Rosemont, Illinois
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rosemont is a village in Cook County, Illinois, founded in 1956. The population was 4,224 at the 2000 census.
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[edit] Geography
Rosemont is located at (41.990730, -87.873816)GR1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 4.5 km² (1.7 mi²), all land.
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 4,224 people, 1,692 households, and 986 families residing in the village. The population density was 937.3/km² (2,423.6/mi²). There were 1,745 housing units at an average density of 387.2/km² (1,001.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the village was 79.24% White, 1.35% African American, 0.88% Native American, 4.40% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 11.55% from other races, and 2.56% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 35.35% of the population.
There were 1,692 households out of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.3% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.7% were non-families. 35.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.31.
In the village the population was spread out with 24.4% under the age of 18, 10.4% from 18 to 24, 35.7% from 25 to 44, 18.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 110.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 111.2 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $34,663, and the median income for a family was $44,939. Males had a median income of $30,066 versus $30,015 for females. The per capita income for the village was $19,781. About 10.6% of families and 14.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.6% of those under age 18 and 10.6% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Economy
Rosemont is positioned directly between O'Hare International Airport and Chicago. Due to its location, much of the village is occupied by large hotels and office buildings. Almost all major hotel chains operating in the United States have a presence in Rosemont, including Global Hyatt Corporation, Hilton Hotels Corporation, Marriott International, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Accor, and Intercontinental Hotels Group, among others.
According to Colliers Bennett & Kahnweiler, the Rosemont/O'Hare office market encompassed approximately 14 million square feet of total inventory in 2005. Corporate headquarters in the village include those of Banco Popular North America and Taylor Capital Group (Cole Taylor Bank).
Additionally, Rosemont operates several visitor related-forums. Among these are the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, used for trade shows and gatherings; the Rosemont Theater, used for theatrical purposes; and the Allstate Arena, used for concerts, professional wrestling (three times hosting WrestleMania), Chicago Rush arena football, and Chicago Wolves hockey.
It is estimated that about 1.9 million people visited the above three facilities in 2003, and that annual retail charges made by visitors in the same year totaled $204 million.
In this sense, Rosemont is the quintessential edge city, as the village's daytime population and employment base exceeds the number of actual residents.
[edit] Reputation
Within Chicagoland, and despite its status as a popular destination, Rosemont is regarded as an enigma - a closely-knit, reclusive neighborhood that regards outsiders with suspicion. The main residential area is guarded by a police checkpoint. Its reputation for secrecy is so large that filmmaker Michael Moore, on his television series TV Nation, visited Rosemont to investigate, and to poke fun of village residents.[citation needed]
Attempts to describe Rosemont and its citizens have been largely unsuccessful. In an April 2004 issue of the Chicago Tribune, a reporter attempted to profile the village, but was rebuked due to the refusal of many citizens to answer questions or talk about their home. The reporter was forced to rely on official sources, and to talk with people who lived outside the residential neighborhood.[citation needed]
Because of the village's commercial developments, not to mention taxes collected from hotel rooms, its municipal government brings in a lot of money, much to the chagrin of neighboring communities. The village's mayor, Donald Stephens, is heavily involved in political fundraising throughout the state of Illinois, so the village is considered extremely powerful politically.[citation needed]
Rosemont is the sponsor of the seven time DCI world champions, The Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps.
[edit] Recent controversy
In recent years, Rosemont has been the center of a controversy involving the placement of a casino. In 1999, the village won support from the Illinois General Assembly to build a casino in the village. However, in 2001, the casino was blocked after the Illinois Gaming Board claimed that some investors in the Rosemont casino had connections to organized crime.[citation needed]
The issue became more convoluted after, in 2004, the Gaming Board seemingly reversed its earlier statements and awarded Rosemont the casino license, in competition with two other Illinois communities. Although the board claimed its decision was made by considering the public good, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan blocked the casino license, and the issue is currently in limbo.[citation needed]
Although the Chicago Crime Commission investigated Mayor Stephens himself for ties to organized crime, no evidence has been presented to back this up, and the village considers the investigation over. During the 1980s, Stephens was acquitted on charges of federal tax and fraud charges.[citation needed]
Rosemont is sometimes accused of having a "cult" to Stephens, who has been mayor since the village was incorporated in 1956, because of the large number of places in the village named after the mayor, including the Donald E. Stephens Ballroom, the Donald E. Stephens Park, and the Donald E. Stephens Museum of Hummels. Also, the Stephens family has been criticized for rampant nepotism in creating its power within the village - the Public Safety Department is headed by Mayor Stephens' oldest son, while Stephens' grandson is the Deputy Director of the department as well as the chief of police, another son serves on the Village Board of Trustees, while other relatives hold various municipal positions.[citation needed]
[edit] Quotes
"Everywhere you look in this town, it seems, there's a welcome sign, embellished with a big red rose. It's just lovely. Except for the curious fact that Rosemont is not exactly what you'd call a welcoming place. In spite of, or perhaps because, of all the unsavory news stories lately, Rosemont remains a mystery to most Chicagoans."
- Emily Nunn, "In Search of Rosemont," Chicago Tribune, April 16, 2004
"I gave birth to this village."
- Rosemont Mayor Donald E. Stephens, quoted in the Chicago Tribune, July 25, 1999
[edit] External links
- Official Rosemont Website
- Rosemont 50th Anniversary Laser Show Gallery
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
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| Central City | Chicago |  |
| Largest cities (over 30,000 in 2000) | Aurora • Berwyn • Calumet City • Chicago Heights • Crystal Lake • DeKalb • Des Plaines • East Chicago • Elgin • Elmhurst • Evanston • Gary • Hammond • Harvey • Highland Park • Joliet • Kenosha • Naperville • North Chicago • Park Ridge • Portage • Waukegan • Wheaton |
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| Largest towns and villages (over 30,000 in 2000) | Addison • Arlington Heights • Bartlett • Bolingbrook • Buffalo Grove • Carol Stream • Carpentersville • Cicero • Downers Grove • Elk Grove Village • Glendale Heights • Glenview • Hanover Park • Hoffman Estates • Lombard • Merrillville • Mount Prospect • Mundelein • Niles • Northbrook • Oak Lawn • Oak Park • Orland Park • Palatine • Schaumburg • Skokie • Streamwood • Tinley Park • Wheeling • Woodridge | |
| Counties | Cook • DeKalb • DuPage • Grundy • Jasper • Kane • Kankakee • Kendall • Kenosha • Lake (Illinois) • Lake (Indiana) • LaPorte • McHenry • Newton • Porter • Will | |
