Glencoe, Illinois
Encyclopedia
Glencoe is a village in Cook County
Cook County, Illinois
Cook County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois, with its county seat in Chicago. It is the second most populous county in the United States after Los Angeles County. The county has 5,194,675 residents, which is 40.5 percent of all Illinois residents. Cook County's population is larger than...

, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...

, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. As of the 2010 census
United States Census, 2010
The Twenty-third United States Census, known as Census 2010 or the 2010 Census, is the current national census of the United States. National Census Day was April 1, 2010 and is the reference date used in enumerating individuals...

, the village population was 8,723. Glencoe is located on suburban Chicago's North Shore. Glencoe is located within the New Trier High School District
New Trier High School
New Trier High School is a public four-year high school , with its major campus located in Winnetka, Illinois, USA, and a second campus in Northfield, Illinois, with freshman classes and district administration...

. Glencoe is regarded as one of the most affluent suburbs on Chicago's North shore.

Glencoe is the birthplace of poet Archibald MacLeish
Archibald MacLeish
Archibald MacLeish was an American poet, writer, and the Librarian of Congress. He is associated with the Modernist school of poetry. He received three Pulitzer Prizes for his work.-Early years:...

. Other well known residents have included actors Fred
Fred Savage
Fredrick Aaron "Fred" Savage is an American actor, director and producer of television and film.He is best known for his role as Kevin Arnold in the American television series The Wonder Years and as the grandson in The Princess Bride...

 and Ben Savage
Ben Savage
Bennett Joseph "Ben" Savage is an American film and TV actor and child star of late 1980s and 1990s. Savage is best known for his role as lead character Cory Matthews on the TV sitcom Boy Meets World from 1993 to 2000....

, Gasoline Alley
Gasoline Alley
Gasoline Alley is a comic strip created by Frank King and currently distributed by Tribune Media Services. First published November 24, 1918, it is the second longest running comic strip in the US and has received critical accolades for its influential innovations...

cartoonist Frank King, film critic Gene Siskel
Gene Siskel
Eugene Kal "Gene" Siskel was an American film critic and journalist for the Chicago Tribune. Along with colleague Roger Ebert, he hosted the popular review show Siskel & Ebert At the Movies from 1975 until his death....

, film director Harold Ramis
Harold Ramis
Harold Allen Ramis is an American actor, director, and writer, specializing in comedy. His best-known film acting roles are as Egon Spengler in Ghostbusters and Russell Ziskey in Stripes , both of which he also co-wrote...

, actor Bruce Dern
Bruce Dern
Bruce MacLeish Dern is an American film actor. He also appeared as a guest star in numerous television shows. He frequently takes roles as a character actor, often playing unstable and villainous characters...

 and actress Lili Taylor
Lili Taylor
Lili Anne Taylor is an American actress notable for her appearances in such award-winning indie films as Mystic Pizza, Say Anything..., Short Cuts and I Shot Andy Warhol, and the acclaimed TV show Six Feet Under....

. Douglas Conant
Douglas Conant
Douglas Conant is an American businessman who served as President and CEO of the Campbell Soup Company until July 31, 2011. Longtime protege Denise Morrison, who worked for him at Nabisco as well as Campbell's, succeeded him as CEO....

, CEO of Campbell Soup Company
Campbell Soup Company
Campbell Soup Company , also known as Campbell's, is an American producer of canned soups and related products. Campbell's products are sold in 120 countries around the world. It is headquartered in Camden, New Jersey...

, grew up in Glencoe, as did National Institutes of Health
National Institutes of Health
The National Institutes of Health are an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and are the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and health-related research. Its science and engineering counterpart is the National Science Foundation...

 Deputy Director and Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...

 Associate Dean Alan M. Krensky
Alan M. Krensky
Alan Krensky is a Senior Investigator in the [Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Biology] at the National Institutes of Health . He served as the first [Director of the Office of Portfolio Analysis and Strategic Initiatives and a Deputy Director of NIH]...

