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. In the 2010 census its population had risen to 68,557, making it the seventh-largest community in Cook County and the 18th-largest in the state of Illinois.
Maps, Directions, and Place Reviews
History
The first European-American to settle in Palatine is generally thought to be George Ela, who built a log cabin in the area now called Deer Grove. Ela was 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 Road 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 shortline 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 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.
Palatine's first suburb-style subdivision was called Palanois Park, built shortly after World War II. The town has experienced rapid growth since the 1970s, part of Chicago's growing suburban sprawl. Palatine was home to the Cook County Fair from 1914 to 1931. The fairgrounds are now a subdivision with a name that pays tribute to Palatine's former fairgrounds.
During the early 1990s, Palatine along with neighboring Rolling Meadows and far northern suburb Zion were sued by atheist activist Rob Sherman over its village seal and seal-defaced flag, which had a Christian cross, among other things, inside an outline of an eagle. A 1992 advisory referendum to keep the seal passed, but another referendum to use public funds to defend the seal failed, leading the village to drop the seal. While Rolling Meadows and Zion developed new seals with the crosses removed, Palatine has since been without an official seal or flag, and is Illinois' largest city or village to be so. The French tricolor reflecting the village's sister city relationship with Fontenay-le-Comte, France, has flown at times on the flagpole meant for the village flag outside the village hall.
In 1993, a multiple homicide, the Brown's Chicken massacre, received national attention.
Palatine has been in the process of revitalizing its downtown area since December 1999. This process has spawned a new passenger train station, a nearby parking garage, and several new condominiums, rowhomes, and commercial buildings.
In 2008, Palatine made news by threatening to secede from Cook County over the latter's sales tax hike; as a result of the tax hike, Palatine's sales tax is 9.0%. In 2009, residents of Palatine Township (which includes the village of Palatine) overwhelmingly voted to pass an advisory referendum stating that they would like to secede from Cook County.
Geography
Palatine is located at 42°7?1?N 88°2?26?W (42.116885, -88.040613).
According to the 2010 census, Palatine has a total area of 13.763 square miles (35.65 km2), of which 13.62 square miles (35.28 km2) (or 98.96%) is land and 0.143 square miles (0.37 km2) (or 1.04%) is water. Palatine's shape resembles that of the head of an axe.
Palatine is in a wooded marshland where several streams rise around the village. Most of these streams meet up with 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.
Demographics
As of the 2010 census, there were 68,557 people, 26,876 households, and 17,646 families residing in the village. The racial makeup of the village was 76.9% White, 2.7% African American, 0.3% Native American, 10.3% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 7.4% some other race, and 2.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 18.0% of the population.
There were 26,876 households out of which 33.2% had any child under the age of 18 living with them, 52.8% were headed by husband-wife couples, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.3% were non-families. 27.8% of all households were made up of individuals living alone, and 7.5% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54, and the average family size was 3.16.
In the village, the population was spread out with 23.9% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 30.6% from 25 to 44, 27.3% from 45 to 64, and 10.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36.8 years. Of the total population, 49.4% were male and 50.6% were female.
According to the 2011 American Community Survey, the estimated median income for a household in the village was $63,756, and the median income for a family was $74,915. The per capita income for the village was $30,049. About 8.2% of families and 9.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.4% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those age 65 or over.
The village is home to a large Sikh gurdwara on its northwest side that is visited by Sikhs from across the country.
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 Jim Schwantz.
Economy
JPMorgan Chase (Chase Cards) has a payment processing center located in Palatine.
Weber-Stephen Products, manufacturers of the Weber grill, and Square D, one of the largest makers of circuit breakers, are both headquartered in Palatine.
Top employers
According to Palatine's 2015 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:
Education
Primary and secondary schools
Palatine is part of Community Consolidated School District 15 (CCSD15) for public elementary schools and Township High School District 211 (D211) for public high schools. Both the school districts' main offices are located in Palatine, and have both won numerous awards. In 2003, CCSD15 was awarded the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award by then-President, George W. Bush; few school districts in the nation have been awarded since the awards began in 1988. 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 are two public junior high schools in Palatine, Walter R. Sundling Junior High, and Winston Campus-Junior High. Some students in Palatine attend Plum Grove Junior High in Rolling Meadows, just outside Palatine's limits.
