Cook County is the most populous
county
A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
in the U.S. state of
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...
and the
second-most-populous county in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
, after
Los Angeles County, California. More than 40% of all residents of Illinois live within Cook County. As of 2020, the population was 5,275,541. Its
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...
is
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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, the most populous city in Illinois and the
third-most-populous city in the United States.
Cook County was incorporated in 1831 and named for
Daniel Pope Cook, an early Illinois statesman. It achieved its present boundaries in 1839. Within one hundred years, the county recorded explosive population growth going from a trading post village with a little over 600 residents to four million citizens, rivalling Paris by the
Great Depression. During the first half of the 20th century it had the absolute majority of Illinois's population.
There are more than 800 local governmental units and nearly 130 municipalities located wholly or partially within Cook County, the largest of which is
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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. The city is home to approximately 54% of the entire county's population. The part of the county outside of the Chicago and
Evanston city limits is divided into 29
townships
A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries.
Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, C ...
; these often divide or share governmental services with local municipalities. Townships within Chicago were abolished in 1902 but are retained for real estate assessment purposes.
Evanston Township was formerly coterminous with the City of Evanston but was abolished in 2014. County government is overseen by the
Cook County Board, and countywide state government offices include the
Circuit Court of Cook County, the
Cook County State's Attorney
The Cook County State's Attorney functions as the state of Illinois's district attorney for Cook County, Illinois, and heads the second-largest prosecutor's office in the United States. The office has over 700 attorneys and 1,100 employees. In ad ...
, the
Cook County Sheriff
The Cook County Sheriff is the sheriff of Cook County, Illinois, heading the Cook County Sheriff's Office.
Office description
Terms are currently four-years in length.
Officeholders
Recent election results
, -
, colspan=16 style="text-a ...
, and the
Cook County Assessor.
Geographically, the county is the sixth-largest in Illinois by land area and the largest by total area. It shares the state's
Lake Michigan shoreline with
Lake County. Including its lake area, Cook County has a total area of , the largest county in Illinois, of which is land and (42.16%) is water. Land-use in Cook County is mostly urban and densely populated. Within Cook County, the State of Illinois took advantage of its Lake Michigan access and the
Chicago Portage, beginning with the construction of the
Illinois and Michigan Canal in 1848. This helped make the region a central transit hub for the nation. Chicago, with its location on the
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lak ...
and via the
St. Lawrence Seaway, is a global port city, giving Cook County an international shipping port.
Cook County's population is larger than that of 28 different
U.S. states and
territories, and larger than the population of 11 of the 13
Canadian provinces and territories
Within the geographical areas of Canada, the ten provinces and three territories are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British Nort ...
. Cook County is included in the
Chicago metropolitan Combined Statistical Area (CSA), which has a population of approximately 10 million people.
History
Cook County was created on January 15, 1831, out of
Putnam County by an act of the
Illinois General Assembly. It was the 54th county established in Illinois and was named after
Daniel Cook, one of the earliest and youngest statesmen in Illinois history. He served as the second
U.S. Representative from Illinois and the state's first
Attorney General. In 1839,
DuPage County
DuPage County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois, and one of the collar counties of the Chicago metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 932,877, making it Illinois' second-most populous county. Its county seat ...
was carved out of Cook County.
File:Cook County Illinois 1831.png, Cook County from 1831 to 1836
File:Cook County Illinois 1836.png, Cook County 1836–39 after the creation of McHenry and Will Counties
File:Cook County Illinois 1839.png, Cook County's current size was formed in 1839 by the creation of DuPage County
DuPage County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois, and one of the collar counties of the Chicago metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 932,877, making it Illinois' second-most populous county. Its county seat ...
.
The shape of Cook County and the neighboring counties has remained the same since DuPage County was formed. The population in each county and the split of agriculture compared to residential and industrial activity has changed dramatically over the intervening decades to 2020. The county began with 10,201 people in the Census of 1840, growing rapidly to 5,150,233 people estimated for 2019 by the US Census. Growth was rapid in the 19th century, with the County reaching 2.4 million people by 1910. In the 20th century, the County reached 5.1 million population.
Cook County is nearly completely developed, with little agricultural land remaining near the outer county boundaries.
Demographics
According to the
2000 Census there were 1,974,181 households, out of which 30.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.0% were married couples living together, 15.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.7% were non-families. 29.4% of all households were someone living alone including 9.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.38.
In the county, the population age distribution was: 26.0% under the age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 31.7% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 11.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.5 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $45,922, and the median income for a family was $53,784. Males had a median income of $40,690 versus $31,298 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,227. About 10.6% of families and 13.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.9% of those under age 18 and 10.3% of those age 65 or over.
As of the fourth quarter of 2021, the median home value in Cook County was $299,571, an increase of 11.7% from the prior year.
According to Census Bureau estimates, the county's population had decreased by 3.4% between the 2000 census and the 2010 census (5,194,675). The county's population had grown slightly again by 2017 (5,211,263).
Ethnicity
As of the
2010 Census, the population of the county was 5,194,675,
White Americans made up 55.4% of Cook County's population;
non-Hispanic whites
Non-Hispanic whites or Non-Latino whites are Americans who are classified as "white", and are not of Hispanic (also known as "Latino") heritage. The United States Census Bureau defines ''white'' to include European Americans, Middle Eastern Ame ...
represented 43.9% of the population. African Americans made up 24.8% of the population. Native Americans made up 0.4% of Cook County's population. Asian Americans made up 6.2% of the population (1.8% Indian, 1.2% Filipino, 1.2% Chinese, 0.7% Korean, 0.3% Vietnamese, 0.2% Japanese, 0.8% Other).
