Johnsburg, Illinois facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Johnsburg
Village
Location of Johnsburg in McHenry County, Illinois.
Location of Illinois in the United States
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	McHenry
Area
• Total	7.84 sq mi (20.32 km2)
• Land	7.25 sq mi (18.78 km2)
• Water	0.60 sq mi (1.54 km2)
Population  (2020)
• Total	6,355
• Density	876.67/sq mi (338.47/km2)
Time zone	UTC-6 (CST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-5 (CDT)
ZIP Code(s)	60050, 60051
Area code(s)	815
FIPS code	17-38479
Wikimedia Commons	Johnsburg, Illinois

Johnsburg is a village located in McHenry County, Illinois. In 2020, the U.S. census counted 6,355 people living there.

History of Johnsburg

The area that is now Johnsburg was first settled in 1841. This was five years after McHenry County was founded. Immigrant families from the Eifel region of Germany came here. They were looking for a new home away from difficult conditions.

Early Church and Community Life

These early settlers built their first church in 1842. It was a simple log cabin. This cabin also served as a school and a meeting hall for the community. The first priest for the church, St. John the Baptist, was found lost in the woods by Native Americans.

In 1850, a larger wooden church was built to replace the log cabin. Later, in 1867, construction began on a third church. This one was built in the beautiful Gothic style. It took 13 years to finish. Sadly, this church was destroyed by a fire on February 19, 1900. Many old grave markers were also lost in the fire. The church building that stands today was finished and dedicated in 1902.

Becoming a Village

By 1990, people living in the Johnsburg area were worried. They feared their community might be taken over or split up by nearby towns. They talked to leaders in Sunnyside, a village next door. Johnsburg and Sunnyside shared a library, schools, and other services.

Sunnyside had become an official village in 1956. Johnsburg and Sunnyside leaders made an agreement. Sunnyside would add the Johnsburg area to its village. This would make Sunnyside three times bigger. In return, Sunnyside would change its name to Johnsburg. After Sunnyside finished adding the new areas in 1992, its village board officially renamed the municipality to Johnsburg.

Geography of Johnsburg

Johnsburg is located at 42°23′9″N 88°14′9″W / 42.38583°N 88.23583°W / 42.38583; -88.23583.

In 2010, Johnsburg covered about 7.67 square miles (19.87 square kilometers). Most of this area, about 7.08 square miles (18.34 square kilometers), is land. The rest, about 0.59 square miles (1.53 square kilometers), is water. Johnsburg is part of the area where water flows into the Fox River.

Main Roads in Johnsburg

• Richmond Road
• Ringwood Road
• McCullom Lake Road
• Johnsburg Road
• Spring Grove Road
• Chapel Hill Road
• Bay Road
• Riverside Drive

Getting Around: Public Transportation

Since October 2018, a Pace bus route serves Johnsburg. This bus connects Johnsburg to nearby towns like Crystal Lake, McHenry, and Fox Lake.

The closest train station is the McHenry commuter rail station. This station is one of the stops on Metra's Union Pacific/Northwest Line train route.

Johnsburg Population Facts

In 2000, Johnsburg had 5,391 people living in 1,760 households. About 44.9% of these households had children under 18. The average household had about 3 people.

The population was spread out by age. About 30.6% of residents were under 18 years old. The median age was 37 years. This means half the people were younger than 37 and half were older.

The average income for a household in Johnsburg was about $69,864 in 2000. For families, the average income was about $73,491. A very small number of families, about 1.1%, lived below the poverty line.

Schools in Johnsburg

Johnsburg is served by District 12 schools. These schools teach students from Johnsburg, Ringwood, and Pistakee Highlands.

• Johnsburg High School serves students in grades 9 through 12. Their sports teams are called the "Skyhawks."
• Johnsburg Junior High School teaches grades 6 through 8. Their mascot is the "Wildcats."
• Johnsburg Elementary School now serves grades 3 through 5. Their mascot is the "Bloodhounds."
• Johnsburg Ringwood Primary Center, also known as "The Ringwood Rockets," teaches children from Pre-Kindergarten to grade 2.

In the 2008-09 school year, District 12 saw a drop in student numbers. There were 93 fewer students enrolled that year.

Famous People from Johnsburg

Many interesting people have connections to Johnsburg:

• Kathleen Brennan is a musician, songwriter, record producer, and artist.
• C. J. Fiedorowicz used to play professional football as a tight end for the Houston Texans. He went to Johnsburg High School and played for the University of Iowa.
• Clay Guida is a mixed martial artist known as "The Carpenter." He competes in the UFC and used to live in Johnsburg.
• Chuck Hiller was a baseball player, coach, and manager. He was the first National League player to hit a grand slam home run in the World Series (in 1962).
• John Jakus is the head coach for the men's basketball team at Florida Atlantic University.
• Sam Saboura was a host and stylist on ABC's Extreme Makeover. He also hosts TLC's Something Borrowed, Something New. He moved to Johnsburg as a teenager and graduated from Johnsburg High School.

See also

In Spanish: Johnsburg para niños