Skokie

Skokie (; formerly Niles Center) is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, neighboring the City of Chicago's northern border. Its name comes from a Potawatomi word for "marsh" Skokie was originally a German-Luxembourger farming community, but was later settled by a sizeable Jewish population, especially after World War II. At its peak in the mid-1960s, 58% of the population was Jewish, the largest proportion of any Chicago suburb. The village's street circulation is a street-grid pattern, with a major eastwest thoroughfare every half mile. In a referendum on November 15, 1940, residents chose the Native American name "Skokies" over the name "Devonshire" In 2001, a decision by the village and 22 other area communities regarding land use led the court to reduce the power of the United States Environmental Protection Agency. In 2010, the village had a population of 67,824, according to the 2010 census. The population is expected to rise to 67,900 by the 2020 census. Skokies is located approximately 15 miles (24 km) north of downtown Chicago's downtown Loop. It is bordered by Evanston to the east, Chicago to the southeast and southwest, Lincolnwood to the south, Niles to the southwest, Morton Grove to the west, Glenview to the northwest, and Wilmette to the north. It has a total area of 10.06 square miles (26.06 km²), all land.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, Skokie has a total area of 10.06 square miles (26.06 km²) The village is bordered by Evanston to the east, Chicago to the southeast and southwest, Lincolnwood to the south, Niles to the southwest, Morton Grove to the west, Glenview to the northwest, and Wilmette to the north. The village's street circulation is a street-grid pattern, with a major eastwest thoroughfare every half mile: Old Orchard Road, Golf Road, Church Street, Dempster Street, Main Street, Oakton Street, Howard Street, and Touhy Avenue.Skokie's northsouth streets continue the street names and (house number) grid values of Chicago's north South streets, with the notable exceptions of Cicero Avenue and Pulaski Road. The eastwest streets continue Evanston's street names, but with Chicago grid values, such that Evanston’s DemPster Street is 8800 north in Skokies addresses. The major northsouth thoroughfares are Skoki Boulevard, Crawford Avenue, and McCormick Boulevard; the major diagonal streets are Lincoln Avenue, Nile Center Road, East Prairie Road and Gross Point Road. Skoky's north south streets are Crawford Avenue and McPherson Avenue, with Crawford Avenue being renamed Cicero Boulevard within the village. The main north north streets are McPhenson Avenue and Skokia Boulevard, with Cicero being renamed Skokier Boulevard within Skokis.

History

In 1888, the community was incorporated as Niles Centre. About 1910, the spelling was Americanized to "Niles Center". However, the name caused postal confusion with the neighboring village of Niles. A village-renaming campaign began in the 1930s. In a referendum on November 15, 1940, residents chose the Native American name "Skokie" over the name "Devonshire" The first African-American family to move to Skokie arrived in 1961. In 1977 and 1978, Illinois neo-Nazis of the National Socialist Party of America (NSPA) attempted to hold a march in Skokies Marquette Park. The park is located in what was then a predominantly all-white neighborhood. In 1966, when Martin Luther King Jr. gathered to watch a march, some residents gathered to throw rocks and bricks at him. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Civil Liberties Union of Chicago on their behalf in their case against the NSPA in 1977. The case involved a First Amendment issue. In 2001, the court touched upon the Commerce Clause in a case involving the Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County (SWANCC) v. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The court ruled that SWANCC had a right to dispose of waste in a manner consistent with the First Amendment. The decision was appealed and the Supreme Court upheld the decision in the case in 2001. The Supreme Court's decision was later overturned on the grounds that the village's government thought the Nazi march would be disruptive.

