Kenilworth, Illinois

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Kenilworth, Illinois


Location within Chicagoland.	The Chicagoland tristate area.

Incorporated

Village in 1889.

County; State

Cook; Illinois

Township

New Trier

Government

Council-manager

President

Tolbert Chisum

Population (2000)

2,494 (up 3.2% from 1990)

Pop. density

1,252.0/km² (3,242.7/mi²)

Zip code(s)

60043

Area code

847 & 224

Land area

0.97 km² (0.6 mi²)

Income

Per capita: $100,718
Household: $200,001

Home value

Mean: $926,900 (2000)
Median: $972,000

Website

www.villageofkenilworth.org

**Demographics** (Full data)
White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	Islander	Native	Other
96.2%	0.16%	1.36%	2.25%	0.00%	0.04%	0.00%

Kenilworth is a village in Cook County, Illinois, approximately 17 mi (28 km) north of downtown Chicago. It is the newest of the nine suburban North Shore communities bordering Lake Michigan, and is the only one developed as a planned community.

1 History
2 Reputation
3 Education
4 Public Entities and Points of Interest
5 Kenilworth Assembly Hall
6 Teardown Controversy
7 Rebel Football
8 Geography
9 Demographics
10 Notable People
11 External links

[edit] History

Joseph Sears purchased 223.6 acres in one of the last undeveloped areas near Chicago's lakeshore for $150,300 in 1889. Seven years later, the population had reached 300 residents, fulfilling the legal requirement for incorporation. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 2,494.

[edit] Reputation

Kenilworth has a reputation as the wealthiest and most exclusive community in Chicagoland. In April 2005, American Demographics magazine named Kenilworth's ZIP code (60043) the 11th most affluent in the US and in April 2006, Forbes magazine ranked Kenilworth as the 88th most expensive ZIP code [1].

[edit] Education

Kenilworth has its own public school district, with its only school being Joseph Sears School, named after the founder of the village. The school, commonly known as Sears, runs from junior kindergarten through eighth grade, with about sixty students per grade. Sears has its own gymnasium, auditorium, library, and two high-tech computer labs, in addition to a blacktop and large fields behind the school. Annual events that go on at Sears include The Eighth Grade Play, the Spelling Bee, the Geography Bee, Scamper Night (concert put-on by the Girl Scouts), and Field Day (tigers vs. wildcats). Most students participate in one of the school's athletic teams, including basketball, football, volleyball, soccer, and field hockey. While Sears is a public school, many people outside of the community think of it as a private school, because the entire student body comes from the same wealthy neighborhood.

There are no private schools in the small village of Kenilworth itself, but some K-8 students do attend nearby schools such as Sts. Faith, Hope and Charity, St. Joseph, St. Francis Xavier or North Shore Country Day.

The vast majority of high schoolers in Kenilworth attend New Trier High School, the district high school just down the road, but others attend a variety of private schools including local and boarding schools. The most popular choices for students looking for alternatives include local private schools such as Loyola Academy and Lake Forest Academy as well as east coast schools like The Hotchkiss School and Westminister School.

School Website [2]
Teacher Salaries [3]
Illinois School Report Card [4]

[edit] Public Entities and Points of Interest

Places in Kenilworth include

The Kenilworth Beach - The local public beach, it is divided into a sailing beach and a people beach
Pee Wee Field - Baseball field located on the west side of town where many little leaguers play
Townley Field - District-owned field behind the school where many sports go on including football, soccer, lacrosse, and the school Field Day
The Ware Garden - Public courtyard on the eastside where many residents walk their dogs
McKinely Park - A small park on the southside of town
Kenilworth Train Station - Train station on the Metra Line inbetween Indian Hill and Wilmette lines
Joseph Sears School - Public elementary and grade school on Abbotsford road (JK-8)
The Kenilworth Club - A frequented community house that hosts all sorts of venues throughout the year
Kenilworth Union Church - A Non denominational Christian church on Kenilworth Road
Church of the Holy Comforter - Episcopal Church across the street from Kenilworth Union

Kenilworth does not have its own fire department or library; the town shares a fire department with neighboring Winnetka and library with neighboring Wilmette and Winnetka. Kenilworth has its own police department and 9-1-1 call center.

