Woodstock, Illinois
Encyclopedia
Woodstock is a far northwest suburb of Chicago in McHenry County, Illinois
. The population was 20,151 at the 2000 census. The 2010 Census shows 24,770 residents. It is the county seat
of McHenry County
. Woodstock is located 51 miles (82.1 km) northwest of the Chicago Loop
and 32 miles (51.5 km) northwest of O'Hare International Airport
.
Woodstock is the home of the historic Woodstock Opera House
and Old McHenry County Courthouse
. The city was named in 2007 as one of the nation's Dozen Distinctive Destinations 2007 by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
In 1895, a Chicago federal court sentenced former president of the American Railway Union Eugene V. Debs
for his participation in the 1894 Pullman labor strike. Fearing that he'd be surrounded with too many sympathetic people in a Chicago prison, officials decided to put him on a train for the Woodstock Jail (built 1887), then housed in the red courthouse on the Square. It is said that the Woodstock Jail is where he encountered the works of Karl Marx
, which he read. By the time he was released (purportedly before 10,000+ onlookers in the Woodstock Square) in 1895, Debs had become a socialist. He later ran for the United States Presidency under the newly formed Social Democratic Party
against William McKinley
and William Jennings Bryan
, and then again in 1904.
During the early part of the 20th century, Woodstock had become "Typewriter City." Home to both the Emerson Typewriter Company and Oliver Typewriter, more than half the world's typewriters were produced in Woodstock by 1922. This industrial boom continued through World War II
, but began to gradually decline.
of 2000, there were 20,151 people, 7,273 households, and 4,843 families residing in the city. The population density
was 1,891.1 people per square mile (729.9/km²). There were 7,599 housing units at an average density of 713.1 per square mile (275.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 87.48% White, 1.06% African American, 0.23% Native American, 2.01% Asian, 7.69% from other races
, and 1.52% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 19.01% of the population.
There were 7,273 households out of which 37.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.7% were married couples
living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.4% were non-families. 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.30.
In the city the population was spread out with 27.9% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 33.2% from 25 to 44, 18.9% from 45 to 64, and 9.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 100.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $47,871, and the median income for a family was $54,408. Males had a median income of $40,137 versus $27,264 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $23,210. About 5.3% of families and 7.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.0% of those under age 18 and 3.0% of those age 65 or over.
Outdoor and streetfront scenes were filmed at Woodstock Square, and signs from stores and businesses are visible throughout the movie.
Several scenes in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles were also filmed in Woodstock including the scene in which the car is towed in front of a building (the old Courthouse) and Steve Martin enters the truck driven by John Candy.
In addition, Woodstock can claim an important role in the creative development of Orson Welles
. Welles attended the Todd School for Boys in Woodstock. At Todd, Welles came under the positive influence and guidance of Roger Hill, a teacher who later became Todd's headmaster. Hill provided Welles with an ad hoc educational environment that proved invaluable to his creative experience, allowing Welles to concentrate on subjects that interested him. Welles performed and staged his first theatrical experiments and productions at Todd School, he also performed at the Opera House.
Woodstock has become an important destination for live music in McHenry County and the region with venues featuring local, national, and international artists.
A number of organizations support and promote live music in Woodstock:
The Woodstock Independent is the town's local paper of record and is delivered weekly to subscribers. Published on Wednesdays, The Independent covers local government meetings, all local schools' activities, local sporting events and other community news. The Independent also publishes The Torch, a feature-oriented tabloid publication that is delivered free to all Woodstock residents 8 or 9 times a year.
The Northwest Herald is a larger, daily newspaper that covers many of the northwest Chicago suburbs, including McHenry County and Woodstock. The Herald also includes national news and sports coverage.
and Woodstock North High School). The three most recent buildings, Prariewood, Creekside and WNHS, were approved in a March 2006 referendum to address crowding in schools due to the area's recent growth.
Woodstock is also currently served by private education institutions. St. Mary Catholic grade school (K-8) is located in town and students often continue on to Marian Central Catholic High School
, also located in Woodstock. Another, smaller private school is Woodstock Christian. Residents pursuing an associate's degree
normally do so at McHenry County College in neighboring Crystal Lake
.