Pacific Islander American
Pacific Islander Americans (also known as Oceanian Americans) are Americans who are of Pacific Islander ancestry (or are descendants of the indigenous peoples of Oceania or of Austronesian descent). For its purposes, the United States census ...
s made up less than 0.1% of the population. People from other races made up 10.6% of the population; people from
two or more races made up 2.5% of the county's population.
Hispanics and Latinos (of any race) made up 24.0% of Cook County's population.
As of the
2000 Census,
there were 5,376,741 people, 1,974,181 households, and 1,269,398 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 2,096,121 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 56.27% white, 26.14%
Black
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...
or African American, 0.29% Native American, 4.84%
Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islanders, 9.88% from other races, and 2.53% from two or more races. 19.93% of the population were
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...
or Latino of any race. 9.1% were of Polish, 8.1% German, 7.9% Irish and 5.7% Italian ancestry. 17.63% reported speaking Spanish at home; 3.13% speak
Polish.
Whites (Hispanic and non-Hispanic) number roughly 2,793,500. There are about 2,372,500 non-Hispanic whites residing in Cook County. Sizeable non-Hispanic white populations are those of
German (11.4%),
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
(10.3%),
Polish (9.7%),
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
(6.1%), and
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
(4.1%) descent. There are also significant groups of
Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
(1.5%),
Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
(1.5%),
French (1.3%),
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
(1.2%),
Czech
Czech may refer to:
* Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe
** Czech language
** Czechs, the people of the area
** Czech culture
** Czech cuisine
* One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus'
Places
* Czech, ...
(1.0%),
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
(1.0%),
Lithuanian (0.9%), and
Norwegian
Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to:
*Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe
* Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway
* Demographics of Norway
*The Norwegian language, including ...
(0.8%) descent.
Black Americans are the second largest racial group. Black Americans form over one-quarter (25.4%) of Cook County's population. Blacks of non-Hispanic origin form 25.2% of the population; black Hispanics make up the remaining 0.2% of the populace. There are roughly 1,341,000 African Americans of both Hispanic and non-Hispanic origin living in Cook County; 1,328,000 are non-Hispanic blacks. Roughly 52,500 people were of Sub-Saharan African ancestry, making up 1.0% of the total population.
Approximately 10,300 residents of Cook County are of Native American ancestry. They consist of
Cherokee
The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, t ...
,
Chippewa,
Navajo, and
Sioux. Native Americans of Hispanic origin represent a sizeable portion of the Native American population. Nearly 6,000 Native Americans are of non-Hispanic origin, and some 4,300 are of Hispanic origin. Over 40% of the Native American racial group is of Hispanic descent.
Asian Americans are a very sizeable racial group in the county, numbering about 301,000. The Asian population is ethnically diverse, and includes roughly 87,900
Indians, 61,700
Filipinos
Filipinos ( tl, Mga Pilipino) are the people who are citizens of or native to the Philippines. The majority of Filipinos today come from various Austronesian ethnolinguistic groups, all typically speaking either Filipino, English and/or othe ...
, 60,700
Chinese, 35,000
Koreans, 13,700
Vietnamese
Vietnamese may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia
** A citizen of Vietnam. See Demographics of Vietnam.
* Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam
** Overse ...
, and 11,100
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
. Roughly 30,800 are of other Asian ethnic groups, such as
Thai,
Cambodian, and
Hmong
Hmong may refer to:
* Hmong people, an ethnic group living mainly in Southwest China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand
* Hmong cuisine
* Hmong customs and culture
** Hmong music
** Hmong textile art
* Hmong language, a continuum of closely related to ...
.
Approximately 3,000 residents are of Pacific Islander heritage. This group includes roughly
Native Hawaiians, Guamanians,
Samoans
Samoans or Samoan people ( sm, tagata Sāmoa) are the indigenous Polynesian people of the Samoan Islands, an archipelago in Polynesia, who speak the Samoan language. The group's home islands are politically and geographically divided between t ...
, and various people of other Pacific Islander groups.
Hispanic and Latino Americans make up over one-fifth (22.8%) of Cook County's population. Roughly 1,204,000 Latinos live in the county.
Mexicans are the most common Latino group. Cook County's 925,000 Mexican Americans make up 17.5% of its population. Roughly 127,000
Puerto Ricans live in the county, while over 12,200
Cubans
Cubans ( es, Cubanos) are people born in Cuba and people with Cuban citizenship. Cuba is a multi-ethnic nation, home to people of different ethnic, religious and national backgrounds.
Racial and ethnic groups
Census
The population of Cuba wa ...
reside in the county. There are some 140,000 Hispanics and Latinos of other nationalities living in Cook County (i.e.
Colombian,
Bolivian
Bolivian may refer to:
* Something of, or related to Bolivia
** Bolivian people
** Demographics of Bolivia
** Culture of Bolivia
* SS ''Bolivian'', a British-built standard cargo ship
A cargo ship or freighter is a merchant ship that carries ...
, etc.), and they collectively make up 2.6% of the county's population.
