McHenry County, Illinois

McHenry County is located in the of. As of 2000, the population was 260,077. As of 2006, the estimated the population to be 312,373. Its is. This county is part of the. It is the sixth largest county, in terms of population, in the state of Illinois. Long known as a center of and, it has recently grappled with rapid rates of  and.

Geography
According to the, the county has a total area of 1,583 (611 ). 1,563 km² (604 sq mi) of it is land and 20 km² (8 sq mi) of it (1.25%) is water.

Adjacent Counties

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History
McHenry County was formed in 1836 out of and. The County was named for Major, an Indian fighter who died in in 1835.

McHenry County originally stretched all the way east to, with the county seat centrally in , but in 1839, the eastern townships of the county were carved out to form.

President 's mother and maternal grandfather  and possibly his maternal grandmother  were born in the county (near ).

Demographics
As of the of 2000, there were 260,077 people, 89,403 households, and 69,287 families residing in the county. The was 166/km² (431/sq mi). There were 92,908 housing units at an average density of 59/km² (154/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 93.91%, 0.59% or , 0.17% , 1.45% , 0.02% , 2.77% from , and 1.08% from two or more races. 7.54% of the population were or  of any race.

There were 89,403 households out of which 42.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.50% were living together, 7.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.50% were non-families. 18.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.89 and the average family size was 3.31.

In the county the population was spread out with 30.20% under the age of 18, 7.10% from 18 to 24, 33.50% from 25 to 44, 21.30% from 45 to 64, and 8.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 100.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $64,826, and the median income for a family was $71,553. Males had a median income of $50,479 versus $31,141 for females. The for the county was $26,476. About 2.50% of families and 3.70% of the population were below the, including 3.80% of those under age 18 and 3.60% of those age 65 or over.

Climate
McHenry County is like much of the, as it usually sees hot, humid summers, and cold, snowy winters. The county is notably susceptible to high wind events, blizzards, severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, and flooding.

Some of the most notable weather events in the county include the 1965, the Blizzard of 1967, the 1967 , the Flood of 1996, the , the , and the event.

Government
McHenry County government is based primarily out of Woodstock, the county seat. The McHenry County Government Center, located on the north end of Woodstock along, features county offices as well as judicial facilities. Several state agencies also have local offices in Woodstock.

Politics
McHenry County has historically been a reliable stronghold for the. The county has voted for the Republican candidate for Preisdent in almost every election for at least the past 50 years. Recent elections in 2004 and 2000 saw capture 59.72% and 58.5% of the county vote, respectively.

McHenry County is served in the by  (R), who represents the southern and western portions of the county, and  (D), who represents the northeastern parts of the county.

In the Illinois Senate, McHenry County is served by (R) and in the Illinois House by  (R) and  (D).

A majority of elected county officials are Republican.

Education
, a rapidly growing community college established in 1967, serves the majority of county residents. The college includes 2,000 full-time students and 5,800 part-time students. The main campus is located on the northwest side of Crystal Lake, along. Secondary facilities exist in Crystal Lake and McHenry.

McHenry County also includes dozens of school districts. There are also several high schools in the county. The largest high schools are, McHenry High School East & West, , , , , , , and , all of which are part of the. , Richmond-Burton High School, and Marengo High School are part of the Big Northern Conference. Alden-Hebron High School and are also found in the county.

Medical facilities
McHenry County is gradually gaining a reputation as an important center of healthcare, due to its unique location and proximity to a wide range of hospital systems. Hospitals currently in the county include Mercy Harvard Hospital, in McHenry, and  in Woodstock. There are also plans to build a Mercy hospital in Crystal Lake. Provena, Advocate, and Sherman also maintain a strong presence in the county, and have hospitals in nearby Elgin and Barrington.

Economy
Much of McHenry County's economy centers around manufacturing, metalworking, media development and printing, transportation equipment, agriculture, heathcare, education, retail, food production, distribution, and technology.

