Grayslake's fire station, historical society (formerly Grayslake's first
village hall), and water tower. Seen in the background is the smokestack for the former
Grayslake Gelatin Factory.
Grayslake is a village in Lake County in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is located in the Chicago metropolitan area, about 40 miles (64 km) north of Chicago’s downtown, 14 miles (23 km) west of Lake Michigan, and 15 miles (24 km) south of the Wisconsin border.
The village's population at the 2000 census was 18,506. As of a special census conducted in 2003, the population was 20,330.[1]
Grayslake is home to the College of Lake County,the University Center of Lake County and the Lake County Fairgrounds.
Geography
Grayslake is located at 42°20′54″N 88°1′57″W / 42.34833°N 88.0325°W / 42.34833; -88.0325 (42.348271, -88.032428).[2], in central Lake County. Neighboring communities include Libertyville, Mundelein, Round Lake Park, Lake Villa, Hainesville, Lindenhurst, Gurnee and Wildwood. Grayslake is predominantly within the boundaries of Avon Township, with a small portion in Fremont Township.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 9.6 square miles (24.7 km²), of which, 9.4 square miles (24.3 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.4 km²) of it (1.68%) is water.
Grayslake [3] is located in the center of the village. This 78-acre (32 ha) kettle lake lies at the top of the watershed. Water depth is approximately 18 feet (5.5 m) at its deepest point and contains largemouth bass, crappie, northern pike, sunfish, carp and catfish. At the west end of the lake is a peninsula called Jones Island.
Demographics
As of the special census[4] of 2003, there were 20,330 people, 6,503 households, and 4,948 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,969.2 people per square mile (760.1/km²). There were 6,642 housing units at an average density of 706.8/sq mi (272.8/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 91.00% White, 1.58% African American, 0.19% Native American, 4.23% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.70% from other races, and 1.27% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.97% of the population.
There were 6,503 households out of which 48.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.3% were married couples living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.9% were non-families. 18.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.84 and the average family size was 3.31.
In the village the population was spread out with 33.1% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 40.4% from 25 to 44, 16.3% from 45 to 64, and 4.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 96.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.4 males.
According to a 2007 estimate, the median income for a household in the village was $87,901, and the median income for a family was $100,746.[5] Males had a median income of $60,857 versus $37,839 for females. The per capita income for the village was $28,898. About 2.4% of families and 3.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.7% of those under age 18 and 3.2% of those age 65 or over.
Transportation
Grayslake has a station on Metra's North Central Service, which provides daily rail service between Antioch and Chicago (at Union Station)with a stop at O'Hare Airport. It also has another station on the Milwaukee District/North Line which provides service between Fox Lake and Union Station. Four main traffic routes pass though Grayslake (Rte 120, Rte 45, Rte 83 and Washington Street) contributing to heavy traffic congestion during morning and afternoon rush hours. Campbell Airport is a small, privately owned facility southwest of town.
Public services
The Village of Grayslake has a full-time police department and a full-time fire protection district.
Police department
The Village of Grayslake Police Department has long been recognized for its commitment to community service. The Village employs 32 full-time police officers and 15 non-sworn staff members that are dedicated to providing the most comprehensive protection, crime prevention, and social service programs to the residents of Grayslake. The Grayslake Police department offers the following bureaus: Detectives, Bike Patrol, DARE, School Liaison Program and Directed Traffic Patrol. All communications are handed by Foxcomm, a professional caliber dispatch agency. The current Chief is Larry Herzog. The Grayslake Police Department is fully accredited by the National Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies.
Fire Protection District
The Grayslake Fire Protection District currently services 24 square miles in central Lake County, Illinois. The district includes the Village of Grayslake. There are 30 career members and 30 part time members. Career members include 19 firefighter/ paramedics, 3 Captains and 3 Lieutenants all working 24 hour shifts on and 48 hours off. These 24/48 hour shifts allow staffing 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The Grayslake Fire Protection District services 2 fire stations with the headquarters station located in downtown Grayslake. They work with three engines, one ladder truck, four advanced life support ambulances, one brush unit, a water tender(tanker), two rescue boats and a number of staff and command cars. Through automatic aid agreements with the surrounding area, the Village receives optimal emergency service. Communications are handled through Foxcomm, a professional, state of the art dispatch center offering Enhanced 911 service giving dispatchers the ability to quickly locate a caller. Dispatchers are also Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) trained. EMD allows dispatchers to give critical life saving directions over the phone as paramedics respond. The current Chief is John Christian.
Drinking water supply
The village's water supply comes from the Central Lake County Joint Action Water Agency (CLCJAWA) located in Lake Bluff. CLCJAWA purifies water from Lake Michigan.
Schools
Grade schools
- Grayslake Middle School
- Frederick
- Meadowview
- Prairieview
- Avon
- Woodview
- Westlake Christian Academy K-12
- St Gilberts (Catholic) K-8 (3 classes per grade)
High schools
- Grayslake Central High School
- Grayslake North High School
- Lake County Vocational Center
Colleges
Sports teams
Grayslake's soccer team is the Grayslake Galaxy Soccer club. Grayslake also hosts another active soccer organization, AYSO Region 396 in Grayslake. The football team and lacrosse team are the Colts. Central High School's teams are the Rams, and North High School's teams are the Knights. The high school Ice Hockey club is called the Ramquoits (this club is a joint venture, along with Antioch High School, the Sequoits)
Grayslake Youth Baseball Association (GYBA) is the largest volunteer organization in Lake County. In 2008, GYBA and the Grayslake Park District opened a new sports complex on Alleghany Road across from Campbell Airport. The facility includes five baseball/softball fields, tennis courts, a small recreational pond, numerous soccer fields and a concession stand. More baseball fields are planned for the future.
Notable residents
Recreation and Amenities
There are two public golf couses in Grayslake. Carillon, a nine hole facility run by the the Park District and Brae Loch, a Lake County Forest Presereve course.
There are numerous tennis courts run by the Park District and both high schools feature over eight courts each, open to the public.
Most neighborhoods have their own parks with recreational equipment.
The Northbrook Sports Club is a a private skeet and trap shooting facility, located near Campbell Airport.
On the north side of town is Rolllins Savannah a 1,200 acre county forest preserve with a bird observation deck, trails and walk ways through wet lands.
Immediately east of the old downtown district is Central Park which contains many recreational facilities, including:
The Esper A. Petersen Foundation Family Aquatic Center, opened in 2000. It features two water slides, recreational and lap swimming facilites.
The Daniel Barry Skate park located across from the aquatic facility and next to a community garden.
Grayslake Library was moved to a brand new building in 1997. This large facility, in addition to a huge book collection, features meeting rooms and computer/internet resources.
Central park has a baseball field and football/soccer/lacrosse field with lights for night games, a concession stand, a bandshell, a playground with a water feature for small children. There is a Bocce Ball court and shuffle board court. This is all within a walking distance of the Grayslake Senior Center.
References
External links