Parks, recreation and attractions

Skokie Northshore Sculpture Park is situated along the North Shore Channel between Dempster Street and Touhy Avenue on the east side of McCormick Boulevard. Westfield Old Orchard, an upscale shopping center, is one of the country's first and is the third largest mall by total square footage in Illinois. Skokie Public Library received the 2008 National Medal for Museum and Library Service from First Lady Laura Bush in a ceremony at the White House. The Valley Line Trail is a multi-use trail connecting the northwest side of Chicago to the communities of Lincolnwood and Skokies. The municipalities of Glenview, Wilmette, Northfield and Skoksie are currently developing plans to build 4.5 miles (7.2 km) of new multi- use trail following the existing ComEd and Union Pacific ROW in northern Cook County. The Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center opened in Skoky on April 19, 2009. The village is also home to the North shore Center for the Performing Arts, encompassing Centre East, Northlight Theatre and the SkokIE Valley Symphony Orchestra. The facility celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2016. The Skoki Library also offers a bookmobile service that provides a mini-library around the community. The library's cultural programming and multilingual services were cited in the award presentation. The Chicago portion of the trail has been referred to as the Sauganash Trail, and as the Valley Line trail as the trail continues into Chicago's northern suburbs.

Economy

Skokie's AAA bond rating attests to strong economic health via prudent fiscal management. In 2003, Skokie became the first municipality in the United States to achieve nationally accredited police, fire, and public works departments, and a Class-1 fire department. In 2006, NorthShore University HealthSystem announced installing their consolidated data center operations at the park, adding 500 jobs to the economy. Map maker Rand McNally is also headquartered in the village. The village's top employers in the 2018 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report are: Illinois Science + Technology Park (ISTP) and NorthShores University Health System (NHS). The village is located on the Illinois River, which runs through the center of the city. The Illinois River is a tributary of the Chicago River. The Chicago River flows through the village's downtown area. The river is a major source of water supply for the village, as well as the Chicago metropolitan area. It is also a source of drinking water, as the village has a well-documented water supply system. The water supply is controlled by the Chicago Water Authority, which has a contract with the Illinois Department of Water and Atmospheric Resources (DWA) to supply water to the village and surrounding areas. The DWA also provides water and sewer services to the town. The town has a water treatment treatment plant, which was built in the 1970s. In the 1990s, the DWA built a new water treatment plant to supply the village with drinking water.

Demographics

As of the 2010 US Census, Skokie had a total of 64,784 people within its boundaries. The village's racial composition was 60.27% White, 7.26% African American, 0.19% Native American, 25.54% Asian,0.02% Pacific Islander, 3.08% some other race, and 3.65% of mixed race. The Hispanic and Latino population, of any race, made up 5.71% of the village. There is a large Jewish population in Skokies and many of the surrounding areas. The population of the local high school district, Niles Township High School District 219, is reported to be about 30% Assyrian, making them the largest ethnic group at the school district as well. The median household income is $57,375; the median family income was $68,253; a man's median income was$44,869; a woman's median Income was $33,051. 4.2% of families and 5.4%. of the population are below the poverty line income, including 5.9% of children under 18 and. 5.3% of elders aged 65 years and older.Skokie also contains a sizeable Assyrian population. Some Assyrian American organizations, such as the Assyrian Universal Alliance Foundation, report that Assyrians make up the largest. ethnic group in the city, with the population estimate being upwards of 20,000. The city's median age is 42 years; for every 100 women younger than 18 years, there were 90.1 men.

Public transportation

The Chicago "L"s Yellow Line terminates at the Dempster Street station in Skokie. Construction has been completed on a new Yellow Line train station at Oakton Street. The CTA is commissioning an Alternative Analysis Study on the extension of the Yellow Line terminal to Old Orchard Road for Federal Transit Administration New Start grants. Currently this solution needs to undergo public commenting as well as FTA and CTA board approval to continue. For automobile transport, Interstate 94, the Edens Expressway, traverses western Skokies. The village also is served by CTA and Pace bus routes. However, Greyhound Bus service to the DemPster Street train station has been discontinued. The Yellow Line is the fastest transportation to and from the city, but the village also has a number of other public transportation options.

