WILMETTE, ILLINOIS

'Wilmette' is a village in New Trier Township, Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is located approximately 14 miles (22 km) north of Chicago's downtown district. It is only approximately 3 miles (5 km) from Wilmette's southern border to Chicago's northern border. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 27,651. Wilmette is regarded as a bedroom community in the affluent North Shore district.

Contents

History

Village government

Education

Attractions

Architecture

Transportation

Geography

Demographics

People from Wilmette

References

External links

History

The village is named in honor of Antoine Ouilmette, a French-Canadian fur trader, who lived here with his part-Potawatomi wife, Archange (a daughter of Sauganash).^[1] He persuaded the local Native Americans to sign the Treaty of Prairie du Chien in 1829 so the U.S. government awarded him 1,280 acres (5.2 km²) of land in the area that is now Wilmette and a small part of what is now Evanston. They later sold the land, in 1848, to farmers and developers which eventually evolved into modern-day Wilmette. The oldest surviving Bahá'í House of Worship was constructed here between 1920 and 1953.

Village government

Wilmette is governed by a village board composed of six trustees and a president. Trustees serve staggered, four-year terms and are elected at-large. The current village trustees are Mike Basil, John Levin, Karen Spillers, Alan Swanson, Mari Terman, and Lali Watt. The current village president is Chris Canning.
In 2004, Wilmette was one of the first localities in Illinois to enact a ban on smoking in all public spaces, including bars and restaurants. Also that year, Wilmette gained notoriety when the village government prosecuted local resident Hale De Mar, age 59, for violating the town's handgun ban (enacted in 1989). De Mar shot a burglar inside his house.^[2]
The handgun ban was enacted in direct response to an incident in 1988 when Laurie Dann opened fire on a classroom full of children in neighboring Winnetka.

Education

Wilmette has several elementary schools (grades K–4) all of which are part of
Wilmette Public Schools District 39 [1]:
Central,
Harper,
McKenzie, and
Romona.
In addition, Wilmette District #39 is also home to
Highcrest Middle School (grades 5–6) and
Wilmette Junior High School (grades 7–8). Marie Murphy School, while located in Wilmette, is part of Avoca School District 37 [2]. There are also several parochial elementary schools in the area, namely St. Francis Xavier and St. Joseph. The Ronald Knox Montessori School and Baker Demonstration School are private schools located in Wilmette.
Wilmette residents are served by New Trier Township High School District. High school freshmen attend classes at the Northfield campus while sophomores, juniors, and seniors attend classes at the Winnetka campus. Some students may travel between campuses to take specialized courses that are only offered at one location.
Wilmette is also home to Catholic high schools Loyola Academy and Regina Dominican High School.
Arlyn School in Wilmette is an alternative school that is supported by member school districts in the area. It serves junior high and high school students who have been referred by school districts, community agencies, private practitioners, and parents.
The Wilmette Public Library provides educational support to students at all grade levels, including those residing in neighboring Kenilworth.

Attractions

Attractions include Gillson Park with beach access, marina, and an off-leash area for dogs, Centennial Park, with a public swimming pool, tennis and ice-skating facilities. The Wilmette Golf Club, hosting a 6,378-yard course, is located on the far west side of town.

