Grayslake, Illinois
Encyclopedia
Grayslake is a village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...

 in Lake County
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. Its county seat is Waukegan. The county is part of the Chicago metropolitan area...

 in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of 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,...

. It is located in the Chicago metropolitan area, about 40 miles (64.4 km) north of Chicago’s downtown
Chicago Loop
The Loop or Chicago Loop is one of 77 officially designated Chicago community areas located in the City of Chicago, Illinois. It is the historic commercial center of downtown Chicago...

, 14 miles (22.5 km) west of Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...

, and 15 miles (24.1 km) south of the Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...

 border.

The village's population at the 2000 census was 18,506. As of a special census conducted in 2003, the population was 20,330.

Grayslake is home to the College of Lake County
College of Lake County
The College of Lake County is a community college in Grayslake, Illinois. In 1967, a referendum passed establishing the CLC community college district...

, the University Center of Lake County and the Lake County Fairgrounds.

Early History

In 1840, Massachusetts-born William F. Gray settled along the then unnamed Grays Lake
Grays Lake (Illinois)
Grays Lake is a kettle lake located in the Village of Grayslake in Lake County, Illinois.-Local Regulations:Motorized watercraft are generally not allowed on the lake...

. Other farmers trickled into the area in 1840s. Gray later moved to Waukegan
Waukegan, Illinois
Waukegan is a city and county seat of Lake County, Illinois. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 87,901. The 2010 population was 89,078. It is the ninth-largest city in Illinois by population...

 in 1845.

In 1880, the Wisconsin Central Railroad built a line from Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
Fond du Lac is a city in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, United States. The name is French for bottom of the lake, for it is located at the bottom of Lake Winnebago. The population was 42,203 at the 2000 census...

 to Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

 which passed by the east side of Grays Lake. In 1886, the railroad built a station there, naming it Grayslake. The village incorporated in 1895.

Geography

Grayslake is located at 42°20′54"N 88°1′57"W (42.348271, -88.032428)., in central Lake County. Neighboring communities include Libertyville
Libertyville, Illinois
Libertyville is an affluent northern suburb of Chicago in Lake County, Illinois, United States. It is located west of Lake Michigan on the Des Plaines River. The 2000 census population was 20,742; the 2005 estimate was 21,760...

, Mundelein
Mundelein, Illinois
Mundelein is a village in Lake County, Illinois, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the village population was 31,064.-History:The community now known as Mundelein has been inhabited since at least 1650, when the Potowatami Indians were known to have been trading with French fur traders....

, Round Lake Park
Round Lake Park, Illinois
Round Lake Park is a village in Lake County, Illinois, United States. The population was 6,038 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Round Lake Park is located at ....

, Lake Villa
Lake Villa, Illinois
Lake Villa is a village in Lake County, Illinois United States. The population was 5,864 at the 2000 census. Lake Villa lies within Lake Villa Township...

, Hainesville
Hainesville, Illinois
Hainesville is a village in the Avon Township of Lake County, Illinois, United States. Hainesville has the distinction of being the oldest incorporated community within Lake County.-History:...

, Lindenhurst
Lindenhurst, Illinois
Lindenhurst is a village in Lake County, Illinois, United States. The population was 12,539 at the 2000 census, and estimated to be 14,403 as of 2005...

, Gurnee
Gurnee, Illinois
Gurnee is a village in Lake County, Illinois, United States. The population was 28,834 at the 2000 census, and estimated to be 30,772 in 2005. The village borders the city of Waukegan and is considered a part of the Chicago metropolitan area. Gurnee is perhaps best known for being the location of...

 and Wildwood
Wildwood, Illinois
Wildwood, Illinois is an unincorporated community along Belvidere Road just east of U.S. Route 45 in Lake County, Illinois. Wildwood is bordered by Gages Lake to the north, Gurnee to the northeast, Heather Ridge and Waukegan to the east, Libertyville to the south, and Grayslake to the...

. Grayslake is predominantly within the boundaries of Avon Township
Avon Township, Lake County, Illinois
Avon Township is a township in Lake County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2000 census, its population was 54,957.-Geography:Avon Township covers an area of ; of this, or 4.79 percent is water...

