North Chicago, Illinois

History

Land speculators moved into the area south of what is now the city of Waukegan in the 1890s. Industrial development began almost immediately with a railroad depot being set up in 1892; most notable was the arrival of the Washburn and Moen Manufacturing Company, a major barbed wire maker.

The settlement was incorporated as a village in 1895 and as a city in 1909. In 1911, a naval training area was created, the present Great Lakes Naval Training Center, currently the only "boot camp" for Navy enlisted personnel after the closure of facilities in Florida, California, and Houston, MS.

A Veteran's Administration hospital went into service in 1926. This facility was also threatened with closure in recent years but has been retained on condition of a merger with the Naval Hospital.

Historically, North Chicago was known for large populations of Eastern European immigrants. With the onset of the "Great Migration", large numbers of African Americans arrived in the city from states such as Arkansas and Alabama, and toward the end of the 20th century, became the best known demographic group. Housing was segregated in the mid-20th century, and until as late as 1957 the African-American section of town lacked sewers and paved roads. Latinos have arrived in significant numbers, particularly from Mexico, and now form the largest racial/ethnic group in the city (36% as of 2020), just as they do in Waukegan to the north (60% in 2020). North Chicago may have over time been the most diverse and multicultural municipality in Lake County.

Companies such as Washburn and Moen played a significant role in dividing North Chicago based on ethnicity. Workers were relocated from the Worcester plant, and later on, Swedes, Finns, and other Eastern Europeans were brought in. In the northern part of North Chicago, Slovaks, who referred to the area as "Kompanija", founded the Mother of God Roman Catholic Church. Moving further south, Polish residents established Holy Rosary Catholic Church, while German and Irish residents set up schools and churches in the area.

At one time, Navy personnel were a major part of the scene in North Chicago, both the "swabbies" (enlisted men) and the officers. Now, with the degeneration of "the Strip", or entertainment district along several blocks of Sheridan Road, sailors are rarely seen north of the railroad trestle. In the fall of 2007, the city finished demolishing the buildings on Sheridan Road between Martin Luther King Drive and the railroad trestle to the north, within the framework of a new development project involving tax increment financing.

A number of movies have been filmed on the Illinois Route 137 highway through North Chicago including Groundhog Day.

Geography

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, North Chicago has a total area of 8.02 sqmi, of which 8.00 sqmi (or 99.75%) is land and 0.02 sqmi (or 0.25%) is water.

The city is situated on Lake Michigan, immediately to the south of Waukegan. Most of its territory drains directly to the lake, but the western region drains to the North Branch of the Chicago River, and ultimately, since the engineering projects of the 19th century, to the Illinois and thence to the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico.

North Chicago includes a Lake County Forest Preserve unit, the Greenbelt Cultural Center and Forest Preserve.

Demographics

|align-fn=center 2010 2020

There were 7,694 households, out of which 33.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.81% were married couples living together, 14.76% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.64% were non-families. 32.51% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.12% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.42 and the average family size was 2.55.

The city's age distribution consisted of 17.0% under the age of 18, 36.2% from 18 to 24, 27.1% from 25 to 44, 13% from 45 to 64, and 6.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 24.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 150.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 161.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $47,213, and the median income for a family was $57,061. Males had a median income of $25,786 versus $21,778 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,454. About 13.8% of families and 20.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.8% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.

North Chicago census figures include the Great Lakes Naval Training Center.

Government

Mayors of North Chicago

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Education

North Chicago Community Unit School District 187 operates public schools. North Chicago High School is the city's high school.

Transportation

Two Metra stations provide commuter rail service to North Chicago along the Union Pacific North Line, the North Chicago station and the Great Lakes station. Trains serving these stations travel south to Ogilvie Transportation Center in Chicago, and north to Kenosha. Additionally, Pace provides bus service on multiple routes connecting North Chicago to Waukegan and other destinations.

Major streets

• [[Image:I-94.svg|20px]] Tri-State Tollway
• [[Image:US 41.svg|20px]] Skokie Highway
• [[Image:Illinois 43.svg|20px]] Waukegan Road
• [[Image:Illinois 131.svg|20px]] Green Bay Road
• [[Image:Illinois 137.svg|20px]] Sheridan Road
• Buckley Road

Notable people

• Tiffany Brooks, HGTV television personality, winner Design Star, Season 8, attended North Chicago Community High School
• Douglas B. Green, country musician and guitarist of Riders In The Sky, born in North Chicago.
• John S. Matijevich, Illinois state representative, was born in North Chicago
• Quincy Miller, college basketball player
• O'Brien Schofield, football Wisconsin Badgers, NFL player
• Tyrone Smith, Olympic long jumper, attended North Chicago Community High School
• Michael Turner, American football, San Diego Chargers, Atlanta Falcons, attended North Chicago Community High School

Sources

• North Chicago, by Charles M. Leeks and Mary L. Robinson, in: Local Community Fact Book : Chicago Metropolitan Area (1990). Chicago : The Chicago Fact Book Consortium, Dept of Sociology, University of Illinois at Chicago, c1995.
• North Chicago, IL, by Wallace Best, in: The Encyclopedia of Chicago. Chicago : University of Chicago Press, c2004.irac

References

References

1. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
2. {{GNIS. 2395253
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4. "North Chicago, IL".
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7. "Groundhog Day (1993) - Trivia - IMDb".
8. US Census Bureau. "Gazetteer Files".
9. "Decennial Census of Population and Housing by Decades". [[US Census Bureau]].
10. "Explore Census Data".
11. "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – North Chicago city, Illinois".
12. "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - North Chicago city, Illinois".
13. "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) - North Chicago city, Illinois".
14. "Illinois blue book, 1923-1924". [[State of Illinois]].
15. Shaw, John. (September 9, 2020). "Leon Rockingham, Jr. - Meet the Mayor". [[Southern Illinois University.
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17. 'Illinois Blue Book 1991-1992,' Biographical Sketch of John S. Matijevich, pg. 98