Gurnee ( ) is a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

and suburb in

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. Its population was 30,706 as of the 2020

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 ...

. It borders the city of

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 ...

, and is a popular

tourist attraction A tourist attraction is a place of interest that tourists visit, typically for its inherent or exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement. Types Places of natural beaut ...

within the

Chicago metropolitan area The Chicago metropolitan area, also referred to as Chicagoland, is the largest metropolitan statistical area in the U.S. state of Illinois, and the Midwest, containing the City of Chicago along with its surrounding suburbs and satellite cities. ...

. Best known for being the location of

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

, Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Chicago and Gurnee Mills, the village sees an average of over 23 million visitors annually.

History

Early settlers in the Gurnee area came by foot horseback and by "Prairie Schooners" drawn by oxen or via the Erie Canal and the Great Lakes. They came from the town of Warren, New York, which was named in honor of Major General

Joseph Warren Joseph Warren (June 11, 1741 – June 17, 1775), a Founding Father of the United States, was an American physician who was one of the most important figures in the Patriot (American Revolution), Patriot movement in Boston, Massachusetts, Bos ...

, killed at the Battle of Bunker Hill. Warren Township, formed in 1850, was also named after him. The first settlement of Warren Township commenced in 1835 in the vicinity of the Aux Plaines River (now 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 H ...

). In 1835–36, a land company from New York State erected a Community House (site of the old Gurnee Grade School) to accommodate families while they were locating and getting government land grants to their farms. Near the Community House, there was a ford used by the Potowatomi Indians for crossing the river. A floating log bridge was built in 1842. Later, both a wood and iron bridge were built. With the erection of a permanent bridge, roads were established, and this area became the hub of the township. It was at this junction that the Milwaukee Road crossed the river from west to east, and then continued north to eventually connect Chicago to

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

. This road was "laid out" in 1836 by three early settlers: Thomas McClure, Mark Noble, and Richard Steele. The east–west road, now known as Grand Avenue, was a main route from McHenry County to the port of

. Stage coaches ran on this route as late as 1870. The hamlet was originally called "Wentworth", after Congressman "Long John" Wentworth, who also served as the Republican Mayor of Chicago between 1857 and 1863. Thereafter, Walter S. Gurnee, the 14th

Mayor of Chicago The mayor of Chicago is the Chief executive officer, chief executive of city Government of Chicago, government in Chicago, Illinois, the List of United States cities by population, third-largest city in the United States. The mayor is responsib ...

and one of the directors of the railroad, agreed to develop a station in Wentworth, which was called "Gurnee Station" in his honor. Over time, Gurnee Station became known simply as "Gurnee" and was incorporated as such. Just east of the bridge, at the junction of Milwaukee Road and Grand Avenue, was the Mutaw Tavern, earlier known as "Marm Rudd's Tavern" and more recently as the Mother Rudd House. This was a stage coach stop between Chicago and Milwaukee and was a stopover for farmers from the west traveling to Little Fort (now known as

) to barter their crops for supplies and to ship out from the ports. It also served as a stop during the

Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was an organized network of secret routes and safe houses used by freedom seekers to escape to the abolitionist Northern United States and Eastern Canada. Enslaved Africans and African Americans escaped from slavery ...

. This building was acquired by the Village of Gurnee in 1984, has been restored, and now houses the Warren Township Historical Society. In May 2004, Gurnee received major rainfall, causing the worst

flooding A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are of significant concern in agriculture, civi ...

in 100 years. The flood forced several schools to close and caused building damage to dozens of homes and businesses.

Geography

Gurnee is located at (42.3737, −87.9344). According to the 2010 census, Gurnee has a total area of , of which (or 99.44%) is land and (or 0.56%) is water. It is located on the banks of the

and is split by Interstate 94, which divides the village into east (old) and west (new) sides.

Demographics

2020 census

2010 Census

As of the 2010 census, the total village population was 31,295, an 8.5% increase from the 2000 census. There were 12,031 housing units throughout the village, and the

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was 2,318.7 people per square mile. The racial makeup of the village was 73.3%

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 ...

, 11.6% Asian, 7.8%

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 ...

, 0.03% Native American, and 3.5% from other races, and 3.2% 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 made up 11.7% of the population. 42.3% of the households had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.6% 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, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.4% were non-families. Of all households, 22.7% were made up of individuals, and 6.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71, and the average family size was 3.25. The median household income was estimated to be $85,421, while 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 $35,564. According to a 2007 estimate, males had a median income of $56,274 versus $35,713 for females. In 2010, 5.1% of the population was reported to be under 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 ...

Economy

Tourism

Gurnee is home to multiple amusement parks, shopping centers and hotels. In total, the town brings around 23 million visitors annually.

and its sister park Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Chicago are both major theme parks in Gurnee, and , Great America brought in a total of 2,675,000 guests, marking it as the 20th most visited amusement park in North America. Six Flags Great America has operated since 1976, originally as Marriott's Great America, and during earlier years was expected to draw in 6 million to 7 million people within the

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, Rockford and

areas. Six Flags Hurricane Harbor Chicago opened in 2005 and drew 1.3 million guests in its opening year. Gurnee Mills has attracted between 15 million to 20 million visitors per year since its opening in 1991. The mall was advertised as the "world's largest outlet mall" upon its opening, and is the fourth largest mall in Illinois. The resort Great Wolf Lodge, formerly Key Lime Cove opened in 2007 and has an indoor waterpark; it was sold to Great Wolf Resorts in 2017 due to its underperformance.

