Lake County is situated in the northeastern corner of the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

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 ...

, 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 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 ...

Waukegan ''(Fortress or Trading Post)'' , image_flag = , image_seal = , blank_emblem_size = 150 , blank_emblem_type = Logo , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_type1 = State , subdivisi ...

, the tenth-largest city in Illinois. The county is primarily suburban, with some urban areas and some rural areas. Due to its location, immediately north of

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 ...

, Lake County is one of the

collar counties Collar counties is a colloquialism for DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will counties, the five counties of Illinois that border Cook County, which is home to Chicago. The collar counties are part of the Chicago metropolitan area and comp ...

of the

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 ...

. Its northern boundary is the

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

state line. According to the 2010 census, Lake County is the second wealthiest county in the state by

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 ...

, after

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 ...

. Additionally, Lake County ranks as the 27th wealthiest county in the nation. The county includes the affluent North Shore communities of Lake Forest,

Lake Bluff Lake Bluff is a village in Lake County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 5,616. History The first settler family to claim land within the area now part of Lake Bluff arrived in 1836. They claimed 100 acres of ...

, and Highland Park, and much of the county's wealth is concentrated in this area, as well as in communities bordering

to the south and McHenry County to the west. The north and northwest areas of the county, though historically rural and exurban, have experienced rapid suburbanization in the past three decades, while the lakefront communities of Waukegan, North Chicago, and Zion are post-industrial areas and majority non-white. Naval Station Great Lakes is located in the city of

North Chicago North Chicago is a city in Lake County, Illinois, United States, and a suburb of the Chicago metropolitan area. The population was 30,759 at the 2020 census making it the 2nd largest city by population in the county, after Waukegan. North Chica ...

. It is the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

's Headquarters Command for training, and the Navy's only recruit training center.

History

The county, which was primarily unsettled prairie and was still home to its native Potawatomi Indians, was created by the

Illinois State Legislature The Illinois General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. state of Illinois. It has two chambers, the Illinois House of Representatives and the Illinois Senate. The General Assembly was created by the first state constitution adopted in 18 ...

in 1839. At that time, Libertyville, then known as Independence Grove, was the first county seat. In 1841, however, the county's residents voted to move the county government to Little Fort, now Waukegan, where the commissioners had purchased a section of land from the state. Lake County's first courthouse was built on part of that land in 1844 and the remainder was sold to pay for the $4,000 construction cost. The county's first courthouse was used solely for court sessions and the jail, but in 1853, commissioners constructed a building to accommodate county administration offices and house records. When fire damaged the courthouse on October 19, 1875, the county records were saved because they were in the adjacent building. After the fire, proposals were made to move the county seat to Highland Park, Libertyville or another site in central Lake County. The county commissioners, however, decided to rebuild in Waukegan. The east half of the building was reconstructed at a cost of $45,000. In 1895, the first jail building was added to the government complex and a west addition was added to the courthouse in 1922. By 1938, county commissioners saw a need for additional space and approved the addition of a 5th Floor. This courthouse, however, was demolished in 1967 to make room for a new high-rise administration building, which was completed with the addition of the jail in 1969 and courts in 1970. Shortly thereafter, the Lake County Board commissioned the construction of a multi-faceted justice facility and ground was broken in 1986 for the Robert H. Babcox Justice Center, named in memory of Sheriff Babcox, who served as Lake County Sheriff from 1982 to 1988. The justice center, which houses the county jail, work release program, sheriff's administration offices and three courtrooms, was finished in 1989 at a cost of $29.6 million. Additional county government facilities have been built or expanded throughout Lake County, including the Coroner's Office, Health Department/Community Health Center facilities, Division of Transportation, Public Works and Winchester House. Lake County government services extend throughout the county's . The historic Half Day Inn, a tavern/restaurant, was constructed in 1843. This structure, once located at the corner of Milwaukee Avenue and Rte. 45/Old Half Day Road, was one of the oldest structures in Lake County until it was demolished in 2007 to make way for retail space, condominiums, and a retention pond.