Woodstock's railroad station
is the penultimate stop on Metra's Union/Pacific Northwest Line, which originates in Chicago's Ogilvie Transportation Center in downtown Chicago.
U.S. Route 14
curves around Woodstock's southwest border, intersecting with Illinois Route 47
at Woodstock's southeast edge. Illinois Route 120
meets Route 47 approximately 1/4 mile northwest of Woodstock's Public Square.
Woodstock Area
McHenry County, Illinois
McHenry County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 308,760, which is an increase of 18.7% from 260,077 in 2000. Its county seat is Woodstock. This county is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. It is the sixth largest county, in...
. The population was 20,151 at the 2000 census. The 2010 Census shows 24,770 residents. It is the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of McHenry County
McHenry County, Illinois
McHenry County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 308,760, which is an increase of 18.7% from 260,077 in 2000. Its county seat is Woodstock. This county is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. It is the sixth largest county, in...
. Woodstock is located 51 miles (82.1 km) northwest of the Chicago Loop
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...
and 32 miles (51.5 km) northwest of O'Hare International Airport
O'Hare International Airport
Chicago O'Hare International Airport , also known as O'Hare Airport, O'Hare Field, Chicago Airport, Chicago International Airport, or simply O'Hare, is a major airport located in the northwestern-most corner of Chicago, Illinois, United States, northwest of the Chicago Loop...
.
Woodstock is the home of the historic Woodstock Opera House
Woodstock Opera House
The Woodstock Opera House is a historical venue for performing arts and receptions located in Woodstock, Illinois. It was designed as a multi-use facility including City Hall, and the police and fire departments by architect Smith Hoag and built by contractor Simon Brink in 1889 for a cost of...
and Old McHenry County Courthouse
Old McHenry County Courthouse
The Old McHenry County Courthouse, in McHenry County, Illinois, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 1, 1974. Once the courthouse in the county seat of McHenry County, Woodstock, today the courthouse is occupied by various private tenants including a restaurant and an...
. The city was named in 2007 as one of the nation's Dozen Distinctive Destinations 2007 by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
History
Woodstock was originally called Centerville to attract the seat of McHenry County in 1842. It changed its name in 1845 to the present Woodstock and was incorporated as a city in 1873. A vital artery for the growing town was the train line, which allowed for a substantial industrial presence early in the town's history.In 1895, a Chicago federal court sentenced former president of the American Railway Union Eugene V. Debs
Eugene V. Debs
Eugene Victor Debs was an American union leader, one of the founding members of the International Labor Union and the Industrial Workers of the World , and several times the candidate of the Socialist Party of America for President of the United States...
for his participation in the 1894 Pullman labor strike. Fearing that he'd be surrounded with too many sympathetic people in a Chicago prison, officials decided to put him on a train for the Woodstock Jail (built 1887), then housed in the red courthouse on the Square. It is said that the Woodstock Jail is where he encountered the works of Karl Marx
Karl Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx was a German philosopher, economist, sociologist, historian, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. His ideas played a significant role in the development of social science and the socialist political movement...
, which he read. By the time he was released (purportedly before 10,000+ onlookers in the Woodstock Square) in 1895, Debs had become a socialist. He later ran for the United States Presidency under the newly formed Social Democratic Party
Social Democratic Party (United States)
The Social Democratic Party of America was a short-lived political party in the United States, established in 1898. The group was formed out of elements of the Social Democracy of America , and was a predecessor to the Socialist Party of America, established in 1901.-Forerunners:Following the...
against William McKinley
William McKinley
William McKinley, Jr. was the 25th President of the United States . He is best known for winning fiercely fought elections, while supporting the gold standard and high tariffs; he succeeded in forging a Republican coalition that for the most part dominated national politics until the 1930s...
and William Jennings Bryan
William Jennings Bryan
William Jennings Bryan was an American politician in the late-19th and early-20th centuries. He was a dominant force in the liberal wing of the Democratic Party, standing three times as its candidate for President of the United States...
, and then again in 1904.