Top employers

According to Gurnee's 2021 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the village were:

Schools

The majority of the eastern half of the village is served by Gurnee School District #56. Four schools make up District #56. They are: * River Trail School (grades K-8) * Prairie Trail School (grades 3–5) * Spaulding School (grades PK-2) * Viking Middle School (grades 6–8) The western section of Gurnee, along with portions of the village's eastside is served by Woodland Grade School District #50. Woodland comprises: * Woodland Middle School (grades 6–8) * Woodland Intermediate School (grades 4–5) * Woodland Elementary School (grades 1–3) * Woodland Primary School (K) * Prairie Crossing Charter School (Grades K-8) ** (Public School that serves within School Dist. 50 and Dist. 79 Not a Woodland District 50 school.) The village is served by Warren Township High School, which is made up of the O'Plaine Road Campus (freshmen and sophomores) and the Almond Road Campus (juniors and seniors). According to the 2007 state report card, both Woodland District #50 and Gurnee School District #56 has full recognition.

Library

The Gurnee Public Library is located at 224 N. O'Plaine Road. The Warren-Newport Public Library offers a collection of over 270,000 books, hundreds of magazines, and over 37,000 CDs and DVDs, as well as programming for all ages designed to provide personal enrichment, education and entertainment. The library serves a population of 60,000 residents. The Warren-Newport Public Library District began in 1971, when the Gurnee Women's Club began to look for a meaningful service which their club could offer the area. Opening day for the library came on January 10, 1973. The library opened its doors for 45 hours per week with 3,000 volumes. The library moved into its current location in 1978. In 1997, the library opened a $5.6 million (~$ in ), addition. In the fall of 2010, an $8.5 million (~$ in ) construction project began, adding 4,500 square feet and renovating 28,000 square feet of the oldest parts of the building.

communities that fall completely within the boundaries of the district are Gurnee, Illinois; Grandwood Park, Illinois; Park City, Illinois; and Wildwood, Illinois. Partially included in the district are the communities of Beach Park, Illinois;

Grayslake, Illinois {{Infobox settlement , name = Grayslake, Illinois , settlement_type = Village , nickname = , motto = , image_skyline = Grayslake.PNG , image_caption ...

; Lake Villa, Illinois; Old Mill Creek, Illinois;

Third Lake, Illinois Third Lake is a village in Lake County, Illinois, Lake County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 1,111. History The Alexander Druce Family were the earliest residents of the settlement in ...

; Wadsworth, Illinois;

Waukegan, Illinois 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 census, its population was 89,321, makin ...

; and Millburn, Illinois. In 2004, the library was one of the early adopters of passive RFID (

radio frequency identification Radio-frequency identification (RFID) uses electromagnetic fields to automatically Automatic identification system, identify and Tracking system, track tags attached to objects. An RFID system consists of a tiny radio transponder called a tag, ...

) technology for the automation of item check-in (''News Sun'', September 28, 2004). According to statistics gathered by the Library Research Center at the University of Illinois, the Warren-Newport Public Library is the second busiest library in Lake County, after the Cook Memorial Library in Libertyville. (''News Sun'', October 3, 2006). According to its mission statement, the Warren Newport Public Library "provides the community with access to information, kindles the imagination of children and adults, and supports lifelong learning."

Transportation

Interstate 94 (The

Tri-State Tollway The Tri-State Tollway is a controlled-access highway, controlled-access toll road in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Illinois. Originally U.S. Route 41 Toll, it follows: *Interstate 94 in Illinois, Interstate 94 from I-41/US 41 in N ...

) is the main expressway servicing Gurnee, allowing easy access to

and Chicago. Pace provides bus service on multiple routes connecting Gurnee to downtown Waukegan, Grayslake and other destinations.

Drinking water supply

The Village of Gurnee water supply comes from the Central Lake County Joint Action Water Agency (CLCJAWA) located in Lake Bluff, IL. CLCJAWA purifies water from Lake Michigan.

Government

Elected officials

The village of Gurnee is a

home rule Home rule is the 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 governan ...

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

which functions under the council-manager form of

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...

with a Village President and a six-member

Board of Trustees A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulatio ...

, all of whom are elected to four-year terms. The Village President and three of the Trustees are elected every four years. The other group of three Trustees are also elected for four-year terms, but this election is staggered and takes place two years after the first group. As of 2021, the village office holders are: * Mayor: Thomas B. Hood (term ends April 30, 2025) * Clerk: Andy Harris (term ends April 30, 2025) * Trustee: Jeanne E. Balmes (term ends April 30, 2025) * Trustee: Kevin Woodside (term ends April 30, 2025) * Trustee: Karen Thorstenson (term ends April 30, 2025) * Trustee: Quin O'Brien (term ends April 30, 2023) * Trustee: Greg Garner (term ends April 30, 2023) * Trustee: Cheryl Ross (term ends April 30, 2023)

Mayors (past and present)

* Leo Felton 1928–1941 * Dr. W. W. Smith 1941-1942 (resigned to enter Armed Services) * Wm. Barnstable 1942–1949 * Gordon D. Gillings 1949–1973 * Richard Welton 1973–2001 * Don Rudny 2001–2005 * Kristina Kovarik 2005–2021 * Thomas B. Hood 2021–present

Notable people

* Kevin Anderson, actor * Larry Farmer, basketball coach * Max Floriani, soccer player * Robbie Gould, football player * Tommie Harris, football player * Tank Johnson, football player * Allen James Lynch (born 1945), soldier in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

and recipient of the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

for heroic actions during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

* Muhsin Muhammad, football player * Brandon Paul, basketball player * Greg Rallo, hockey player * Mitchell Trubisky, football player * Tim Weigel, Chicago television broadcaster

References

External links

Village of Gurnee
{{Geographic location , Center=Gurnee , Northwest= Grandwood Park , North= Wadsworth , Northeast=

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 ...

, East=

, South= Park City Chicago metropolitan area Villages in Lake County, Illinois Populated places established in 1928 Villages in Illinois