Religion
In 2010 statistics, the largest religious group in Cook County was the
Archdiocese of Chicago
The Archdiocese of Chicago ( la, Archidiœcesis Chicagiensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or archdiocese of the Catholic Church located in Northeastern Illinois, in the United States. It was established as a diocese in 1843 and ...
, with 1,947,223 Catholics worshipping at 371 parishes, followed by 209,195
non-denominational adherents with 486 congregations, an estimated 201,152
Muslims
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
with 62 congregations, 68,865
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
Baptists with 99 congregations, 49,925
ELCA Lutherans with 145 congregations, 49,909
SBC Baptists with 181 congregations, 45,979
LCMS Lutherans with 120 congregations, 39,866
UCC Christians with 101 congregations, 33,584
UMC Methodists with 121 congregations, and 32,646
AG Pentecostals with 64 congregations. Altogether, 59.6% of the population was claimed as members by religious congregations, although members of historically African-American denominations were underrepresented due to incomplete information. In 2014, Cook County had 2,001 religious organizations, second only to
Los Angeles County out of all US counties.
Geography
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (42.2%) is water.
It is the sixth largest county in Illinois by land area, and the largest in total area. Most of the water is in
Lake Michigan. The highest point is more than ,
and is in northwest Barrington Township, in the northwest corner of the county. The lowest point is less than ,
along the
Lake Michigan shoreline.
Climate and weather
In July, temperatures in Chicago, Cook County average daytime highs of , and nighttime lows of ; and January daytime highs of , and nighttime lows of . Winter temperatures will sometimes veer above , and, although not common, have also risen over on some winter days. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in June to in February.
Cook County is among the few counties in the United States to border two counties with the same name (
Lake County, Illinois
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 ...
and
Lake County, Indiana
Lake County is a county (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. In 2020, its population was 498,700, making it Indiana's List of counties in Indiana, second-most populous county. The county seat is Crown Point, Indiana, Cro ...
). Illinois has two such counties (
Randolph County Randolph County is the name of eight counties in the United States:
*Randolph County, Alabama
*Randolph County, Arkansas
*Randolph County, Georgia
*Randolph County, Illinois
*Randolph County, Indiana
*Randolph County, Missouri
*Randolph County, Nort ...
borders both
Perry County, Illinois
Perry County is in Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it had a population of 22,350. Its county seat is Pinckneyville. It is located in the southern portion of Illinois known as " Little Egypt".
History
Perry County was formed in 1827 o ...
and
Perry County, Missouri
Perry County is a county located in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,956. Its county seat is Perryville. The county was officially organized on November 16, 1820 (effective ...
).
National protected areas
*
Chicago Portage National Historic Site
*
Pullman National Monument
Government and politics
Government
The government of Cook County is primarily composed of the
Board of Commissioners
A county commission (or a board of county commissioners) is a group of elected officials (county commissioners) collectively charged with administering the county government in some states of the United States; such commissions usually comprise ...
headed by the President of the County board, other elected officials such as the
Sheriff,
State's Attorney, Treasurer, Board of Review, Clerk, Assessor, Recorder,
Circuit Court judges, and Circuit Court Clerk, as well as numerous other officers and entities. Cook County is the only
home rule
Home rule is government of a colony, dependent country, or region by its own citizens. It is thus the power of a part (administrative division) of a state or an external dependent country to exercise such of the state's powers of governance wit ...
county in Illinois. The ''Cook County Code'' is the
codification of Cook County's
local ordinances. Cook County's current
County Board president is
Toni Preckwinkle
Toni Lynn Preckwinkle (née Reed; born March 17, 1947) is an American politician and the current County Board President in Cook County, Illinois, United States. She was first elected as President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners, the ...
.
The
Circuit Court of Cook County, which is an Illinois state court of
general jurisdiction is funded, in part, by Cook County, and accepts more than 1.2 million cases each year for filing. The
Cook County Department of Corrections, also known as the
Cook County Jail
The Cook County Jail, located on in South Lawndale, Chicago, Illinois, is operated by the Sheriff of Cook County. A city jail has existed on this site since after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, but major County prisoners were not generally co ...
, is the largest single-site jail in the nation. The
Cook County Juvenile Detention Center, under the authority of the Chief Judge of the court, is the first juvenile center in the nation and one of the largest in the nation. The Cook County Law Library is the second-largest county law library in the nation.
The Bureau of Health Services administers the county's public health services and is the third-largest public health system in the nation. Three hospitals are part of this system:
John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County,
Provident Hospital, and
Oak Forest Hospital of Cook County
Oak Forest Hospital of Cook County is a 600+ bed hospital located in south suburban Oak Forest, Illinois. It specializes in long-term care, ventilator care, chronic disease and rehabilitation services. It is part of the Cook County Bureau of ...
, along with over 30 clinics.
The Cook County Department of Transportation is responsible for the design and maintenance of roadways in the county. These thoroughfares are composed mostly of major and minor arterials, with a few local roads. Although the County Department of Transportation was instrumental in designing many of the expressways in the county, today they are under the jurisdiction of the state.
The
Cook County Forest Preserves
The Forest Preserve District of Cook County is a governmental commission in Cook County, Illinois, that owns and manages a network of open spaces, containing forest, prairie, wetland, streams, and lakes, that are mostly set aside as natural areas ...