. Former Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...

 quarterback Brian Griese
Brian Griese
Brian David Griese is a former American football quarterback. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the third round of the 1998 NFL Draft. He played high school football at Christopher Columbus High School and later college football at Michigan....

 lived in Glencoe, as does former Chicago Bears offensive tackle Fred Miller.

Geography

Glencoe is located at 42°7′53"N 87°45′39"W (42.131602, -87.761026).

According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

, the village has a total area of 3.8 square miles (9.8 km²), of which, 3.8 square miles (9.8 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) of it (1.82%) is water.

Glencoe is located on the west side of Lake Michigan. Its bluffs overlook the Lake and it has several ravines that empty into Lake Michigan. It is separated from adjoining suburbs on the north and west by the Cook County Forest Preserve natural forest area. Three golf clubs also buffer it on the north with the private Lake Shore Country Club, on the northwest by the public Glencoe Golf Club (operated by the Village of Glencoe), and on the west by the private Skokie Country Club. The village is surrounded on three sides by upper income communities with Highland Park on the north, Northbrook on the west, and Winnetka to the south. The Skokie Lagoons located in the forest preserve to its immediate west. The same forest preserve has a bicycle trail that connects to other forest preserves to the south. In the Village the Greenbay Trail allows bicyclists to travel as far south as Wilmette and north past Lake Forest.

Demographics

As of the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

of 2010, there were 8,723 people, 3,013 households, and 2,499 families residing in the village. There were 3,029 housing units. The racial makeup of the village was 94% White, 1.2% African American, 2.7% Asian, 0.1% American Indian and Alaska Native
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 0.5% Some Other Race
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

,and 1.5% from Two or More Races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.7% of the population.

There were 2,499 family households out of which 44% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 75.4% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 living together, 5.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.1% were non-families. 15.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.89 and the average family size was 3.23.

In the village the population was spread out with 33.5% under the age of 20, 2.4% from 20 to 24, 15.6% from 25 to 44, 34% from 45 to 64, and 14.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. There were 4,428 females and 4,295 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $164,432, and the median income for a family was $200,000+. Males had a median income of $100,000+ versus $48,704 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...

 for the village was $88,059. 2.3% of the population and 1.6% of families were below the poverty line. 3.0% of those under the age of 18 and 0.7% are 65 or older.

Glencoe was listed as the 6th highest Top Earning town in the country by Money.com


Median household income: $187,043


Median home price: $1,148,241


Amount spent on vacations/yr: $10,250




It was also rated the 66th richest zip code in 2006.




In addition Forbes in 2007 rated the Glencoe the 9th richest neighborhood in the country based on avg. income. It also ranked on Business Week's Wealthiest Towns In America list:


Overall rank: 16


Households: 3,042


Average income: $316,747


Average net worth: $1,572,362


Change in income since 2000: +24%


Income rank: 12


Net worth rank: 42

History

In 1835 several pioneers, including Anson and Lisa Taylor, set up businesses on the land originally inhabited by Potawatomi
Potawatomi
The Potawatomi are a Native American people of the upper Mississippi River region. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, a member of the Algonquian family. In the Potawatomi language, they generally call themselves Bodéwadmi, a name that means "keepers of the fire" and that was applied...

. They profited from a commercial pier and an inn that served the stagecoach traffic on the Green Bay
Green Bay, Wisconsin
Green Bay is a city in and the county seat of Brown County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, located at the head of Green Bay, a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It has an elevation of above sea level and is located north of Milwaukee. As of the 2010 United States Census,...

 Road.

Along with several other investors in 1867, former Chicago mayor Walter S. Gurnee
Walter S. Gurnee
Walter S. Gurnee served as Mayor of Chicago for the Democratic Party. The town of Gurnee, Illinois is named for him....

 purchased and subdivided the land near the railway depot on the Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad
Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad
The Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad, often called the North Shore Line, was an interurban railroad line that operated between Chicago, Illinois, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, until its abandonment in 1963.- Early history :...

 line that had been completed a decade earlier. As president of the railroad company, Gurnee made a practice of buying land near stations on the route as sure investments. While he had planned to settle in Glencoe, financial insolvency forced him to return to his hometown in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

.

