Lake County, Illinois facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lake County
U.S. county
Lake County, Illinois
Lake County Courthouse in Waukegan
Nickname(s):  LC, The “Real” Lake County
Location within the U.S. state of Illinois
Illinois's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Illinois
Founded	March 1, 1839
Named for	Lake Michigan
Seat	Waukegan
Largest city	Waukegan
Area
• Total	1,368 sq mi (3,540 km2)
• Land	444 sq mi (1,150 km2)
• Water	925 sq mi (2,400 km2)  67.6%
Population  (2020)
• Total	714,342
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional districts	6th, 10th, 14th

Lake County is situated in the northeastern corner of the U.S. state of Illinois, along the shores of Lake Michigan. As of the 2020 census, it has a population of 714,342, making it the third-most populous county in Illinois. Its county seat is Waukegan, the tenth-largest city in Illinois. The county is primarily suburban, with some urban areas and some rural areas. Due to its location, immediately north of Cook County, Lake County is one of the collar counties of the Chicago metropolitan area. Its northern boundary is the Wisconsin state line.

According to the 2010 census, Lake County is the second wealthiest county in the state by per capita income, after DuPage County. Additionally, Lake County ranks as the 27th wealthiest county in the nation. The county includes the affluent North Shore communities of Lake Forest, Lake Bluff, and Highland Park, and much of the county's wealth is concentrated in this area, as well as in communities bordering Cook County to the South and McHenry County to the West. The north and northwest areas of the county, though historically rural and exurban, have experienced rapid suburbanization in the past three decades. While the lakefront communities of Waukegan, North Chicago, and Zion are post-industrial and majority non-white.

Naval Station Great Lakes is located in the city of North Chicago. It is the United States Navy's Headquarters Command for training, and the Navy's only recruit training center.

History

The Caspar Ott Cabin, built in 1837, is the oldest structure in Lake County.

Lake County at the time of its creation in 1839

The county, which was primarily unsettled prairie and was still home to its native Potawatomi Indians, was created by the Illinois State Legislature in 1839. At that time, Libertyville, then known as Independence Grove, was the first county seat. In 1841, however, the county's residents voted to move the county government to Little Fort, now Waukegan, where the commissioners had purchased a section of land from the state. Lake County's first courthouse was built on part of that land in 1844 and the remainder was sold to pay for the $4,000 construction cost.

The county's first courthouse was used solely for court sessions and the jail, but in 1853, commissioners constructed a building to accommodate county administration offices and house records. When fire damaged the courthouse on October 19, 1875, the county records were saved because they were in the adjacent building.

After the fire, proposals were made to move the county seat to Highland Park, Libertyville or another site in central Lake County. The county commissioners, however, decided to rebuild in Waukegan. The east half of the building was reconstructed at a cost of $45,000. In 1895, the first jail building was added to the government complex and a west addition was added to the courthouse in 1922. By 1938, county commissioners saw a need for additional space and approved the addition of a 5th Floor. This courthouse, however, was demolished in 1967 to make room for a new high-rise administration building, which was completed with the addition of the jail in 1969 and courts in 1970.

Shortly thereafter, the Lake County Board commissioned the construction of a multi-faceted justice facility and ground was broken in 1986 for the Robert H. Babcox Justice Center, named in memory of Sheriff Babcox, who served as Lake County Sheriff from 1982-1988. The justice center, which houses the county jail, work release program, sheriff's administration offices and three courtrooms, was finished in 1989 at a cost of $29.6 million.

Additional county government facilities have been built or expanded throughout Lake County, including the Coroner's Office, Health Department/Community Health Center facilities, Division of Transportation, Public Works and Winchester House. Lake County government services extend throughout the county's 470 square miles (1,200 km²).

The historic Half Day Inn, a tavern/restaurant, was constructed in 1843. This structure, once located at the corner of Milwaukee Avenue and Rte. 45/Old Half Day Road, was one of the oldest structures in Lake County until it was demolished in 2007 to make way for retail space, condominiums, and a retention pond.

Geography

A satellite view of the Lake County district

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,368 square miles (3,540 km²), of which 444 square miles (1,150 km²) is land and 935 square miles (2,420 km²) (67.6%) is water. It is the second-largest county in Illinois by total area. Most of the water is in Lake Michigan.

State parks

• Illinois Beach State Park
• North Point Marina
• Volo Bog State Natural Area
• Chain O'Lakes State Park

Lakes

Besides Lake Michigan, lakes in the county include:

Natural areas

Lake County's forest preserves and natural areas are administered by the Lake County Forest Preserves district. These facilities include traditional nature preserves, such as the Ryerson Conservation Area, as well as golf courses and historic homes, such as the Adlai Stevenson historic home. A long north-south string of the preserves in Lake County, including Half Day Woods, Old School Forest Preserve, Independence Grove, and Van Patten Woods, form the Des Plaines River Greenway, which contains the Des Plaines River Trail, a popular place for walking, running, and biking. Several local environmental groups operate in Lake County, such as Conserve Lake County and Citizens for Conservation, working to improve habitat. Volunteer opportunities also exist with the Lake County Forest Preserve District.

Adjacent counties

• Kenosha County, Wisconsin - north
• Allegan County, Michigan - northeast (EST Border)
• Van Buren County, Michigan - east (EST Border)
• Berrien County, Michigan - southeast (EST Border)
• Cook County - south
• McHenry County - west

Major highways

Demographics

2020 census

Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.

