Glencoe () is a lakefront village in northeastern

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 ...

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 Roc ...

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 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,849. Glencoe is part of Chicago's

North Shore North Shore or Northshore may refer to: Geographic features Australia *North Shore (Sydney), a suburban region of Sydney **Electoral district of North Shore **North Shore railway line, Sydney *Noosa North Shore, Queensland * North Shore, New So ...

and is located within the New Trier High School District. Glencoe has the eighth highest income per household among municipalities in the U.S. with greater than 2,000 homes.

Geography

Glencoe is located at (42.131602, -87.761026). According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Glencoe has a total area of , of which (or 98.39%) is land and (or 1.61%) is water. Glencoe is located on the west side of

Lake Michigan Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the east, its basin is conjoined with that ...

. It is separated from suburbs to the north and west by more than of the Cook County Forest Preserve natural forest area. Three golf clubs also buffer it, with the private Lake Shore Country Club on the north, the public Glencoe Golf Club (operated by the village of Glencoe) on the northwest, and the private Skokie Country Club on the west. The village is surrounded on three sides by upper-income communities, with Highland Park on the north, Northbrook on the west, and Winnetka to the south. The Skokie Lagoons are located in the forest preserve to the immediate west of the village. The same forest preserve has a bicycle trail that connects to other forest preserves to the south. In the village, the Greenbay Trail allows bicyclists to travel as far south as Wilmette and north past Lake Forest. The highest point of elevation in Glencoe is above sea level along Green Bay Road in the northern part of the village.

Demographics

As of the 2020 census there were 8,849 people, 3,302 households, and 2,563 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 3,176 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 87.31%

White White is the lightness, lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...

, 1.04%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

, 0.11% Native American, 4.33% Asian, 0.02%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of Ocea ...

, 1.11% from other races, and 6.08% from two or more races.

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 for ...

or Latino of any race were 4.20% of the population. There were 3,302 households, out of which 71.38% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.96% were married couples living together, 5.33% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.38% were non-families. 21.11% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.14 and the average family size was 2.67. The village's age distribution consisted of 27.9% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 14.1% from 25 to 44, 30.7% from 45 to 64, and 21.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.1 males. The median income for a household in the village was $195,600, and the median income for a family was $250,001. Males had a median income of $136,111 versus $66,384 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the village was $121,589, placing Glencoe among the 20 wealthiest communities in the United States. About 0.7% of families and 1.6% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 0.2% of those under age 18 and 2.4% of those age 65 or over.

History

Opinions differ about the origins of the village's name. Some attribute it to an early resident, Matthew Coe. Others say it is named for the area of

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...

of the same name. It developed in the late 19th century around a railroad stop. Former Chicago mayor

Walter S. Gurnee Walter Smith Gurnee (March 9, 1813 – April 17, 1903) served as Mayor of Chicago (1851–53) for the Democratic Party. The Village of Gurnee, Illinois is named for him. Biography Gurnee was born in Haverstraw, New York and arrived in Chica ...

had become president of the line connecting Chicago and Milwaukee, and often bought up and developed land around railroad stops. Thus, one historian believes the name derives from the maiden name of Gurnee's wife, since Gurnee bought the land in 1867 and began subdivision, although financial problems prevented him from building a home there and he returned to New York for his final years. The village's first seal was based on the seal of Glencoe, Scotland.Suzanne Weiss
Glencoe's History
, VillageofGlencoe.org. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many elegant homes were built in Glencoe. Most notably, the village is home to the world’s third largest collection of

Frank Lloyd Wright Frank Lloyd Wright (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) was an American architect, designer, writer, and educator. He designed more than 1,000 structures over a creative period of 70 years. Wright played a key role in the architectural movements o ...

structures: the Ravine Bluff subdivision contains seven houses, a concrete bridge and three sculptural markers. There are also two larger, individually built homes, located nearby Ravine Bluffs. In addition to Wright, there are houses designed by

Howard Van Doren Shaw Howard Van Doren Shaw AIA (May 7, 1869 – May 7, 1926) was an architect in Chicago, Illinois. Shaw was a leader in the American Craftsman movement, best exemplified in his 1900 remodel of Second Presbyterian Church in Chicago. He designed ...

, David Adler, Robert E. Seyfarth and George Washington Maher, among others. Glencoe Metra Station 20120722

Glencoe has a Village Manager form of government. It had one of the first public safety departments (combined police/fire/paramedic). In 1921 it adopted the first zoning code in Illinois. Its land-use plan, adopted in 1940, has been adhered to with minor changes since then. Most all nonconforming uses have been eliminated through attrition and it has developed to the allowed uses outlined on the 1940 zoning map. It is predominantly a single-family residential area, with no industrial uses. It has a small cohesive

central business district A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the " cit ...

that provides most basic services, including post office, library, Village Hall, performing arts theatre,

train station A train station, railway station, railroad station or depot is a railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passengers, freight or both. It generally consists of at least one platform, one track and a station building providing ...

