Waukegan, Illinois
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Waukegan is a city in Lake County, Illinois, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 87,901. It is the 9th largest city in Illinois by population. A 2002 census estimated the city population to be at 91,323.
Contents |
[edit] Geography
Waukegan is located at (42.372471, -87.861521)GR1. Waukegan is on the shore of Lake Michigan, about 10 miles south of the border with Wisconsin and 40 miles north of Chicago, at an elevation of about 669 feet above sea level.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 59.8 km² (23.1 mi²). 59.6 km² (23.0 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (0.35%) is water.
Waukegan is commonly referred to as the midpoint between Chicago and Milwaukee, although it is still a part of Chicagoland.
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 87,901 people, 27,787 households, and 19,450 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,475.0/km² (3,819.8/mi²). There were 29,243 housing units at an average density of 490.7/km² (1,270.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 50.14% White, 19.21% African American, 0.54% Native American, 3.58% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 22.96% from other races, and 3.50% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 44.82% of the population.
There were 27,787 households out of which 40.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.5% were married couples living together, 14.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.0% were non-families. 24.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.5% 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 3.68.
In the city the population was spread out with 30.2% under the age of 18, 12.1% from 18 to 24, 33.4% from 25 to 44, 16.4% from 45 to 64, and 7.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 103.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $42,335, and the median income for a family was $47,341. Males had a median income of $30,556 versus $25,632 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,368. About 10.7% of families and 13.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.1% of those under age 18 and 8.0% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] History
| City of Waukegan Population by year |
|
|
1860 - 3,433 |
|
Waukegan, first visited by Pere Marquette in 1673, is one of the oldest communities in Illinois. The city started as a French trading post and Potawatomi Indian settlement known as "Little Fort". Records dating back to 1829 tell of a treaty signed by the Potawatomis in which they ceded all of their land in this area to the Federal Government.
Little Fort became the County Seat of Government in 1841 by virture of its population, replacing Libertyville. Between 1844 and 1846, the town's population grew from 150 to 750 people. In 1849 when the town was incorporated, the population had risen to 2,500.
Proud of the growth of their community and no longer wanting to be characterized as "little", on March 31, 1849 the residents of Little Fort changed the name of their town to Waukegan, the Potawatomi word for "fort" or "trading post".
Early settlers were initially attracted to Waukegan as a port city and shipped produce and grain from Lake and McHenry County farms to Chicago. The creation of the Illinois Parallel Railroad (now the Chicago & Northwestern) in 1855 stimulated interest in Waukegan as a manufacturing center. The town continued to grow and diversify, and Waukegan was incorporated as a city on February 23, 1859, with an area of 5.62 square miles.
[edit] Notable people
Waukegan is considered the hometown of comedian Jack Benny (1894-1974), though he was born in Chicago; a Waukegan middle school is named for him, and a statue of him stands in the downtown. Waukegan is the birthplace of writer Ray Bradbury (born 1920), whose great-grandfather was mayor of the city in 1882. The Waukegan of the 1920s appears as "Green Town" in several of Bradbury's fictional works, particularly Dandelion Wine. Ray Bradbury Park, named in the author's honor, includes the bridge over the ravine featured in that novel. [1] A science fiction writer of a later generation, Kim Stanley Robinson, was born in Waukegan in 1952.
[edit] Other notable people
- Gary Bennett, MLB Catcher for the St. Louis Cardinals
- Conni Marie Brazelton, Actor (Judging Amy, etc.)
- David Clennon, Actor (Thirtysomething, etc.)
- Neil Flynn, Actor (Scrubs and many movies)
- Otto Graham, NFL Legend
- Ward Just, Writer
- Jason Kao Hwang, Violinist and composer
- Mickey Kuhn, Actor (Gone With the Wind)
- Shawn Marion, Professional Basketball Player (Phoenix Suns)
- Jerry Orbach, Actor "Law & Order"
- Charles E. Redman, U.S. Ambassdor to Sweden and Germany.
- Greg Strause, Director and visual effects supervisor (directing Alien vs Predator 2)
- Michael Turner, NFL Running back for the San Diego Chargers
- Brian Van Holt, Actor
[edit] Transportation
Waukegan has a port district which operates the city harbor and regional airport.
- Waukegan Harbor:
- Provides services and facilities for recreational boaters.
- Waukegan Regional Airport:
- FAA certified for general aviation traffic
- Has a U.S. Customs facility, allowing for direct international flights.
- A wide range of VIPs arrive and depart from the airport in private airplanes. This includes the Dali Lama and Dick Cheney.
The Lake County (IL) McClory recreational trail passes through Waukegan.
- Provides a non-motor route spanning from Kenosha, WI to the North Shore.
Metra Rail provides service to Waukegan via the Union Pacific North Line.
Pace provides busing throughout the city as part of the Regional Transportation Authority.
[edit] Artistic References
Waukegan's Amstutz Expressway, locally known as the "highway to nowhere," has been used as a shooting location for such films as Blues Brothers, Groundhog Day, The Ice Harvest, and Batman Begins.
Waukegan is mentioned in the Tom Waits song "Gun Street Girl."
- Dyed his hair in the bathroom of a Texaco
- With a pawnshop radio, quarter past four
- Well, he left Waukegan at the slammin' of the door
- He left Waukegan at the slammin' of the door
The poet Frank O'Hara mentioned Waukegan in his poem "Mary Desti’s Ass."
- then in Waukegan I met a furniture manufacturer
- and it wiped out all dreams of pleasantness from my mind
- it was like being pushed down hard
- on a chair
- it was like something horrible you hadn't expected
- which is the most horrible thing
The character Johnny Blaze from the Marvel comic book Ghost Rider is described as having been born in Waukegan.[2]
In an episode of Married... with Children, Al flips off a random point on an Illinois map during his Army reserve training. Jefferson replies, "I think you owe the nice people of Waukegan an apology."
In an episode of That 70's Show, Kelso mentions the new police academy he is going to attend (after he burned down the old building with a misfired flare). The new academy is located in Waukegan.
[edit] External links
- Waukegan Main Street
- Waukegan Official City Website
- Waukegan Historical Society
- Waukegan Public Schools
- Waukegan Public Library
- Waukegan Park District
- Taskforce On Waukegan Neighborhoods (T.O.W.N.)
- Waukegan Port District
- Out and About: Waukegan, IL
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