Upon Gurnee's failure, Alexander Hammond bought 520 acres (2.1 km²) and formed the Glencoe Company with plans for an exclusive residential community. The charter included the building of a school and a church and the hiring of a teacher and a pastor. After some early financial problems, the settlement had grown to 536 homes by 1885. The late 19th century and early 20th century saw many elegant homes built in Glencoe. In addition to several structures by Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...

, there are houses designed by Howard Van Doren Shaw
Howard Van Doren Shaw
Howard Van Doren Shaw was an American architect. He became one of the best-known architects of his generation in the Chicago area.-Early life and career:...

, David Adler
David Adler
David Adler was a prolific architect, designing over 200 buildings...

, Robert E. Seyfarth and George Washington Maher among others.

Glencoe has a Village Manager form of government. It had one of the first Public Safety Departments (combined police/fire/paramedic). It adopted the first zoning code in Illinois in 1921. Its land-use plan adopted in 1940 has been adhered to with minor changes since then. Most all nonconforming uses have been eliminated through attrition and developed to allowed uses shown outlined on the 1940 zoning land-use map. It is predominately single family with no industrial uses. It has a small cohesive central business district that provides most basic services including post office, library, Village Hall
Village hall
In the United States, a village hall is the seat of government for villages. It functions much as a city hall does within cities.In the United Kingdom, a village hall is usually a building within a village which contains at least one large room, usually owned by and run for the benefit of the local...

, performing arts theatre, train station (to Chicago), and other shopping needs.

In the last 20 years the village has experienced increasing tear-downs of smaller homes that have been replaced with larger homes, spurring debate on historic preservation, the impact of an increasingly wealthy demographic and rising property taxes. During this time major reconstruction has been completed of its street and sidewalk network. The business district has had brick sidewalks and period street lights installed. Many public buildings have been or are being remodelled and/or additions made to including the public schools, Village Hall, Library, Park District Community Center, and refrigerated outdoor ice rink. The private golf clubs (Lake Shore Country Club and Skokie Country Club) have seen major club building remodeling, additions, and reconstruction.

In fiction

Glencoe was the setting for the 1983 film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...

 Risky Business
Risky Business
Risky Business is a 1983 American teen comedy-drama film written by Paul Brickman in his directorial debut. It stars Tom Cruise and Rebecca De Mornay. The hit film launched Cruise to stardom.-Plot:...

starring Tom Cruise
Tom Cruise
Thomas Cruise Mapother IV , better known as Tom Cruise, is an American film actor and producer. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards and he has won three Golden Globe Awards....

. However, the picture was actually filmed in neighboring Highland Park
Highland Park, Illinois
Highland Park is a suburban municipality in Lake County, Illinois, United States, about north of downtown Chicago. As of 2009, the population is 33,492. Highland Park is one of several municipalities located on the North Shore of the Chicago Metropolitan Area.-Overview:Highland Park was founded...

. Also, scenes from the 1986 John Hughes film Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Ferris Bueller's Day Off is a 1986 American teen coming-of-age comedy film written and directed by John Hughes.The film follows high school senior Ferris Bueller , who decides to skip school and spend the day in downtown Chicago...

were filmed in Glencoe as were scenes from Sixteen Candles
Sixteen Candles
Sixteen Candles is a 1984 American film starring Molly Ringwald, Michael Schoeffling and Anthony Michael Hall. It was written and directed by John Hughes.- Plot :...

. The Glencoe train station is featured in scenes from Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood
Clinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is an American film actor, director, producer, composer and politician. Eastwood first came to prominence as a supporting cast member in the TV series Rawhide...

's Flags of Our Fathers
Flags of Our Fathers (film)
is a 2006 American war film directed, co-produced and scored by Clint Eastwood and written by William Broyles, Jr. and Paul Haggis. It is based on the book of the same name written by James Bradley and Ron Powers about the Battle of Iwo Jima, the five Marines and one Navy Corpsman who were involved...

as well as She's Having a Baby
She's Having a Baby
She's Having a Baby is a 1988 American romance film directed by John Hughes.The film portrays a young newlywed couple, Kristy and Jake Briggs played by Elizabeth McGovern and Kevin Bacon, who try to cope with being married and what is expected of them by their parents. Jake must also deal with the...