, organized in 1915, is a separate, independent taxing body, but the Cook County Board of Commissioners also acts as its Board of Commissioners. The district is a belt of of forest reservations surrounding the city of Chicago. The
Brookfield Zoo (managed by the Chicago Zoological Society) and the
Chicago Botanic Garden
The Chicago Botanic Garden is a living plant museum situated on nine islands in the Cook County Forest Preserves. It features 27 display gardens in four natural habitats: McDonald Woods, Dixon Prairie, Skokie River Corridor, and Lakes and Shor ...
(managed by the Chicago Horticultural Society) are located in the forest preserves.
Cook County is the fifth-largest employer in Chicago.
In March 2008, the County Board increased the
sales tax by one percent to 1.75 percent. This followed a quarter-cent increase in
mass transit taxes. In Chicago, the rate increased to 10.25 percent, the steepest nominal rate of any major metropolitan area in America. In
Evanston, sales tax reached 10 percent and
Oak Lawn residents pay 9.5 percent. On July 22, 2008, the Cook County board voted against Cook County Commissioner's proposal to repeal the tax increase.
In 2016, Cook County joined Chicago in adopting a $13 hourly minimum wage. Cook County Board chairman John Daley called the wage hike "the moral and right thing to do." In June 2017, however, nearly 75
home rule
Home rule is government of a colony, dependent country, or region by its own citizens. It is thus the power of a part (administrative division) of a state or an external dependent country to exercise such of the state's powers of governance wit ...
municipalities passed measures opting themselves out of the increase.
Politics
The county has more
Democratic Party members than any other Illinois county and it is one of the most Democratic counties in the United States. Since 1932, the majority of its voters have only supported a
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
candidate in a Presidential election three times, all during national Republican landslides–
Dwight Eisenhower over native son
Adlai Stevenson II
Adlai Ewing Stevenson II (; February 5, 1900 – July 14, 1965) was an American politician and diplomat who was twice the Democratic nominee for President of the United States. He was the grandson of Adlai Stevenson I, the 23rd vice president o ...
in 1952 and 1956, and
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...
over
George McGovern in 1972. Since then, the closest a Republican has come to carrying the county was in 1984, when
Ronald Reagan won 48.4 percent of the county's vote. In 2020, 74 percent of the county voted for
Joe Biden and 24 percent voted for
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
.
In 1936, with
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
receiving 1,253,164 votes in the county, Cook County became the first county in American history where a candidate received one million votes.
The
Cook County Democratic Party
The Cook County Democratic Party is a political party which represents voters in 50 wards in the city of Chicago and 30 suburban townships of Cook County. The organization has dominated Chicago politics (and consequently, Illinois politics) si ...
represents Democratic voters in 50
wards in the city of Chicago and 30 suburban
townships
A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries.
Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, C ...
of Cook County. The organization has dominated County,
city
A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
, and
state
State may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State
* ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States
* ''Our S ...
politics since the 1930s. The last Republican mayor of Chicago was
William Hale "Big Bill" Thompson, who left office in 1931 with a record of corruption. The most successful Republican candidate for mayor since then was
Bernard Epton, who in 1983 came within 3.3 percentage points of defeating Democrat
Harold Washington
Harold Lee Washington (April 15, 1922 – November 25, 1987) was an American lawyer and politician who was the 51st Mayor of Chicago. Washington became the first African American to be elected as the city's mayor in April 1983. He served as may ...
. The county's
Republican Party organization is the
Cook County Republican Party
The Cook County Republican Party is a political party which represents voters in 50 wards in the city of Chicago and 30 suburban townships of Cook County. Cook County is the second-most populous county in the United States.
Organization and lead ...
.
The last Republican governor to carry the county was
Jim Edgar
James Edgar (born July 22, 1946) is an American politician who was the 38th governor of Illinois from 1991 to 1999. Previously he served as a member of the Illinois House of Representatives from 1976 to 1979 and as Illinois Secretary of State ...
in his
1994 landslide. The last Republican senator to do so was
Charles H. Percy in
1978.
Secession movements
To establish more localized government control and policies which reflect the often different values and needs of large suburban sections of the sprawling county,
secession
Secession is the withdrawal of a group from a larger entity, especially a political entity, but also from any organization, union or military alliance. Some of the most famous and significant secessions have been: the former Soviet republics le ...
movements have been made over the years which called for certain townships or municipalities to form their own independent counties.
In the late 1970s, a movement started which proposed a separation of six northwest suburban townships, Cook County's
panhandle (
Barrington,
Hanover
Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...
,
Palatine
A palatine or palatinus (in Latin; plural ''palatini''; cf. derivative spellings below) is a high-level official attached to imperial or royal courts in Europe since Roman times. ,
Wheeling,
Schaumburg, and
Elk Grove) from Cook to form
Lincoln
Lincoln most commonly refers to:
* Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States
* Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England
* Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S.
* Lincol ...
County, in honor of the former U.S. president and Illinois resident. It is likely that
Arlington Heights would have been the county seat. This northwest suburban region of Cook was at the time moderately
conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
and has a population over 500,000. Local legislators, led by State Senator Dave Regnar, went so far as to propose it as official legislation in the
Illinois House. The legislation died, however, before coming to a vote.
In 2004,
Blue Island Mayor Donald E. Peloquin organized a coalition of fifty-five south and southwest suburban municipalities to form a new county, also proposing the name ''Lincoln County''. The county would include everything south of
Burbank, stretching as far west as
Orland Park, as far east as
Calumet City
Calumet City ( ) is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 36,033 at the 2020 census, a decline of 2.7% from 37,042 in 2010. The ZIP code is 60409.
