Morton Grove, Illinois

Morton Grove, Illinois
Village
Motto: "First in service... first in safety"
Nickname: The Grove
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	Cook
Coordinates
Area	5.09 sq mi (13 km2)
- land	5.09 sq mi (13 km2)
- water	0.00 sq mi (0 km2)
Population	23,270 (2010)
Density	4,571.7 / sq mi (1,765 / km2)
Timezone	CST (UTC-6)
- summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
Postal code	60053, 60054, 60055
Area code	847
Location in Cook County and the state of Illinois.
Location of Illinois in the United States
Wikimedia Commons: Morton Grove, Illinois
Website: www.mortongroveil.org

Morton Grove is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 23,270, for a growth rate of 3.6% since 2000.

The Village of Morton Grove is represented by a governing board consisting of a Village President and six Village Trustee. The President and Trustee are elected to four-year terms. The Village President is the presiding officer of Village Board meetings. The President is also the chief executive officer of the Village. The Village President of Morton Grove since May 13, 2013, is Mayor Daniel P. DiMaria.

Regularly scheduled Board meetings are held on the second and fourth Mondays of each month, beginning with a closed door executive session at 6:00 PM. The Village Board is the governing body of the Village and exercises all powers entrusted to it under Illinois statutes. These include police powers related to the health, safety and welfare of the community.

The village is named after former United States Vice President Levi Parsons Morton, who was the driving force behind allowing the old Miller's Mill road (now Lincoln Avenue) to pass through the upstart neighborhood, and provide goods to trade and sell. Morton Grove was incorporated in December 1895.

The village serves as the headquarters for Alpha Delta Phi fraternity.

Geography

Morton Grove is located at (42.041146, -87.786456). According to the 2010 census, Morton Grove has a total area of 5.09 square miles (13.18 km²), all land. The North Branch of the Chicago River runs through the middle of the suburb within Cook County Forest Preserve area.

History

Morton Grove was established in 1895. The first mayor, George Harrer, was of German descent, as were most early settlers of Morton Grove. The largest park in the suburb is named after him.

During the late 1920s and 1930s, Morton Grove had a reputation as an illegal gambling destination and was the location of many roadhouses. Originally the home of the Huscher family before it was converted into a “swanky roadhouse" the Dells roadhouse eclipsed its competition. Located at the northwest corner of Austin and Dempster, it became the best known and most patronized of the roadhouses in Morton Grove, Illinois. The Dells offered live music and entertainment, dancing, fine food, comfort and ambiance.

The Dells was an incredibly popular and successful commercial enterprise. It boasted a spacious dance floor, broadcast its music performances over the radio airwaves, and, because it was not subjected to the musician union local controls within the city, freely imported nationally renowned musicians and entertainers. The Dells had tasty cuisine — steak, poultry, seafood and even frogs legs — in a well appointed setting on a tranquil wooded lot.

There was more, of course, because The Dells’ prosperous run was concurrent, not the least bit coincidentally, with the Volstead Act and prohibition. Additional attractions included beer, liquor and gambling and gangland wars over the profits of the same. The Dells was said to be owned or controlled by Al Capone and his gang. It is commonly referred to as the most notorious of the Morton Grove roadhouses.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1900	564		—
1910	836		48.2%
1920	1,079		29.1%
1930	1,974		82.9%
1940	2,010		1.8%
1950	3,926		95.3%
1960	20,533		423.0%
1970	26,369		28.4%
1980	23,747		−9.9%
1990	22,408		−5.6%
2000	22,451		0.2%
2010	23,270		3.6%
Est. 2014	23,497		1.0%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the census of 2010, there were 23,270 people, 8,199 households, and 6,288 families residing in the village. The population density was 4,406.4 people per square mile (1,699.7/km²). There were 8,305 housing units at an average density of 1,630.0 per square mile (628.7/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 66.2% White, 1.2% African American, 28% Asian, and 2.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.40% of the population.

There were 8,199 households out of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.3% were married couples living together, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.3% were non-families. 21.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.17.

In the village the population was spread out with 20.8% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 23.4% from 25 to 44, 27.7% from 45 to 64, and 21.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 90.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.1 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $72,697. Males had a median income of $46,489 versus $34,730 for females. The per capita income for the village was $26,973. About 1.9% of families and 2.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.3% of those under age 18 and 4.1% of those age 65 or over.

Handgun ban

In 1981, Morton Grove became the first town in America to prohibit the possession of handguns. Victor Quilici, a local lawyer, sued the city (Quilici v. Morton Grove). The federal district court as well as the Appellate Court ruled the Morton Grove ordinance to be constitutional, thus upholding the gun ban. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the case, letting the lower court decision stand. The ban stood as village code 6-2-3. However, in light of the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark 2008 opinion in District of Columbia v. Heller, it appeared likely that the village would drop the ban. On July 28, 2008, the city dropped its prohibition on handguns. The village board voted 5-1 in favor of removing the ban.

Public schools

Public school districts serving Morton Grove include:

Elementary school districts:

• East Maine School District 63 [2] (Melzer School, Nelson School)
• Golf School District 67 [3] (Hynes Elementary School and Golf Middle School)
• Skokie/Morton Grove School District 69 [4] (Thomas A. Edison School, Madison School, Lincoln Junior High School)
• Morton Grove School District 70 [5] (Park View School)

High school districts:

• Maine Township High School District 207 [6] (Maine East High School, residents West of Harlem Avenue are in MTHS District)
• Niles Township High Schools District 219 [7] (Niles North High School and Niles West High School) (residents East of Harlem Avenue are in NTHS District)

Notable people

• Bart Conner, two-time gold medal-winning Olympic gymnast
• Mar Dinkha IV, Catholicos-Patriarch of the Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East
• Harrison Ford, Oscar-nominated actor
• Jeff Garlin, actor, comedian
• Ronnie Kroell, fashion model
• Harvey Mandel, guitarist
• Marlee Matlin, Oscar-winning actress

External links

• Village of Morton Grove official website