, with a small portion in Fremont Township
Fremont Township, Lake County, Illinois
Fremont Township is a township in Lake County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2000 census, its population was 23,955.-Geography:Fremont Township covers an area of ; of this, or 2.86 percent is water...

.

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 9.6 square miles (24.9 km²), of which, 9.4 square miles (24.3 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square mile (0.517997622 km²) of it (1.68%) is water.

Lakes

Grays Lake
Grays Lake (Illinois)
Grays Lake is a kettle lake located in the Village of Grayslake in Lake County, Illinois.-Local Regulations:Motorized watercraft are generally not allowed on the lake...

, the Village's largest lake, is located in the center of the village and is bounded by Route 120, Lake Street, Harvey Avenue, and Alleghany.

Manor Lake is located in the Manor subdivision.

Major streets

  • Barron Boulevard/Ivanhoe Road
  • Belvidere Road
  • Buckley Road
  • Washington Street
  • Center Street
  • Alleghany Road
  • Midlothian Road
  • Peterson Road
  • Lake Street
  • Atkinson Road
  • Casey Road
  • Almond Road

Demographics

As of the special 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 2003, there were 20,330 people, 6,503 households, and 4,948 families residing in the village. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 1,969.2 people per square mile (760.1/km²). There were 6,642 housing units at an average density of 706.8 per square mile (272.8/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 91.00% White, 1.58% African American, 0.19% Native American, 4.23% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.70% from other 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...

, and 1.27% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.97% of the population.

There were 6,503 households out of which 48.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.3% 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, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.9% were non-families. 18.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.84 and the average family size was 3.31.

In the village the population was spread out with 33.1% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 40.4% from 25 to 44, 16.3% from 45 to 64, and 4.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 96.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.4 males.

According to a 2007 estimate, the median income for a household in the village was $87,901, and the median income for a family was $100,746. Males had a median income of $60,857 versus $37,839 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 $28,898. About 2.4% of families and 3.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.7% of those under age 18 and 3.2% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Grayslake has a station
Grayslake (Metra)
Grayslake Station is a commuter railroad station on Metra's Milwaukee District/North Line in Grayslake, Illinois. The station is located on the corner of Lake Street and Saint Paul Street, is away from Union Station, the southern terminus of the line, and serves commuters between Union Station...

 on Metra
Metra
Metra is the commuter rail division of the Illinois Regional Transportation Authority. The system serves Chicago and its metropolitan area through 240 stations on 11 different rail lines. Throughout the 21st century, Metra has been the second busiest commuter rail system in the United States by...

's Milwaukee District/North Line
Milwaukee District/North Line
The Milwaukee District/North is a commuter rail line provided and operated by Metra in Chicago, Illinois, and its surrounding suburbs...

 which provides service between Fox Lake
Fox Lake, Illinois
Fox Lake is a village in Grant Township, Lake County, Illinois and Richmond Township, McHenry County, Illinois. The population was 9,178 at the 2000 census.-History:...

 and Union Station
Union Station (Chicago)
Union Station is a major train station that opened in 1925 in Chicago, replacing an earlier 1881 station. It is now the only intercity rail terminal in Chicago, as well as being the city's primary terminal for commuter trains. The station stands on the west side of the Chicago River between Adams...

. It also has another station
Washington Street (Metra)
Washington Street is a station on Metra's North Central Service in Grayslake, Illinois. The station is away from Union Station, the southern terminus of the line. In Metra's zone-based fare system, Washington Street is in zone I. Washington Street was opened on January 30, 2006, along with three...

 on Metra
Metra
Metra is the commuter rail division of the Illinois Regional Transportation Authority. The system serves Chicago and its metropolitan area through 240 stations on 11 different rail lines. Throughout the 21st century, Metra has been the second busiest commuter rail system in the United States by...

's North Central Service
North Central Service
The North Central Service is a commuter rail line provided and operated by Metra in Chicago, Illinois, and its surrounding suburbs. While Metra does not specifically refer to any of its lines by a particular color, the timetable accents for the North Central Service line are printed in light "Soo...

 which provides rail service Monday - Friday between Antioch
Antioch, Illinois
Antioch is a village in the Antioch Township of Lake County, Illinois, United States. The population was 14,430 at the 2010 census. Antioch is part of the Chicago metropolitan area.- Prior to incorporation :...

 and Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

 (at Union Station
Union Station (Chicago)
Union Station is a major train station that opened in 1925 in Chicago, replacing an earlier 1881 station. It is now the only intercity rail terminal in Chicago, as well as being the city's primary terminal for commuter trains. The station stands on the west side of the Chicago River between Adams...