Etymology
The word ''Calumet'' is the Miꞌkmaq and French word for a ...
, and as far south as
Matteson Matteson may refer to:
Places
* Matteson, Illinois
* Matteson, Wisconsin
Matteson is a town in Waupaca County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 956 at the 2000 census. The former unincorporated community of Hunting was located pa ...
, covering an expansive area with a population of over one million residents. Peloquin argued that the south suburbs are often shunned by the city (although Chicago is not bound or required to do anything for other municipalities) and he blamed the Chicago-centric policies of Cook County for failing to jumpstart the somewhat-depressed south suburban local economy. Pending sufficient interest from local communities, Peloquin planned a petition drive to place a question regarding the secession on the general election ballot, but the idea was not met with success.
In arguing against the Lincon County proposal, others noted several of the cities involved had power structures, law enforcement, or ''de facto'' "mayors for life" often accused in the press, or civilly or criminally charged with,
political corruption,
cronyism
Cronyism is the spoils system practice of Impartiality, partiality in awarding jobs and other advantages to friends or trusted colleagues, especially in politics and between politicians and supportive organizations. For example, cronyism occurs ...
, and
nepotism, and themselves being the main factor in their depressed economies rather than anyone in Cook County government. The opposition decried that their true reason for joining the secession effort was to start with a 'clean slate' with a new county government by design less willing to enforce responsibility against their abuses of power.
Talk of secession from Cook County amongst some outlying communities again heated up in mid-2008 in response to a highly controversial 1% sales tax hike which has pushed the tax rates across the county communities up amongst the highest in the nation. Some border towns in particular had been outraged, as people can take their business across the county border (paying, for instance, 7% in Lake County instead of Palatine's 9.5%). The secession issue eventually died down from the nominal tax increase.
In 2011, two downstate Republican state representatives,
Bill Mitchell of the 87th district and
Adam Brown of the 101st district, proposed statehood for Cook County. Mitchell said that Chicago is "dictating its views" to the rest of the state and Brown added that Chicago "overshadows" the rest of Illinois.
Infrastructure
Canals
Construction of the
Erie Canal in New York State made a connection from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes in 1821. As the Midwest farms proved productive, with much grain to sell to other parts of the US, Chicago and Cook County saw the benefit of a canal to improve the link from the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River. The
Illinois and Michigan Canal was completed in 1848, extending from the Bridgeport neighborhood in Chicago on the Chicago River, to the
Illinois River at the cities of LaSalle-Peru. This canal spurred the growth of Chicago and the areas around it, as water travel was the primary way to ship grain or other commodities in that part of the 19th century. The Illinois and Michigan Canal ceased major operation in 1933. Portions are now designated as a National Historic Corridor. The two canals and the Great Lakes cemented trade ties between the Midwest and the Northeast, encouraging farmers to grow more than they needed to feed themselves in Illinois, with a large market for grain now open to them. Towns in Cook County along the Canal grew. From a national perspective, the trade ties made the South region of the US less important to the Northeast as a trade partner.
The
Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, completed in 1900, largely replaced the functions of the Illinois and Michigan Canal. This canal resulted in the reversal of the direction of flow of the main stem and the South branch of the Chicago River; they used to empty into Lake Michigan and now those river sections flow toward the
Des Plaines River
The Des Plaines River () is a river that flows southward for U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed May 13, 2011 through southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois''American Her ...
. The Sanitary and Ship Canal was built to serve many aims, including ending using Lake Michigan as a sewer, sending waste water through treatment plants and sending it away from Lake Michigan. It is also a waterway for movement of ships.
Railway network
The next major technology for transportation was railroads. Chicago and the towns along the canal and rivers understood the value of being a hub of a major network. Rail lines spurred out from Chicago by the 1850s, with major growth in the rail network for freight and passenger transportation coming after the Civil War, when the transcontinental railroads were completed, coast to coast across the US, stopping in Chicago, the heart of Cook County.
Major highways
Following on the well-established position of Chicago as a transportation hub, the Interstate highway network maintained Chicago as a hub of that network, as well as serving the travel needs within the region.
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Illinois Route 1
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Illinois Route 7
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Illinois Route 19
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Illinois Route 21
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Illinois Route 25
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Illinois Route 38
Illinois Route 38 is an west–east state highway that runs across northern Illinois. It runs from U.S. Route 52 (US 52) in downtown Dixon to US 12/ US 20/ US 45 (Mannheim Road) in Westchester. It runs concurrently with ...
*
Illinois Route 43
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Illinois Route 50
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Illinois Route 53
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Illinois Route 56
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Illinois Route 58
*
Illinois Route 59
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Illinois Route 62
*
Illinois Route 64
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Illinois Route 68
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Illinois Route 72
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Illinois Route 83
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Illinois Route 110
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Illinois Route 171
Illinois Route 171 (IL 171) is a north–south state highway in northeastern Illinois. It runs from U.S. Route 6 (US 6) in Joliet north to Illinois Route 72 at the Chicago– Park Ridge border. The section of IL 171 on Archer Av ...
*
Illinois Route 390
Illinois Route 390 (IL 390), previously known as the Elgin–O'Hare Expressway, now known as the Elgin–O'Hare Tollway, is a electronic toll highway in northeastern Illinois. IL 390 currently connects U.S. Route 20 (US&nb ...