Architecture

Wilmette is famous for its notable examples of religious architecture.
Wilmette is home to a Bahá'í House of Worship. Wilmette's House of Worship is the oldest of the seven existing Bahá'í temples around the world. Nearby are administrative offices for the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the United States, its governing body. The house of worship was named in 2007 as one of the Seven Wonders of Illinois by the Illinois Bureau of Tourism representing Chicagoland.^[3]
The oldest existing church building in the Village is the First Congregational Church (1909) designed in the Tudor Revival style. Trinity United Methodist Church is considered Wilmette's premiere Neo-Gothic structure. Trinity was designed by Granger & Bollenbacher and constructed in 1928 of Wisconsin Lannonstone. The church features stained glass windows by Willet Studios of Philadelphia, among the top American studios during the 1920s. The church was also used as a filming location for ''Home Alone''.
Both St. Joseph and St. Francis Xavier Church were designed by the firm of McCarthy, Smith and Eppig, a firm that produced some of the most architecturally outstanding Chicago area Roman Catholic churches built during the Great Depression era, such as St. Wenceslaus in Avondale, St. Mary of the Lake in Lakeview, and St. Bernardine in Forest Park. St. Joseph's is Wilmette's oldest religious congregation, having been established in 1843. The present building, built in 1939, is among the finest examples of Art Deco architecture on the North Shore. The interior is particularly well preserved and features Art Deco light fixtures, and stained glass windows designed and fabricated by Giannini & Hilgart of Chicago. The altar floor and sanctuary wall contain Italian and French marble inlaid with Portuguese onyx. The Stations of the Cross are pastel-hued mosaics crafted in the Vatican Studio of Mosaics in Rome. The design and materials of the Y-shaped school designed by Herman J. Gaul of Chicago and constructed in 1934, and the adjacent rectory, harmonize with the church. St. Francis Xavier Church, built in 1939 was designed in the Late Gothic Revival mode while McCarthy, Smith & Eppig were simultaneously working on St. Joseph's in Wilmette. The stained glass windows were made with English and German imported glass by the famed F. X. Zettler Studios of Munich, Germany and New York. St Francis Xavier School, just east of the church and built in 1924 is a unique modern blend of Gothic architecture by Chicago architect Barry Byrne.
Wilmette has two houses built by Frank Lloyd Wright: the Frank J. Baker House (and carriage house) and the Lewis Burleigh House.

Transportation

Wilmette is served by the Chicago Transit Authority's 'L' and Metra, as well the PACE suburban bus system. The northernmost station of the Purple Line is located at Linden Avenue in Wilmette. Wilmette's commuter railroad station is at Green Bay Road and Washington Avenue.

Geography

Wilmette is located on the western shore of Lake Michigan and is a near northern suburb of Chicago, immediately north of Evanston at (42.077178, -87.723736). The North Shore Channel drainage canal empties into Lake Michigan at Wilmette Harbor.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 14.0 km² (5.4 mi²). 13.9 km² (5.4 mi²) of it is land and 0.19% is water.
One of its sister cities is Mona Vale, New South Wales, with which it participates in yearly student exchange program. Mona Vale is also the site of the Baha'i House of Worship for Australia.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 27,651 people, 10,039 households, and 7,730 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,984.4/km² (5,135.8/mi²). There were 10,319 housing units at an average density of 740.6/km² (1,916.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the village was 89.66% White, 0.56% Black, 0.04% Native American, 8.16% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.42% from other races, and 1.15% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.08% of the population.
There were 10,039 households out of which 40.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.9% were married couples living together, 6.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.0% were non-families. 21.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.19.
In the village the population was spread out with 29.7% under the age of 18, 3.6% from 18 to 24, 21.7% from 25 to 44, 27.8% from 45 to 64, and 17.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 91.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.9 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $106,773, and the median income for a family was $122,515. Males had a median income of $97,143 versus $50,007 for females. The per capita income for the village was $55,611. About 1.3% of families and 2.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.6% of those under age 18 and 4.7% of those age 65 or over.

People from Wilmette

★ Ann-Margret, actress

★ Christie Hefner, Playboy CEO

★ Charlton Heston, actor

★ Barry Horowitz, professional wrestler

★ Bill Murray, actor

★ Joel Murray, actor

★ Dana Olsen, screen writer

★ Ian Punnett, radio broadcaster

★ Antoin Rezko, indicted restaurateur

★ Jack Ryan, former Republican candidate for the United States Senate

★ Pete Wentz, Fall Out Boy bassist

★ Rainn Wilson, actor

References

1. "Fort Dearborn Story Began with 4 Cabins 150 Years Ago" ''Chicago Daily Tribune'' August 17, 1953. p.1.
2. http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1055861/posts
3. Wonders of Illinois

External links

★ Village of Wilmette municipal government

★ Wilmette Public Library

★ Wilmette Public School District 39

★ Avoca School District 37

★ Wilmette Park District

★ Wilmette Historical Museum