Waukegan, Illinois

Waukegan (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell) is a city in Lake County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. Located Template:Convert north of Chicago, Waukegan is a satellite city within the greater Chicago metropolitan area.

As of the 2020 census, its population was 89,321,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> making it the most populous city in Lake County, the seventh-most populous city within the Chicago metropolitan area and the 10th-most populous city in Illinois. However, unlike nearby wealthy North Shore suburbs, Waukegan has long been classified by the Illinois state government as overall "socioeconomically distressed" despite having some middle class inhabitants.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

History

Founding and 19th century

The site of present-day Waukegan was recorded as Rivière du Vieux Fort ("Old Fort River") and Wakaygagh on a 1778 map by Thomas Hutchins. By the 1820s, the French name had become "Small Fort River" in English, and the settlement was known as "Little Fort". The name "Waukegance" and then "Waukegan" (meaning "little fort"; cf. Potawatomi wakaigin "fort" or "fortress") was created by John H. Kinzie and Solomon Juneau, and the new name was adopted on March 31, 1849.<ref>Callary, Edward. 2009. Place Names of Illinois. Champaign: University of Illinois Press, p. 368.</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Waukegan had an abolitionist community dating to these early days. In 1853, residents commemorated the anniversary of emancipation of slaves in the British Empire with a meeting.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Waukegan arguably has the distinction of being the only place where Abraham Lincoln failed to finish a speech. When he was campaigning in the town in 1860, he was interrupted by a ringing fire alarm.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

During the middle of the 19th century, Waukegan was becoming an important industrial hub. Industries included ship and wagon building, flour milling, sheep raising, pork packing, and dairying. William Besley's Waukegan Brewing Company was one of the most successful of these businesses, being able to sell beyond America.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref> The construction of the Chicago and Milwaukee Railway through Waukegan by 1855 stimulated the growth and rapid transformation and development of the city's industry, so much that nearly 1000 ships were visiting Waukegan harbor every year.<ref name=":1"/> During the 1860s, a substantial German population began to grow inside the city.<ref name=":1"/>

Waukegan's development began in many ways with the arrival of industries such as United States Sugar Refinery, which opened in 1890,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Washburn & Moen. This barbed-wire manufacturer prompted both labor migration and land speculation beginning in 1891,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> U.S. Starch Works, and Thomas Brass and Iron Works. Immigrants followed, mostly from southeastern Europe and Scandinavia, with large groups from Sweden, Finland, and Lithuania.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":0">Template:Cite journal</ref> The town also became home to a considerable Armenian population.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> One member of this community, Monoog Curezhin, even became embroiled in an aborted plot to assassinate Sultan Abdul Hamid II, reviled for his involvement in massacres of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire. Curezhin lost two fingers on his right hand while testing explosives for this purpose in Waukegan in 1904.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

A map of Waukegan in 1920

20th century

By the 1920s and 1930s, African Americans began to migrate to the city, mostly from the South.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The town was afflicted with racial strife. In June 1920, an African-American boy allegedly hit the car of an off-duty sailor from nearby Great Lakes Naval Base with a rock, and hundreds of white sailors gathered at Sherman House, a hotel reserved for African Americans. Although newspaper reports and rumors suggested that the officer's wife was hit with glass from the broken windshield, subsequent reports revealed that the officer was not married.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The sailors called for lynchings, but were kept back by the intervention of the police.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Marines and sailors renewed their attack on the hotel several days later. The Sherman House residents fled for their lives as the military members carried torches, gasoline, and the American flag.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> The Waukegan police once again turned them away, but not before firing and wounding two members of the crowd.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> The police were not always so willing to protect Waukegan's citizens. The chief of police and the state's attorney in the 1920s, for example, were avowed members of the Ku Klux Klan, facts that came to light when a wrongfully convicted African-American war veteran was released from prison on appeal after 25 years.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Labor unrest also occurred regularly. In 1919, a strike at the US Steel and Wire Company – which had acquired Washburn & Moen – led to a call for intervention from the state militia.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Noted organized crime boss Johnny Torrio served time in Waukegan's Lake County jail in 1925. He installed bulletproof covers on the windows of his cell at his own expense for fear of assassination attempts.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

