Mundelein, Illinois facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mundelein, Illinois
Village
Downtown Mundelein in March 2024
Flag Logo
Motto(s):  "Start here. Star here"
Mundelein, Illinois Location in Illinois
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	Lake
Township	Fremont, Libertyville
Incorporated	February 1, 1909; 116 years ago (1909-02-01)
Government
• Type	Village
Area
• Total	10.12 sq mi (25.88 km2)
• Land	9.718 sq mi (24.83 km2)
• Water	0.405 sq mi (1.05 km2)  4.2%
Elevation	742 ft (226 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	31,560
• Density	3,291.96/sq mi (1,271.09/km2)
Standard of living
• Per capita income ,538	Median household income ,027
ZIP code(s)	60060
Area code(s)	847 and 224
FIPS code	17-51349

Mundelein is a village in Lake County, Illinois, United States. It's a northern suburb of Chicago. In 2020, about 31,560 people lived there, making it the fourth largest town in Lake County. Mundelein is located about 33 miles northwest of downtown Chicago. It shares borders with towns like Grayslake and Libertyville.

Mundelein was first settled by European settlers in 1835. It officially became a village in 1909. A special railway line helped the village grow by connecting it to the Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad. The University of Saint Mary of the Lake opened in 1921. In 1926, Mundelein hosted a huge event called the 28th International Eucharistic Congress, which brought many people to the town. The village's name changed four times throughout its history.

History of Mundelein

The area where Mundelein is now has been lived in for a very long time, at least since 1650. The Potawatomi people used to trade with French fur traders here. The first European settlers arrived in the early 1800s. Peter Shaddle was one of the first known settlers, building a log cabin in 1835 where the St. Mary of the Lake Seminary is today.

More settlers came from England, looking for new opportunities. They became farmers and named their community "Mechanics Grove." They built schools, churches, and businesses. Later, the community changed its name to "Holcomb" after John Holcomb, who helped the area grow. As Holcomb, the town got a railway station and a post office. In February 1909, the community officially became a village and was named "Rockefeller," after the famous businessman John D. Rockefeller.

However, the name Rockefeller didn't last long. In July 1909, the community changed its name again to "Area." This name was chosen by Arthur Sheldon, who bought a large piece of land and built a school there. The school taught sales techniques based on the idea of "AREA," which stood for "Ability, Reliability, Endurance, and Action." Many students, including many women, attended this school.

In 1915, Archbishop George Mundelein of Chicago bought the school property. He wanted to restart the University of Saint Mary of the Lake, also known as the Mundelein Seminary, which is still there today.

On December 10, 1924, the village board decided to change the village's name to Mundelein, in honor of Cardinal George Mundelein. They got permission in April 1925. Cardinal Mundelein even gave the village its first new fire truck in 1925! The original Village Hall, built in 1929, was used until 2014.

Geography

Mundelein is located at 42°15'47.0"N 88°00'14.4"W.

In 2010, Mundelein covered about 9.97 square miles (25.88 square kilometers). Most of this area, about 9.57 square miles (24.83 square kilometers), is land. The rest, about 0.40 square miles (1.05 square kilometers), is water.

Population and People

2020 Census Information

The 2020 census showed that Mundelein had a population of 31,560 people.

• About 52% of the people were White (not Hispanic).
• About 11% were Asian.
• About 2% were Black or African American.
• About 32% of the people were Hispanic or Latino (who can be of any race).

Income Information

In 2017, the average income for a household in Mundelein was about $86,336 per year. For families, the average income was about $96,813 per year.

Places to See

• 

  Community Protestant Church

• 

  Memorial Point

• 

  Mundelein Heritage Museum

• 

  Mundelein Village Hall from a nearby parking lot

• 

  Fremont Public Library

Mundelein Heritage Museum

The Mundelein Heritage Museum is a museum that tells the story of the town. It opened in 1983 in an old train building from the 1920s. The museum was closed for a few years but reopened in 2020.

Memorial Point

Memorial Point is a special war memorial shaped like a triangle. It's located where Hawley Street and Illinois Route 176 meet. The monument was built in 1969. It has an old anti-tank gun, a flagpole, and a stone with the names of local people who died in wars.

Community Protestant Church

The Community Protestant Church in Mundelein first opened in 1889. Its first building was built in 1896. The church moved to its current spot in 1949 and is sometimes called "the church on the hill." The building was updated in the late 1950s to add more space for education, like a library.

Fremont Public Library

The Fremont Public Library started in 1955 on Park Street. It later moved to a bigger location on Midlothian Road in 2001. The old library building is now used by the Mundelein Elementary School District 75 for their offices.