, by John Hughes. Glencoe in the 1970s and 1980's is fondly recalled as the backdrop of the coming of age memoir "Lake Effect", by author Rich Cohen, introducing his readers to his famous "Jamie Drew" character, based on the real-life exploits of fellow native and renaissance-man, Mark Varouxakis . The basis of the plot for the film Mean Girls
Mean Girls
Mean Girls is a 2004 American teen comedy-drama film directed by Mark Waters. The screenplay was written by Tina Fey and is based in part on the non-fiction book Queen Bees and Wannabes by Rosalind Wiseman, which describes how female high school social cliques operate and the effect they can have...

is primarily focused on the North Shore with the well-known reference to the town of Glencoe with the quote "You Go Glen-Coco". In the action-based drama series Covert Affairs
Covert Affairs
Covert Affairs is a USA Network television series starring Piper Perabo and Christopher Gorham. The one-hour drama premiered on Tuesday, July 13, 2010. The show concluded its first season on September 14, 2010 and was renewed for a second season on August 19, 2010. The second season began airing on...

on USA Network
USA Network
USA Network is an American cable television channel launched in 1971. Once a minor player in basic cable, the network has steadily gained popularity because of breakout hits like Monk, Psych, Burn Notice, Royal Pains, Covert Affairs, White Collar, Monday Night RAW, Suits, and reruns of the various...

, August "Auggie" Anderson revealed in his polygraph that he is from Glencoe. The 2011 film Contagion (featuring Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, and Matt Damon) has scenes that were filmed in Glencoe.

Points of interest

  • North Shore Natural Medicine (Chiropractors)
  • Chicago Botanic Garden
    Chicago Botanic Garden
    Located at 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, Illinois, USA, the Chicago Botanic Garden is a living plant museum situated on nine islands featuring 24 display gardens and surrounded by four natural habitats: McDonald Woods, Dixon Prairie, Skokie River Corridor, and Lakes and Shores. The Garden is open...

  • Cook County Forest Preserves
  • Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Sylvan Road Bridge (concrete)(1915 design)
  • Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Ravine Bluffs Subdivision entry light/planter monuments at Sylvan/Franklin and at Franklin/Meadow (circa 1915)
  • North Shore Congregation Israel
    North Shore Congregation Israel
    North Shore Congregation Israel is a Reform synagogue in Glencoe, Illinois.The congregation was started in 1920 as the North Shore branch of Sinai Congregation and is the oldest in the Chicago North Shore suburbs. First full time rabbi was Harvey Wessel in 1926.The congregation's 1964 building was...

     synagogue designed by Minoru Yamasaki
    Minoru Yamasaki
    was a Japanese-American architect, best known for his design of the twin towers of the World Trade Center, buildings 1 and 2. Yamasaki was one of the most prominent architects of the 20th century...

  • Glencoe Train Station (circa 1891)
  • Friends Park
  • Glencoe Golf Club
  • Glencoe Park District, featuring disc golf
    Disc golf
    Disc golf is a disc game in which individual players throw a flying disc into a basket or at a target. According to the Professional Disc Golf Association, "The object of the game is to traverse a course from beginning to end in the fewest number of throws of the disc." Of the more than 3000...

  • Glencoe Public Library
  • Glencoe Sailing Beach
  • Phil Thomas Park
  • Kalk Park
  • Schools: South (grades K-2), West (grades 3-4), Central (grades 5-8)
  • Skokie Lagoons
  • Watts Ice Arena
  • Writers Theatre
  • Glencoe Historical Society including the Eklund History Center Museum and Garden
  • Grand Food Center
  • Skokie Country Club
  • Secret Park
  • Glencoe Beach
  • Little House of Glencoe
  • Lakefront Chiropractic Center
  • Lakefront Massage Center

Local Media

Local media covering news in Glencoe include Winnetka-Glencoe Patch, TribLocal and Pioneer Press.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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