Gurnee, Illinois facts for kids

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Village of Gurnee

Village

Clockwise from the top: Gurnee town sign, Gurnee Town Centre, Hurricane Harbor Chicago, Gurnee Mills, Great Wolf Lodge, Columbia Carousel at Six Flags Great America

Logo

Motto(s):

Community of Opportunity

Location of Gurnee in Lake County, Illinois.

Country

United States

State

Illinois

County

Lake

Founded

1928

Named for

Walter S. Gurnee

Area

• Total

13.59 sq mi (35.18 km²)

• Land

13.51 sq mi (34.99 km²)

• Water

0.08 sq mi (0.20 km²)

Population

(2020)

• Total

30,706

• Density

2,273.00/sq mi (877.62/km²)

Time zone

UTC−6 (CST)

• Summer (DST)

UTC−5 (CDT)

ZIP code

60031

Area codes

224, 847

FIPS code

17-32018

Gurnee (/ɡərˈniː/ GHƏR-nee) is a village and suburb in Lake County, Illinois, United States. It had about 30,706 people living there in 2020. Gurnee is next to the city of Waukegan. It is a very popular place for tourists to visit in the Chicago metropolitan area.

Gurnee is famous for its fun attractions. These include Six Flags Great America, Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Chicago, and Gurnee Mills. More than 23 million visitors come to Gurnee every year!

History of Gurnee
Gurnee's Location and Land
People in Gurnee
What Gurnee is Known For
- Fun Places to Visit
- Major Employers
Schools in Gurnee
Gurnee Public Library
Getting Around Gurnee
Gurnee's Water Supply
Famous People from Gurnee
Images for kids
See also

History of Gurnee

Early settlers arrived in the Gurnee area around 1835. They traveled by foot, horseback, or in wagons pulled by oxen. Some came through the Erie Canal and the Great Lakes. Many came from a town in New York called Warren. Warren Township, formed in 1850, was named after Major General Joseph Warren.

In 1835–36, a land company built a Community House. This house helped families find and get land for their farms. Near this house, there was a shallow spot in the river called a ford. Native American Potowatomi people used this ford to cross the river. Later, bridges were built, first from logs, then wood, and finally iron.

The permanent bridge helped roads grow in the area. This made Gurnee a central spot in the township. A major road, now called Milwaukee Road, crossed the river here. It connected Chicago to Milwaukee. Another important road, now Grand Avenue, was a main route from McHenry County to the port of Waukegan.

The area was first called "Wentworth." It was named after a congressman. Later, Walter S. Gurnee, who was a mayor of Chicago and a railroad director, helped build a train station here. This station was called "Gurnee Station" in his honor. Over time, the name changed to simply "Gurnee." The village was officially established in 1928.

Near the bridge, there was an old building called the Mutaw Tavern. It was a stop for stage coaches traveling between Chicago and Milwaukee. Farmers also stopped there on their way to trade crops in Waukegan. This building was also a secret stop on the Underground Railroad. This was a network of safe houses that helped enslaved people find freedom. Today, the building is home to the Warren Township Historical Society.

In May 2004, Gurnee had a very big rainstorm. This caused the worst flooding in 100 years. Many schools had to close, and homes and businesses were damaged.

Gurnee's Location and Land

Gurnee is located at 42°22′N 87°56′W / 42.367°N 87.933°W / 42.367; -87.933.

The village covers about 13.576 square miles (35.18 square kilometers). Most of this area is land, with a small part being water. The Des Plaines River flows through Gurnee. Interstate 94, a major highway, also runs through the village. This highway divides Gurnee into an older east side and a newer west side.

People in Gurnee

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1930	503	—
1940	661	31.4%
1950	1,097	66.0%
1960	1,831	66.9%
1970	2,738	49.5%
1980	7,179	162.2%
1990	13,701	90.8%
2000	28,834	110.5%
2010	31,295	8.5%
2020	30,706	−1.9%
U.S. Decennial Census 2010 2020

In 2020, Gurnee had a population of 30,706 people. This was a small decrease from 2010. The village is home to people from many different backgrounds.

What Gurnee is Known For

The Gurnee Town Centre, a shopping area in West Gurnee

Six Flags Great America

Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Chicago

Fun Places to Visit

Gurnee has many amusement parks, shopping centers, and hotels. These attractions bring in about 23 million visitors each year.

Six Flags Great America is a huge theme park. It opened in 1976. In 2021, over 2.6 million people visited, making it one of the most popular amusement parks in North America.
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Chicago is a water park next to Great America. It opened in 2005. In its first year, it attracted 1.3 million guests.
Gurnee Mills is a very large shopping mall. It opened in 1991 and is the fourth biggest mall in Illinois. Between 15 million and 20 million people visit Gurnee Mills every year.
Great Wolf Lodge is a resort with a big indoor water park. It opened in 2007 and is a popular place for families.

Major Employers

Many people work in Gurnee. Here are some of the top employers in the village:

#	Employer	# of Employees
1	Six Flags Great America/Hurricane Harbor Chicago	3,315
2	Woodland School District 50	832
3	District 121 (Warren Township HS)	484
4	Nosco Inc.	400
5	Gurnee School District No. 56	390
6	Great Wolf Lodge	356
7	Bass Pro Shops	350
8	Gurnee Park District	330
9	Village of Gurnee (Full-time Equivalent)	233

Schools in Gurnee

Gurnee has several school districts that serve its students.

Gurnee School District #56

This district serves most of the eastern part of Gurnee. It has four schools:

River Trail School (Kindergarten to 8th grade)
Prairie Trail School (3rd to 5th grade)
Spaulding School (Pre-Kindergarten to 2nd grade)
Viking Middle School (6th to 8th grade)

Woodland Grade School District #50

This district serves the western part of Gurnee and some areas on the east side. It includes:

Woodland Middle School (6th to 8th grade)
Woodland Intermediate School (4th to 5th grade)
Woodland Elementary School (1st to 3rd grade)
Woodland Primary School (Kindergarten)
Prairie Crossing Charter School (Kindergarten to 8th grade) - This is a public school that serves students in District 50 and District 79.

High School

Students in Gurnee attend Warren Township High School. This high school has two campuses:

The O'Plaine Road Campus is for freshmen and sophomores.
The Almond Road Campus is for juniors and seniors.

Gurnee Public Library

The Gurnee Public Library is called the Warren-Newport Public Library. It has over 270,000 books, many magazines, and more than 37,000 CDs and DVDs. The library also offers fun and educational programs for people of all ages. It serves about 60,000 residents in the area.

The library first opened on January 10, 1973, with 3,000 books. It moved to its current building in 1978. In 1997, a large addition was built. More renovations and additions happened in 2010.

The Warren-Newport Public Library is one of the busiest libraries in Lake County, Illinois. Its goal is to give the community access to information, help children and adults imagine new things, and support learning throughout life.

Getting Around Gurnee

Interstate 94, also known as the Tri-State Tollway, is the main highway in Gurnee. It makes it easy to travel to Milwaukee and Chicago.

Gurnee does not have its own Metra train station. However, there are nearby stations in Waukegan, Grayslake, and Libertyville.

Pace provides bus service in Gurnee. These buses connect Gurnee to downtown Waukegan, Grayslake, and other places.

Gurnee's Water Supply

The drinking water in Gurnee comes from the Central Lake County Joint Action Water Agency (CLCJAWA). This agency is located in Lake Bluff, Illinois. CLCJAWA cleans and purifies water from Lake Michigan for Gurnee and other communities.