2010 Census

Employment by occupation in Lake County

As of the 2010 Census, there were 703,462 people, 241,712 households, and 179,428 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,585.6 inhabitants per square mile (612.2/km²). There were 260,310 housing units at an average density of 586.7 per square mile (226.5/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 75.1% white, 7.0% black or African American, 6.3% Asian, 0.5% American Indian, 8.5% from other races, and 2.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 19.9% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 20.5% were German, 12.9% were Irish, 9.4% were Polish, 6.9% were Italian, 6.5% were English, and 4.0% were American.

Of the 241,712 households, 40.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.6% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 25.8% were non-families, and 21.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.82 and the average family size was 3.31. The median age was 36.7 years. The median income for a household in the county was $78,948 and the median income for a family was $91,693. Males had a median income of $62,042 versus $44,200 for females. The per capita income for the county was $38,120. About 4.8% of families and 7.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.6% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over.

2019 United States Census Bureau American Community Survey estimates

Racial Makeup of Lake County (2019)      White alone (74.21%)     Black alone (6.79%)     Native American alone (0.34%)     Asian alone (7.95%)     Pacific Islander alone (0.01%)     Some other race alone (7.36%)     Two or more races (3.33%)

Racial Makeup of Lake County excluding Hispanics from Racial Categories (2019) NH=Non-Hispanic      White NH (60.29%)     Black NH (6.54%)     Native American NH (0.07%)     Asian NH (7.90%)     Pacific Islander NH (0.01%)     Other race NH (0.25%)     Two or more races NH (2.51%)     Hispanic Any Race (22.44%)

Racial Makeup of Hispanics in Lake County (2019)      White alone (62.07%)     Black alone (1.12%)     Native American alone (1.21%)     Asian alone (0.22%)     Pacific Islander alone (0.04%)     Other race alone (31.68%)     Two or more races (3.65%)

According to 2019 US Census Bureau American Community Survey one-year estimates (which is conducted annually for cities over 65,000 via sampling), the population of Lake County, Illinois was 74.2% White (60.3% Non-Hispanic White and 13.9% Hispanic White), 6.8% Black or African American, 8.0% Asian, 0.3% Native American and Alaskan Native, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 7.4% Some Other Race, and 3.3% from two or more races. The White population continues to remain the largest racial category as Hispanics in Lake County primarily identify as White (62.1%) with others identifying as Some Other Race (31.7%), Multiracial (3.7%), Black (1.1%), American Indian and Alaskan Native (1.2%), Asian (0.2%), and Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (0.1%). By ethnicity, 22.4% of the total population is Hispanic-Latino (of any race) and 77.6% is Non-Hispanic (of any race). If treated as a separate category, Hispanics are the largest minority group in Lake County, Illinois.Majority of Hispanic/ Latino residents in Lake County, Illinois are of Mexican descent. Puerto Ricans, Cubans, Central Americans, and South Americans also reside in Lake County, Illinois.

Sites of interest

Amusement parks

Six Flags Great America

• Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois
• Lambs Farm in Lake Bluff, Illinois

Museums

• Volo Auto Museum in Volo, Illinois
• Lake County Discovery Museum in Wauconda, Illinois
• Warbird Heritage Foundation in Waukegan, Illinois
• Waukegan History Museum in Waukegan, Illinois
• Shiloh House in Zion, IL

Performing arts

Genesee Theatre

• ArtWauk in Waukegan, Illinois
• Clockwise Theatre in Waukegan, Illinois
• Genesee Theatre in Waukegan, Illinois
• Ravinia Festival in Highland Park, Illinois

Other

• Downtown Waukegan
• Naval Station Great Lakes
• North Shore Distillery in Lake Bluff, Illinois

Communities

Cities

Villages

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Townships

The county is divided into eighteen townships.

Lake County townships (clickable)

Sports

The following sports teams play in Lake County:

• Lake County Fielders baseball (defunct)
• Lake County Coyotes baseball

Notable people

• Jack Benny (February 14, 1894 – December 26, 1974) – entertainer, comedian, actor and musician, Benny was one of America's greatest stars of radio and television, and also appeared in many films; he was raised in Waukegan, Illinois.
• Charles Boyce (September 21, 1949) – cartoonist, creator of syndicated comic panel Compu-toon and the telecommunication public affairs image The KeyPad Kid.
• Ray Bradbury (August 22, 1920 – June 5, 2012) – fantasy, horror, science fiction, and mystery writer. Best known for his dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 and The Martian Chronicles, Bradbury is widely considered one of the greatest and most popular American writers of speculative fiction of the twentieth century. Bradbury was born in Waukegan.
• Gary Coleman (February 8, 1968 – May 28, 2010) – actor, known for his role as Arnold Jackson in the American sitcom Diff'rent Strokes (1978–1986). Coleman was born in Zion, Illinois.
• Ron Goldman (July 2, 1968 – June 12, 1994), who was killed along with Nicole Brown Simpson grew up in Buffalo Grove.
• Michael Jordan (born February 17, 1963) – retired professional basketball player and active businessman, widely considered one of the greatest players of all time; as of 2015, Jordan had a residence in Highland Park, Illinois.
• Pete Wilson (born August 23, 1933), Mayor of San Diego (1971-1983); United States Senator from California (1983-1991); and Governor of California (1991-1999), born in Lake Forest.
• Thomas E. Wilson (1868-1958), businessman and founder of 'Wilson Sporting Goods', resident and buried in Lake County.

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Lake (Illinois) para niños