*
Illinois Route 394
Illinois Route 394 (IL 394), also known as the Calumet Expressway, is a four-lane state highway that travels north from a junction with IL 1 south of Crete to an interchange in South Holland with Interstate 294/Interstate 94/Interstate 80 ...
Airports
When the age of air travel began in the 20th century, Midway Airport was built on one square mile of land and served as the major Chicago area airport from 1927 to 1955.
Midway International Airport
Chicago Midway International Airport , typically referred to as Midway Airport, Chicago Midway, or simply Midway, is a major commercial airport on the Southwest side of Chicago, Illinois, located approximately 12 miles (19 km) from the Lo ...
has been enlarged and continues to operate as of 2020. As air travel became more important for passenger travel, and then for select freight commodities,
O'Hare International Airport was built adjacent to a military airfield in the northwest part of Cook County. The City of Chicago annexed the land for the airport, so that the city controls both airports serving a large area. During the second half of the 20th century, it was the world's busiest airport. The approach of Cook County and Chicago to air travel has been the same as the approach to canal, railroad and highway transportation, to serve as a major national hub.
There has been a long running plan for a third major airport to serve the south side of the city and the southern and southwestern suburbs, the
Proposed Chicago south suburban airport intended for Peotone, Illinois. The state of Illinois has been addressing this topic since 1986. Some land has been acquired, but there is not a functioning airport there, as of August 2020.
Communities
Cities
*
Berwyn
*
Blue Island
*
Burbank
*
Calumet City
Calumet City ( ) is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 36,033 at the 2020 census, a decline of 2.7% from 37,042 in 2010. The ZIP code is 60409.
Etymology
The word ''Calumet'' is the Miꞌkmaq and French word for a ...
*
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
(county seat and largest municipality)
*
Chicago Heights
*
Country Club Hills
*
Countryside
*
Des Plaines
*
Elgin (part)
*
Elmhurst (part)
*
Evanston
*
Harvey
*
Hickory Hills
*
Hometown
*
Markham
*
Northlake
*
Oak Forest
*
Orland Park
*
Palos Heights
*
Palos Hills
*
Palos Park
Palos Park is a village in southwestern Cook County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 4,899.
Geography
Palos Park is located at (41.665682, -87.836633).
According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Palos Park ...
*
Park Ridge
*
Prospect Heights
*
Rolling Meadows
Towns
*
Cicero
Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, and academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises that led to the esta ...
Villages
*
Alsip
*
Arlington Heights
*
Barrington (partly in
Lake County)
*
Barrington Hills (mostly)
*
Bartlett (mostly in
DuPage County
DuPage County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois, and one of the collar counties of the Chicago metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 932,877, making it Illinois' second-most populous county. Its county seat ...
)
*
Bedford Park
*
Bellwood
*
Bensenville (mostly in
DuPage County
DuPage County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois, and one of the collar counties of the Chicago metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 932,877, making it Illinois' second-most populous county. Its county seat ...
)
*
Berkeley
*
Bridgeview
*
Broadview
*
Brookfield
*
Buffalo Grove
Buffalo Grove, officially the Village of Buffalo Grove, is a village in Lake and Cook County, Illinois. A suburb of Chicago, it lies about northwest of Downtown Chicago. As of the 2020 Census, Buffalo Grove has a population of 43,212. It tota ...
(mostly in
Lake County)
*
Burnham
*
Burr Ridge
Burr Ridge (formerly Harvester) is a village in Cook and DuPage counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. A suburb of Chicago, it is among the wealthiest towns in Illinois and is locally known for its large, elegant mansions and luxury lifestyles. ...
(mostly in
DuPage County
DuPage County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois, and one of the collar counties of the Chicago metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 932,877, making it Illinois' second-most populous county. Its county seat ...
)
*
Calumet Park
*
Chicago Ridge
*
Crestwood
*
Deer Park (mostly in
Lake County)
*
Deerfield (mostly in
Lake County)
*
Dixmoor
*
Dolton
*
East Dundee (mostly in
Kane County)
*
East Hazel Crest
*
Elk Grove Village (partly in
DuPage County
DuPage County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois, and one of the collar counties of the Chicago metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 932,877, making it Illinois' second-most populous county. Its county seat ...
)
*
Elmwood Park
*
Evergreen Park
*
Flossmoor
*
Ford Heights
*
Forest Park
*
Forest View
*
Frankfort (mostly in Will County)
*
Franklin Park
*
Glencoe
*
Glenview
*
Glenwood
*
Golf
Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible.
Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping ...
*
Hanover Park (mostly in DuPage County)
*
Harwood Heights
*
Hazel Crest
Hazel Crest is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 13,382 at the 2020 census.
History
Hazel Crest was first settled in 1870 in a farming community known as South Harvey. An enterprising newspaper editor named ...
*
Hillside
*
Hinsdale (mostly in
DuPage County
DuPage County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois, and one of the collar counties of the Chicago metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 932,877, making it Illinois' second-most populous county. Its county seat ...
)
*
Hodgkins
*
Hoffman Estates (partly in
Kane County)
*
Homewood
*
Indian Head Park
*
Inverness
*
Justice
*
Kenilworth
*
La Grange
*
La Grange Park
*
Lansing
*
Lemont (partly in
DuPage County
DuPage County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois, and one of the collar counties of the Chicago metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 932,877, making it Illinois' second-most populous county. Its county seat ...
and
Will County
Will may refer to:
Common meanings
* Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death
* Will (philosophy), or willpower
* Will (sociology)
* Will, volition (psychology)
* Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...