Elementary schools (K-6)
- Gray M. Sanborn School
- Hunting Ridge School
- Jane Addams School
- Lake Louise School
- Lincoln School
- Marion Jordan School
- Pleasant Hill School
- Stuart R. Paddock School
- Virginia Lake School
- Winston Campus School-Elementary
Junior high schools (7-8)
- Walter R. Sundling Junior High
Feeder schools: Lincoln, Sanborn, Virginia Lake and Marion Jordan
- Winston Campus-Junior High
Feeder schools: Winston Campus-Elementary, Lake Louise, and Jane Addams
- Plum Grove Junior High
Feeder schools: Hunting Ridge, Pleasant Hill, and Paddock
Private schools (Preschool-8)
Parochial schools:
- Saint Theresa (Catholic)
- Saint Thomas of Villanova (Catholic)
- Immanuel Lutheran (Lutheran)
Independent schools:
- Quest Academy
High schools
- Palatine High School
Feeder schools: Walter R. Sundling (students that attended Lincoln, Sanborn, and Virginia Lake) and Winston Campus-Junior High
- William Fremd High School
Feeder schools: Plum Grove Junior High and Walter R. Sundling (students that attended Marion Jordan)
- District 211 Academy-North
Tertiary education
Colleges
- William Rainey Harper College
Miscellaneous education
The Chicago Northwest Suburban Chinese School (CNSCS, T: ??????????, S: ??????????, P: Zh?ji?g? X?b?iji?o Zh?ngwén Xuéxiào) holds its classes at William Fremd High School. The school serves students in grades preschool through 10, and the school offers extracurricular classes to children and adults. Several parents opened the school in 1981. In 1992 the Illinois State Board of Education accredited the school as a foreign language school. In 2003 the school had over 180 students. As of 2011 the school had a total of 200 students.
Frank Parng, the principal of the Chicago Northwest Suburban Chinese School (CNSCS, T: ??????????, S: ??????????, P: Zh?ji?g? X?b?iji?o Zh?ngwén Xuéxiào), stated that weekend Chinese schools began opening in the Palatine area in the late 1970s and early 1980s. By 2003 the number of students served at the schools in Palatine had increased due to rising immigration. That year, there were two non-profit Chinese supplementary schools in Palatine, which served a combined total of almost 800 students.
Park districts
Palatine Park District
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 swimming pools at Family Aquatic Center, Birchwood, and Eagle, as well as recreational centers at Community Center, Birchwood, and Falcon Park - which opened in January 2010.
Events
- Streetfest- Similar to Taste of Chicago, this event includes lines of food vendors down the streets of Downtown Palatine, with music playing and games and other fun activities going on at the same time. This happens at the end of every summer (August) every year and is meant for families and friends to enjoy.
- Fourth of July Celebration- Another tradition of Palatine is the schedule of Fourth of July events that occur every year. From an annual parade, to fireworks which traditionally occur on the third of July, to the carnival that comes into town, Palatine is full of the traditional celebration of every Fourth of July holiday. Events are for members of all ages, and are things that occur every year.
Sister cities
- Fontenay-le-Comte, Vendée, France.
Notable people
- Michael Bradley, midfielder with the US National Team and Toronto FC; lived in Palatine
- Mauro Fiore, Academy Award-winning cinematographer; attended Palatine High School
- John Gegenhuber, actor
- Born of Osiris, Metal band; most of the members attended William Fremd High School
- Vicki Gunvalson, cast member of The Real Housewives of Orange County
- Stanley M. Hough, thoroughbred racehorse trainer
- Todd Hundley, catcher with the Mets, Cubs, and Dodgers; attended William Fremd High School
- Timothy Huskey, distinguished US Army helicopter pilot (Distinguished Flying Cross and Bronze Star Medal); author ("Blood and Iron" and "The Dreamland Deception")
- Wendell E. Jones, Illinois educator, businessman, and politician
- Thymme Jones, drummer for Cheer-Accident
- Larry Lujack, radio personality; lived in Palatine while hosting on WLS
- Carol Marin, journalist (NBC 5 Chicago, Chicago Tonight); attended Palatine High School
- Christina Moore, actress (MADtv)(Jessie)
- Kris Myers, percussionist for Umphrey's McGee
- Ted Nugent, guitarist and singer; grew up in Palatine
- Bernard E. Pedersen, businessman and Illinois state legislator
- Frederik Pohl, science-fiction writer and critic
- David Saunders, wide receiver and linebacker with several arena football teams
- Jim Schwantz, linebacker with the Chicago Bears, San Francisco 49ers, and Dallas Cowboys; mayor of Palatine
- Rollin S. Williamson, state politician and judge
- Scott Tolzien, Quarterback of the Indianapolis Colts and former quarterback of the Wisconsin Badgers
- Taylor Hill, Victoria Secret model; born in Palatine.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
EmoticonEmoticon