The major employment centers can be found in Crystal Lake, Algonquin, Huntley, McHenry, and Woodstock.

The southern portions of the county are within the scope of the, the region of commerce along the.

Shopping
The county is known for its wide variety of shopping options. McHenry, Crystal Lake, and Algonquin/Lake in the Hills have established themselves as major retail areas, all featuring an array of big box stores, specialty stores, and restaurants. While there are no major malls located within the county, several lie just outside its borders: the s and, the Huntley Prime Outlets , and the regional indoor mall  in.

In addition, several historic downtowns throughout the county offer unique shops and eateries in charming environments. The, antique shops in Richmond and Hebron, and shops in historic downtowns throughout the county accommodate residents and tourists alike.

Recreation
The entire county is served by the McHenry County Conservation District, which preserves sensitive land throughout the county and provides recreational opportunities for residents. The District also operates the McHenry County Prairie Path, a regional bike path that extends from the Wisconsin State Line in Richmond southward to Algonquin, where the path connects with the Fox River Bike Trail, which continues south to.

In addition, the and  provide immense opportunites for boating, fishing, swimming, and other water activities. and are both located in the county, adjacent to the waterway. Other major lakes in the county include Crystal Lake, Wonder Lake, and McCullom Lake.

There are also dozens of parks, golf courses, and country clubs throughout the county.

Major areas include Nordic Ski Jump in Fox River Grove and Buffalo Snowboarding Park in Algonquin. In addition, the Windy City Balloon Port in Fox River Grove offers rides over the Fox River Valley.

Culture
McHenry County has an active art and theater scene. The historic and Crystal Lake's Raue Center for the Arts both provide exceptional programs. In addition, Algonquin is noted for its Public Art Program, which showcases artwork year-round throughout the community.

There are also several important points of interest in the county including the and McHenry County Historical Museum in Union, the Old McHenry County Courthouse in Woodstock, and a variety of historical homes including the, , , the , the , and the Dole Mansion.

Throughout the year are a variety of festivals throughout the county, the centerpiece of which is the McHenry County Fair, occurring during a week in August in Woodstock. Many towns also have their own festivals throughout the year. Some of the most notable ones are the Dick Tracy Days in Woodstock, the Town Picnic in Huntley, the Summer Sunset Festival in Lake in the Hills, the Gala Festival in Crystal Lake, Milk Days in Harvard, Settler's Days in Marengo, Cary Days in Cary, Founders Days in Algonquin, and Fiesta Days in McHenry.

Transportation
Several state highways run through McHenry County, including, , , , , , , , , and. Highly traveled county highways include, Algonquin Road, and Walkup Road.

McHenry County is also the most populous county in the United States without direct access to an Interstate within its borders. As a result, most residents use nearby, a couple miles south in Kane County, to access the interstate highway system.

McHenry County is also served by Rail, which provides daily commuter service to and from downtown Chicago. There are seven stations in the county, all of them located along the. The county is also served by, which provides three regular bus routes, and dial-a-ride service for several communities.

offers general aviation service, as do Darcy Airport and Galt Airport, in the northern part of the county. is approximately 30-40 miles from the county.

Media
McHenry County is entirely within the scope of the  and the majority of the county relies primarily on Chicago television stations, raido stations, and newspapers for the source of its news and information. Certain sections of the county, particularly the rural far northern and far western parts, are also within the scope of the Milwaukee and Rockford media markets, respectively.

The county does have one FM radio station ( - Star 105.5 FM), which plays mostly and, and one AM radio station ( - 850 AM), which broadcasts daytime. WZSR is based out of Woodstock, while WCPT is based out of Crystal Lake.

Also, the county has its own major daily newspaper, the , which provides complete, comprehensive local coverage of news throughout the greater McHenry County area. There are also several weekly publications throughout the county, focusing on the individual municipalities.

Cities and villages

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Notable Residents

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