(to Chicago), and other shopping needs. Since the late 20th century, for 20 years the village has had redevelopment of smaller homes. They have been torn down and replaced by larger homes, spurring debate on historic preservation, the effects of an increasingly wealthy demographic, and rising property taxes. In addition to such private development, during this time, the village has completed major reconstruction of its street and sidewalk network. The village installed brick sidewalks and period street lights in the business district. Many public buildings have been or are being remodelled or expanded, including the public schools, Village Hall, library, Park District Community Center, and refrigerated outdoor ice rink. The building housing the Glencoe Woman's Club (formerly Woman's Library Club) was torn down. It was replaced by a new building, designed by Jeanne Gang, that houses Writers Theatre. The new building opened to the public in 2016. The private golf clubs (Lake Shore Country Club and Skokie Country Club) have also conducted major remodeling, additions, and reconstruction.

Representation in other media

*Glencoe in the 1970s and 1980s is recalled as the backdrop of the coming-of-age memoir ''Lake Effect'', by author Rich Cohen. This introduced his "Jamie Drew" character, based on exploits of his fellow native Mark Varouxakis. *The plot of the film '' Mean Girls'' is set in Evanston on Chicago's North Shore. It refers to Glencoe in the quote "You go Glen-Coco". *Glencoe was the stated setting for the 1983 film '' Risky Business'', starring

Tom Cruise Thomas Cruise Mapother IV (born July 3, 1962), known professionally as Tom Cruise, is an American actor and producer. One of the world's highest-paid actors, he has received various accolades, including an Honorary Palme d'Or and three Go ...

. The movie was filmed in neighboring Highland Park. *Scenes from the 1986 John Hughes film '' Ferris Bueller's Day Off'' were filmed in Glencoe, as were scenes from '' Sixteen Candles''. *The Glencoe train station is featured in scenes from

Clint Eastwood Clinton Eastwood Jr. (born May 31, 1930) is an American actor and film director. After achieving success in the Western TV series '' Rawhide'', he rose to international fame with his role as the " Man with No Name" in Sergio Leone's "'' D ...

's '' Flags of Our Fathers'', as well as John Hughes' '' She's Having a Baby''. *The 2011 film '' Contagion'' (featuring Gwyneth Paltrow,

Kate Winslet Kate Elizabeth Winslet (; born 5 October 1975) is an English actress. Known for her work in independent films, particularly period dramas, and for her portrayals of headstrong and complicated women, she has received numerous accolades, incl ...

, Jude Law and

Matt Damon Matthew Paige Damon (; born October 8, 1970) is an American actor, film producer, and screenwriter. Ranked among '' Forbes'' most bankable stars, the films in which he has appeared have collectively earned over $3.88 billion at the North Amer ...

) has scenes that were filmed in Glencoe.

Glencoe Public Library

History

The Village of Glencoe is served by the Glencoe Public Library (GPL), located at 320 Park Avenue. Plans for the library’s current location were announced in 1940, with construction costs estimated to be around $90,000. Prior to this new construction, the Glencoe Library operated out of the former Hawthorne School at 654 Greenleaf Avenue; by 1938, library board members felt that the library should have its own dedicated building, and began developing plans for the new structure. The library was designed to “simulate a suburban home,” according to contemporaneous news reports, with meeting rooms, a local history room, and space for 35,000 books built into the original plans for the envisioned

Colonial Colonial or The Colonial may refer to: * Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology) Architecture * American colonial architecture * French Colonial * Spanish Colonial architecture Automobiles * Colonial (1920 a ...

or Georgian style structure. The library opened its Park Avenue location to the public in 1941. In the 1960s, a 20 year plan was launched to enlarge the library facilities in order to double the library's capacity for materials storage. In recent years, the library has taken on multiple renovation and repair projects, including the enlargement of staff work areas, the replacement of windows, the installation of a new HVAC system, and various other interior projects to improve facilities.