)
*
Lincolnwood
*
Lynwood
*
Lyons
*
Matteson Matteson may refer to:
Places
* Matteson, Illinois
* Matteson, Wisconsin
Matteson is a town in Waupaca County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 956 at the 2000 census. The former unincorporated community of Hunting was located pa ...
*
Maywood
*
McCook
*
Melrose Park
*
Merrionette Park
*
Midlothian
*
Morton Grove
*
Mount Prospect
*
Niles
*
Norridge
*
North Riverside
*
Northbrook
*
Northfield
*
Oak Brook (mostly in DuPage County)
*
Oak Forest
*
Oak Lawn
*
Oak Park
*
Olympia Fields
*
Orland Hills
*
Orland Park (partly in
Will County
Will may refer to:
Common meanings
* Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death
* Will (philosophy), or willpower
* Will (sociology)
* Will, volition (psychology)
* Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...
)
*
Palatine
A palatine or palatinus (in Latin; plural ''palatini''; cf. derivative spellings below) is a high-level official attached to imperial or royal courts in Europe since Roman times.
*
Palos Park
Palos Park is a village in southwestern Cook County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 4,899.
Geography
Palos Park is located at (41.665682, -87.836633).
According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Palos Park ...
*
Park Forest (partly in
Will County
Will may refer to:
Common meanings
* Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death
* Will (philosophy), or willpower
* Will (sociology)
* Will, volition (psychology)
* Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...
)
*
Phoenix
Phoenix most often refers to:
* Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore
* Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States
Phoenix may also refer to:
Mythology
Greek mythological figures
* Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...
*
Posen
*
Richton Park
*
River Forest
*
River Grove
*
Riverdale
*
Riverside
*
Robbins
*
Roselle (mostly in
DuPage County
DuPage County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois, and one of the collar counties of the Chicago metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 932,877, making it Illinois' second-most populous county. Its county seat ...
)
*
Rosemont
*
Sauk Village (partly in
Will County
Will may refer to:
Common meanings
* Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death
* Will (philosophy), or willpower
* Will (sociology)
* Will, volition (psychology)
* Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...
)
*
Schaumburg (partly in
DuPage County
DuPage County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois, and one of the collar counties of the Chicago metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 932,877, making it Illinois' second-most populous county. Its county seat ...
)
*
Schiller Park
*
Skokie
*
South Barrington
*
South Chicago Heights
*
South Holland
*
Steger (partly in
Will County
Will may refer to:
Common meanings
* Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death
* Will (philosophy), or willpower
* Will (sociology)
* Will, volition (psychology)
* Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...
)
*
Stickney
*
Stone Park
*
Streamwood
*
Summit
*
Thornton
*
Tinley Park (partly in
Will County
Will may refer to:
Common meanings
* Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death
* Will (philosophy), or willpower
* Will (sociology)
* Will, volition (psychology)
* Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...
)
*
University Park (mostly in
Will County
Will may refer to:
Common meanings
* Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death
* Will (philosophy), or willpower
* Will (sociology)
* Will, volition (psychology)
* Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...
)
*
Westchester
*
Western Springs
*
Wheeling
*
Willow Springs (small portion in DuPage County)
*
Wilmette
*
Winnetka
*
Woodridge (mostly in
DuPage County
DuPage County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois, and one of the collar counties of the Chicago metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 932,877, making it Illinois' second-most populous county. Its county seat ...
and
Will County
Will may refer to:
Common meanings
* Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death
* Will (philosophy), or willpower
* Will (sociology)
* Will, volition (psychology)
* Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...
*
Worth
Unincorporated communities
*
Central Stickney
*
Hines
*
Indian Hill
*
La Grange Highlands
*
Nottingham Park
*
Orchard Place
*
Sag Bridge
*
Sutton
Sutton (''south settlement'' or ''south town'' in Old English) may refer to:
Places
United Kingdom
England
In alphabetical order by county:
* Sutton, Bedfordshire
* Sutton, Berkshire, a location
* Sutton-in-the-Isle, Ely, Cambridgeshire
* ...
*
Techny
Techny is a neighborhood of Northbrook, Illinois, United States. Once a separate community, it was annexed by Northbrook in 1989. The North American headquarters of the Divine Word Missionaries has been located in Techny since 1896. The area's na ...
Historic Site
*
Fort Dearborn
Townships
The county is divided into 29
townships
A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries.
Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, C ...
, in addition to the cities of Chicago and Evanston.
