Palatine, Illinois
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Palatine | |
| Village | |
 Looking east along Slade Street.
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| Official name: Village of Palatine | |
| Name origin: from Palatine, NY | |
| Motto: Where quality is a way of life. | |
| Nickname: P-ville,P-town | |
| Country | United States |
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| State | Illinois |
| County | Cook |
| Township | Palatine |
| Elevation | 741 ft (226 m) |
| Coordinates | |
| Area | 13.1 sq mi (34 km²) |
| - land | 13.0 sq mi (34 km²) |
| - water | 0.1 sq mi (0 km²) |
| Population | 65,479 (2000) |
| Density | 5,047.2 /sq mi (1,949 /km²) |
| Mayor | Rita L. Mullins |
| Timezone | CST (UTC-6) |
| - summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| Postal code | 60038, 60055, 60067, 60074, 60078, 60094, 60095 |
| Area code | 847 |
  Location of Palatine within Illinois
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| Wikimedia Commons: Palatine, Illinois | |
| Website: http://www.palatine.il.us/ | |
Palatine is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is a northwestern residential suburb of Chicago. As of the 2000 census, the village had a total population of 65,479, and estimated to be 67,232 as of 2005.
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[edit] History
George Ela was also one of the first of a wave of pioneers to migrate to northern Illinois following the Black Hawk War. A road which passes through the western edge of Palatine is called Ela in his honor.
The Village of Palatine was founded in 1866. It was built around a station on the new Chicago and North Western Railway. Joel Wood surveyed and laid out the village, earning him the title of Palatine's founder. One of Palatine's original downtown streets is named after Wood.
A short line railroad, the Palatine, Lake Zurich and Wauconda Railroad, was built in 1911, and began full passenger service to Wauconda, Illinois in 1912. The line was finally closed in 1924 after a series of financial misfortunes and the improvement of roads in the area. The PLZ&W provided transportation to Dr. Wilson's Deer Grove Park, just north of Dundee Road in Palatine[1].
Palatine's first suburb-style subdivision was called Palanois Park, built shortly after World War II. The town has experienced truly explosive growth since the 1970s, part of Chicago's ever-growing suburban sprawl. Palatine was home to the Cook County Fair from 1914 to 1931. The fairgrounds are now a sub-division with a name that pays tribute to Palatine's former fairgrounds.
[edit] The Brown's Chicken Massacre
Palatine was the location of the Brown's Chicken Massacre in 1993. Seven employees of a local Brown's Chicken & Pasta were shot, and their bodies put into the restaurant's freezer, preventing police from establishing a time of death. The unsolved murders scarred Palatine and nearly ruined the Brown's Chicken company. No suspects were charged until 2002, when DNA evidence finally pointed to Juan Luna and Jim Degorski. Luna was a former employee, and both were former students at William Fremd High School. Luna's trial officially began on March 30, 2007[2]; Luna was found guilty. Degorski, who will be tried separately, is awaiting trial.
[edit] Government
Palatine operates under the Council-manager form of local government. Six councilmen are elected from their respective districts, while the entire village elects the Village Clerk and the Mayor. The council then hires a Village Manager to oversee the town's day-to-day operation. The current mayor is Republican Rita Mullins.
[edit] Geography
Palatine is located at (42.116885, -88.040613)[3].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 13.1 square miles (34.0 km²), of which, 13.0 square miles (33.6 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km²) of it (0.99%) is water.
Palatine is in a wooded marshland where several streams rise around the village. Most of these streams meet up with the Salt Creek which rises at Wilke Marsh on the village's east side. The most notable exception is the northeast side, where its streams lie in the Buffalo Creek watershed. A small part of the east and southeast sides lies in the McDonald Creek watershed. As a consequence, floods occur very frequently in Palatine.
[edit] People and culture
Palatine has one of the more diverse populations in the Chicago metropolitan area in regards to ethnicity and income. The village contains middle class, upper class, and working class communities. The eastern half of the village is generally more diverse in terms of income and ethnicity than the western half. Hispanics, Asians, and African Americans are all well represented within Palatine's population. Over one hundred languages are spoken in Palatine.[citation needed] The village is home to a Sikh gurdwara on its northwest side that is visited by Sikhs from across the country.
[edit] Education
Palatine is part of Illinois' Community Consolidated School District 15 and Township High School District 211. The village is home to two high schools, Palatine High School on the northeast side and William Fremd High School on the southwest side; and a community college, William Rainey Harper College. Both high schools and the college, as well as the public library, have received high national honors. There is one public junior high school in Palatine, Walter R. Sundling Junior High, while some junior high students attend Plum Grove Junior High in Rolling Meadows just outside the village limits. There are a total of nine public elementary schools in Palatine:
- Jane Addams School
- Hunting Ridge School
- Marion Jordan School
- Lake Louise School
- Lincoln School
- Pleasant Hill School
- Stuart R. Paddock School
- Gray M. Sanborn School
- Virginia Lake School
There is also a combined K-8 school, Winston Campus, formed by the merger of Winston Churchill School with adjacent Winston Park Junior High.
