Winthrop Harbor, Illinois
Winthrop Harbor is a village in Lake County, Illinois, United States. Winthrop Harbor is considered the corner stone of Illinois. Per the 2020 census, the population was 6,705. It is located along the northern border of Illinois and is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. Winthrop Harbor is known for its North Point Marina, and is a warning demarcation point for the National Weather Service's marine warnings for Lake Michigan.
History
J. H. Van Vlissingen originally intended on developing the area in 1883, however nothing came of it. In 1899 the Winthrop Harbor and Dock Company purchased over 2,000 acres just south of the state line of Wisconsin.In 1871 a post office was built on IL 137 named Spring Bluff. Not only did this spur an increase in population in the area, but it would inspire the name of the Spring Bluff Forest Preserve. Of which the state began purchasing land for in 1963.
Winthrop Harbor was incorporated as a village in 1901.
Despite the intention of the settlement to be an industrial district, the village remained mainly residential until 1989 when the North Point Marina was constructed. Until the modern day the marina is considered the pride and soul of village.
Geography
According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Winthrop Harbor has a total area of, of which is land and is water.Demographics
As of the 2020 census there were 6,705 people, 2,602 households, and 2,014 families residing in the village. The population density was. There were 2,749 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the village was 75.26% White, 5.31% African American, 0.95% Native American, 2.33% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 5.49% from other races, and 10.62% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 14.51% of the population.There were 2,602 households, out of which 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.45% were married couples living together, 10.84% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.60% were non-families. 19.79% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.88% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.94 and the average family size was 2.56.
The village's age distribution consisted of 16.3% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 20.3% from 25 to 44, 35.9% from 45 to 64, and 18.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.5 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $82,500, and the median income for a family was $98,990. Males had a median income of $57,650 versus $42,417 for females. The per capita income for the village was $39,723. About 1.6% of families and 2.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.0% of those under age 18 and 3.1% of those age 65 or over.
| Race / Ethnicity | Pop 2000 | Pop 2010 | Pop 2020 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
| White alone | 6,088 | 5,813 | 4,824 | 91.27% | 86.22% | 71.95% |
| Black or African American alone | 37 | 96 | 349 | 0.55% | 1.42% | 5.21% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone | 25 | 21 | 19 | 0.37% | 0.31% | 0.28% |
| Asian alone | 124 | 150 | 155 | 1.86% | 2.22% | 2.31% |
| Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0.01% | 0.01% | 0.03% |
| Other race alone | 16 | 5 | 43 | 0.24% | 0.07% | 0.64% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial | 76 | 141 | 340 | 1.14% | 2.09% | 5.07% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 303 | 515 | 973 | 4.54% | 7.64% | 14.51% |
| Total | 6,670 | 6,742 | 6,705 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
Transportation
Major streets
- Sheridan Road
- 9th Street
- Lewis Avenue
- Russell Road
- Kenosha Road
- 7th Street
Rail
Winthrop Harbor is served by Metra's Union Pacific North Line, at Winthrop Harbor station.Public services
The village of Winthrop Harbor has a full-time police department and a part-time fire department.Police department
The Winthrop Harbor Police Department's full-time officers are supplemented by part-time officers in both Patrol and Specialist positions. The department offers the following bureaus: Patrol, Detectives, Sex Crimes, Communications, CyberCrime, Records, and Evidence/Property. The current Chief is Anthony Velardi.Fire department
The Winthrop Harbor Fire Department, founded in 1949, has grown from a small volunteer force to a 24-hour-a-day operation. Currently, part-time employees work overlapping shifts providing a crew 24-hours a day, 7 days a week. These 'on-duty' crews are supplemented with off-duty personnel who respond from home. They work with two engines, a 75-foot ladder truck, two advanced life support ambulances, one brush unit, a rescue boat and a staff and command car. Through automatic aid agreements with the surrounding area, the Village receives optimal emergency service. The current Fire Chief is Rocco Campanella.Education
Most of Winthrop Harbor is in Winthrop Harbor School District 1 while a portion is in Beach Park Community Consolidated School District 3. All of Winthrop Harbor is in the Zion-Benton Township High School District 126.Pollution concerns
- In a study released on July 30, 2009, by Forbes.com, Winthrop Harbor's North Point Marina was reported as the seventh most polluted beach in the United States based on samples taken in 2008. North Point Marina has been on this list since 2005, exceeding acceptable contamination levels in 61 percent of tests.