Grayslake, Illinois


Grayslake is a village in Lake County, Illinois, United States. The village's population at the 2020 census was 21,248. It is located in the Chicago metropolitan area, about north of Chicago's downtown, west of Lake Michigan, and south of the Wisconsin border.
Grayslake is home to the College of Lake County, Grayslake North High School, Grayslake Central High School, the University Center of Lake County and the Lake County Fairgrounds. At the south end of Grayslake, there are plans for a development containing light industry, office space and residential space.

History

Early history

In 1840, Massachusetts-born William M. Gray settled along the then-unnamed Grays Lake. Other farmers trickled into the area in 1840s. Gray moved to Waukegan in 1845.
In 1880, the Wisconsin Central Railroad built a line from Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, to Chicago that passed by the east side of Grays Lake. In 1886, the railroad built a station there, naming it Grayslake. The village incorporated in 1895.

Geography

Grayslake is located in central Lake County. Neighboring communities include Libertyville, Mundelein, Round Lake Park, Hainesville, Round Lake Beach, Lindenhurst, Third Lake, Gages Lake and Wildwood. Grayslake is predominantly within the boundaries of Avon Township, with a small portion in Fremont Township.
According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Grayslake has a total area of, of which is land and is water.

Lakes

is located in the center of the village and is bounded by Route 120, Lake Street, Harvey Avenue, and Alleghany Road.
Portions of Highland Lake are located within Grayslake.

Major streets

As of the 2020 census there were 21,248 people, 7,686 households, and 5,270 families residing in the village. The population density was. There were 8,503 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the village was 74.25% White, 4.53% African American, 0.42% Native American, 6.55% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 5.04% from other races, and 9.17% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 13.42% of the population.
There were 7,686 households, out of which 35.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.47% were married couples living together, 7.27% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.43% were non-families. 25.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.03% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.26 and the average family size was 2.65.
The village's age distribution consisted of 22.7% under the age of 18, 10.5% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 28.5% from 45 to 64, and 11.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 106.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.5 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $99,583, and the median income for a family was $121,577. Males had a median income of $65,965 versus $47,658 for females. The per capita income for the village was $46,346. About 4.8% of families and 7.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.5% of those under age 18 and 10.2% of those age 65 or over.
Race / Ethnicity Pop 2000Pop. 2010% 2000% 2010
White alone 16,28316,57815,18088.04%79.10%71.44%
Black or African American alone 2886679201.56%3.18%4.33%
Native American or Alaska Native alone 2935210.16%0.17%0.10%
Asian alone 7811,4061,3814.22%6.71%6.50%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone 4340.02%0.01%0.02%
Other race alone 1534860.08%0.16%0.40%
Mixed race or Multiracial 1763818050.95%1.82%3.79%
Hispanic or Latino 9201,8532,8514.97%8.84%13.42%
Total18,50620,95721,248100.00%100.00%100.00%

Transportation

Grayslake has two Metra lines providing rail service to downtown Chicago. A station in south Grayslake is used by the Milwaukee District North Line which provides service between Fox Lake and Union Station by way of Libertyville. Another station on Washington Street in north Grayslake is on the North Central Service which provides weekday service between Antioch and Union Station with a stop at O'Hare International Airport. Bus service is mainly served by Pace route 570 and the Round Lake On Demand service, although routes 565, 572, and 574 briefly enter the town to terminate at the College of Lake County campus in east Grayslake.
Four main traffic routes pass through Grayslake contributing to heavy traffic congestion during morning and afternoon rush hours.
Campbell Airport is a small, privately owned facility southwest of town.
For many years, there has been discussion about extending the Illinois Route 53 expressway north to Grayslake. It would end at another proposed expressway, the Illinois Route 120 bypass that would go from Gurnee to Volo. In a county-wide referendum in April 2009, 76% of voters voted in support of the extension.

Public services

Police department

The Grayslake Police Department employs 31 full-time sworn police officers, seven part-time sworn police officers, and three non-sworn staff members that provide service to the residents of Grayslake and Hainesville. The Grayslake Police Department is fully accredited by the National Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies. All police dispatch is handed by the Public Safety Dispatch Center in Glenview, Illinois.

Fire protection district

The Grayslake Fire Protection District currently serves in central Lake County, including the villages of Grayslake, Third Lake, Round Lake Park, and Round Lake Beach; Fremont Township; the unincorporated communities of Wildwood and Highland Lake; and the Census-designated place Gages Lake. The fire district has three fire stations, with the headquarters station located in downtown Grayslake. There are 39 career members and 20 part-time members. Career members include 27 firefighter-paramedics, three battalion chiefs, and nine lieutenants. The fire district is a member of Illinois's Mutual Aid Box Alarm System Division 4 serving Lake and McHenry Counties. Communications are handled through the Glenview Public Safety Dispatch Center offering Enhanced 911 service.

Finances

According to an April 2021 article in Forbes Magazine, Grayslake Village Manager Michael J. Ellis is the third highest-paid village or city manager in the state of Illinois, with an annual salary of $294,980.

Drinking water supply

The village's water supply comes from the Central Lake County Joint Action Water Agency in Lake Bluff. CLCJAWA purifies water from Lake Michigan.

Politics

State officials

; Colleges
  • College of Lake County
  • University Center of Lake County
; High schools
; Elementary schools
  • Grayslake Middle School
  • Park Campus K–8
  • Frederick
  • Meadowview
  • Prairieview
  • Avon
  • Woodview
  • Westlake Christian Academy K–12
  • St. Gilbert School PK–8
  • Prairie Crossing Charter School K–8

    Sports teams

Grayslake is home to AYSO region 396, a national soccer organization. The youth football team is the Colts. Grayslake Youth Lacrosse Association is the local youth lacrosse program. Central High School's teams are the Rams, and North High School's teams are the Knights. The high school ice hockey club is called Lakers Hockey.
Grayslake Youth Baseball Association is a volunteer organization in Lake County. It has girls' and boys' T-ball and baseball included. In 2008, the Grayslake Park District opened a new sports complex on Alleghany Road across from Campbell Airport. The facility includes five baseball/softball fields, tennis courts, a small recreational pond, numerous soccer fields and a concession stand.

Recreation and amenities

Grayslake provides fishing, swimming, and boating opportunities in the summer and ice fishing, skating, and hockey in the winter. There are two public golf courses in Grayslake: Carillon, a nine-hole facility run by the Park District, and Brae Loch, a Lake County Forest Preserve course. There are numerous tennis courts run by the Park District, and both high schools feature over eight courts each, open to the public. Most neighborhoods have their own parks with recreational equipment.
On the north side of town is Rollins Savannah, a county forest preserve of with a bird observation deck, trails and walkways through wetlands. Immediately east of the old downtown district is Central Park, which contains many recreational facilities, including:
  • The Esper A. Petersen Foundation Family Aquatic Center, opened in 2000. It features two water slides, recreational and lap swimming facilities.
  • The Daniel Barry Skate park is located across from the aquatic facility and next to a community garden.
  • Grayslake Library was moved to a brand new building in 1997. This larger facility, in addition to a book collection, features meeting rooms and computer/internet resources.
  • Central Park has baseball and softball fields and a football/soccer/lacrosse field with lights for night games, a concession stand, a band shell, a playground with a water feature for small children. There is a bocce court and shuffleboard court, and there is a disc golf course in the woods throughout the entire park. This is all within a walking distance of the Grayslake Senior Center.