North Chicago, Illinois
Encyclopedia
North Chicago is an outer suburb/exurb of the Chicago metropolitan area and is an incorporated city in Lake County
, Illinois
, United States
. The population was 35,918 at the 2000 census.
North Chicago hosts the Great Lakes Naval Training Center
and the headquarters of Abbott Laboratories
.
The city is also home to Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science
, which houses the Chicago Medical School
and the Dr. William M. Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine
. http://rosalindfranklin.edu/
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 7.8 square miles (20.2 km²),
The city is situated on Lake Michigan
. 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.
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 1901. In 1911, a naval training area one thousand miles from salt water 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 and California.
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 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. Latterly, Latinos have arrived in significant numbers, particularly from Mexico, and now form a notable group in the city, just as they do in Waukegan to the north. It is possible that North Chicago has over time been the most diverse and multicultural municipality in Lake County.
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 TIF
financing.
Recent years have seen relentless de-industrialization and consequent loss of jobs. Though they live in what is one of the poorer towns on the North Shore
, North Chicago citizens bear an unusually heavy residential tax burden, due to the gross reductions in industrial and other business activity, along with the nontaxable status of the Naval base and the VA (Veterans Affairs
) hospital. The Jelly Belly
factory departed for Kenosha, Wisconsin
.
of 2000, there were 35,918 people, 7,661 households, and 5,577 families residing in the city. The population density
was 4,586.3 people per square mile (1,771.1/km²). There were 8,377 housing units at an average density of 1,069.6 per square mile (413.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 47.72% White, 36.26% African American, 0.84% Native American, 3.59% Asian, 0.15% Pacific Islander, 7.66% from other races
, and 3.79% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 18.24% of the population.
There were 7,661 households out of which 46.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.5% were married couples
living together, 18.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.2% were non-families. 21.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.09 and the average family size was 3.64.
In the city the population was spread out with 24.1% under the age of 18, 34.7% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 9.2% from 45 to 64, and 4.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 22 years. For every 100 females there were 156.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 176.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $38,180, and the median income for a family was $40,485. Males had a median income of $24,480 versus $23,736 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $14,564. About 12.0% of families and 15.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.3% of those under age 18 and 15.4% of those age 65 or over.
North Chicago census figures include the Great Lakes Naval Training Center.
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...
, 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...
. The population was 35,918 at the 2000 census.
North Chicago hosts the Great Lakes Naval Training Center
Naval Station Great Lakes
Naval Station Great Lakes is the home of the United States Navy's only boot camp, located near the city of North Chicago, Illinois, in Lake County. Important tenant commands include the Recruit Training Command, Training Support Center and Navy Recruiting District Chicago...
and the headquarters of Abbott Laboratories
Abbott Laboratories
Abbott Laboratories is an American-based global, diversified pharmaceuticals and health care products company. It has 90,000 employees and operates in over 130 countries. The company headquarters are in Abbott Park, North Chicago, Illinois. The company was founded by Chicago physician, Dr....
.
The city is also home to Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science
Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science
Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science is a private graduate school located in North Chicago, Illinois. Rosalind Franklin is a multi-disciplinary university that seeks to prepare its students to meet the nation's health care needs. The interprofessional education approach used at...
, which houses the Chicago Medical School
Chicago Medical School
The Chicago Medical School is one of the graduate schools of Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science. Founded in 1912, The Chicago Medical School has nearly a 100 year history of a broadly-based socially constructive admission process relatively unlike that of other medical colleges....
and the Dr. William M. Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine
Dr. William M. Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine
Dr. William M. Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine is the college of podiatric medicine at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science. Founded in 1912 by Dr. William M. Scholl along with five medical doctors, a pharmacist, a chiropodist, a chemist and a shoe fitter SCPM was originally...
. http://rosalindfranklin.edu/
Geography
North Chicago, Illinois is located at 42.322272°N 87.854470°W.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 city has a total area of 7.8 square miles (20.2 km²),
The city is situated on 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...
