Lincolnwood (formerly Tessville) is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 12,359 at the 2000 census.

Geography

Lincolnwood is located at (42.005331, -87.734283).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 2.7 square miles (7.0 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, 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 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 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. Its parking lot was where mobster Allen Dorfman died from an assassin's gunfire in 1983. The crime has never been solved. The Purple Hotel was built in 1960 by the Hyatt Corp. and was originally called the Lincolnwood Hyatt House. 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. After it was a Hyatt, it became a Radisson, and finally a Ramada. 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 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.

Serial killer William Heirens lived in Lincolnwood in his childhood.

Demographics

As of the census 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/sq mi (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.

Current Lincolnwood Facts

Lincolnwood residents represent over 40 different ethnic groups.

Government

Lincolnwood was established in 1911 and has a village form of government with a president 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 5.

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.

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 School 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 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, (1970 and 1973), a fourth place finish in the Senior League World Series (1971), 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 and anchored by Carson Pirie Scott, Kohl's, and Old Navy. In 1993, more than 7.3 million shoppers visited this center. Neighborhood shopping is available in the Village along Lincoln Avenue, 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 also provides Lake Michigan water through a purchase agreement with the City of Chicago. Natural gas is provided to Lincolnwood customers by the Nicor 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 Northwestern Healthcare ("ENH") has a highly regarded, well-staffed facility in Lincolnwood, at the intersection of McCormick and Pratt. ENH is composed of Evanston Hospital, Glenbrook Hospital, Highland Park Hospital, ENH Medical Group, ENH Home Services and ENH Research Institute.

Saint Francis Hospital operates a health center in Lincolnwood. Its main hospital and medical center is about 2 1⁄2 miles and about 6 minutes east in Evanston. Other area hospitals that serve Lincolnwood are Rush North Shore Medical Center in Skokie and Swedish Covenant Hospital in Chicago. Resurrection Hospital and Evanston Hospital, a teaching hospital, are also minutes away and serve Lincolnwood.

References

External links

• Lincolnwood official website
• Lincolnwood Public Library's website