During the early part of the 20th century, Woodstock had become "Typewriter City." Home to both the Emerson Typewriter Company and Oliver Typewriter, more than half the world's typewriters were produced in Woodstock by 1922. This industrial boom continued through World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, but began to gradually decline.
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 20,151 people, 7,273 households, and 4,843 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 1,891.1 people per square mile (729.9/km²). There were 7,599 housing units at an average density of 713.1 per square mile (275.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 87.48% White, 1.06% African American, 0.23% Native American, 2.01% Asian, 7.69% 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 1.52% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 19.01% of the population.
There were 7,273 households out of which 37.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.7% 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, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.4% were non-families. 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.30.
In the city the population was spread out with 27.9% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 33.2% from 25 to 44, 18.9% from 45 to 64, and 9.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 100.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $47,871, and the median income for a family was $54,408. Males had a median income of $40,137 versus $27,264 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 $23,210. About 5.3% of families and 7.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.0% of those under age 18 and 3.0% of those age 65 or over.
Culture
Movies
Woodstock was the primary filming location for the 1993 movie Groundhog DayGroundhog Day (film)
Groundhog Day is a 1993 American comedy film directed by Harold Ramis, starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell. It was written by Ramis and Danny Rubin, based on a story by Rubin....
Outdoor and streetfront scenes were filmed at Woodstock Square, and signs from stores and businesses are visible throughout the movie.
Several scenes in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles were also filmed in Woodstock including the scene in which the car is towed in front of a building (the old Courthouse) and Steve Martin enters the truck driven by John Candy.
In addition, Woodstock can claim an important role in the creative development of Orson Welles
Orson Welles
George Orson Welles , best known as Orson Welles, was an American film director, actor, theatre director, screenwriter, and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television and radio...
. Welles attended the Todd School for Boys in Woodstock. At Todd, Welles came under the positive influence and guidance of Roger Hill, a teacher who later became Todd's headmaster. Hill provided Welles with an ad hoc educational environment that proved invaluable to his creative experience, allowing Welles to concentrate on subjects that interested him. Welles performed and staged his first theatrical experiments and productions at Todd School, he also performed at the Opera House.
Music
A number of organizations support and promote live music in Woodstock:
- Jazz on the SquareJazz on the SquareJazz on the Square is a 501 not-for-profit organization based in Woodstock, Illinois whose mission is to promote jazz education and performance in the community...
- Masthouse
- Off Square Music
- Opera Woodstock
- RIFF Productions
- Woodstock Folk Festival
- Woodstock City Band
- Woodstock Mozart Festival
News
Woodstock residents have access to several local and/or regional newspapers.The Woodstock Independent is the town's local paper of record and is delivered weekly to subscribers. Published on Wednesdays, The Independent covers local government meetings, all local schools' activities, local sporting events and other community news. The Independent also publishes The Torch, a feature-oriented tabloid publication that is delivered free to all Woodstock residents 8 or 9 times a year.
The Northwest Herald is a larger, daily newspaper that covers many of the northwest Chicago suburbs, including McHenry County and Woodstock. The Herald also includes national news and sports coverage.
Annual traditions
- Diversity Day Festival
- Fair Diddley
- Farmers Market
- Lighting of the Square
- Held on the Friday after Thanksgiving, this celebration kicks the Holiday season downtown. After dark, crowds gather in the Square, sing carols and mingle around the local shops. At 7pm, a small presentation is made by the mayor, City council representative and even Santa Claus. After Miss Woodstock speaks, the crowd counts down in unison and she throws the big lightswitch. All at once, Christmas lights in all the park trees and atop every building's facade turn on in a dazzling and festive introduction to the season. History of the Lighting
- Groundhog Day
- The town celebrates "Groundhog Day" at the beginning of every February, including tours of famous filming sites from the 1993 movie. The town now even has its own groundhog named "Woodstock Willie", who essentially performs the same tasks as "Punxsutawney PhilPunxsutawney PhilPunxsutawney Phil is a groundhog resident of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. On February 2 of each year, the town of Punxsutawney celebrates the beloved groundhog with a festive atmosphere of music and food...