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (67.6%) is water. It is the second-largest county in Illinois by total area and the only one that has more water area than land area. Most of the water is in Lake Michigan.

State parks

Illinois Beach State Park Adeline Jay Geo-Karis Illinois Beach State Park, part of the Illinois state park system, is located along Lake Michigan in northern Lake County in northeast Illinois. Together with lands to the north, including Chiwaukee Prairie, it forms the ...

* North Point Marina * Volo Bog State Natural Area * Chain O'Lakes State Park

Lakes

Besides Lake Michigan, lakes in the county include: *

Bangs Lake Bangs Lake is a natural glacial lake that is located in Wauconda, Illinois. It is named after Justus Bangs, the first permanent settler in Wauconda, who arrived in the summer of 1836. Justus Bangs reportedly named Wauconda as well, supposedly af ...

* Bluff Lake * Butler Lake * Channel Lake * Lake Charles * Countryside Lake * Diamond Lake * Druce Lake * Dunns Lake * East Loon Lake * Fox Lake * Gages Lake * Grays Lake * Highland Lake * Island Lake *

Lake Linden Lake Linden is a village in Houghton County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,007 at the 2010 census. The village is mostly within Schoolcraft Township, though a tiny portion lies in Torch Lake Township. History Lake Linden ...

Loch Lomond Loch Lomond (; gd, Loch Laomainn - 'Lake of the Elms'Richens, R. J. (1984) ''Elm'', Cambridge University Press.) is a freshwater Scottish loch which crosses the Highland Boundary Fault, often considered the boundary between the lowlands of C ...

* Loon Lake *

Lake Naomi Lake Naomi is a lake with private beaches and marinas located in Pocono Pines, Pennsylvania in the Pocono Mountains of Northeastern Pennsylvania. The community of Lake Naomi Club is a resort community that includes 1,400 families who own property s ...

* Sterling Lake * Valley Lake * Wooster Lake *

Lake Zurich __NOTOC__ Lake Zurich (Swiss German/ Alemannic: ''Zürisee''; German: ''Zürichsee''; rm, Lai da Turitg) is a lake in Switzerland, extending southeast of the city of Zürich. Depending on the context, Lake Zurich or ''Zürichsee'' can be used to ...

Natural areas

Lake County's forest preserves and natural areas are administered by the

Lake County Forest Preserves Lake County Forest Preserves (also called Lake County Forest Preserve District, or LCFPD) is a governmental organization that purchases land and oversees the use of such public open-space in Lake County, Illinois. It is a member of Chicago Wilde ...

district. These facilities include traditional nature preserves, such as the Ryerson Conservation Area, as well as golf courses and historic homes, such as the Adlai Stevenson historic home. A long north–south string of the preserves in Lake County, including Half Day Woods, Old School Forest Preserve, Independence Grove, and Van Patten Woods, form the Des Plaines River Greenway, which contains the Des Plaines River Trail, a popular place for walking, running, and biking. Lake County is also home to

, featuring over six miles of Lake Michigan shoreline, as well as dune areas, wetlands, prairie, and black oak savanna. Several local environmental groups operate in Lake County, such as Conserve Lake County and

Citizens for Conservation Citizens for Conservation (commonly called CFC) is a nonprofit organization, centered in Barrington, Illinois, established in 1971. CFC's motto is ''Saving Living Space for Living Things through protection, restoration and stewardship of land, co ...

, working to improve habitat. Volunteer opportunities also exist with the Lake County Forest Preserve District.

