North Chicago, Illinois

This page is about the municipality in Lake County. For the north of the City of Chicago, see North Side (Chicago).

North Chicago, Illinois
City
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	Lake
Coordinates
Area	7.91 sq mi (20 km2)
- land	7.90 sq mi (20 km2)
- water	0.02 sq mi (0 km2)
Population	32,574 (2010)
Density	4,118 / sq mi (1,590 / km2)
Timezone	CST (UTC-6)
- summer (DST)	CDT (UTC-5)
Postal code	60064, 60086, 60088
Area code	847
Location of North Chicago within Illinois
Wikimedia Commons: North Chicago, Illinois
Website: www.northchicago.org

North Chicago is an outer suburb of the Chicago metropolitan area and is an incorporated city in Lake County, Illinois, United States. The population was 32,574 at the 2010 census.

North Chicago hosts the Great Lakes Naval Training Center and the headquarters of Abbott Laboratories and AbbVie.

The city is also home to Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, which houses the Chicago Medical School, the Dr. William M. Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine, the College of Pharmacy, the College of Health Professions, and the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.

Geography

North Chicago is located at .

According to the 2010 census, North Chicago has a total area of 7.915 square miles (20.50 km²), of which 7.9 square miles (20.46 km²) (or 99.81%) is land and 0.015 square miles (0.04 km²) (or 0.19%) is water.

The city is situated on Lake Michigan. Most of its territory drains directly to the lake, but the western region drains to the North Branch of the Chicago River, and ultimately, since the engineering projects of the 19th century, to the Illinois and thence to the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico.

North Chicago includes a Lake County Forest Preserve unit, the Greenbelt Cultural Center and Forest Preserve.

Major streets

• Tri-State Tollway
• Skokie Highway
• Waukegan Road
• Belvidere Street
• Green Bay Road
• Sheridan Road/Amstutz Expressway/Buckley Road
• 10th Street
• Casimer Pulaski Road
• 14th Street
• Lewis Avenue
• Martin Luther King Junior Drive (formerly 22nd Street)

History

Land speculators moved into the area south of what is now the city of Waukegan in the 1890s. Industrial development began almost immediately with a railroad depot being set up in 1892; most notable was the arrival of the Washburn and Moen Manufacturing Company, a major barbed wire maker.

The settlement was incorporated as a village in 1895 and as a city in 1901. In 1911, a naval training area was created, the present Great Lakes Naval Training Center, currently the only "boot camp" for Navy enlisted personnel after the closure of facilities in Florida and California.

A Veteran's Administration hospital went into service in 1926. This facility was also threatened with closure in recent years, but has been retained on condition of merger with the Naval Hospital.

In 1922, Dr. Wallace Abbott moved his new company, The Abbott Laboratories, from Ravenswood in Chicago to its present location on Sheridan Road at 14th Street.

Historically, North Chicago was known for large populations of Eastern European immigrants. With the onset of the "Great Migration", large numbers of African Americans arrived in the city from states such as Arkansas and Alabama, and toward the end of the 20th century, became the best known demographic group. Housing was segregated in the mid 20th century, and until as late as 1957 the African-American section of town lacked sewers and paved roads. Latterly, Latinos have arrived in significant numbers, particularly from Mexico, and now form a notable group in the city, just as they do in Waukegan to the north. It is possible that North Chicago has over time been the most diverse and multicultural municipality in Lake County.

At one time, Navy personnel were a major part of the scene in North Chicago, both the "swabbies" (enlisted men) and the officers. Now, with the degeneration of "the Strip", or entertainment district along several blocks of Sheridan Road, sailors are rarely seen north of the railroad trestle. In the fall of 2007, the city finished demolishing the buildings on Sheridan Road between Martin Luther King Drive and the railroad trestle to the north, within the framework of a new development project involving tax increment financing.

Notable people

• Tiffany Brooks, HGTV television personality, winner Design Star, Season 8, attended North Chicago Community High School
• Shawn Marion, All Star player for the Dallas Mavericks, attended school at Green Bay Elem and Arthur J. Katzenmaier School
• Quincy Miller, college basketball player
• O'Brien Schofield, football player
• Tyrone Smith, Olympic long jumper, attended North Chicago Community High School
• Michael Turner, NFL running back, attended North Chicago Community High School

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1900	1,150		—
1910	3,306		187.5%
1920	5,839		76.6%
1930	8,466		45.0%
1940	8,465		0.0%
1950	8,628		1.9%
1960	22,938		165.9%
1970	47,275		106.1%
1980	38,774		−18.0%
1990	34,978		−9.8%
2000	35,918		2.7%
2010	32,574		−9.3%
Est. 2014	30,395		−6.7%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 32,574 people residing in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 47.89% White, 29.92% Black or African American, 3.76% Asian, 0.71% Native American, 0.13% Pacific Islander, 13.30% of some other race and 4.29% of two or more races. 27.19% were Hispanic or Latino (of any race).

As of the census of 2000, there were 35,918 people, 7,661 households, and 5,577 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,586.3 people per square mile (1,771.1/km²). There were 8,377 housing units at an average density of 1,069.6 per square mile (413.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 47.72% White, 36.26% African American, 0.84% Native American, 3.59% Asian, 0.15% Pacific Islander, 7.66% from other races, and 3.79% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 18.24% of the population.

There were 7,661 households out of which 46.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.5% were married couples living together, 18.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.2% were non-families. 21.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.09 and the average family size was 3.64.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.1% under the age of 18, 34.7% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 9.2% from 45 to 64, and 4.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 22 years. For every 100 females there were 156.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 176.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $38,180, and the median income for a family was $40,485. Males had a median income of $24,480 versus $23,736 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,564. About 12.0% of families and 15.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.3% of those under age 18 and 15.4% of those age 65 or over.

North Chicago census figures include the Great Lakes Naval Training Center.

Sources

• North Chicago, by Charles M. Leeks and Mary L. Robinson, in: Local Community Fact Book : Chicago Metropolitan Area (1990). Chicago : The Chicago Fact Book Consortium, Dept of Sociology, University of Illinois at Chicago, c1995.
• North Chicago, IL, by Wallace Best, in: The Encyclopedia of Chicago. Chicago : University of Chicago Press, c2004.irac

External links

• City of North Chicago