" at the site of the original Groundhog DayGroundhog DayGroundhog Day is a holiday celebrated on February 2 in the United States and Canada. According to folklore, if it is cloudy when a groundhog emerges from its burrow on this day, it will leave the burrow, signifying that winter-like weather will soon end...
festival. Every year on the weekend of Groundhog Day, the Classic Cinemas Woodstock Theater shows Groundhog DayGroundhog DayGroundhog Day is a holiday celebrated on February 2 in the United States and Canada. According to folklore, if it is cloudy when a groundhog emerges from its burrow on this day, it will leave the burrow, signifying that winter-like weather will soon end...
for free. Woodstock's Groundhog day festival also includes a traditional groundhog lighting.
- The town celebrates "Groundhog Day" at the beginning of every February, including tours of famous filming sites from the 1993 movie. The town now even has its own groundhog named "Woodstock Willie", who essentially performs the same tasks as "Punxsutawney Phil
- HarvestFest
- McHenry County Fair
- Woodstock City Band Concerts
- One of Woodstock's longest standing summertime traditions, these free Wednesday night summer concerts are held in the Park in the Square and are often accompanied by an ice cream social.
- Woodstock Challenge Road Run
- The annual 10K, 5K, 1 mile and 1/2-mile family run/walk races through Emricson Park, sponsored by the Woodstock Rec Department.
- For more information, visit rec department's website.
- Woodstock CABA Days
- Woodstock Folk Festival
- Woodstock Jazz on the Square Festival
- Woodstock Mozart Festival
- The WMF has a 25-year tradition. Concerts in late July and early August are held in the historic Woodstock Opera House and showcase internationally acclaimed guest artists and conductors.
- For more information visit http://www.mozartfest.org
Education
Woodstock's public schools are part of Woodstock Community Unit School District 200, which was formed in 1969. The district currently operates 6 elementary schools (Dean Street, Greenwood, Mary Endres, Olson, Prariewood and Westwood), two middle schools (Northwood and Creekside) and two high schools (Woodstock High SchoolWoodstock High School (Illinois)
Woodstock High School, home of the Blue Streaks, is a public high school located in Woodstock, Illinois, a part of Woodstock Community Unit School District 200. Established in 1921, it is located fifteen minutes south of Wisconsin and one hour northwest of Chicago...
and Woodstock North High School). The three most recent buildings, Prariewood, Creekside and WNHS, were approved in a March 2006 referendum to address crowding in schools due to the area's recent growth.
Woodstock is also currently served by private education institutions. St. Mary Catholic grade school (K-8) is located in town and students often continue on to Marian Central Catholic High School
Marian Central Catholic High School
Marian Central Catholic High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Woodstock, Illinois, United States. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockford....
, also located in Woodstock. Another, smaller private school is Woodstock Christian. Residents pursuing an associate's degree
Associate's degree
An associate degree is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by community colleges, junior colleges, technical colleges, and bachelor's degree-granting colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study usually lasting two years...
normally do so at McHenry County College in neighboring Crystal Lake
Crystal Lake, Illinois
Crystal Lake is a city located in southeastern McHenry County in northeastern Illinois, in the Chicago suburbs. It is named after Crystal Lake, a lake located west-southwest of downtown. Crystal Lake is also a suburb of the city of Chicago. The population was 38,000 at the 2000 census, but as of...
.
Transportation
Woodstock (Metra)
Woodstock is a station on Metra's Union Pacific/Northwest Line located in Woodstock, Illinois. The station is located on the Harvard branch of the Northwest Line and is the last stop before Harvard; inbound trains run as far as Ogilvie Transportation Center in Chicago. The station is located in the...
is the penultimate stop on Metra's Union/Pacific Northwest Line, which originates in Chicago's Ogilvie Transportation Center in downtown Chicago.