The Waukegan urban area developed independently of Chicago before being officially incorporated into the Chicago metropolitan area during the 2000 census. This inclusion took place as a result of suburban sprawl, effectively dissolving the region's identity as self-standing. Despite this, Waukegan has retained a distinct industrial character in contrast to many of the residential suburbs along Chicago's North Shore.<ref name=":0" /> The financial disparity created by the disappearance of manufacturing from the city in part contributed to the Waukegan riot of 1966. Central to this event and the remainder of Waukegan's 20th-century history was Robert Sabonjian, who served as mayor for 24 years, and earned the nickname the "Mayor Daley of Waukegan" for his personal and sometimes controversial style of politics.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

21st century

On Sunday, May 31, 2020, a peaceful protest against the murder of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis turned violent when a portion of the protesters looted and damaged local businesses along Lewis Avenue from Glen Flora Street north into the Village of Beach Park. According to local activist Ralph Peterson, who organized the earlier peaceful march moving east along Grand Avenue into the downtown area, two intoxicated locals and about five "professional provocateurs" not recognized by attendees attempted to incite to violence 50-75 protesters gathered at the corner of Glen Flora and North Lewis Avenue. Following the arrival of police, Peterson and Clyde McLemore, founder of the Lake County chapter of Black Lives Matter, attempted to disperse the crowd and diffuse police confrontations. Many in the dispersed and agitated crowd then began damaging and looting local businesses near Waukegan Plaza, as well as confronting arriving police with displays of violence and damage to police vehicles. The crowd size was then estimated to have grown to several hundred.<ref name="Coleman">Template:Cite web</ref>

Businesses from Glen Flora Avenue north to Yorkhouse Road in Beach Park suffered looting of merchandise, property damage, and vandalism. In addition to the Waukegan Police Department, about 100 officers from neighboring departments and several dozen sheriff's deputies were dispatched to the area. Mayor Sam Cunningham issued a city-wide curfew. Five county squad cars were damaged during the confrontations, and over twenty people were arrested<ref name="Coleman"/> with no injuries reported.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Upon finding that the vast majority of rioters were Waukegan residents, Cunningham stated, "That really hurts, that you would hurt your own block, your own store, your own business, your own neighborhood, city." The next day, local business owners and volunteers gathered to clean up the damage. Later on Monday, another protest was held at Waukegan Plaza, which was peaceful and caused no damage.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On Tuesday, local faith leaders organized a vigil to denounce looting as counterproductive while demanding justice for the murder of George Floyd. At least one attendee and long-time resident was also present at the 1966 Waukegan Riot and expressed regret that it had occurred again.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Geography

Waukegan is on the shore of Lake Michigan, about Template:Convert south of the border with Wisconsin and Template:Convert north of downtown Chicago at an elevation around Template:Convert above sea level. Chicago has two major streets that venture north to Waukegan, one being Sheridan Road, which extends north from Diversey Parkway in Lincoln Park. The second street is Milwaukee Avenue, which starts at the intersection of Desplaines Street and Kinzie Street in downtown Chicago.

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Waukegan has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert (or 98.99%) is land and Template:Convert (or 1.01%) is water.<ref name="gaz2021">Template:Cite web</ref>

Major streets

• Skokie Highway
• Waukegan Road
• Belvidere Road
• Green Bay Road
• Grand Avenue
• Sheridan Road/Amstutz Expressway
• Lewis Avenue
• Washington Street
• Genesee Street

Climate

Waukegan is located within the humid continental climate zone (Köppen: Dfa) with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold and snowy winters. The record high temperature is Template:Cvt, which was set in July 1934, while the record low is Template:Cvt, set in January 1985.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Waukegan's proximity to Lake Michigan moderates the climate, cooling it in the summer and warming it in the winter.

Superfund sites

Waukegan Harbor, with OMC (purple), WCP (red), and Johns-Manville (yellow) Superfund sites

Waukegan contains three Superfund sites of hazardous substances that are on the National Priorities List.

