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Illinois
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Village
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1888
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Niles
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Cook County
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Council-manager
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Mayor
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George Van Dusen
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63,348
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2,4361
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6,3087
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up
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66
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1990
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656
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451
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571
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2128
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186
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017
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087
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60076, 60077
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847 & 224
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262
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101
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42
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213
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87
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4424
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27,136
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70122
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57,375
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209,700
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235,000 ( 2001 )
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skokieorg
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(formerly Niles Center) is a
Village located in
Cook County, Illinois . It is a
Suburb of
Chicago , located 16 miles north-northwest of the
Loop . As of the 2000 census, the village had a total population of 63,348.
The Yellow Line of the
Chicago Transit Authority rapid transit system (formerly known as the
Skokie Swift ) has its terminus on Dempster Street in Skokie.
Skokie is located at 42°2'13" North, 87°44'24" West (42.037030, -87.740070).
According to the
United States Census Bureau , the village has a total area of 26.0
Km&2 (10.0
Mi&2 ). 26.0 km&
2 (10.0 mi&
2) of it is land and none of it is covered by water.
Skokie is bordered by
Evanston ,
Chicago ,
Lincolnwood ,
Niles ,
Morton Grove ,
Glenview and
Wilmette .
Skokie has a grid-like street pattern with major east-west streets every half a mile. Major east-west streets are Old Orchard Road, Golf Road, Church Street, Dempster Street, Main Street, Oakton Street, Howard Street, and Touhy Avenue. The major north-south streets are Skokie Boulevard, Crawford Avenue, and McCormick Boulevard. Major diagonal streets are Lincoln Avenue, Niles Center Road, and Gross Point Road.
As of the
Census of 2000, there were 63,348 people, 23,223 households, and 17,045 families residing in the village. The
Population Density was 2,436.1/km&
2 (6,308.7/mi&
2). There were 23,702 housing units at an average density of 911.5/km&
2 (2,360.4/mi&
2). The racial makeup of the village was 65.6%
White , 4.51%
African American , 0.17%
Native American , 21.28%
Asian , 0.03%
Pacific Islander , 1.86% from
Other Races , and 3.23% from two or more races. 5.71% of the population were
Hispanic or
Latino of any race.
There were 23,223 households out of which 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.5% were
Married Couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.6% were non-families. 23.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.20.
In the village the population was spread out with 23.0% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 25.5% from 45 to 64, and 19.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 90.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.2 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $57,375, and the median income for a family was $68,253. Males had a median income of $44,869 versus $33,051 for females. The
Per Capita Income for the village was $27,136. 5.4% of the population and 4.2% of families were below the
Poverty Line . 5.9% of those under the age of 18 and 5.3% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
Skokie's diverse population usually makes it a strong Democratic stronghold. It has annual culture fests and other liberal, free thinking festivisties.
Skokie was originally incorporated in 1888 with the name Niles Centre. Historians estimate that around 1910, the spelling was changed to Niles Center. Confusion was caused by the neighboring village of
Niles (both villages were within Niles Township), and a campaign emerged to change the village's name by the late 1930s. The community became known as the Village of Skokie (from the Potawatomi dialect for "big swamp") on
November 15 ,
1940 .
Skokie is also the traditional home of Chicago's Jewish population, although in recent years the town has significantly diversified and much of the Jewish population has moved to other suburbs. In 1977 and 1978, members of the
National Socialist Party Of America (an offshoot of the
American Nazi Party ) attempted to march through Skokie. The NSPA planned to rally in Maquette Park,
Chicago ; the city reacted by placing a ban on all demonstrations in the park. Seeking another venue, the NSPA chose Skokie.
On account of the large number of
Holocaust survivors in Skokie, it was believed that the march would be disruptive, and the village refused to allow it. The
American Civil Liberties Union intereceded on the behalf of the NSPA in ''National Socialist Party vs. Village of Skokie'', and the march was permitted to proceed under court order but they were not permitted to show or wear the swastika. However, due to the recant of the Maquette Park ban, the NSPA decided to rally at their original venue.
On
July 2 ,
1999 ,
Creativity disciple
Benjamin Nathaniel Smith killed former
Northwestern University Basketball coach
Ricky Byrdsong near Byrdsong's house in Skokie.
In December 2000, Skokie's courthouse on Old Orchard Road became the stage for yet another
Anti-Semitic organization, the
Ku Klux Klan .
Anti-Racist Action and the
Jewish Defense League made counter-protests.
According to Virgil Vogel's ''Indian Place Names in Illinois'' (Illinois State Historical Society, 1963), the name Skokie may have been derived "directly from 'skoutay' or 'scoti' and variant Algonquian words for fire. The reference is to the fact that the marshy grasslands, such as occurred in the Skokie region were burned over by the Indians in order to flush out the game."
Vogel continues; "Several persons declare that 'Skokie is the Indian word for marsh.' Allowing for corruption this seems correct. Until about 30 years ago the Skokie marsh area was shown on maps as ''Chewab Skokie''. This is probably a derivation from ''Kitchi-wap choku'', the Potawatomi term for a great marsh. This explanation, though lacking documentation, is more credible because it is consistent with the former physiography of the area."
William Bright in the book ''Native Placenames of the United States'' (U. of Oklahoma Pr, 2004) lists Vogel's Potawatomi derivation first but adds reference to the Ojibwa term ''miishkooki'' which also means marsh. Bright cites the ''Eastern Ojibwa-Chippewa-Ottawa Dictionary'' by Richard A Rhodes (Mouton, 1985) as the source of this information.
Another theory is that the name of Skokie originated from a word in the
Potawatomi language meaning "Big Swamp".
See SkokieNet's School page
{Link without Title} for the most complete listing of Skokie's public and private schools with links to their websites.
See http://www.skokie.org/high%20school.jpg for the borders between the districts.
- Niles West of District 219
- Niles North of District 219
- Niles East High School, formerly of District 219 (does not exist anymore)
- Evanston Township High School of District 202 (Which only serves students who live on the border of Skokie and Evanston East of Crawford, South of Golf and north of Dempster St in area code 60203)
See http://www.skokie.org/elementary.jpg for the borders between districts.
See the same map as elementary schools.