Collection and Services

Glencoe Library is a member of the

Reaching Across Illinois Library System The Reaching Across Illinois Library System is a regional library system consisting of 1,250 public, academic, special, and school library members, representing more than 4,000 library facilities in Northern, West-central Illinois. The regional lib ...

network as well as the Cooperative Computer Services (CCS) consortium. This allows for reciprocal borrowing for members of other CCS libraries, in addition to the interlibrary loan services Glencoe offers for materials held outside of the consortium. In February 2022, the library reported its own holdings at 73,528 physical items and over 1,323,000 digital items. Glencoe library’s collection is made up of adult, youth, and teen materials including books, DVDs and Blu-Rays, CDs, audiobooks,

Roku Roku ( ) is a brand of hardware digital media players manufactured by American company Roku, Inc. They offer access to streaming media content from online services. The first Roku model, developed in collaboration with Netflix, was introduce ...

streaming devices, magazines and newspapers, the Takiff fine arts collection, and a variety of digital resources including e-content and database subscriptions. GPL went fine-free in 2021. As of 2012, 90% of Glencoe residents held library cards, according to census data. The library offers an events calendar featuring regular story-times and children’s events; book and film discussions; guest lectures by academics and community groups; seasonal reading challenges; Book News (virtual and in-person book reviews by staff); crafting and art classes; and more. In addition, patrons are able to reserve community rooms in the library, get one-on-one technology assistance through the Book-A-Librarian program, and make use of the library’s two 3-D printers. In response to the

Covid-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...

, the library closed briefly in 2020. It reopened with curbside and contactless pickup, as well as virtual programming, in late 2020. Since then, much of the library’s adult programming has moved to virtual events. The library is supported by the Glencoe Friends of the Library. The Friends host three used book sales each year, sponsor the regular book and film discussions, summer and winter reading challenges, and various other lectures, concerts, fundraisers and events throughout the year. GPL publishes its own quarterly newsletter, ''Excerpts'', that contains information regarding upcoming programs and events, information about the library, a staff feature, material recommendations and other relevant news.

Points of interest

* Chicago Botanic Garden * Cook County Forest Preserves *

-designed Sylvan Road Bridge (concrete) (1915 design) *Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Ravine Bluffs Subdivision entry light/planter monuments at Sylvan/Franklin and at Franklin/Meadow (circa 1915) * North Shore Congregation Israel synagogue designed by

Minoru Yamasaki was an American architect, best known for designing the original World Trade Center in New York City and several other large-scale projects. Yamasaki was one of the most prominent architects of the 20th century. He and fellow architect Edward ...

* Glencoe Metra station (circa 1891) *Glencoe Sailing Beach * Skokie Lagoons *Am Shalom Synagogue *St. Paul A.M.E. Church * Writers Theatre *Glencoe Historical Society *Glencoe Beach

Local media

Local media covering news in Glencoe include The Glencoe Anchor, Winnetka-Glencoe Patch, TribLocal and Pioneer Press. Glencoe was the founding home in 1947 of the important social scientific book publisher, the

Free Press Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the fundamental principle that communication and expression through various media, including printed and electronic media, especially published materials, should be considered a right to be exerc ...

, until it was sold and moved to New York City in 1960.

Notable people

* Curt Anderson Maryland legislator, grew up in Glencoe * Michael Bloomfield, blues musician/guitarist/composer, lived in Glencoe * Leo Burnett, advertising executive and the founder of Leo Burnett Company If You Build It …
/ref> *

Carl B. Camras Carl B. Camras (November 23, 1953 – April 14, 2009) was an American ophthalmologist known for his research on the treatment of glaucoma. He discovered a new class of drugs to treat glaucoma—prostaglandin analogues. Specifically, he developed ...

, an American ophthalmologist known for his research on the treatment of glaucoma, was born in Glencoe * Marshall Chess, record producer, lived in Glencoe * Ann Compton, former news reporter and White House correspondent for ABC News Radio; grew up in Glencoe *

Douglas Conant Douglas Conant is an American businessman who served as President and CEO of the Campbell Soup Company until July 31, 2011. Longtime protégé Denise Morrison, who worked for him at Nabisco as well as Campbell's, succeeded him as CEO. Education ...

, CEO of the

Campbell Soup Company Campbell Soup Company, doing business as Campbell's, is an American processed food and snack company. The company is most closely associated with its flagship canned soup products; however, through mergers and acquisitions, it has grown to become ...

; grew up in Glencoe * Bruce Dern, actor * Nick Foles, quarterback for the Chicago Bears; resided in Glencoe from 2020 to 2022 *

Paris Grey Inner City is an American electronic music group that formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1987. The group was originally composed of the record producer and composer Kevin Saunderson and the Chicago, Illinois, vocalist Paris Grey. Saunderson is renow ...

, singer (" Big Fun (song)"); (" Good Life (Inner City song)");( Inner City (band)) * Brian Griese, quarterback for the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine ...

; lived in Glencoe briefly *

Granville D. Hall Granville Davisson Hall (September 17, 1837 – June 24, 1934) was an American journalist, businessman and politician who helped found the state of West Virginia during the American Civil War. He served as the Secretary of State of West Vi ...

, early and longtime village clerk, journalist, former president of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad and first Secretary of State of West Virginia *

Walter Jacobson Walter David Jacobson (born July 28, 1937) is a former Chicago television news personality and a current Chicago radio news personality. He currently provides opinion segments for WGN Radio AM 720. From 2010 until 2013, he was an anchor of the ...