Major highways

Major highways in Skokie include: I-290, I-171, I290, and I-294. Skokies is home to the SkokIE Museum of Art and Science, which was founded in 1891. The city is also home to a number of museums, including the Art Institute of Chicago and the Museum of Science and Art, which opened in 1894. The town is located on the Illinois River, which runs through Skokia. Skoksie is also known for its art and culture, and has a reputation for being a hipster town. It is located along I-90, which is one of the city's oldest and most scenic routes. It also runs through the town's downtown area, along with several other major roads. The village also has its own version of the Chicago River, known as the "Skokie River," which runs north-south and east-west through the city. It was built in the late 1800s and early 1900s and was named after a local resident. It's now known as "Skoksie Road" and is a main route through the area. It runs along the banks of the Illinois river and the Illinois Turnpike, and is also used by the Chicago Cubs, Chicago Cubs and Chicago Blackhawks. It has a population of 1.6 million people, including many high school students and athletes. The area is also the site of the Skoksies' first high school, Skokio High School, which dates back to the 1930s.

Schools

Niles East High School closed in 1980 after community efforts to save the school failed. Evanston/Skokie School District 65 and Evanston Township High School operate public high schools. National-Louis University has a campus near the Skokie Courthouse. The original structure, built in the 1930s, was demolished in the 1990s. It was chartered in 1922 as one of the first Modern Orthodox Jewish institutions of higher education in America. It is a high-ranking school for education. The school is located on the site of the old Niles East high School, which was closed in the 1980s and replaced by the MCC Academy's elementary school. The high school is in Evanston, Illinois. The middle school and high school are in Morton Grove, Illinois, which is a suburb of Chicago. The elementary and junior high schools are located in the Evanston suburb of Morton Grove. The public high school district is based in the Chicago suburb of Evanston and serves a small portion of the city. The district has two high schools and two middle schools. It also has a junior high and a high school. It has two elementary schools and one junior high. The city is home to the University of Illinois at Chicago, which offers a variety of programs for high school and college students. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has a training center in the city, which opened in the 1970s. The Chicago Police Department has a presence in the area. It provides security for the city's public schools and other facilities.

Notable corporations

Peapod, online grocer Peapod. Federal-Mogul. Mayfair Games. Rand McNally. USRobotics. Bell & Howell. G.D. Searle. Pfizer, now Pfizer. F.A.M.C., now F.E.C. C., now C.I.A., now AT&T, now T-Mobile, now Sprint, now McDonald's, now Wal-Mart, now Target, now Whole Foods, now Kroger, now Safeway, now Chick-fil-A, now Taco Bell, now KFC, now Starbucks, now Subway, now Papa John's, and many others. The U.S. Postal Service, now known as Postmates, once had its headquarters in Washington, D.C.; it now has its own website and mobile app; it also has a mobile app. It was once called Postmates.com; it is now called Postmate.com. It is a subsidiary of Postmates; it has since changed its name to "Postmates" It was also known as "Postmate" before it was renamed "Postcodeutility" and later "PostCodeutility". It is now a division of Postcodeutilities.com, which also has its offices in New York, Washington, DC, and Los Angeles. It also has an office in San Francisco; it was once known as the "Postage Processing Center"; it was later called "Postway" It has since been renamed the Postway Processing Center.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Skokie, Cook County, Illinois = 6.8. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 31. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 11. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Skokie = 3.6 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 67,824 individuals with a median age of 43.7 age the population grows by 3.75% in Skokie, Cook County, Illinois population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 6,739.27 residents per square mile of area (2,602.03/km²). There are average 2.73 people per household in the 23,679 households with an average household income of $67,155 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 8.50% of the available work force and has dropped -4.37% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 22.76%. The number of physicians in Skokie per 100,000 population = 255.4.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Skokie = 32 inches and the annual snowfall = 23.5 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 124. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 191. 83 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 18.4 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 47, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Skokie, Cook County, Illinois which are owned by the occupant = 72.52%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 49 years with median home cost = $263,440 and home appreciation of -14.16%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $16.10 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $6,660 per student. There are 15.3 students for each teacher in the school, 644 students for each Librarian and 456 students for each Counselor. 4.97% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 24.77% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 17.43% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).