Half Day, Illinois
Encyclopedia
Half Day is a neighborhood of the village of Vernon Hills
, Illinois
, United States
, in Lake County
in the state's northeastern region. It is about 30 miles (48.3 km) north of downtown Chicago via Milwaukee Avenue
.
Half Day was originally an unincorporated town. It was forcibly annexed by the village of Vernon Hills in 1993. The following month, the village of Lincolnshire
also attempted to annex a portion of Half Day. The two villages entered a legal battle, filing lawsuits against each other. Eventually, this resulted in the Vernon Hills annexation being approved and Lincolnshire's being denied. Parts of area infrastructure are still named for the original unincorporated community. The portion of Illinois Route 22
that passes through is named Half Day Road. Half Day School, originally established in 1839 and temporarily closed in the early 1980s after declining enrollment, was modernized and reopened in 1992; it currently serves 3rd and 4th grade students and is part of Lincolnshire-Prairie View School District 103
.
Half Day appeared in a news article in 1952 when then Illinois Governor Adlai Stevenson flew there to vote in the presidential election (Stevenson was a candidate the same year).
by horse and carriage. In reality, a horse and carriage could make it to Chicago in a half day but some believe the area was actually named after Potawatomi
Chief Halfda, the chief at the time the area was settled. A cartographer spelled it "Half Day", and the misnomer stuck, giving rise to the reputed, but erroneous, derivation of the name.
Vernon Hills, Illinois
Vernon Hills is a village in Lake County, Illinois, United States. The population was 20,120 at the 2000 census, and estimated to be 23,957 as of 2005...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, in Lake County
Lake County, Illinois
Lake County is a county in the northeastern corner of the state of Illinois, on the shore of Lake Michigan. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 703,462, which is an increase of 9.2% from 644,356 in 2000. Its county seat is Waukegan. The county is part of the Chicago metropolitan area...
in the state's northeastern region. It is about 30 miles (48.3 km) north of downtown Chicago via Milwaukee Avenue
Milwaukee Avenue (Chicago)
Milwaukee Avenue is a major diagonal street in the city of Chicago and the northern suburbs. True to its name, it once led to the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Starting with a short section at N. Canal and W. Lake Streets, it begins in earnest at the corner of N Desplaines and W. Kinzie Streets...
.
Half Day was originally an unincorporated town. It was forcibly annexed by the village of Vernon Hills in 1993. The following month, the village of Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire, Illinois
Lincolnshire is a village in the Vernon Township region of Lake County, in the U.S. state of Illinois. The village is a suburb of Chicago, a city in the adjacent Cook County. Its population was 6,108 at the time of the 2000 census. Lincolnshire was incorporated on August 5, 1957, from the...
also attempted to annex a portion of Half Day. The two villages entered a legal battle, filing lawsuits against each other. Eventually, this resulted in the Vernon Hills annexation being approved and Lincolnshire's being denied. Parts of area infrastructure are still named for the original unincorporated community. The portion of Illinois Route 22
Illinois Route 22
Illinois Route 22, also known as Half Day Road for part of its length, is an east–west state highway in northeastern Illinois. It runs from U.S. Route 14 in Fox River Grove to U.S. Route 41 in Highland Park...
that passes through is named Half Day Road. Half Day School, originally established in 1839 and temporarily closed in the early 1980s after declining enrollment, was modernized and reopened in 1992; it currently serves 3rd and 4th grade students and is part of Lincolnshire-Prairie View School District 103
Lincolnshire-Prairie View School District 103
Lincolnshire-Prairie View School District 103 is an elementary district located in Lincolnshire Lake County, Illinois, in suburban Chicago. The school district serves approximately 1,700 students from the communities of Lincolnshire and Prairie View and portions of Buffalo Grove, Vernon Hills,...
.
Half Day appeared in a news article in 1952 when then Illinois Governor Adlai Stevenson flew there to vote in the presidential election (Stevenson was a candidate the same year).
Nomeclature
Many people mistakenly believe that it was named Half Day because it was regarded that Half Day was a half day's distance from ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
by horse and carriage. In reality, a horse and carriage could make it to Chicago in a half day but some believe the area was actually named after Potawatomi
Potawatomi
The Potawatomi are a Native American people of the upper Mississippi River region. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, a member of the Algonquian family. In the Potawatomi language, they generally call themselves Bodéwadmi, a name that means "keepers of the fire" and that was applied...
Chief Halfda, the chief at the time the area was settled. A cartographer spelled it "Half Day", and the misnomer stuck, giving rise to the reputed, but erroneous, derivation of the name.