[edit] Kenilworth Assembly Hall

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Formerly known as the Kenilworth Club, the Assembly Hall is a community building in the center of the village used for civic events for the town's gatherings, school-related events, and private organizations' meetings. The building was constructed by George Maher in 1907, and will reach its centennial commemoration next summer. The community house is used by the Historical Society, Joseph Sears School, and the Boy and Girl Scouts programs among others. In addition, a handful of yearly events go on at the Kenilworth Club, including Bingo Night, The Memorial Day Parade, and the Halloween Party. According to the official website, the Club's mission is, "To educate members of the community about the village, its history and architecture, as represented by the Assembly Hall itself; to promote friendly relations among its members; to serve their social needs; and to promote cultural activities, provide literary entertainment and encourage mental culture."

[edit] Teardown Controversy

One of the growing controversies in Kenilworth is the issue of tearing down historical homes. In the last three years, over 20 houses have been torn down, and have been replaced with bigger and more modern houses, dubbed "McMansions" by the community members who oppose the new movement. But the issue goes farther than just the new houses, it is the homes that are getting torn down. Recently, owners of historically important homes have sold their houses to developers who construct extravagant and massive houses, which has in turn drawn negative reactions from many residents. Kenilworth has many homes built by famous architects like the Burnham brothers, George Maher, and Frank Lloyd Wright, some of which have been in the center of the controversy. The controversy is evident as one drives around Kenilworth and sees the many small yard signs protesting the demolition of homes. One of the most talked about homes "that could be torn down" is 157 Kenilworth Avenue. This house was going to be torn down in the summer of 2006, but ended up being preserved. The issue drew national attention in 2006 when the National Trust for Historical Preservation put Kenilworth in its "Eleven Most Endangered Places" in the US.

Some homes that drew controversy before being torn down include:

338 Kenilworth Ave
414 Warwick Rd
512 Roslyn Rd

[edit] Rebel Football

Kenilworth has its own sixth through eighth grade football program, called the Rebels. The team is comprised of mostly boys from Sears School, but the team usually fields a few students from Wilmette and Winnetka. The squad practices four days a week during the season, and plays on weekdays at Townley Field, the field directly behind the school. While the first ten or so games are fun to watch, the spectacle of the year is the last game of the season, against their rivals to the south, Wilmette Football. Wilmette is roughly twenty times the size of tiny Kenilworth, but the Rebels seem to put up a fight year in and year out. The game is always the final match of the season, and is always under the lights in either Kenilworth or Wilmette.

[edit] Geography

Kenilworth is located at 42°5′17″N, 87°42′57″W (42.088128, -87.716009)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 1.6 km² (0.6 mi²), all land.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 2,494 people, 792 households, and 697 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,604.9/km² (4,190.8/mi²). There were 815 housing units at an average density of 524.5/km² (1,369.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the village was 97.27% White, 0.16% African American, 0.04% Native American, 2.25% Asian, and 0.28% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.36% of the population.

There were 792 households out of which 49.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 81.7% were married couples living together, 5.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 11.9% were non-families. 10.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.15 and the average family size was 3.39.

In the village the population was spread out with 34.8% under the age of 18, 4.0% from 18 to 24, 19.7% from 25 to 44, 29.7% from 45 to 64, and 11.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 90.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.3 males.

The median income for a household in the village is $297,585, as is the median income for a family. Males had a median income of over $100,000 versus $69,375 for females. The per capita income for the village was $100,718. None of the families were below the poverty line.

Kenilworth is one of the most conservative in Chicagoland. George Bush received over 70% of the vote in 2004. (New Trier Precincts 22-24)