In 1975, PCBs were discovered in Waukegan Harbor sediments. Investigation revealed that during manufacturing activities at Outboard Marine Corporation (OMC), hydraulic fluids containing PCBs had been discharged through floor drains at the OMC plant, directly to Waukegan Harbor and into ditches discharging into Lake Michigan.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The OMC plants were subsequently added to the National Priorities List, and was designated as one of 43 Great Lakes Areas of Concern. Cleanup of the site began in 1990, with OMC providing $20–25 million in funding. During the OMC cleanup, additional soil contaminants were found at the location of the former Waukegan Manufactured Gas and Coke Company. Soil removal was completed at the coke site in 2005, and cleanup of that soil will continue for several years.

The Johns Manville site is located Template:Convert north<ref>Coordinates of Johns Mannville site. Maps.google.com (January 1, 1970).</ref> of the OMC site. In 1988, asbestos contamination found in groundwater and air prompted listing on the National Priorities List and subsequent cleanup. In 1991, the soil cover of the asbestos was completed. However, additional asbestos contamination was found outside the Johns-Manville property, which will require further cleanup.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The Yeoman Creek Landfill<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> is a Superfund site located Template:Convert west of the Johns Manville site. The site operated as a landfill from 1959 to 1969. In 1970, it was discovered that the lack of a bottom liner in the landfill had allowed leachate to enter groundwater, contaminating the water with volatile organic compounds and PCBs, and releasing gases that presented an explosion hazard. All major cleanup construction activities were completed in 2005, and monitoring of local water and air continues.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The book Lake Effect by Nancy Nichols gives an account of the effects of PCBs on Waukegan residents.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Johns Manville site was cited due to its high concentration of PCBs and asbestos.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Demographics

Template:US Census populationAs of the 2020 census<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> there were 89,321 people, 29,822 households, and 20,264 families residing in the city. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 31,756 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the city was 23.11% White, 16.99% African American, 2.70% Native American, 5.23% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 35.04% from other races, and 16.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 59.45% of the population.

There were 29,822 households, out of which 40.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.11% were married couples living together, 17.44% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.05% were non-families. 26.29% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.41% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.50 and the average family size was 2.85.

The city's age distribution consisted of 26.7% under the age of 18, 11.5% from 18 to 24, 29% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 10.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $53,778, and the median income for a family was $63,401. Males had a median income of $34,308 versus $26,367 for females. The per capita income for the city was $24,827. About 12.6% of families and 15.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.1% of those under age 18 and 10.1% of those age 65 or over.

Waukegan city, Illinois – Racial and ethnic composition
Template:Nobold

Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>Template:Cite web</ref>	Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref>	Template:Partial<ref name=2020CensusP2>Template:Cite web</ref>	% 2000	% 2010	Template:Partial
White alone (NH)	27,186	19,370	14,003	30.93%	21.74%	15.68%
Black or African American alone (NH)	16,354	16,240	14,647	18.61%	18.23%	16.40%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	168	173	129	0.19%	0.19%	0.14%
Asian alone (NH)	3,092	3,722	4,576	3.52%	4.18%	5.12%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)	37	26	35	0.04%	0.03%	0.04%
Other race alone (NH)	398	577	817	0.45%	0.65%	0.91%
Mixed or Multiracial (NH)	1,270	1,358	2,011	1.44%	1.52%	2.25%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	39,396	47,612	53,103	44.82%	53.45%	59.45%
Total	87,901	89,078	89,321	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

Religion

Over half (54.4%) of the population identified as members of a religious group. The largest group were Roman Catholics, who comprised 31.0% of city residents. Other Christian groups included Lutherans (3.2%), Baptists (1.9%), Presbyterians (1.6%), and Methodists (1.5%); about 11% adhered to other Christian denominations. Other faiths practiced include Judaism (2.7%) and Islam (1.4%).Template:Citation needed

Christ Episcopal Church on the corner of Grand Avenue and West Street is a historic church, one of the first in Waukegan.

