Riverwoods, Illinois


Riverwoods is a village in Lake County, Illinois, United States. It was established on the banks of the Des Plaines River in 1959 by local steel magnate Jay Peterson. Per the 2020 census, the population was 3,790. The corporate headquarters of CCH are located there, as well as Orphans of the Storm, an animal shelter founded in 1928 by famous dancer Irene Castle. The village used to host the annual "Arts & Riverwoods" festival.

History

In 1885 a station for the Wisconsin Central Railroad was built near the modern day intersection of Deerfield Road and North Milwaukee Avenue that over time caused an increase in the local population. The first half of the 20th-century saw Riverwoods as a popular vacation spot. The Des Plaines River was often frequented by outdoorsman.
In 1959 the locals had Riverwoods incorporated as a village in order to halt development and protect their woodlands.
The 565 acre Edward L. Ryerson Conservation Area is considered the soul of the community after the Ryerson family began donating their land to the Lake County Forest Preserves in 1966.

Geography

Riverwoods is a suburb of the city of Chicago, located in the extreme northeastern region of Illinois. According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Riverwoods has a total area of, of which is land and is water.

Architecture

Riverwoods features many significant examples of midcentury residential design, including over 40 homes designed by "prairie modernist" architect Edward Humrich. A recent wave of teardowns and the lack of a local preservation ordinance led the Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois to identify Riverwoods in 2006 as one of the Chicago region's communities most threatened by overdevelopment.

Demographics

As of the 2020 census there were 3,790 people, 1,250 households, and 1,076 families residing in the village. The population density was. There were 1,325 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the village was 83.32% White, 0.55% African American, 0.13% Native American, 9.26% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 1.16% from other races, and 5.57% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.61% of the population.
There were 1,250 households, out of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 84.64% were married couples living together, 0.96% had a female householder with no husband present, and 13.92% were non-families. 9.68% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.12% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.97 and the average family size was 2.74.
The village's age distribution consisted of 21.2% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 16.1% from 25 to 44, 26.8% from 45 to 64, and 30.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 54.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.4 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $231,477, and the median income for a family was $232,386. Males had a median income of $109,464 versus $45,526 for females. The per capita income for the village was $93,770. About 6.0% of families and 7.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.0% of those under age 18 and 5.5% of those age 65 or over.
Race / Ethnicity Pop 2000Pop 2010% 2000% 2010
White alone 3,5603,3323,14292.64%91.04%82.90%
Black or African American alone 1426200.36%0.71%0.53%
Native American or Alaska Native alone 0820.00%0.22%0.05%
Asian alone 1701713514.42%4.67%9.26%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone 1000.03%0.00%0.00%
Other race alone 41100.10%0.03%0.26%
Mixed race or Multiracial 18201280.47%0.55%3.38%
Hispanic or Latino 761021371.98%2.79%3.61%
Total3,8433,6603,790100.00%100.00%100.00%

Schools

Most of Riverwoods is part of Deerfield School District 109 for elementary and middle school, and part of Township High School District 113 for high school. Accordingly, these residents attend Wilmot Elementary School, South Park Elementary School, Caruso Middle School and Deerfield High School. Some areas of Riverwoods reside in Lincolnshire-Prairie View School District 103 or Bannockburn Elementary School District 106 for elementary school, and Adlai E. Stevenson District 125 for high school.

Transportation

provides bus service on Routes 234, 272 and 626 connecting Riverwoods to Des Plaines, Niles, Vernon Hills, and other destinations.

Notable people