Lincolnwood, Illinois
Encyclopedia
Lincolnwood is a village in Cook County
, Illinois
, United States
. The population was 12,359 at the 2000 census.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the village has a total area of 2.7 square miles (7 km²), all land; however, the North Shore Sanitation Canal lies on its eastern border.
The agrarian population grew after the establishment of a Chicago & North Western Railway station in nearby Skokie in 1891 and the completion of the North Shore Channel
in 1909, which made the easily flooded prairie land manageable. More saloons and taverns soon appeared, specifically along Crawford and Lincoln Avenues. Because only organized municipalities could grant liquor licenses, 359 residents incorporated in 1911 and named the village Tessville. Tessville annexed land throughout the 1920s, finally stretching to Central Avenue on the west and Kedzie Avenue on the east. During Prohibition, Tessville became a haven for speakeasies and gambling facilities.
Tessville was long reputed for drinking and gambling until the 1931 election of its longest-serving mayor, Henry A. Proesel, a grandson of George Proesel, one of the original American settlers. In 1932, Lincoln Avenue, formerly a plank toll road, became a state highway. Proesel then worked with the federal government's Public Works Administration and hired the community's entire unemployed workforce to plant 10,000 elm trees on the village streets. Most important, the community passed a liquor license law (1934) that limited the number of licenses allowable within the city limits and became a model ordinance for other communities. Proesel finally changed Tessville's image when he renamed the village Lincolnwood in 1936.
Lincolnwood's institutions, industries, and clubs continued to grow along with the suburb. The Bryn Mawr Country Club (1919), the East Prairie Welfare Club, later to become the Lincolnwood Woman's Club (1927), the Lincolnwood Afternoon Club (1953), American Legion Post #1226 (1952), and the Lincolnwood Jewish Congregation
(1958) helped create a sense of community in the village. Lincolnwood School District 74 formed in 1938, and the Lincolnwood Public Library (1978) provided residents with quality education and offered much needed services. Bell & Howell's relocation to east Lincolnwood (1942) spurred growth and increased other industry relocation to the village.
The Purple Hotel, located at the corner of Lincoln and Touhy
Avenues, has a place in local lore. The hotel was built in 1953 by the Hyatt Corp. and was originally called the Lincolnwood Hyatt House. It was the Pritzker family second project. The purple bricks were selected by Cindy Pritzker. Well-known Chicago pianist Myles Greene, who now performs at Tuscany's in Oak Brook, was the first performer to open in the hotel 40 years ago. In 1983, convicted mobster- insurance executive Allen Dorfman
was gunned down in the hotel parking lot. The murder has never been solved. The hotel changed hands numerous times after the infamous crime, first becoming a Radisson, and then a Ramada. But vaguely criminal associations have nonetheless persisted, especially after prominent reports of "wild", "drug-fueled" parties taking place in 2004 in connection with allegations of political fixing. Since 2004, it has been independent, simply calling itself by the name locals have used for years: the "Purple Hotel." The name came about because of the building's distinctive purple facade, somewhat radical for earth-toned suburbia. In 2006, the Village sued the owners of the Purple Hotel because of health and safety code violations such as mold in guest rooms. In January 2007, it was announced the hotel was to be closed, with future plans unknown. In May 2007, Chicago-based Sertus Capital Partners, LLC entered into a conditional contract to purchase the 8 acres (32,374.9 m²) hotel property, with plans to demolish the famed hotel and build residential and retail space. However, Sertus called off its proposed purchase of the Touhy Avenue property from the current owner Donald Bae in August 2007. The plans were scraped due to the high cost that owners asked for the property and problems with an extended lease of one of the tenants on the property. In 2010, the Village again brought court action to either remedy more than three dozen building code violations, or demolish the building. In February 2011, the Village was granted authority to condemn and demolish the Purple Hotel at the owners expense.
of 2000, there were 12,359 people, 4,482 households, and 3,446 families residing in the village. The population density
was 4,599.7 people per square mile (1,773.9/km²). There were 4,593 housing units at an average density of 1,709.4 per square mile (659.2/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 74.53% White, 0.38% African American, 0.03% Native American, 21.08% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.23% from other races
, and 2.73% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.18% of the population.
There were 4,482 households out of which 30.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.2% were married couples
living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.1% were non-families. 21.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.22.