Adjacent counties

* Kenosha County,

- north *

- south * McHenry County - west

Major highways

County Routes and County Highways

Lake County's

County Road A county highway (also county road or county route; usually abbreviated CH or CR) is a road in the United States and in the Canadian province of Ontario that is designated and/or maintained by the county highway department. Route numbering can ...

system currently covers 300 miles of road. The county also employs two different numbering systems, a County Route system and a County Highway system. While both systems' can be seen on official road maps only the County Route designations have been indicated with

highway marker A highway shield or route marker is a sign denoting the route number of a highway, usually in the form of a symbolic shape with the route number enclosed. As the focus of the sign, the route number is usually the sign's largest element, with oth ...

s on

traffic signal Traffic lights, traffic signals, or stoplights – known also as robots in South Africa are signalling devices positioned at road intersections, pedestrian crossings, and other locations in order to control flows of traffic. Traffic lights ...

s or dedicated poles. The County Route system in use today by Lake County was purportedly intended to be the dominant system for all of Illinois' counties and was proposed by the

National Association of Counties The National Association of Counties (NACo) is an organization that represents county governments in the United States.highway marker A highway shield or route marker is a sign denoting the route number of a highway, usually in the form of a symbolic shape with the route number enclosed. As the focus of the sign, the route number is usually the sign's largest element, with oth ...

s. Currently, only Lake County, Boone County, McHenry County, and

use NACo's proposed numbering system, and of the four only Lake and McHenry Counties chose to fully display the County Route designations on highway markers. Cook County began to roll out the production of highway markers near the beginning of 2009 however the seemingly arbitrary numbering system as well as the cost to produce the markers resulted in a lot of confusion and backlash, and ultimately only some of the markers were produced and mounted. For Lake County, all North—South-bound County Routes begin with an "A", while East—West-bound County Routes on the western half of the county begin with a "V", and those located eastern half begin with a "W".

Demographics

2020 census

''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.''

2010 Census

As of the 2010 Census, there were 703,462 people, 241,712 households, and 179,428 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 260,310 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 75.1% white, 7.0% black or African American, 6.3% Asian, 0.5% American Indian, 8.5% from other races, and 2.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 19.9% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 20.5% were

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

, 12.9% were

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 ...

, 9.4% were

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...

, 6.9% were

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 ...

, 6.5% were

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

, and 4.0% were American. Of the 241,712 households, 40.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.6% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 25.8% were non-families, and 21.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.82 and the average family size was 3.31. The median age was 36.7 years. The median income for a household in the county was $78,948 and the median income for a family was $91,693. Males had a median income of $62,042 versus $44,200 for females. The per capita income for the county was $38,120. About 4.8% of families and 7.0% 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 t ...

, including 9.6% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over.

2019 United States Census Bureau American Community Survey estimates

According to 2019 US Census Bureau American Community Survey one-year estimates (which is conducted annually for cities over 65,000 via sampling), the population of Lake County, Illinois was 74.2%

White White is the 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 reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

(60.3% Non-Hispanic White and 13.9%

Hispanic White In the United States, a white Hispanic or Latino is an individual who is of full or partial Hispanic or Latino descent, the largest group being white Mexican Americans. Although not differentiated in the U.S. Census definition, White Latino A ...

), 6.8% Black or

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 8.0% Asian, 0.3% Native American and

Alaskan Native Alaska Natives (also known as Alaskan Natives, Native Alaskans, Indigenous Alaskans, Aboriginal Alaskans or First Alaskans) are the indigenous peoples of Alaska and include Iñupiat, Yupik, Aleut, Eyak, Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian, and a numb ...

, 0.1%

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 O ...

, 7.4% Some Other Race, and 3.3% from

two or more races 2 (two) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 1 and preceding 3. It is the smallest and only even prime number. Because it forms the basis of a duality, it has religious and spiritual significance in many cultur ...

. The White population continues to remain the largest racial category as Hispanics in Lake County primarily identify as White (62.1%) with others identifying as Some Other Race (31.7%), Multiracial (3.7%), Black (1.1%), American Indian and Alaskan Native (1.2%), Asian (0.2%), and Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (0.1%). By ethnicity, 22.4% of the total population is Hispanic-Latino (of any race) and 77.6% is Non-Hispanic (of any race). If treated as a separate category, Hispanics are the largest minority group in Lake County, Illinois. Majority of Hispanic/ Latino residents in Lake County, Illinois are of Mexican descent. Puerto Ricans, Cubans, Central Americans, and South Americans also reside in Lake County, Illinois.