. Most of its territory drains directly to the Lake, but the western region drains to the North Branch of the Chicago River
Chicago River
The Chicago River is a system of rivers and canals with a combined length of that runs through the city of the same name, including its center . Though not especially long, the river is notable for being the reason why Chicago became an important location, as the link between the Great Lakes and...
, and ultimately, since the engineering projects of the 19th century
Illinois and Michigan Canal
The Illinois and Michigan Canal ran from the Bridgeport neighborhood in Chicago on the Chicago River to LaSalle-Peru, Illinois, on the Illinois River. It was finished in 1848 when Chicago Mayor James Hutchinson Woodworth presided over its opening; and it allowed boat transportation from the Great...
, to the Illinois and thence to the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
and the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
.
North Chicago includes a Lake County Forest Preserve unit, the Greenbelt.
Major Streets
-
Tri-State TollwayTri-State TollwayThe Tri-State Tollway is a U.S. toll road maintained by the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority in northeastern Illinois which is considered one of the most heavily traveled highways in the country... -
Skokie HighwaySkokie HighwayThe Skokie Highway is a major arterial highway running north of Chicago through the far northeastern portion of the U.S. state of Illinois. It runs from the intersection of Illinois Route 50 in Skokie north to the Wisconsin state line at Interstate 94 near Wadsworth. All of the Skokie Highway is...
(a.k.a. Edens Expressway) -
Waukegan Road -
Belvidere Street -
Green Bay Road -
Sheridan RoadSheridan RoadSheridan Road is a major north-south thoroughfare that leads from Diversey Parkway in Chicago, Illinois, north to the Illinois-Wisconsin border and beyond to Racine. Throughout most of its run, it is the easternmost north-south through street, closest to Lake Michigan...
/Amstutz Expressway/Buckley Road - 10th Street
- Casimer Pulaski Road
- 14th Street
- Lewis Avenue
- Martin Luther King Junior Drive (formerly 22nd Street)
History
Land speculators moved into the area south of what is now the city of WaukeganWaukegan, 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 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 1901. In 1911, a naval training area one thousand miles from salt water was created, the present Great Lakes Naval Training Center
Naval Station Great Lakes
Naval Station Great Lakes is the home of the United States Navy's only boot camp, located near the city of North Chicago, Illinois, in Lake County. Important tenant commands include the Recruit Training Command, Training Support Center and Navy Recruiting District Chicago...
, currently the only "boot camp" for Navy enlisted personnel after the closure of facilities in Florida and California.
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 merger with the Naval Hospital.
Historically, North Chicago was known for large populations of Eastern European immigrants. With the onset of the "Great Migration
Great Migration (African American)
The Great Migration was the movement of 6 million blacks out of the Southern United States to the Northeast, Midwest, and West from 1910 to 1970. Some historians differentiate between a Great Migration , numbering about 1.6 million migrants, and a Second Great Migration , in which 5 million or more...
", 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. Latterly, Latinos have arrived in significant numbers, particularly from Mexico, and now form a notable group in the city, just as they do in Waukegan to the north. It is possible that North Chicago has over time been the most diverse and multicultural municipality in Lake County.
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 TIF
Tax increment financing
Tax Increment Financing, or TIF, is a public financing method which has been used as a subsidy for redevelopment and community improvement projects in many countries including the United States for more than 50 years...
financing.
Recent years have seen relentless de-industrialization and consequent loss of jobs. Though they live in what is one of the poorer towns on the North Shore
North Shore (Chicago)
The North Shore is a term that refers to the generally affluent suburbs north of Chicago, Illinois bordering the shore of Lake Michigan.- History :Europeans settled the area sparsely after an 1833 treaty with local Native Americans...