In the village the population was spread out with 22.9% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 19.8% from 25 to 44, 26.7% from 45 to 64, and 23.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 89.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.4 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $71,234, and the median income for a family was $83,687. Males had a median income of $52,708 versus $40,098 for females. The per capita income
for the village was $35,911. About 1.9% of families and 2.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.5% of those under age 18 and 3.3% of those age 65 or over.
http://www.lincolnwoodlibrary.org/
in neighboring Skokie, part of District 219. Lincolnwood is part of the Oakton Community College
District, which has a campus minutes away in Skokie. Northwestern University
in Evanston
, Loyola University
in Chicago
, and Northeastern Illinois University
in Chicago are all within 10 miles (16.1 km) of the Village.
In the early 1970s, Lincolnwood's Boys Baseball program produced two Big League World Series champions,http://www.littleleague.org/series/history/divisions/blbbhistory.htm (1970 and 1973), a fourth place finish in the Senior League World Series (1972), and a Big League World Series participant in 1974.
, Devon Avenue, and Touhy Avenue. Additional shopping is just a short drive away at the Old Orchard Shopping Center, Golf Mill Mall, Village Crossing Shopping Center, and at the Lincoln Village Shopping Complex.
Company and electricity is provided through the Commonwealth Edison Company. AT&T supplies local telephone service and Comcast provides local cable
television service.
Saint Francis Hospital operates a health center in Lincolnwood. Its main hospital and medical center are about 2 1⁄2 miles and about 6 minutes east in Evanston. Other area hospitals that serve Lincolnwood are Skokie Hospital, formerly Rush North Shore in Skokie and Swedish Covenant Hospital in Chicago. Resurrection Hospital and Evanston Hospital, a teaching hospital, are also minutes away and serve Lincolnwood.
Cook County, Illinois
Cook County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois, with its county seat in Chicago. It is the second most populous county in the United States after Los Angeles County. The county has 5,194,675 residents, which is 40.5 percent of all Illinois residents. Cook County's population is larger than...
, 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...
. The population was 12,359 at the 2000 census.
Geography
Lincolnwood is located at 42°0′19"N 87°44′3"W (42.005331, -87.734283).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the village has a total area of 2.7 square miles (7 km²), all land; however, the North Shore Sanitation Canal lies on its eastern border.
History
The history of Lincolnwood is described by the Encyclopedia of Chicago as follows: "Cook County, 10 miles (16.1 km) NW of the Loop. Lincolnwood is an ethnically diverse, two-and-a-half-square-mile suburb. Potawatomi originally settled the wooded area, but vacated the land after the Indian Boundary Treaty of 1816. Rural development proceeded slowly on treacherous plank roads along present-day Milwaukee and Lincoln Avenues. Johann Tess, for whom the village was originally named, and his family came from Germany in 1856, purchasing 30 acres (121,405.8 m²) of barren land in the area. Population slowly increased, and the first commercial establishment, the Halfway House Saloon, was established in 1873.The agrarian population grew after the establishment of a Chicago & North Western Railway station in nearby Skokie in 1891 and the completion of the North Shore Channel
North Shore Channel
The North Shore Channel is a drainage canal built between 1907 and 1910 to flush the sewage-filled North Branch of the Chicago River down the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal...
in 1909, which made the easily flooded prairie land manageable. More saloons and taverns soon appeared, specifically along Crawford and Lincoln Avenues. Because only organized municipalities could grant liquor licenses, 359 residents incorporated in 1911 and named the village Tessville. Tessville annexed land throughout the 1920s, finally stretching to Central Avenue on the west and Kedzie Avenue on the east. During Prohibition, Tessville became a haven for speakeasies and gambling facilities.
Tessville was long reputed for drinking and gambling until the 1931 election of its longest-serving mayor, Henry A. Proesel, a grandson of George Proesel, one of the original American settlers. In 1932, Lincoln Avenue, formerly a plank toll road, became a state highway. Proesel then worked with the federal government's Public Works Administration and hired the community's entire unemployed workforce to plant 10,000 elm trees on the village streets. Most important, the community passed a liquor license law (1934) that limited the number of licenses allowable within the city limits and became a model ordinance for other communities. Proesel finally changed Tessville's image when he renamed the village Lincolnwood in 1936.
Lincolnwood's institutions, industries, and clubs continued to grow along with the suburb. The Bryn Mawr Country Club (1919), the East Prairie Welfare Club, later to become the Lincolnwood Woman's Club (1927), the Lincolnwood Afternoon Club (1953), American Legion Post #1226 (1952), and the Lincolnwood Jewish Congregation
Lincolnwood Jewish Congregation
The Lincolnwood Jewish Congregation is a Traditional Jewish synagogue in Lincolnwood, Illinois.-History:The synagogue was founded in 1958 with Rabbi Joel Lehrfield, a graduate of the Hebrew Theological College in Skokie, Illinois as the first rabbi....
