Niles has the slogan "Where People Count"

Niles is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 30,068 at the 2000 census.

The current mayor of Niles is Nicholas B. Blase.

History

The village of Niles was incorporated on August 24, 1899. The village had a population of 500 people at that time.

Along with neighboring Skokie, Illinois, and several other suburbs, Niles is partly in Niles Township [1], from whence it draws its name. It should not to be confused with "Niles Centre," the original name of Skokie.

There is no clear indication of the origin of the name "Niles." In 1929 the Chicago Tribune ran an article opining that the name was taken from the Niles Register, a newspaper published in the 1820s out of Washington, DC and distributed nationally.

Niles Free Bus at Golf Mill

Niles was the first community in Illinois and one of the first in the United States to establish free ambulance service, in 1946.

Geography

Niles is located at 42°1′56″N, 87°49′1″W (42.032329, -87.816862)¹.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 15.2 km² (5.9 mi²), all land.

Niles is adjacent to Chicago to the south, Skokie to the east, Morton Grove and Glenview to the north, and Park Ridge and unincorporated Cook County (and portions of Chicago) to the west.

The town is centered along Milwaukee Avenue which forms a main artery diagonally through the town on a northwest-southeast bearing.

The North Branch of the Chicago River flows through the eastern part of the town roughly in a south-north direction.

Demographics

The Niles Police Department building

As of the census² of 2000, there were 30,068 people, 12,002 households, and 7,945 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,974.4/km² (5,117.9/mi²). There were 12,256 housing units at an average density of 804.8/km² (2,086.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the village was 83.22% White, 0.46% African American, 0.09% Native American, 12.68% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.67% from other races, and 1.87% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.03% of the population.

There were 12,002 households out of which 21.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.0% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.8% were non-families. 30.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the village the population was spread out with 16.7% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 24.0% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 27.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females there were 87.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.3 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $48,627, and the median income for a family was $58,215. Males had a median income of $40,131 versus $30,266 for females. The per capita income for the village was $23,543. About 3.2% of families and 5.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.2% of those under age 18 and 5.8% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Elementary school districts:

• East Maine School District 63 [2]
• Park Ridge-Niles School District 64 [3]
• Golf School District 67 [4]
• Niles Elementary School District 71 [5]
• Fairview School District 72 [6]

The Niles Township District for Special Education 807 serves some residents in these districts. [7].

High school districts:

• Maine Township High School District 207 [8]
• Niles Township Community High School District 219 [9]

Community College district:

• Oakton Community College [10]

Catholic Schools:

• Northridge Preparatory School is a Catholic independent private high school [11]
• Notre Dame High School is affiliated with the Congregation of Holy Cross [12]

Famous Places

A notable landmark and point of pride among Niles' residents is the Leaning Tower of Niles, a smaller-scale replica of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. This landmark is seen in the opening Chicago-area montage of the film Wayne's World. It is located next to the local YMCA (which is appropriately called the "Leaning Tower YMCA"). Several concerts covering a variety of musical forms are held here throughout the summer.

Another notable landmark is the Tam O'Shanter golf course (today called "The Tam"), which is currently under the ownership of the Niles Park District. From 1941-1957, the course was host to the All American Open on the PGA Tour. In 1964 and 1965, the course hosted the Western Open.

St. Adalbert Cemetery, the largest in the Archdiocese of Chicago in terms of burials, is the resting place of German immigrant Fredrak Fraske (1872-1973) who was the last surviving veteran of the "Indian Wars". Because these wars have no set timeline, there is some doubt as to this claim being valid. St. Aldabert's is also the location of the Halas Family mausoleum, and is the final resting place of George Halas, former head coach of the Chicago Bears. [13]

Maryhill Cemetery is, according to some sources, one of the supposed final resting places for convicted serial killer John Wayne Gacy, though there is considerable debate as to what happened to his remains after his execution.

The world headquarters of the Bradford Group, a major collectibles company, is located on Milwaukee Avenue.

Recent Events

On June 7, 2006, the Chicago Tribune reported that the FBI had been investigating Niles Mayor Nicholas Blase for "extorting village businesses to buy insurance from a close friend." On June 8, 2006, which happened to be Blase's 78th birthday, the FBI arrested Blase at his residence in front of his family and charged him with mail fraud related to a kickback scheme with Ralph Weiner, a friend who had owned Ralph Weiner & Associates, an insurance agency. Ralph Weiner's son, Steven Weiner, president and co-owner of the insurance agency, was also charged on the same day, as he allegedly continued providing kickbacks to Blase after his father died in 2005. [14]

In July, 2007, the Mayor's trial was set for March of 2008. [15]

Sister cities

Niles has four sister cities as of 2007:

• Pisa, Italy
• Nafplion, Greece
• Leixlip, Ireland
• Limanowa, Poland

External links

• Village of Niles homepage

Coordinates: 42.032329° N 87.816862° W

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