Sports

The following sports teams play in Lake County: *

Lake County Fielders The Lake County Fielders were an American professional minor league baseball team based in Zion, Illinois, located in Lake County in the northern reaches of the Chicago area. The Fielders were owned by Grand Slam Sports & Entertainment, LLC, ba ...

baseball (defunct) * Lake County Coyotes baseball

Sites of interest

Amusement parks

Six Flags Great America Six Flags Great America is a amusement park located in Gurnee, Illinois, within the northern Chicago metropolitan area. The amusement park originally opened as Marriott's Great America on May 29, 1976, as one of two theme parks built by the ...

Gurnee, Illinois Gurnee ( ) is a village in Lake County, Illinois, United States. Its population was 30,706 as of the 2020 census. It borders the city of Waukegan, and is a popular tourist attraction within the Chicago metropolitan area. Best known for being t ...

Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Chicago Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Chicago (often shortened to Hurricane Harbor Chicago) is a 20-acre (8.1 ha) water park located in Gurnee, Illinois, United States, within the Chicago metropolitan area. Owned and operated by Six Flags, the park open ...

in Gurnee, Illinois * Lambs Farm in Libertyville, Illinois

Museums

* Volo Auto Museum in

Volo, Illinois Volo is a village in Lake County, 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 m ...

* Lake County Discovery Museum in Libertyville, Illinois * Warbird Heritage Foundation in

Waukegan, Illinois ''(Fortress or Trading Post)'' , image_flag = , image_seal = , blank_emblem_size = 150 , blank_emblem_type = Logo , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_type1 = State , subdivisi ...

* Waukegan History Museum in

* Raupp Museum in

Buffalo Grove, IL 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 ...

* Shiloh House in Zion, IL * Fort Hill Memorial Museum in Mundelein, IL * Dunn Museum in

Libertyville, IL Libertyville is a village in Lake County, Illinois, United States, and a northern suburb of Chicago. It is located west of Lake Michigan on the Des Plaines River. The 2020 census population was 20,579. It is part of Libertyville Township, whic ...

Performing arts

* Adler Arts Center in Libertyville, Illinois * ArtWauk in

* Clockwise Theatre in

Genesee Theatre Genesee Theatre is a concert hall and movie palace in Waukegan, Illinois. Today, the venue has seats for 2,403 people and opened in 1927. It's both used as a vaudeville theater and cinema and hosts musical artists and shows. History In 1926, A.L ...

* James Lumber Center for Performing Arts in

Grayslake, Illinois Grayslake is a village in Lake County, Illinois, United States. It is located in the Chicago metropolitan area, about 40 miles (64 km) north of Chicago's downtown, 14 miles (23 km) west of Lake Michigan, and 15 miles (24 km) sou ...

Marriott Theatre The Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire, Illinois is a respected Chicago area regional theatre. Attached to the Marriott Lincolnshire Resort, the theatre produces an average of five musicals each year, presented in the round, as well as productions ...

Lincolnshire, Illinois Lincolnshire is a village in Vernon Township, Lake County, in the U.S. state of Illinois. The village is a northern suburb of Chicago. Per the 2020 census, the population was 7,940. Lincolnshire was incorporated on August 5, 1957, from the un ...

Ravinia Festival Ravinia Festival is an outdoor music venue in Highland Park, Illinois. It hosts a series of outdoor concerts and performances every summer from June to September. The first orchestra to perform at Ravinia Festival was the New York Philharmonic unde ...

in Highland Park, Illinois

Other

* Naval Station Great Lakes *

Gurnee Mills Gurnee Mills is a shopping mall and outlet mall in Gurnee, Illinois, within the Chicago metropolitan area and it is one of the tourist destinations in Chicago, Illinois. Like the nearby Six Flags Great America and Great Wolf Lodge, the mall's pla ...

shopping mall * Lake Michigan

Communities

Cities

* Highland Park * Highwood * Lake Forest * McHenry (unincorporated part) *

Park City Park City may refer to: a city in Utah. Places * National Park City, London, England, UK; see parks and open spaces in London in the United States * Park City, Illinois * Park City, Kansas * Park City, Kentucky * Park City, Montana * Park City, ...