(1958) helped create a sense of community in the village. Lincolnwood School District 74 formed in 1938, and the Lincolnwood Public Library (1978) provided residents with quality education and offered much needed services. Bell & Howell's relocation to east Lincolnwood (1942) spurred growth and increased other industry relocation to the village.
The Purple Hotel, located at the corner of Lincoln and Touhy
Touhy Avenue
Touhy Avenue is a major thoroughfare throughout northern Chicago, Illinois as well as the north and northwestern suburbs of the city. It is named for Patrick L. Touhy, a subdivider who was also the son-in-law of Phillip Rogers, an early settler who helped develop Rogers Park...
Avenues, has a place in local lore. The hotel was built in 1953 by the Hyatt Corp. and was originally called the Lincolnwood Hyatt House. It was the Pritzker family second project. The purple bricks were selected by Cindy Pritzker. Well-known Chicago pianist Myles Greene, who now performs at Tuscany's in Oak Brook, was the first performer to open in the hotel 40 years ago. In 1983, convicted mobster- insurance executive Allen Dorfman
Allen Dorfman
Allen Dorfman was an American attorney, and a leading official of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters . He was a close associate of longtime IBT President Jimmy Hoffa...
was gunned down in the hotel parking lot. The murder has never been solved. The hotel changed hands numerous times after the infamous crime, first becoming a Radisson, and then a Ramada. But vaguely criminal associations have nonetheless persisted, especially after prominent reports of "wild", "drug-fueled" parties taking place in 2004 in connection with allegations of political fixing. Since 2004, it has been independent, simply calling itself by the name locals have used for years: the "Purple Hotel." The name came about because of the building's distinctive purple facade, somewhat radical for earth-toned suburbia. In 2006, the Village sued the owners of the Purple Hotel because of health and safety code violations such as mold in guest rooms. In January 2007, it was announced the hotel was to be closed, with future plans unknown. In May 2007, Chicago-based Sertus Capital Partners, LLC entered into a conditional contract to purchase the 8 acres (32,374.9 m²) hotel property, with plans to demolish the famed hotel and build residential and retail space. However, Sertus called off its proposed purchase of the Touhy Avenue property from the current owner Donald Bae in August 2007. The plans were scraped due to the high cost that owners asked for the property and problems with an extended lease of one of the tenants on the property. In 2010, the Village again brought court action to either remedy more than three dozen building code violations, or demolish the building. In February 2011, the Village was granted authority to condemn and demolish the Purple Hotel at the owners expense.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 12,359 people, 4,482 households, and 3,446 families residing in the village. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 4,599.7 people per square mile (1,773.9/km²). There were 4,593 housing units at an average density of 1,709.4 per square mile (659.2/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 74.53% White, 0.38% African American, 0.03% Native American, 21.08% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.23% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 2.73% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.18% of the population.
There were 4,482 households out of which 30.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.2% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.1% were non-families. 21.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.22.
In the village the population was spread out with 22.9% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 19.8% from 25 to 44, 26.7% from 45 to 64, and 23.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 89.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.4 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $71,234, and the median income for a family was $83,687. Males had a median income of $52,708 versus $40,098 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the village was $35,911. About 1.9% of families and 2.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.5% of those under age 18 and 3.3% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Lincolnwood was established in 1911 and has a village form of government with a president (Jerry Turry) and 6 trustees elected at-large. A village administrator professionally oversees day-to-day municipal operations. Lincolnwood prides itself on an open stable government without the usual red tape. The Lincolnwood Economic Development Commission has been established to ensure the continued enhancement of the local economy and improved tax base.Public safety
Lincolnwood has a state-of-the-art Police Station staffed by 34 Trained personnel. The Lincolnwood Fire Department is also housed in a state-of-the-art facility operated by 28 full time professionals. The Lincolnwood Fire Department was established through private contract in 1990. Previously Village fire protection was provided through the City of Chicago. Currently the Village’s fire rating is 4.Public library
The Lincolnwood Public Library, established in 1978, is located in the center of the Village at Pratt and Lincoln Avenues. It houses more than 58,000 books, periodicals, audiotapes, compact discs and DVDs. The Lincolnwood Library is a member of the North Suburban Library System, which enables residents access to library collections held at other libraries in the state. The library also holds children’s story hours, book reviews and English as a second Language classes. Madeline Grant was the main driving force behind founding the library. She went on to serve as the first library president and later village president.http://www.lincolnwoodlibrary.org/
Education
Lincolnwood is served by elementary School District 74, which has a one-campus setting with three main facilities named after the Lincoln family. Todd Hall serves as the education facility for preschoolers to early grade school students, Rutledge Hall serves elementary school students, and Lincoln Hall serves primarily junior high students. High school students attend highly acclaimed Niles West High SchoolNiles West High School
Niles West High School, or NWHS, is a public four-year high school located in Skokie, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, in the United States. It is part of Niles Township Community High School District 219, which also includes Niles North High School. Its school teams were originally the Indians, but...
