Gurnee, IL

Gurnee (/ˈɡɜːrˌniː/) is a village in Lake County, Illinois, United States. Its population was 31,295 as of the 2010 census.^[3] It borders the city of Waukegan, and is a popular tourist attraction within the Chicago metropolitan area. Best known for being the location of Six Flags Great America and Gurnee Mills, the village sees an average of over 26 million visitors annually.^[4]

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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, killed at the Battle of Bunker Hill. Warren Township, formed in 1850, was also named after him.^[5] The first settlement of Warren Township commenced in 1835 in the vicinity of the Aux Plaines River (now the Des Plaines River).  Best Realtor Gurnee IL

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. 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 Waukegan. Stage coaches ran on this route as late as 1870.  Best Realtor Gurnee IL

The hamlet was originally called “Wentworth”, after Congressman “Long John” Wentworth, who also served as the Republican Mayor of Chicago between 1857-1863.^[6] Thereafter, Walter S. Gurnee, the 14th Mayor of Chicago and one of the directors of the railroad, agreed to develop a station in Wentworth, which was called “Gurnee Station” in honor of Mr. Gurnee. Best Realtor Gurnee IL  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 Waukegan) to barter their crops for supplies and to ship out from the ports. It also served as a stop during the underground railroad. This building was acquired by the Village of Gurnee in 1984, has been restored, and now houses the Warren Township Historical Society.  Best Realtor Gurnee IL

On January 29, 1973, Six Flags Great America, then called Marriott’s Great America, was announced to be built, near I-94. The groundbreaking ceremony was held on June 14, 1974. The park finally opened on May 29, 1976, coinciding with the Bicentennial and opened with 6 themed areas.^[7]

In May 2004, Gurnee received major rainfall, causing the worst flooding in 100 years. The flood forced several schools to close^[8] and caused building damage to dozens of homes and businesses. Best Realtor Gurnee IL

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Gurnee is located at 42°22′N 87°56′W (42.3737, -87.9344).^[9]

According to the 2010 census, Gurnee has a total area of 13.576 square miles (35.16 km²), of which 13.5 square miles (34.96 km²) (or 99.44%) is land and 0.076 square miles (0.20 km²) (or 0.56%) is water.^[10] Best Realtor Gurnee IL is located on the banks of the Des Plaines River and is split by Interstate 94, which divides the village into east (old) and west (new) sides.  Best Realtor Gurnee IL

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As of the 2010 census, the total village population was 31,295, an 8.5% increase from the 2000 census.^[3] There were 12,031 housing units throughout the village, and the population density was 2,318.7 people per square mile. The racial makeup of the village was 73.3% White, 11.6% Asian, 7.8% African American, 0.03% Native American, and 3.5% from other races, and 3.2% from two or more races. Hispanic 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 living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.4% were non-families. 22.7% of all households 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.  Best Realtor Gurnee IL

The median household income was estimated to be $85,421, while the per capita income for the village was $35,564.^[3] According to a 2007 estimate, males had a median income of $56,274 versus $35,713 for females.