Waukegan ''(Fortress or Trading Post)'' , image_flag = , image_seal = , blank_emblem_size = 150 , blank_emblem_type = Logo , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_type1 = State , subdivisi ...

Zion Zion ( he, צִיּוֹן ''Ṣīyyōn'', LXX , also variously transliterated ''Sion'', ''Tzion'', ''Tsion'', ''Tsiyyon'') is a placename in the Hebrew Bible used as a synonym for Jerusalem as well as for the Land of Israel as a whole (see Nam ...

Villages

Antioch Antioch on the Orontes (; grc-gre, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου, ''Antiókheia hē epì Oróntou'', Learned ; also Syrian Antioch) grc-koi, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου; or Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπ� ...

Bannockburn Bannockburn ( Scottish Gaelic ''Allt a' Bhonnaich'') is an area immediately south of the centre of Stirling in Scotland. It is part of the City of Stirling. It is named after the Bannock Burn, a stream running through the town before flowing i ...

* Barrington (part) * Barrington Hills (part) * Beach Park *

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 ...

(part) * Deerfield * Deer Park (part) * Fox Lake (part) * Fox River Grove (part) * Grayslake * Green Oaks *

Gurnee Gurnee ( ) is a village in Lake County, Illinois, United States. Its population was 30,706 as of the 2020 census. It borders the city of Waukegan, and is a popular tourist attraction within the Chicago metropolitan area. Best known for being th ...

* Hainesville * Hawthorn Woods * Indian Creek * Island Lake (part) * Kildeer * Lake Barrington *

* Lake Villa *

* Lakemoor (mostly) * Libertyville *

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-we ...

* Lindenhurst * Long Grove * Mettawa * Mundelein * North Barrington * Old Mill Creek *

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.

(unincorporated part) * Port Barrington (part) * Riverwoods * Round Lake * Round Lake Beach * Round Lake Heights * Round Lake Park * Spring Grove (unincorporated part) * Third Lake * Tower Lakes *

Vernon Hills Vernon Hills is a suburb north of Chicago, Illinois in Lake County, Illinois, United States. The population was 26,850 at the 2020 census. Vernon Hills serves as a retail hub for its surrounding area ( Libertyville, Lake Forest, Long Grove, Lin ...

* Volo *

Wadsworth Wadsworth may refer to: People * Wadsworth (surname) * Wadsworth (given name) Places * Wadsworth, Illinois, United States, a village * Wadsworth, Kansas, United States * Wadsworth, Nevada, United States, a census-designated place * Wadswo ...

* Wauconda * Wheeling (part) * Winthrop Harbor

Census-designated places

* Channel Lake * Forest Lake * Fox Lake Hills * Gages Lake * Grandwood Park * Knollwood * Lake Catherine * Long Lake * Venetian Village

Unincorporated communities

* Aptakisic * Diamond Lake *

Eddy Eddie or Eddy may refer to: Science and technology *Eddy (fluid dynamics), the swirling of a fluid and the reverse current created when the fluid flows past an obstacle * Eddie (text editor), a text editor originally for BeOS and now ported to Lin ...

* Fort Sheridan * Fremont Center * Gilmer *

Grange Hall The Grange, officially named The National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry, is a social organization in the United States that encourages families to band together to promote the economic and political well-being of the community and ...

* Grass Lake * Ingleside * Ivanhoe * Kennedy * Loon Lake * Millburn * Monaville * Palm Beach * Prairie View * Rondout (Part of Lake Bluff) * Rosecrans * Russell * Sylvan Lake * West Miltmore * Wildwood * Wilson

Townships

The county is divided into eighteen

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 ...

