in 2010, MOLA distributed complimentary wildflower seed packets to all village residents and to many residents in neighboring areas, and suggested that recipients plant the seeds along roadsides to help beautify the area.

MOLA maintains the Whippoorwill Farm Preserve, an open lands area owned by the village (just west of I-94 at the northwest corner of IL-60/Townline Road and Riverwoods Boulevard). Whippoorwill Farm is currently undergoing restoration to a native prairie/wetland habitat.

The Lake County Forest Preserve District maintains five forest preserves within village boundaries, including Old School, Grainger Woods, McArthur Woods, Captain Daniel Wright Woods and Adlai Stevenson Historic Home.

Mettawa also includes nine areas designated as Illinois Nature Preserves, one area within the Libertyville Township Open Space District, and the Covington Charitable Trust area (maintained by the Lake Forest Open Lands Association).

The Des Plaines River Trail runs through the western edge of Mettawa and connects with the village's own Mettawa Trail system, which is used by pedestrians, cyclists and equestrians.

Commercial development

Commercial development has occurred within and adjacent to Mettawa in recent years, despite resistance by residents and the Village Board). However, an unusually high percentage of the commercial structures are green buildings which have achieved high Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) ratings. Tax revenues from businesses in Mettawa provide income to the village, which in turn provides eligible residents with a tax rebate.

HSBC completed construction of its North American headquarters in Mettawa in 2008. Although no longer corporate headquarters, the building remains partially occupied by HSBC. This building achieved LEED Gold Certification and in March 2009 was named Green Development of the Year by the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP).

The W. W. Grainger company's headquarters is located on unincorporated land enclosed within Mettawa's borders. In 2008 this building was updated to achieve its 2009 Gold LEED certification. Through the 1980s and 1990s, many residents of Mettawa opposed Grainger's plans for office development, fearing it would compromise the village's pastoral character. This issue was a source of significant contention during the tenure of Mayor Edward FitzSimons, who argued that fighting Grainger outright rather than negotiating could lead to unfavorable outcomes for the village. The issue ultimately led FitzSimons to resign in 1991. He was succeeded by Julius Abler, a staunch opponent of Grainger's development plans. In spite of this, Grainger purchased 535 acre of land in Mettawa (1993–1998), then disconnected from the village to become part of unincorporated Lake County. In 1996, all of this land was annexed back into the village, with the exception of the 155 acre office campus. Grainger donated 257 acre to the Lake County Forest Preserve District. The resulting Grainger Forest Preserve hosts an equestrian center and includes open lands filled with rare ecosystems and species. The remaining Grainger acreage is within the village and zoned 5 acre residential. Major businesses are also located near the busy intersection of Interstate 94 and Illinois Route 60 in Mettawa.

Residential development

The village maintains a low-density five-acre zoning requirement for residential development. Most of Mettawa's Planned Unit Developments (PUD) have included conservation easements and land restoration.

The Deerpath Farm conservation community, Mettawa's largest (200 acre) PUD, includes 140 acre of restored open lands managed by the Lake Forest Open Lands Association, and also sponsors community workdays and nature education events. In 2006 it was named Development of the Year by the Lake County Stormwater Management Association for its innovative hydrology management based on wetland restoration.

Other PUDs within Mettawa include Sanctuary Estates and Mettawa Woods.

Government

Mettawa is governed by an elected Mayor and a six-member Board of Trustees. ;Mayor

• Casey Urlacher ;Board of Trustees
• Carol Armstrong
• Denis Bohm
• Wendie Clark
• Jan Pink
• John Maier
• Tim Towne

Mettawa lacks a dedicated Village Hall and has few paid administrative staff. Village meetings are held in a local hotel, and the Village contracts with an engineer, attorney, Mettawa Open Lands Association, and various consultants for operational services. In January 2009, the Village Board established its website which serves as a virtual Village Hall, providing official information including Village contacts, official documents and maps, meeting agendas and the Comprehensive Plan.

Notable people

• Matt Forte, former American football player with the NFL's Chicago Bears and New York Jets
• Bill Kurtis, News caster and American crime documentary narrator
• Brian Urlacher, former American football player with the NFL's Chicago Bears
• Casey Urlacher, Mayor of Mettawa, brother of Brian
• Adlai Stevenson II, 31st Governor of Illinois

Geography

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Mettawa has a total area of 5.53 sqmi, of which 5.45 sqmi (or 98.61%) is land and 0.08 sqmi (or 1.39%) is water.

Demographics

|align-fn=center 2010 2020

There were 215 households, out of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.30% were married couples living together, 7.91% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.40% were non-families. 15.81% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.16% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.93 and the average family size was 2.67.

The village's age distribution consisted of 20.2% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 11.3% from 25 to 44, 37.9% from 45 to 64, and 22.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 50.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 78.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 72.5 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $123,125, and the median income for a family was $168,125. Males had a median income of $106,875 versus $48,393 for females. The per capita income for the village was $85,051. About 5.3% of families and 8.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.9% of those under age 18 and 0.0% of those age 65 or over.

Notes

References

• Haines, Elijah M., "Historical and Statistical Sketches of Lake County, State of Illinois," (1852) Waukegan, Illinois: E.G. Howe, Part II: Town of Vernon, page 95

References

1. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
2. {{GNIS. 2399328
3. "Mettawa village, Illinois".
4. Madigan, Tim. (December 5, 1992). "Richest suburb regrets its wealth of publicity". Chicago Tribune.
5. Benton, Colbee. (1957). "A Visitor to Chicago in Indian Days: "Journal to the 'Far-Off West'"". The Caxton Club.
6. "The Bears' Matt Forte Just Bought a Secluded Mettawa Home". Chicago magazine.
7. "Mettawa Open Lands Association". mettawaopenlands.org.
8. "Preserves & Facilities, Recreation, Conservation - Lake County Forest Preserves". lcfpd.org.
9. "Old School Forest Preserve, Libertyville - Lake County Forest Preserves (Illinois)".
10. "Grainger Woods Conservation Preserve, Mettawa - Lake County Forest Preserves (Illinois)".
11. "Forest Preserve Land Purchases and Donation - News Release 16-Jun-06 - Lake County Forest Preserves (Illinois)".
12. "Wright Woods Forest Preserve, Mettawa - Lake County Forest Preserves (Illinois)".
13. "Adlai e. Stevenson Historic Home, Mettawa - Lake County Forest Preserves".
14. "DNR".
15. (March 20, 2009). "HSBC North American Headquarters". e-architect.
16. (1991-01-18). "TINY METTAWA MAY BECOME EVEN SMALLER".
17. (1993-03-27). "DEVELOPMENT TOPS LIST OF METTAWA CONCERNS".
18. "Deerpath Farm Conservation Community". deerpathfarm.com.
19. "Lake Forest Open Lands Association". lfola.org.
20. US Census Bureau. "Gazetteer Files".
21. "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". [[US Census Bureau]].
22. "Explore Census Data".
23. "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Mettawa village, Illinois".
24. "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Mettawa village, Illinois".
25. "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Mettawa village, Illinois".