Image:Map of Cook County Illinois showing townships.png, Cook County townships (clickable), 400px, center
rect 321 449 394 522 Worth Township
rect 198 112 270 184 Wheeling Township
rect 393 518 488 594 Thornton Township
rect 319 374 355 400 Stickney Township
rect 320 418 357 452 Stickney Township
rect 113 181 183 246 Schaumburg Township
Schaumburg Township is one of 29 Civil township, townships in Cook County, Illinois, Cook County, Illinois, United States, USA. As of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, its population was 131,288. It is in the north west corner of Cook C ...
rect 295 357 320 382 Riverside Township
rect 300 309 319 334 River Forest Township
rect 325 591 397 664 Rich Township
rect 248 310 319 383 Proviso Township
rect 251 451 324 524 Palos Township
rect 128 111 200 183 Palatine Township
rect 253 521 326 594 Orland Township
rect 317 309 337 346 Oak Park Township
rect 299 256 330 276 Norwood Park Township
rect 267 113 340 185 Northfield Township
rect 317 183 377 239 Niles Township
rect 327 113 393 185 New Trier Township
rect 248 183 318 241 Maine Township
rect 249 380 322 465 Lyons Township
rect 248 258 318 312 Leyden Township
rect 182 464 254 526 Lemont Township
rect 41 181 115 247 Hanover Township
rect 361 178 403 222 Evanston
rect 182 182 249 243 Elk Grove Township
Elk Grove Township is one of 29 townships in Cook County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2010 census, its population was 92,905. Elk Grove Township formerly housed the United Airlines headquarters.
Geography
According to the United States Census B ...
rect 333 344 358 381 Cicero Township
rect 392 496 432 524 Calumet Township
rect 323 519 397 594 Bremen Township
rect 396 591 488 664 Bloom Township
rect 318 345 335 381 Berwyn Township
rect 58 111 129 182 Barrington Township
Current townships & Independent cities
The 29 townships and 2 independent cities of Cook County, with their populations as of the 2010 Census, are:
*
City of Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
- 2,695,598
*
City of Evanston - 74,486
*
Barrington Township – 15,636
*
Berwyn Township – 56,657
*
Bloom Township – 90,922
*
Bremen Township – 110,118
*
Calumet Township – 20,777
*
Cicero Township – 83,891
*
Elk Grove Township
Elk Grove Township is one of 29 townships in Cook County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2010 census, its population was 92,905. Elk Grove Township formerly housed the United Airlines headquarters.
Geography
According to the United States Census B ...
– 92,905
*
Hanover Township – 99,538
*
Lemont Township – 21,113
*
Leyden Township – 92,890
*
Lyons Township – 111,688
*
Maine Township – 135,772
*
New Trier Township – 55,424
*
Niles Township – 105,882
*
Northfield Township – 85,102
*
Norwood Park Township – 26,385
*
Oak Park Township – 51,878
*
Orland Township – 97,558
*
Palatine Township – 112,994
*
Palos Township – 54,615
*
Proviso Township – 151,704
*
Rich Township – 76,727
*
River Forest Township – 11,172
*
Riverside Township – 15,594
*
Schaumburg Township
Schaumburg Township is one of 29 Civil township, townships in Cook County, Illinois, Cook County, Illinois, United States, USA. As of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, its population was 131,288. It is in the north west corner of Cook C ...
– 131,288
*
Stickney Township – 40,772
*
Thornton Township – 169,326
*
Wheeling Township – 153,630
*
Worth Township – 152,633
Former townships
Chicago's eight former townships and annexed parts of others no longer have any governmental structure or responsibility since their annexations, but their names and boundaries are still used on property plats and by Cook County for tax assessment purposes. In 2014, Evanston Township was dissolved by voters and its functions were absorbed by the city of Evanston.
*
Evanston Township
*
Jefferson Township
*
Hyde Park Township
*
Lake Township
*
Lake View Township
*
North Township
*
Rogers Park Township
*
South Township
*
West Township
Adjacent counties
*
McHenry County, Illinois – northwest
*
Lake County, Illinois
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 ...
– north
*
Berrien County, Michigan
Berrien County is a county on the south line of Michigan, at the southwestern corner of the state. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 154,316. The county seat is St. Joseph.
Berrien County is included in the Niles-Benton Harbor, MI Me ...
– east
*
Lake County, Indiana
Lake County is a county (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. In 2020, its population was 498,700, making it Indiana's List of counties in Indiana, second-most populous county. The county seat is Crown Point, Indiana, Cro ...
– southeast
*
Will County, Illinois
Will County is a county in the northeastern part of the state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 696,355, an increase of 2.8% from 677,560 in 2010, making it Illinois's fourth-most populous county. The county sea ...
– south
*
DuPage County, Illinois – west
*
Kane County, Illinois – west
Education
Public school districts
Colleges and universities
*
Chicago State University
Chicago State University (CSU) is a predominantly black public university in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 1867 as the Cook County Normal School, it was an innovative teachers college. Eventually the Chicago Public Schools assumed control of t ...
*
City Colleges of Chicago
*
Columbia College Chicago
*
Depaul University
*
Loyola University Chicago
*
National Louis University
*
Northeastern Illinois University
*
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world.
Charte ...
*
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chic ...
*
University of Illinois Chicago
The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) is a public research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its campus is in the Near West Side community area, adjacent to the Chicago Loop. The second campus established under the University of Illinois sy ...
See also
*
Chicago metropolitan area
The Chicago metropolitan area, also colloquially referred to as Chicagoland, is a metropolitan area in the Midwestern United States. Encompassing 10,286 sq mi (28,120 km2), the metropolitan area includes the city of Chicago, its suburbs and h ...
*
Cook County Forest Preserve District
*
Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago
*
National Register of Historic Places listings in Cook County, Illinois
References
External links
Cook County Government Website
{{authority control
Illinois counties
1831 establishments in Illinois
Populated places established in 1831
Cook County
Cook County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Illinois and the second-most-populous county in the United States, after Los Angeles County, California. More than 40% of all residents of Illinois live within Cook County. As of 20 ...
Majority-minority counties in the United States