in neighboring Skokie, part of District 219. Lincolnwood is part of the Oakton Community College
Oakton Community College
Oakton Community College is a two-year community college with campuses in Skokie, Illinois and Des Plaines, Illinois. District 535 serves 450,000 residents in northeast Cook County, Illinois...
District, which has a campus minutes away in Skokie. Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
in Evanston
Evanston, Illinois
Evanston is a suburban municipality in Cook County, Illinois 12 miles north of downtown Chicago, bordering Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, and Wilmette to the north, with an estimated population of 74,360 as of 2003. It is one of the North Shore communities that adjoin Lake Michigan...
, Loyola University
Loyola University Chicago
Loyola University Chicago is a private Jesuit research university located in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1870 under the title St...
in Chicago
Chicago
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...
, and Northeastern Illinois University
Northeastern Illinois University
Northeastern Illinois University is a public state university located in Chicago, Illinois. The main campus is located in the community area of North Park with three additional campuses in the metropolitan area. Tracing its founding to 1867, it was first established as a separate branch of a...
in Chicago are all within 10 miles (16.1 km) of the Village.
Recreation
The Village’s Recreation Department offers and operates a multitude of recreation programs available to residents. An outdoor pool complex, 9 tennis courts, 11 baseball diamonds, a community center, as well as 13 parks (34 acres in total) dot the Village. Lincolnwood is also home to the exclusive, privately owned Bryn Mawr Country Club and 18-hole golf course. County forest preserves are just minutes away and offer golfing, bike trails, and picnic areas.In the early 1970s, Lincolnwood's Boys Baseball program produced two Big League World Series champions,http://www.littleleague.org/series/history/divisions/blbbhistory.htm (1970 and 1973), a fourth place finish in the Senior League World Series (1972), and a Big League World Series participant in 1974.
Shopping
Lincolnwood is home to the Lincolnwood Town Center, an indoor mall containing over 100 shops including Carson Pirie Scott, Kohl's, Champs Sports, Gap and Old Navy. Neighborhood shopping is available in the Village along Lincoln AvenueLincoln Avenue (Chicago)
Lincoln Avenue is a major diagonal thoroughfare of the north side of city of Chicago. It runs from Clark Street on the western border of Lincoln Park largely to the northwest, ending in Morton Grove, Illinois...
, Devon Avenue, and Touhy Avenue. Additional shopping is just a short drive away at the Old Orchard Shopping Center, Golf Mill Mall, Village Crossing Shopping Center, and at the Lincoln Village Shopping Complex.
Utilities
The Village, under contract with Groot Disposal, provides weekly residential garbage service. The Village pays extra for Monday trash pickup. The Village also provides Lake Michigan water through a purchase agreement with the City of Chicago. Natural gas is provided to Lincolnwood customers by the NicorNicor
Nicor, Inc. is an energy and shipping company headquartered in Naperville, Illinois. Its largest subsidiary, Nicor Gas, is a natural gas distribution company. Founded in 1954, the company serves more than two million customers in a service territory that encompasses most of the northern third of...
Company and electricity is provided through the Commonwealth Edison Company. AT&T supplies local telephone service and Comcast provides local cable
television service.
Hospitals
Evanston Hospital (Northshore Connect, affiliated with the University of Chicago Medical Center) has a facility in Lincolnwood, at the intersection of McCormick and Pratt. Northshore Connect is composed of Evanston Hospital, Glenbrook Hospital, Highland Park Hospital, etc.Saint Francis Hospital operates a health center in Lincolnwood. Its main hospital and medical center are about 2 1⁄2 miles and about 6 minutes east in Evanston. Other area hospitals that serve Lincolnwood are Skokie Hospital, formerly Rush North Shore in Skokie and Swedish Covenant Hospital in Chicago. Resurrection Hospital and Evanston Hospital, a teaching hospital, are also minutes away and serve Lincolnwood.