. Image:Map of Lake County Illinois showing townships.png, Lake County townships (clickable), 350px poly 115 99 421 102 420 209 236 207 236 239 205 239 205 264 111 264 Antioch Township poly 610 113 619 111 621 117 641 116 642 125 632 128 635 134 642 136 632 138 634 141 644 142 641 148 655 148 657 159 674 162 695 167 697 170 707 166 715 163 716 151 746 150 743 165 717 167 714 189 742 188 738 209 718 209 713 234 701 236 698 230 691 227 671 230 670 225 656 226 656 213 650 216 647 205 645 198 640 197 636 205 625 203 632 185 631 180 619 181 616 170 626 157 613 156 595 157 595 150 611 149 619 149 618 134 609 135 Zion Township poly 621 108 739 108 747 145 745 171 739 232 735 274 608 272 609 158 620 157 618 162 616 173 616 180 631 181 624 202 637 203 638 210 643 210 650 210 650 217 657 226 672 233 691 228 700 236 712 237 720 213 738 213 742 190 716 190 717 168 745 168 746 149 717 149 714 164 705 165 698 169 698 164 681 165 678 162 657 159 657 148 645 149 645 144 633 141 634 138 645 138 646 134 634 133 634 131 641 126 643 118 621 116 Benton Township poly 425 103 610 104 610 147 593 148 592 158 608 159 607 273 421 271 Newport Township poly 420 330 420 210 239 210 238 240 207 240 206 301 237 300 238 330 Lake Villa Township poly 114 266 204 266 205 303 235 304 235 453 114 452 Grant Township poly 238 333 420 332 420 455 237 455 Avon Township poly 422 273 422 458 609 456 607 274 Warren Township poly 611 275 736 275 735 327 732 341 725 361 715 379 708 393 700 425 693 457 609 458 Waukegan Township poly 114 454 236 456 236 640 115 638 Wauconda Township poly 238 456 417 459 419 641 237 640 Fremont Township poly 420 458 607 459 605 640 421 642 Libertyville Township poly 610 460 691 460 687 506 693 552 705 604 720 641 608 641 Shields Township poly 115 641 236 642 233 825 112 826 Cuba Township poly 237 643 419 643 419 825 236 823 Ela Township poly 422 644 606 644 605 826 421 826 Vernon Township poly 608 643 677 644 684 660 696 660 697 828 605 828 West Deerfield Township poly 681 644 720 644 750 720 774 770 807 826 699 829 700 659 686 658 Moraine Township *

* Avon * Benton *

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

* Ela * Fremont *

Grant Grant or Grants may refer to: Places *Grant County (disambiguation) Australia * Grant, Queensland, a locality in the Barcaldine Region, Queensland, Australia United Kingdom * Castle Grant United States * Grant, Alabama * Grant, Inyo County, ...

* Lake Villa * Libertyville * Moraine * Newport *

Shields A shield is a piece of personal armour held in the hand, which may or may not be strapped to the wrist or forearm. Shields are used to intercept specific attacks, whether from close-ranged weaponry or projectiles such as arrows, by means of ...

* Vernon *

Warren A warren is a network of wild rodent or lagomorph, typically rabbit burrows. Domestic warrens are artificial, enclosed establishment of animal husbandry dedicated to the raising of rabbits for meat and fur. The term evolved from the medieval A ...

* Wauconda *

Waukegan ''(Fortress or Trading Post)'' , image_flag = , image_seal = , blank_emblem_size = 150 , blank_emblem_type = Logo , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_type1 = State , subdivisi ...

* West Deerfield *

Government

Politics

As a historic

Yankee The term ''Yankee'' and its contracted form ''Yank'' have several interrelated meanings, all referring to people from the United States. Its various senses depend on the context, and may refer to New Englanders, residents of the Northern United S ...

settlement, Lake County was initially a stronghold of the

Free Soil Party The Free Soil Party was a short-lived coalition political party in the United States active from 1848 to 1854, when it merged into the Republican Party. The party was largely focused on the single issue of opposing the expansion of slavery int ...