U.S. Route 14
U.S. Route 14
U.S. Route 14 , an east–west route, is one of the original United States highways of 1926. It currently has a length of 1,398 miles , but it had a peak length of 1,429 miles . For much of its length, it runs roughly parallel to Interstate 90.As of 2004, the highway's eastern terminus is in...
curves around Woodstock's southwest border, intersecting with Illinois Route 47
Illinois Route 47
Illinois Route 47 is a largely rural north–south state highway that runs from the Wisconsin state border at Highway 120 near Hebron, to Illinois Route 10, just south of Interstate 72 near Seymour. This is a distance of . Even though Route 47 is primarily rural, in several suburbs of Chicago,...
at Woodstock's southeast edge. Illinois Route 120
Illinois Route 120
Illinois Route 120 is a major east–west state highway in northeastern Illinois. It runs from U.S. Route 14 near Woodstock to Illinois Route 131 in Waukegan. It travels a distance of and is one of the few roads that provides direct access from McHenry County to Interstate 94 in Lake County...
meets Route 47 approximately 1/4 mile northwest of Woodstock's Public Square.
Notable people
- Jack AllenJack AllenJack Allen may refer to:* Jack Allen * Jack Allen * Jack Allen * Jack Allen , Unionist in Northern Ireland* John F...
, professional baseball infielder for the Syracuse Stars and the Cleveland Blues - Alexander BerkmanAlexander BerkmanAlexander Berkman was an anarchist known for his political activism and writing. He was a leading member of the anarchist movement in the early 20th century....
, anarchist and political activist. - Jessica BielJessica BielJessica Claire Biel is an American actress, model, and occasional singer. Biel is known for her television role as Mary Camden in the long-running family-drama series 7th Heaven...
, actress and model. - Bryan BulagaBryan Bulaga-Green Bay Packers:Bulaga began the 2010 season as a back-up offensive lineman before getting his first start in the fifth week against the Washington Redskins. He went to start every game for the rest of the season, eventually being named to the NFL All-Rookie team. Bryan became the youngest...
, American Football Tackle, University of Iowa and Green Bay Packers - Emma GoldmanEmma GoldmanEmma Goldman was an anarchist known for her political activism, writing and speeches. She played a pivotal role in the development of anarchist political philosophy in North America and Europe in the first half of the twentieth century....
, anarchist and political activist. - Chester Gould, (1900–1985) cartoonist and the creator of the Dick Tracy comic strip.
- Nikol HaslerNikol Hasler, ProducerNikol Hasler is an American internet content creator, producer, writer, and filmmaker known best for her work on Midwest Teen Sex Show, and her frank, direct, dark humor.- Biography :...
, author, sexual educator, internet personality - Scott SobkowiakScott SobkowiakScott David Sobkowiak is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played one game for the Atlanta Braves in ....
, MLB pitcher for the Atlanta Braves - Johnny StompanatoJohnny StompanatoJohn "Johnny" Stompanato , also known as "Handsome Harry", "Johnny Stomp", "John Steele", and "Oscar", was a former United States Marine who became a bodyguard/enforcer for gangster Mickey Cohen...
, mob associate of Mickey CohenMickey CohenMeyer Harris "Mickey" Cohen was a gangster based in Los Angeles and part of the Jewish Mafia, and also had strong ties to the American Mafia from the 1930s through 1960s.-Early life:...
, boyfriend of Lana TurnerLana TurnerLana Turner was an American actress.Discovered and signed to a film contract by MGM at the age of sixteen, Turner first attracted attention in They Won't Forget . She played featured roles, often as the ingenue, in such films as Love Finds Andy Hardy...
, killed by Turner's daughter Cheryl Crane in self-defense. - Michele Weiner-DavisMichele Weiner-DavisMichele Weiner-Davis, MSW, is a marriage and family therapistMichele Weiner-Davis, MSW, is a marriage and family therapistMichele Weiner-Davis, MSW, is a marriage and family therapist...
, marriage therapist and author. - Orson WellesOrson WellesGeorge Orson Welles , best known as Orson Welles, was an American film director, actor, theatre director, screenwriter, and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television and radio...
, (1915–1985) film director, writer, actor, and producer.
External links
Woodstock- Woodstock official website
- The Woodstock Independent
- History of Woodstock
- Woodstock Baseball Programs
- Woodstock Public Library
Woodstock Area