Beach Park is a village in Benton and

Waukegan Waukegan ( ) is a city in Lake County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. Located north of Chicago, Waukegan is a satellite city within the greater Chicago metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its popu ...

townships of

Lake County, Illinois Lake County is a County (United States), county located in the northeastern corner of the U.S. state of Illinois, along the shores of Lake Michigan. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it has a population of 714,342, making it th ...

, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 14,249.

Geography

Beach Park is located at (42.423763, -87.847753). According to the 2010 census, Beach Park has a total area of , all land.

Major streets

* Green Bay Road *

Sheridan Road Sheridan Road is a major north-south street that leads from Diversey Parkway (Chicago), Diversey Parkway in Chicago, Illinois, north to the Illinois-Wisconsin border and beyond to Racine, Wisconsin, Racine. Throughout most of its run, it is the ...

* Kenosha Road * 21st Street * 29th Street * 33rd Street * Lewis Avenue * Wadsworth Road * Beach Road * Yorkhouse Road * Blanchard Road

Demographics

2020 census

2000 Census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 10,072 people, 3,636 households, and 2,727 families residing in the village. The population density was . There were 3,743 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 85.31%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 4.54%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.28% Native American, 1.49% Asian, 0.03%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 6.12% from other races, and 2.24% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 13.58% of the population. There were 3,636 households, out of which 36.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.7% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.0% were non-families. 20.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.21. In the village, the population was spread out, with 27.0% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 29.9% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 10.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.3 males. The median income for a household in the village was $56,553, and the median income for a family was $65,064. Males had a median income of $42,982 versus $32,412 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the village was $23,803. About 3.5% of families and 3.7% 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 7.1% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

Illinois Beach State Park

Beach Park is the home to the South Beach section of Illinois Beach State Park, which is otherwise located in Winthrop Harbor. The beach was originally part of Camp Logan, a

rifle range A shooting range, firing range, gun range or shooting ground is a specialized facility, sports venue, venue, or playing field, field designed specifically for firearm usage qualifications, training, practice, or shooting sport, competitions. ...

developed by the Illinois National Guard in 1892. In

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

it served as a rifle range for the

Great Lakes Naval Training Station Naval Station Great Lakes (NAVSTA Great Lakes) is the home of the United States Navy's only current boot camp, located near North Chicago, in Lake County, Illinois, along Lake Michigan. Important tenant commands include the Recruit Training ...

. The range remained in operation until 1973, when it was transferred to the Illinois Department of Conservation. In 1950, the Illinois Dunes Preservation Society was established to maintain the natural qualities of the beach. With the help of the Illinois Department of Conservation the area south of Beach Road was established as the state's first natural preserve. The northern beach, between Beach Road and the

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

state border, was obtained between 1971 and 1982. The south beach is now home of the Illinois Beach Resort and Conference Center. The North Point Marina is at the north beach. This is Illinois' newest and largest marina and the largest freshwater marina in the United States. More than 650 species of plants have been recorded in the dunes area alone, including dozens of types of colorful wildflowers. On May 9, 2000, the area encompassing Illinois Beach State Park and North Point Marina was officially designated as the Cullerton Complex in honor of William J. Cullerton Sr., war hero, avid environmentalist and long-time friend of conservation.

Schools

Beach Park School District #3 schools are Beach Park Middle School, Howe Elementary, Kenneth Murphy Elementary, Newport Elementary, and Oak Crest Elementary. Our Lady of Humility School is a Catholic school that opened in 1958. High School age students typically attend Zion-Benton Township High School.

Public safety

The village of Beach Park is policed by the Lake County Sheriff's Office. The village has contracted with the Sheriff's Office to provide additional Deputy Sheriff personnel to patrol the village during the day. These deputies are able to call on the resources of multiple deputies, and the members of the

Zion Zion (; ) is a placename in the Tanakh, often used as a synonym for Jerusalem as well as for the Land of Israel as a whole. The name is found in 2 Samuel (), one of the books of the Tanakh dated to approximately the mid-6th century BCE. It o ...

and Gurnee police departments should an emergency require it. The village has allowed the deputies to use the Village Hall as a small sub-station, which limits the time deputies are out of the area. Previously, the deputies had to return to Waukegan or Libertyville for paperwork issues. Beach Park is provided fire and EMS protection 24/7 by the Beach Park Fire Protection District, the Winthrop Harbor Fire Protection District and the Newport Township Fire Protection District . The Beach Park Fire Protection District provides 90% of the village with fire and EMS services. (Consolidation of the Beach Park Fire Department and Zion Fire Department are underway, changing these demographics over the 2019 census year) All three districts, have signed Auto Aid Agreements with each other which is assistance dispatched automatically by contractual agreement between two communities or fire districts. In early 2006, the Beach Park Fire Protection District received voter support for a nominal tax increase. This increase made full-time

firefighter A firefighter (or fire fighter or fireman) is a first responder trained in specific emergency response such as firefighting, primarily to control and extinguish fires and respond to emergencies such as hazardous material incidents, medical in ...

paramedic A paramedic is a healthcare professional trained in the medical model, whose main role has historically been to respond to emergency calls for medical help outside of a hospital. Paramedics work as part of the emergency medical services (EMS), ...

s a reality. The department was also able to lower the Insurance Services Organization (ISO) rating to a 3. This is one of the lowest in the area and saves residents on homeowners and renter's insurance. The Beach Park Fire Department is taking positive steps by replacing older fire equipment. This will ensure that the residents receive good fire response by newer apparatus. All departments which provide fire and emergency medical services are part of the MABAS Mutual Aid program. This program, funded by member agencies, provides assistance from the local region all the way to national resources.

Transportation

Pace provides bus service on multiple routes connecting Beach Park to downtown Waukegan and other destinations. The Chicago & North Western had a station at Dunes Park until 1953.

Notable person

Erik Darnell Erik Louis Darnell (born December 2, 1982) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He is the grandson of former United States Automobile Club, USAC and NASCAR driver Bay Darnell, who also started three NASCAR races (including one for ...

, driver with

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...

References

External links

Village of Beach Park
{{authority control Villages in Lake County, Illinois Populated places established in 1989 Majority-minority cities and towns in Lake County, Illinois Villages in Illinois