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago operates Catholic churches. On July 1, 2020, St. Anastasia Parish and St. Dismas Parish merged, with the former having the parish school and the latter having the parish church.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Economy

According to Waukegan's 2023 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> the top employers in the city were:

#	Employer	# of Employees
1	Lake County	2,400
2	Southwire Co., LLC	1,500
3	Vista Medical Center East	840
4	Lake Behavioral Hospital	700
5	Medline Industries Inc.	650
6	Jewel-Osco	515
7	Waukegan Community Unit School District 60	500
8	City of Waukegan	483
9	Bel Resources	450
10	Kiley Developmental Center	425

Revitalization

The city has plans for the redevelopment of the lakefront.<ref>Plans for redevelopment of the lakefront. Waukeganvision.com.</ref> The lakefront and harbor plan calls for most industrial activity to be removed, except for the Midwest Generation power plant and North Shore wastewater treatment facilities. The existing industry would be replaced by residential and recreational space. The city also set up several tax increment financing zones, which have been successful in attracting new developers. The first step in the revitalization effort, the opening of the Genesee Theatre, has been completed, many new restaurants have opened, buildings have been renovated, and the City of Waukegan has made substantial investments in the pedestrian areas and other infrastructure.

The city has had an annual "Scoop the Loop" summer festival of cruising since 1998, which, since 2010, has become a monthly event during the summer. The current incarnation is known as "Scoop Unplugged".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Arts and culture

ArtWauk is an art event that happens every third Saturday of the month in downtown Waukegan. It features paintings, sculptures, films, dance, theater, comedy, music, performance art, food, and pedicabs all in the Waukegan Arts District.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Other events include the Chicago Latino Film Festival and HolidayWauk. The Fiestas Patrias Parade and Festival in downtown Waukegan highlights and celebrates the independence of the many Hispanic countries that are represented in Waukegan.

Historical sites

• Bowen Park
• Genesee Theatre
• Jack Benny Center for the Arts
• Naval Station Great Lakes
• Waukegan Building
• Waukegan Harbor Light
• Waukegan Public Library

Government

Lake County Courthouse

Waukegan is run on a mayor–council government. The city government consists of a single elected mayor and city clerk, with a city council composed of nine alderpersons, who are elected to represent the nine wards of the city.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Any new members are sworn in on the first Monday in May of their respective election year, as it coincides with the first city council meeting of the month.

The mayor of Waukegan is Sam Cunningham. He was elected in April 2025, defeating incumbent Ann B. Taylor.<ref name="chicagotribune2024">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Sadin">Template:Cite web</ref> He had previously been mayor from 2017–2021.<ref name=Cunningham/> Early mayors (1849–1909) served one-year terms.<ref name="pastmayors">Template:Cite web</ref>

Name	Term start	Term end	Notes
Robert V. Sabonjian	1957	1977	Served five terms (non-consecutive with interruption); returned for a sixth term later.<ref name="sabonjian">Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Circular reference
Bill Morris	1977	1985	Defeated Sabonjian in 1977; served two terms.<ref name="sabonjian" />
Robert V. Sabonjian	1985	1989	Returned for a sixth term after Morris's tenure.<ref name="sabonjian" />
Haig Paravonian	1989	1993	Succeeded Sabonjian upon his retirement.<ref name="sabonjian" />
William F. Durkin	1993	2001	Served two terms; last mayor to be reelected until 2025.<ref name="chicagotribune">Template:Cite web</ref>
Robert Sabonjian Jr.	2009	2013	Son of Robert V. Sabonjian; served one term.<ref name="sabonjian" />
Sam Cunningham	2017	2021	First African-American mayor of Waukegan; served his first, non-consecutive term.<ref name="cunningham">Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Circular reference
Ann B. Taylor	2021	2025	First female mayor.
Sam Cunningham	2025	Incumbent	Re-elected for his second, non-consecutive term during the April 1st election.<ref name=Cunningham>Template:Cite news</ref>

Education

The majority of Waukegan is within Waukegan Public School District 60.<ref name=LakeCoSDMap2020>Template:Cite web - Text list</ref> It serves about 17,000 students in preschool through grade 12. Waukegan has three early childhood schools, 13 elementary schools, five middle schools, and three high schools. The multicampus Waukegan High School serves local high school students in two different campuses: Brookside and Washington. Brookside Campus serves as a 9th–10th grade learning center, while Washington Campus serves as an 11th–12th grade learning center.