Palatine also has three preschool-8 parochial schools:
[edit] Park Districts
The Palatine Park District serves 85,000 residents within the Palatine, Rolling Meadows, Arlington Heights, Inverness, Hoffman Estates and Barrington communities. It is governed by five elected Park Commissioners who oversee a professional staff.
The Palatine Park District operates four swimming pools (Family Aquatic Center, Birchwood, Eagle and Willow) for its residents as well as two recreational centers (Community Center & Birchwood). Planning is currently underway for a third rec center at Falcon Park.
It is the mission of the Salt Creek Rural Park District to provide for the community a quality park and recreation system that is committed to excellence in service and facilities, as well as being sensitive to individuals and economics.
The Salt Creek Rural Park District was formed in 1956 and operates under the Park District Code of Statutory Laws which directly governs the power, duties, and purposes relating to park districts in the State of Illinois.
Legal voters from the park district elect seven non-paid park commissioners. Commissioners serve 6, 4, and 2 year terms. The Board of Commissioners elect a President, Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary. The commissioners appoint a Director of Parks and Recreation to manage the day-to-day operations of the district.
The Director of Parks and Recreation hires professional administrative staff to oversee the operation of parks, recreation facilities and recreation programs.
The district provides recreation and leisure services to the residents that live within the corporate boundaries of the district. The corporate boundaries of the district include parts of the Village of Arlington Heights, Palatine and the City of Rolling Meadows.
The district also provides recreation and leisure services to many non-residents of the area on a fee basis.
[edit] Sister cities
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[4] of 2000, there were 65,479 people, 25,518 households, and 16,586 families residing in the village. The population density was 5,047.2 people per square mile (1,949.2/km²). There were 26,223 housing units at an average density of 2,021.3/sq mi (780.6/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 83.05% White, 2.15% African American, 0.22% Native American, 7.56% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 5.08% from other races, and 1.89% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 14.12% of the population.
There were 25,518 households out of which 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.3% were married couples living together, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.0% were non-families. 27.5% 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 2.56 and the average family size was 3.18.
In the village the population was spread out with 24.8% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 35.8% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 8.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 99.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.3 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $63,321, and the median income for a family was $76,270. Males had a median income of $50,341 versus $35,342 for females. The per capita income for the village was $30,661. About 3.5% of families and 4.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.2% of those under age 18 and 5.1% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Famous Palatinians
- Michael Bradley - Professional soccer player, lived in Palatine as a teenager.
- John Gegenhuber - Actor
- Larry Lujack - Radio personality, lived in Palatine during his WLS days.
- Carol Marin - Journalist, NBC 5 Chicago and Chicago Tonight, attended Palatine High School
- Kris Myers - Percussionist of Chicago-based progressive rock group Umphrey's McGee.
- Christina Moore - Former cast member on the late night sketch comedy series MADtv during the show's eighth season in 2003.
- Thymme Jones - Drummer of Chicago-based progressive rock group Cheer-Accident.
- Frederik Pohl - Science-fiction writer and critic.
- Jim Schwantz - Professional football player for the Chicago Bears, 49ers, & Dallas Cowboys.
- Carlos Tobias - Food Competitor, Won All-Chicago hot dog eating competition with 38 hot dogs.
- Ted Nugent - Lived in Palatine in his early years.
- Stuart Paddock - Founder of Paddock press (Daily Herald)
[edit] Economy
Palatine has been in the process of revitalizing its downtown area since December 1999[5]. This process has spawned a new passenger train station, a nearby parking garage, and several new condominiums, rowhomes, and commercial buildings.
Weber-Stephen Products Co., manufacturers of the Weber grill, is located in Palatine.
Square D, one of the largest makers of circuit breakers, is headquartered in Palatine.
[edit] References
- ^ Whitney, Richard. Old Maud: The Story of The Palatine, Lake Zurich and Wauconda Railroad Polo, Illinois: Transportation Trails, 1992. ISBN 0933449143
- ^ Sadovi, Carlos. "First 2 Brown's Trial Jurors Chosen", Chicago Tribune, 2007-03-30
- ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ Village of Palatine. "Downtown Land Use Guide Update. Online: [1].
[edit] External links
- Palatine Community Message Board
- Village of Palatine
- Palatine Public Library
- Barrington Area Library
- The Palatine Countryside Newspaper
- Palatine Park District
- Salt Creek Rural Park District
- Palatine Building Permits & Inspection Division
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