, former Chicago television news personality and a current Chicago radio news personality; grew up in Glencoe * Len Kasper, announcer for the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

; resides in Glencoe * Frank King, cartoonist ('' Gasoline Alley''); lived in Glencoe * Alan M. Krensky,

National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health, commonly referred to as NIH (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary agency of the United States government The federal government of the United States (U.S. federal government or U ...

deputy director; Stanford University associate dean; grew up in Glencoe * Eric Lefkofsky, billionaire entrepreneur, private equity investor, and venture capitalist; co-founder of Groupon; resides in Glencoe * Zoe Levin, actress and star of '' Bonding'', moved to Glencoe when she was 11. *

Khalil Mack Khalil Delshon Mack (; born February 22, 1991) is an American football outside linebacker for the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Buffalo, and was drafted by the Oakland Raiders with the ...

, linebacker for the

; resided in Glencoe from 2018 to 2021 * Archibald MacLeish, poet; three-time Pulitzer Prize winner; Librarian of Congress (1939–1944); provides ongoing inspiration to the Men's Library Club (MLC); born in Glencoe * Fred Miller, offensive tackle for the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...

, and St. Louis Rams; lived in Glencoe * Newton N. Minow, former Chair of the Federal Communications Commission * Harold Ramis, comedian, actor, and director (''

Ghostbusters ''Ghostbusters'' is a 1984 American supernatural comedy film directed and produced by Ivan Reitman, and written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. It stars Bill Murray, Aykroyd, and Ramis as Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, and Egon Spengler, ...

'', ''

Groundhog Day Groundhog Day ( pdc, Grund'sau dåk, , , ; Nova Scotia: Daks Day) is a popular North American tradition observed in the United States and Canada on February 2. It derives from the Pennsylvania Dutch superstition that if a groundhog emerges f ...

'', '' Caddyshack'') * Betty Robinson, Olympic gold medalist; former fastest woman in the world; lived in Glencoe * Ben Savage, actor ('' Boy Meets World''); lived in Glencoe as a child *

Fred Savage Frederick Aaron Savage (born July 9, 1976) is an American actor and director. He is known for his role as Kevin Arnold in the American television series '' The Wonder Years'' (1988 to 1993). He has earned several awards and nominations, such a ...

, actor and director (''

The Wonder Years ''The Wonder Years'' is an American coming-of-age comedy/drama television series created by Neal Marlens and Carol Black. It ran on ABC from January 31, 1988, until May 12, 1993. The series premiered immediately after ABC's coverage of Supe ...

'', '' The Princess Bride)''; lived in Glencoe as a child *

Robert Shea Robert Joseph Shea (February 14, 1933 – March 10, 1994) was an American novelist and former journalist best known as co-author with Robert Anton Wilson of the science fantasy trilogy '' Illuminatus!'' It became a cult success and was later tu ...

, co-author of the '' Illuminatus!'' trilogy. * James Simpson Jr., Member of the U.S. House of Representatives * Gene Siskel, film critic and journalist for the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television a ...

'' * Ellen Spertus, former research scientist at

Google Google LLC () is an American Multinational corporation, multinational technology company focusing on Search Engine, search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, software, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, ar ...

, grew up in Glencoe * Melville Elijah Stone, newspaper publisher, founder of the Chicago Daily News, general manager of the Associated Press * Kenneth S. Suslick, the world's leading expert on the chemical and physical effects of ultrasound; grew up in Glencoe * Clifford Tabin, Chairman, Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School; grew up in Glencoe * Lili Taylor, actress (''

Mystic Pizza ''Mystic Pizza'' is a 1988 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Donald Petrie in his feature directorial debut, and starring Annabeth Gish, Julia Roberts and Lili Taylor. It follows the coming-of-age of three young Portuguese-Amer ...

'', '' I Shot Andy Warhol'', '' Six Feet Under''); born in Glencoe * Paul Thomas (director) (aka Phil Toubus) actor, director * Mike Tomczak, quarterback for the

; lived in Glencoe * Scott Turow, bestselling author; lived in Glencoe * Peter Van de Graaff, singer and radio personality; grew up in Glencoe *

James Wilkerson James Herbert Wilkerson (December 11, 1869 – September 30, 1948) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Education and career Born in Savannah, Missouri, Wilkerson recei ...

, Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois

References

External links

Village of Glencoe official website

Glencoe Park District

Glencoe Public Library
{{authority control Chicago metropolitan area Populated places established in 1867 Villages in Cook County, Illinois Villages in Illinois 1869 establishments in Illinois

Geography

Demographics

History

Representation in other media

Glencoe Public Library

History

Collection and Services

Points of interest

Local media

Notable people

See also

References

External links