) with a stop at O'Hare Airport. There are also a few Pace
Pace (transit)
Pace is the suburban bus division of the Regional Transportation Authority in the Chicago metropolitan area. It was created in 1983 by the RTA Act, which established the formula that provides funding to CTA, Metra and Pace. In 2010, Pace had 35.077 million riders. Pace's headquarters are in...

 bus routes through the town.

Four main traffic routes pass though Grayslake (Rte 120, Rte 45, Rte 83 and Washington Street) contributing to heavy traffic congestion during morning and afternoon rush hours.
Campbell Airport is a small, privately owned facility southwest of town.

Public services

The Village of Grayslake has a full-time police department and a full-time fire protection district.

Police department

The Village of Grayslake Police Department has long been recognized for its commitment to community service. The Village employs 32 full-time police officers and 15 non-sworn staff members that are dedicated to providing the most comprehensive protection, crime prevention, and social service programs to the residents of Grayslake. The Grayslake Police department offers the following bureaus: Detectives, Bike Patrol, DARE, School Liaison Program and Directed Traffic Patrol. All police dispatch is handed by the Village of Glenview. The recently retired Chief is Larry Herzog. The Grayslake Police Department is fully accredited by the National Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies.

Fire Protection District

The Grayslake Fire Protection District currently services 24 square miles (62.2 km²) in central Lake County, Illinois. The district includes the Village of Grayslake. There are 30 career members and 30 part time members. Career members include 19 firefighter/ paramedics, 3 Battalion Chief's and 6 Lieutenants all working 24 hour shifts on and 48 hours off. These 24/48 hour shifts allow staffing 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The Grayslake Fire Protection District services 2 fire stations with the headquarters station located in downtown Grayslake. They work with three engines, one ladder truck, four advanced life support ambulances, one brush unit, a water tender(tanker), two rescue boats and a number of staff and command cars. Through automatic aid agreements with the surrounding area, the Village receives optimal emergency service. Communications are handled through Foxcomm, a professional, state of the art dispatch center offering Enhanced 911 service giving dispatchers the ability to quickly locate a caller. Dispatchers are also Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) trained. EMD allows dispatchers to give critical life saving directions over the phone as paramedics respond. The current Chief is John Christian.

Drinking water supply

The village's water supply comes from the Central Lake County Joint Action Water Agency
Central Lake County Joint Action Water Agency
The Central Lake County Joint Action Water Agency is a public utility that provides drinking water to 185,000 people in Central Lake County, Illinois. CLCJAWA's Paul M. Neal Water Treatment facility began producing drinking water in 1992...

 (CLCJAWA) located in Lake Bluff
Lake Bluff, Illinois
Lake Bluff is a village in Lake County, Illinois. It is the closest moderate-sized town near the Great Lakes Navy Base and is North of Lake Forest. The population is 6,056 according to the 2000 census. The town has a police department and volunteer fire department.-History:In 1836, John and...

. CLCJAWA purifies water from Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...

.

Schools

Grade schools
  • Grayslake Middle School
  • Park Campus K-8
  • Frederick
  • Meadowview
  • Prairieview
  • Avon
  • Woodview
  • Westlake Christian Academy K-12
  • St Gilbert (Catholic) K-8 (3 classes per grade)
  • Prairie Crossing Charter School K-8


High schools
  • Grayslake Central High School
    Grayslake Central High School
    Grayslake Central High School is a high school located in Grayslake, Illinois and is part of Grayslake Community High School District 127.- History :...

  • Grayslake North High School
    Grayslake North High School
    Grayslake North High School is a high school located in Grayslake and is part of Grayslake Community High School District 127.-Background:The high school was built in 2004 to lower class sizes at Grayslake Community High School on Lake Street. In the school's first year , it housed all of the...

  • Lake County Vocational Center


Colleges
  • College of Lake County
    College of Lake County
    The College of Lake County is a community college in Grayslake, Illinois. In 1967, a referendum passed establishing the CLC community college district...