Parts of Waukegan extend into other school districts. One portion is within Gurnee School District 56 and Warren Township High School District 121, and a small section is in Beach Park Community Consolidated School District 3 and Zion-Benton Township High School District 126.<ref name=LakeCoSDMap2020/>

A network of private schools exists within the city. Cristo Rey St. Martin College Prep is a private Catholic high school, located within a former Kmart in Waukegan. Immanuel Lutheran School is a prekindergarten - grade 8 school of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod in Waukegan.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Transportation

Waukegan Harbor

Waukegan has a port district that operates the city harbor and regional airport. Waukegan Harbor has a recreational marina and an industrial port, which provides access for 90–100 large shipping vessels yearly. Companies with cargo facilities at the port include Gold Bond Building Products (capacity for 100,000 tons of gypsum), LaFarge Corp (12 cement silos), and St Mary's Cement Co (two cement silos).<ref>seriesmain_rpt Template:Webarchive. (PDF).</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Waukegan National Airport is certified for general aviation traffic and has a U.S. Customs facility, allowing for direct international flights.

Pace provides bus service on numerous routes throughout the city with a hub in downtown Waukegan. Separated from downtown by the Amstutz Expressway, the Waukegan station provides Metra commuter rail service along the Union Pacific North Line. Trains travel south to Ogilvie Transportation Center in Chicago and north to Kenosha, Wisconsin.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The Lake County McClory recreational trail passes through Waukegan. It provides a non-motor route spanning from Kenosha, Wisconsin, to the North Shore, along the right of way of the former Chicago North Shore and Milwaukee Railroad.

In popular culture

• In her poem 'Twee visschers' (two fishermen), written in Dutch by the Surinam writer Template:Ill two men, a white and a black, are fishing together near Waukegan. They are described as the new future.Template:Citation needed
• Eleanor Taylor Bland is an author of crime fiction taking place in "Lincoln Prairie" an amalgam of Waukegan, North Chicago, and Zion.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• The character Johnny Blaze from the Marvel comic book Ghost Rider is described as having been born in Waukegan.<ref>Ghost Rider Marveldirectory.com.</ref>
• Ray Bradbury spent his childhood in Waukegan and used it as the basis for Green Town, the setting of three of his books: Dandelion Wine (1957), Something Wicked This Way Comes (1962), and Farewell Summer (2006). In his essay "Just This Side of Byzantium" and poem "Byzantium, I come not from," Bradbury explains the relationship between Green Town and his memories of Waukegan.Template:Citation needed
• Waukegan's Amstutz Expressway, locally known as the "Expressway to Nowhere", has been used as a shooting location for such films as Groundhog Day, The Ice Harvest, The Blues Brothers, Contagion and Batman Begins.Template:Citation needed
• The music video "In Love with a Thug" sung by Sharissa featuring R. Kelly was filmed in Waukegan, predominantly on the corner of Water Street and Genesee Street.Template:Citation needed
• In 2005, Ringo Starr and the Roundheads recorded a concert for an episode of Soundstage at the Genesee Theatre in Waukegan.Template:Citation needed
• In their 1979 novel Stardance, Spider & Jeanne Robinson refer to Waukegan as if it were a prototypical Earth location, as identified by gravity vs. free fall.Template:Citation needed
• The hip-hop group Atmosphere namechecks the city in live performances of the song "You."Template:Citation needed
• Tom Waits mentions Waukegan in the song "Gun Street Girl" from his album Rain Dogs (1985): "He left Waukegan at the slamming' of the door".Template:Citation needed
• The band The Ike Reilly Assassination mentions Waukegan in the song "The Ex-Americans" from the 2004 album Sparkle in the Finish.Template:Citation needed
• The band Eddie From Ohio has a song titled "HoJo's in Waukegan" on the album Actually Not.Template:Citation needed
• The 2024 film, Ghostlight, was filmed in various neighborhoods in the Chicago area, including Waukegan.Template:Citation needed

Sister cities

Waukegan has one sister city:<ref name="Waukegan">Template:Cite web</ref>

Template:Flagdeco Miyazaki, Japan

Although the city has no official sister city relationship, Waukegan is home to about 6,000 people from Tonatico, Mexico, according to a February 2017 article in The Washington Post. This has created ongoing ties between the two cities.<ref name="wapo201701">Template:Cite news</ref>

Further reading

• Arthur Zilversmit, Changing schools: Progressive education theory and practice, 1930-1960 (University of Chicago Press, 1993).

External links

• Template:Official website