. In the 1848 presidential election, it was Free Soil nominee and former President

Martin van Buren Martin Van Buren ( ; nl, Maarten van Buren; ; December 5, 1782 – July 24, 1862) was an American lawyer and statesman who served as the eighth president of the United States from 1837 to 1841. A primary founder of the Democratic Party, he ...

’s strongest county, giving him over 58 percent of the vote. Consequently, Lake County would turn rock-solid Republican for most of the next century and a half. After narrowly supporting Democrat Franklin Pierce in 1852, it voted Republican at all but one presidential election from 1856 to 1960. This tradition was only broken in 1912, when the GOP was mortally divided and Lake County voted for Progressive Party (United States, 1912), Progressive Party nominee and former President Theodore Roosevelt over conservative incumbent William Howard Taft. In 1964 the Republican Party nominated Barry Goldwater, whose hostility to the Yankee establishment and strongly conservative platform were sufficient to leave many traditional Republicans to stay home or even to vote for Lyndon Johnson, who narrowly became the first Democrat to win an absolute majority in the county since James K. Polk in 1844, and the first to win it at all since Pierce in 1852. Between 1968 and 1988, however, Lake County became powerfully Republican once more, with no Democrat cracking forty percent of the vote. However, as in the other collar counties, the Republican edge narrowed considerably in the 1990s, and Bill Clinton actually won it with a 166-vote plurality in 1996–the only time that Clinton won any of the collar counties besides Will County during his two campaigns for president. After narrowly voting for George W. Bush twice, in 2008 it swung over dramatically to support Democrat and then-Illinois Senator Barack Obama, who carried it by almost 20 points. Obama won it but by a slimmer margin in 2012. Hillary Clinton won it handily in 2016, tallying her second-best margin in the state. At 36%, Donald Trump's performance in the county was the worst of any Republican presidential nominee since 1912. In 2020, Joe Biden won 61% of the vote, the highest percentage of the vote for any candidate since 1988 and the highest ever attained by a Democrat. Lake County has the highest payout for wrongful conviction in the United States. Juan Rivera (wrongful conviction), Juan Rivera was awarded $20 million, the largest wrongful conviction settlement in United States history, including $2 million from John E. Reid & Associates, who were known for the Reid technique of questioning suspects. This technique has been widely criticized for its history of eliciting confessions that were later determined to be false. Rivera was questioned twice at Reid headquarters by an employee of the company during his interrogation, which lasted for several days. Another payout was made to Jerry Hobbs. Kathleen Zellner settled Jerry Hobbs' civil rights case for $7.75 million. Hobbs was incarcerated for 66 months. This was the largest pre-trial detainee settlement in the United States.

Media

Lake County is covered in the Chicago media market and the county relies on Chicago television stations, radio stations, and newspapers for the source of its news and information. The county has multiple radio stations, including 102.3 FM XLC and 98.3 FM WRLR. The Lake County News-Sun, owned by Tribune Publishing, is the county's main print newspaper. It is printed and published in Gurnee. ''Lake and McHenry County Scanner'', launched in 2012 by Sam Borcia, is the county's biggest digital newspaper which covers Lake County as well as nearby McHenry County, Illinois. The publication's work has been quoted in top news outlets such as Fox News and Yahoo! News. The county is also covered by the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' and ''Daily Herald (Arlington Heights), The Daily Herald''.