  • University Center of Lake County (bachelor and graduate degrees)

Sports teams

Grayslake's soccer team is the Grayslake Galaxy Soccer club. Grayslake also hosts another active soccer organization, AYSO Region 396 in Grayslake. The youth football team is the Colts. Grayslake Youth Lacrosse Association is the local youth lacrosse program. Central High School's teams are the Rams, and North High School's teams are the Knights. The high school ice hockey club is called the Ramquoits (this club is a joint venture, along with Antioch High School, nicknamed the Sequoits).

Grayslake Youth Baseball Association (GYBA) is the largest volunteer organization in Lake County. It has girls' and boys' T-ball and baseball included in its programs. In 2008, the Grayslake Park District opened a new sports complex on Alleghany Road across from Campbell Airport. The facility includes five baseball/softball fields, tennis courts, a small recreational pond, numerous soccer fields and a concession stand. More baseball fields are planned for the future.

Notable residents

  • Chevelle
    Chevelle
    Chevelle is an American alternative metal trio that formed in 1995 in Grayslake, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. The band was originally composed of two brothers and a local friend: Pete Loeffler , Sam Loeffler , and Matt Scott . Matt was later replaced by brother Joe Loeffler...

    , alternative rock
    Alternative rock
    Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...

     band
  • Adrian Peterson, former Chicago Bears running back
  • Tom Wittum
    Tom Wittum
    Tom Wittum was an American football player. He had a 5-year career in the National Football League from 1973 to 1977 as a punter. He played in two Pro Bowls as a member of the San Francisco 49ers....

    , former San Francisco 49ers
    San Francisco 49ers
    The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...

     punter, taught at Grayslake Central High School
    Grayslake Central High School
    Grayslake Central High School is a high school located in Grayslake, Illinois and is part of Grayslake Community High School District 127.- History :...

  • Sandy Cole
    Sandy Cole
    Sandy Cole is a Republican member of the Illinois House of Representatives, representing the 62nd district since 2007.-Civic involvment:Cole has also been committed throughout her life to civic involvement and volunteerism...

     Illinois state representative.
  • Michael Bond
    Michael Bond (politician)
    Michael Bond is a Democratic member of the Illinois Senate, representing the 31st District since 2007.Bond and his wife live in Grayslake with their three children. He received his Bachelor's degree in Economics from Southern Illinois University in 1992, and his MBA in Finance from Roosevelt...

     Former Illinois state senator
  • Ellis Wylie Contestant on the hit television series "The Glee Project"
  • Jai Ramachandran Investment Banker
  • Stacey Bear Inventor of the Snuggie
  • Kelly Anne Garland, pageant queen Little Miss Grayslake 1999, Junior Miss Grayslake 2002, Miss Grayslake 2009

Recreation and amenities

Grayslake provides fishing, swimming, and boating opportunities in the summer and ice fishing, skating, and hockey in the winter. There are two public golf couses in Grayslake: Carillon, a nine hole facility run by the Park District, and Brae Loch, a Lake County Forest Preserve course. There are numerous tennis courts run by the Park District and both high schools feature over eight courts each, open to the public. Most neighborhoods have their own parks with recreational equipment. The Northbrook Sports Club is a private skeet and trap shooting facility, located near Campbell Airport.
On the north side of town is Rollins Savannah, a county forest preserve of 1200 acres (4.9 km²) with a bird observation deck, trails and walkways through wetlands. Immediately east of the old downtown district is Central Park, which contains many recreational facilities, including:
  • The Esper A. Petersen Foundation Family Aquatic Center, opened in 2000. It features two water slides, recreational and lap swimming facilities.
  • The Daniel Barry Skate park located across from the aquatic facility and next to a community garden.
  • Grayslake Library was moved to a brand new building in 1997. This large facility, in addition to a huge book collection, features meeting rooms and computer/internet resources.
  • Central Park has baseball and softball fields and a football/soccer/lacrosse field with lights for night games, a concession stand, a band shell, a playground with a water feature for small children. There is a bocce court and shuffleboard court, and there is a 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...

    course in the woods throughout the entire park. This is all within a walking distance of the Grayslake Senior Center.

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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