, North Chicago citizens bear an unusually heavy residential tax burden, due to the gross reductions in industrial and other business activity, along with the nontaxable status of the Naval base and the VA (Veterans Affairs
Veterans Affairs
Veterans Affairs is a term of the business that deals with the relation between a government and its veteran communities, usually administered by the designated government agency. It might refer to:*Department of Veterans' Affairs...
) hospital. The Jelly Belly
Jelly Belly
The Jelly Belly Candy, or simply Jelly Belly, is the maker of The Jelly Belly and other candy, formerly known as The Herman Goelitz Candy Company...
factory departed for Kenosha, Wisconsin
Kenosha, Wisconsin
Kenosha is a city and the county seat of Kenosha County in the State of Wisconsin in United States. With a population of 99,218 as of May 2011, Kenosha is the fourth-largest city in Wisconsin. Kenosha is also the fourth-largest city on the western shore of Lake Michigan, following Chicago,...
.
Notable people
- Chaka KhanChaka KhanChaka Khan , frequently known as the Queen of Funk, is a 10-time Grammy Award winning American singer-songwriter who gained fame in the 1970s as the frontwoman and focal point of the funk band Rufus. While still a member of the group in 1978, Khan embarked on a successful solo career...
, Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter, born in North Chicago. - Shawn MarionShawn MarionShawn Dwayne Marion is an American professional basketball player currently with the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association. Born in Waukegan, Illinois, Marion attended high school in Clarksville, Tennessee. Before transferring to the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, Marion...
, All Star basketball player for the Dallas MavericksDallas MavericksThe Dallas Mavericks are a professional basketball team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association , and the reigning NBA champions, having defeated the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.According to a 2011...
, attended school at Green Bay Elem and Arthur J. Katzenmaier School. - Michael Turner, NFL running back, attended North Chicago Community High SchoolNorth Chicago Community High SchoolNorth Chicago Community High School, also known as North Chicago and NCCHS, is a public four-year high school located in North Chicago, Illinois, a northern suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is part of --North Chicago School District 187]]...
. - Quincy MillerQuincy MillerQuincy Cortez Miller is an American college basketball player for the Baylor University Bears men's basketball team. He was one of the top rated high school basketball players in the class of 2011....
- Obrien Schofield, NFL Outside Linebacker, attended NCCHS.
- Tyrone SmithTyrone Smith (athlete)Tyrone Smith is a professional Bermudian born long jumper.Tyrone grew up in the Chicago suburb of North Chicago where he attended NCCHS and Novak-King Middle School. At NCCHS he was a member of the Track and Field team as well as the Football team...
, Professional Long Jumper, 2008 Olympian attended North Chicago Community High SchoolNorth Chicago Community High SchoolNorth Chicago Community High School, also known as North Chicago and NCCHS, is a public four-year high school located in North Chicago, Illinois, a northern suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is part of --North Chicago School District 187]]... - Jesse "Jess Fresh" Flores
- Bernard "Nard B" Borden, TeeDeeing since 1986
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
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 2000, there were 35,918 people, 7,661 households, and 5,577 families residing in the city. 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 4,586.3 people per square mile (1,771.1/km²). There were 8,377 housing units at an average density of 1,069.6 per square mile (413.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 47.72% White, 36.26% African American, 0.84% Native American, 3.59% Asian, 0.15% Pacific Islander, 7.66% 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 3.79% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 18.24% of the population.
There were 7,661 households out of which 46.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.5% 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, 18.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.2% were non-families. 21.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.09 and the average family size was 3.64.
In the city the population was spread out with 24.1% under the age of 18, 34.7% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 9.2% from 45 to 64, and 4.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 22 years. For every 100 females there were 156.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 176.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $38,180, and the median income for a family was $40,485. Males had a median income of $24,480 versus $23,736 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 city was $14,564. About 12.0% of families and 15.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.3% of those under age 18 and 15.4% of those age 65 or over.
North Chicago census figures include the Great Lakes Naval Training Center.
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