Lake Villa, Illinois

Lake Villa is located at 42°25′3″N 88°4′56″W (42.417546, -88.082360).[5]

According to the 2010 census, Lake Villa has a total area of 6.994 square miles (18.11 km²), of which 6.19 square miles (16.03 km²) (or 88.5%) is land and 0.804 square miles (2.08 km²) (or 11.5%) is water.[6]

The village lies in a gently rolling moraine landscape, dominated by lakes of glacial origin known as the Chain O'Lakes. Among these are Cedar Lake, north of the village center, and Deep Lake, to the east. There are several smaller lakes and ponds, along with a complement of wetlands. The lakes and ponds have been important in Lake Villa's historic tourist industry, and over the years led to a small ice industry.

Drainage is ultimate to the Des Plaines and Fox rivers, both of which flow to the Illinois River and ultimately the Mississippi.

The Wisconsin Central Railway runs through the village center. This is a heavily used freight line which also carries Metra commuter rail traffic from Antioch, Illinois to the Chicago Loop.

As of the census[8] of 2000, there were 5,864 people, 2,052 households, and 1,594 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,024.4 people per square mile (395.8/km²). There were 2,135 housing units at an average density of 373.0 per square mile (144.1/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 92.94% White, 2.47% African American, 0.12% Native American, 1.64% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 0.89% from other races, and 1.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.09% of the population.

There were 2,052 households, out of which 45.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.9% were married couples living together, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.3% were non-families. 17.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.20.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 32.1% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 37.8% from 25 to 44, 18.9% from 45 to 64, and 5.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.5 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $65,078, and the median income for a family was $75,078. Males had a median income of $51,806 versus $36,961 for females. The per capita income for the village was $26,238. About 1.9% of families and 3.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.7% of those under age 18 and 7.3% of those ages 65 or over.

Lake Villa has a significant Polish community, and the community has become considerably more diverse in recent years.

• Brysiewicz, Joseph W. Chicago's metropolitan fringe: Lake Villa, Illinois: the construction of multiple historical narratives. Lake Forest, Illinois: Lake Forest College, 2001.
• Brysiewicz, Joseph W. Lake Villa Township, Illinois. Chicago: Arcadia Publications, 2001.
• Article by Douglas Knox in Encyclopedia of Chicago History
• Encyclopedia of Chicago. Edited by James R. Grossman, Ann Durkin Keating & Janice L. Reiff. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2004
• Lake Villa then and now: a centennial history of Lake Villa, Illinois, 1901 - 2001. Compiled and edited by Candace M. Saunders and Julianne Kloc Trychta. Lake Villa, Illinois: Village of Lake Villa, Illinois, 2001.

• Village of Lake Villa