Education

The following is a list of school districts with any territory in Lake County, no matter how slight, even if the school districts' administrative headquarters and/or schools are outside of the county: K-12: * Barrington Community Unit School District 22 * Lake Zurich Community Unit School District 95 * North Chicago School District 187 * Round Lake Community Unit School District 116 * Wauconda Community Unit School District 118 * Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 Secondary: * Antioch Community High School District 117 * Community High School District 155 * Grant Community High School District 124 * Grayslake Community High School District 127 * Lake Forest Community High School District 115 * Libertyville Community High School District 128 * Mundelein Consolidated High School District 120 * Richmond-Burton Community High School District 157 * Adlai E. Stevenson High School District 125 * Township High School District 113 * Warren Township High School District 121 * Zion-Benton Township High School District 126 Elementary: * Antioch Community Consolidated School District 34 * Aptakisic-Tripp Community Consolidated School District * Bannockburn School District 106 * Beach Park Community Consolidated School District 3 * Big Hollow School District 38 * Cary Community Consolidated School District 26 * Deerfield School District 109 * Diamond Lake School District 76 * Emmons School District 33 * Fox Lake Grade School District 114 * Fremont School District 79 * Gavin School District 37 * Grass Lake School District 36 * Grayslake Consolidated Community School District 46 * Gurnee School District 56 * Hawthorn Community Consolidated School District 73 * Kildeer Countryside Community Consolidated School District 96 * Lake Bluff Elementary School District 65 * Lake Forest School District 67 * Lake Villa Community Consolidated School District 41 * Libertyville School District 70 * Lincolnshire-Prairieview School District 103 * McHenry Community Consolidated School District 15 * Millburn Community Consolidated School District 24 * Mundelein Elementary School District 75 * North Shore School District 112 * Nippersink School District 2 * Oak Grove School District 68 (Lake County, Illinois), Oak Grove School District 68 * Rondout School District 72 * Winthrop Harbor School District 1 * Woodland Community Consolidated School District 50 * Zion Elementary School District 6

Notable people

* Jack Benny (February 14, 1894 – December 26, 1974) – entertainer, comedian, actor and musician, Benny was one of America's greatest stars of radio and television, and also appeared in many films; he was raised in

. * Charles Boyce (September 21, 1949) – cartoonist, creator of syndicated comic panel Compu-toon and the telecommunication public affairs image The KeyPad Kid. * Ray Bradbury (August 22, 1920 – June 5, 2012) – fantasy, horror, science fiction, and mystery writer. Best known for his dystopian novel ''Fahrenheit 451'' and ''The Martian Chronicles'', Bradbury is widely considered one of the greatest and most popular American writers of speculative fiction of the twentieth century. Bradbury was born in Waukegan. * Marlon Brando (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) actor; as a young sex symbol, he is best known for his roles in ''A Streetcar Named Desire (1951 film), A Streetcar Named Desire'', ''On the Waterfront'' and ''Guys and Dolls (film), Guys and Dolls''. Brando and his family moved to Libertyville, Illinois where he lived from 1937 until 1942. * Gary Coleman (February 8, 1968 – May 28, 2010) – actor, known for his role as Arnold Jackson (character), Arnold Jackson in the American sitcom ''Diff'rent Strokes'' (1978–1986). Coleman was born in Zion, Illinois. * Ronald Goldman, Ron Goldman (July 2, 1968 – June 12, 1994), who was killed along with Nicole Brown Simpson grew up in Buffalo Grove. * Michael Jordan (born February 17, 1963) – retired professional basketball player and active businessman, widely considered one of the greatest players of all time; as of 2015, Jordan had a residence in Highland Park, Illinois. * Vince Vaughn (born March 28, 1970) – actor, known for his roles in ''Swingers (1996 film), Swingers'' and ''Wedding Crashers''; grew up in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, then moved to Lake Forest,

, where he graduated from Lake Forest High School (Illinois), Lake Forest High School in 1988. * Pete Wilson (born August 23, 1933), Mayor of San Diego (1971-1983); United States Senate, United States Senator from California (1983-1991); and Governor of California (1991-1999), born in Lake Forest. * Thomas E. Wilson (1868-1958), businessman and founder of 'Wilson Sporting Goods', resident and buried in Lake County.

References

Citations

General sources

External links

*
Lake County Convention & Visitors Bureau

Lake County Forest Preserve District
{{Coord, 42.43, -87.78, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-IL_source:UScensus1990 Lake County, Illinois, Illinois counties 1839 establishments in Illinois Chicago metropolitan area Populated places established in 1839

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