Village Hall

The current Village Hall opened in 2014. It's a large building located near the Metra train station in the middle of town. It cost over $10 million to build.

The original Village Hall was built in 1929. It was a beautiful building that also served as a fire station, a jail, and a community center. This old building was taken down in 2019 to make way for new businesses.

Model Farm

Model Farm was a special farm used in the 1920s to show off new farming ideas and technology. It had a farmhouse and an exhibit hall. This 80-acre farm opened in 1928. Later, the land was sold, and part of it was used to build Mundelein High School.

Events in Mundelein

Mundelein hosts a fun four-day event every year around Independence Day called Mundelein Community Days. This event often includes carnivals, live music, parades, and even beauty pageants.

Races

Every year on Independence Day, there's a 5K run called the Freedom Classic 5K. This race first started in 1979.

Mundelein also hosts an annual bike race called the Mundelein Grand Prix. It's part of a bigger bike race series in Chicago. The first Grand Prix race in Mundelein was held in 2021.

Economy

The economy of Mundelein includes many different types of businesses. Here are some of the top employers in the village as of 2022:

Education

The first school in Mundelein was called Mechanics Grove School, which opened in 1837. Today, Mundelein is served by several elementary school districts and high schools.

• 

  Mundelein High School main entrance

• 

  Lincoln School, which is now a preschool

• 

  The original Mechanics Grove School

• 

  University of Saint Mary of the Lake

• 

  The current Mechanics Grove School

• 

  Carmel High School

Public Schools

Mundelein has several public school districts:

Diamond Lake School District 76

This district was created in 1847. It has three schools: Diamond Lake School (for kindergarten to second grade), West Oak Elementary Schools (for third to fifth grade), and West Oak Middle School (for sixth to eighth grade).

Fremont School District 79

Fremont School District 79 includes Fremont Elementary School, Fremont Intermediate School, and Fremont Middle School. Several other small school districts joined this one in 1955.

Hawthorn Community Consolidated School District 73

This school district mainly serves the nearby village of Vernon Hills. It has four elementary schools, two middle schools, and a bilingual school.

Libertyville School District 70

Libertyville's school district was founded around 1850. It has four elementary schools and one middle school (Highland Middle School).

Mundelein Elementary School District 75

This district started with Lincoln School in 1894. It includes Washington Early Learning Center (kindergarten to second grade), Mechanics Grove Elementary School (third to fifth grade), and Carl Sandburg Middle School (sixth to eighth grade). Carl Sandburg Middle School is named after the American writer Carl Sandburg.

Mundelein High School

Mundelein High School is the public high school for the area. It was built in 1960 and started classes in 1961. It became its own school district in 1964. The campus has been updated several times over the years.

Private Schools

University of Saint Mary of the Lake

The University of Saint Mary of the Lake is a seminary in Mundelein. A seminary is a school that trains people to become priests. The school first opened in Chicago in 1844 but closed later. The Archdiocese of Chicago bought land in Mundelein in 1915, and the school reopened here in 1921. It is the third largest employer in the village. Cardinal George Mundelein, who the village is named after, is buried on the campus.

Carmel High School

Carmel High School is a private Catholic high school in Mundelein. The boys' school opened in 1962, and the girls' school opened in 1963. The two schools joined together in 1988.

Transportation

Public Transportation

Mundelein has a train station on Metra's North Central Service line. This train provides service on weekdays between Antioch and Chicago Union Station in Chicago. The station reopened in 1996 after being closed for 33 years.

Pace also provides bus services in Mundelein, connecting it to nearby towns like Grayslake and Vernon Hills.

The town is also close to several major airports, including Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport, O'Hare International Airport, and Midway International Airport.

Major Streets

• Lake Street
• Illinois Route 60
• Illinois Route 83
• Maple Avenue
• Midlothian Road
• Hawley Street

Interstate 94 is about five miles east of Mundelein.

Media

The Chicago Tribune newspaper covers news for Mundelein through its local paper, the Mundelein Review. Mundelein also gets news from the Daily Herald and FOX 32 Chicago.

Notable People

• Cardinal George Mundelein, the person the town is named after.

Sports Figures

• Zaire Barnes, an American football player for the New York Jets.
• Ryan Borucki, a professional baseball pitcher.
• Courtney Frerichs, a track and field athlete and Olympic medalist.
• Sean McGrath, an American football player and coach.
• Brienne Minor, an American tennis player.

See also

In Spanish: Mundelein (Illinois) para niños