Glencoe, Illinois

Glencoe is located at 42°7′53″N 87°45′39″W (42.131602, -87.761026).[4]

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Glencoe has a total area of 3.78 square miles (9.79 km²), of which 3.72 square miles (9.63 km²) (or 98.39%) is land and 0.06 square miles (0.16 km²) (or 1.61%) is water.[5]

Glencoe is located on the west side of Lake Michigan. It is separated from suburbs to the north and west by more than 1,200 acres (490 ha) of the Cook County Forest Preserve natural forest area.[6] Three golf clubs also buffer it, with the private Lake Shore Country Club on the north, the public Glencoe Golf Club (operated by the village of Glencoe) on the northwest, and the private Skokie Country Club on the west.

The village is surrounded on three sides by upper-income communities, with Highland Park on the north, Northbrook on the west, and Winnetka to the south. The Skokie Lagoons are located in the forest preserve to the immediate west of the village. The same forest preserve has a bicycle trail that connects to other forest preserves to the south. In the village, the Greenbay Trail allows bicyclists to travel as far south as Wilmette and north past Lake Forest. The highest point of elevation in Glencoe is 690 feet (210 m) above sea level along Green Bay Road in the northern part of the village.

As of the 2020 census[8] there were 8,849 people, 3,302 households, and 2,563 families residing in the village. The population density was 2,341.62 inhabitants per square mile (904.10/km²). There were 3,176 housing units at an average density of 840.43 per square mile (324.49/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 87.31% White, 1.04% African American, 0.11% Native American, 4.33% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.11% from other races, and 6.08% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.20% of the population.

There were 3,302 households, out of which 71.38% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.96% were married couples living together, 5.33% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.38% were non-families. 21.11% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.14 and the average family size was 2.67.

The village's age distribution consisted of 27.9% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 14.1% from 25 to 44, 30.7% from 45 to 64, and 21.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.1 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $195,600, and the median income for a family was $250,001. Males had a median income of $136,111 versus $66,384 for females. The per capita income for the village was $121,589, placing Glencoe among the 20 wealthiest communities in the United States.[9][10] About 0.7% of families and 1.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.2% of those under age 18 and 2.4% of those age 65 or over.

Opinions differ about the origins of the village's name. Some attribute it to an early resident, Matthew Coe. Others say it is named for the area of Scotland of the same name. It developed in the late 19th century around a railroad stop. Former Chicago mayor Walter S. Gurnee had become president of the line connecting Chicago and Milwaukee, and often bought up and developed land around railroad stops. Thus, one historian believes the name derives from the maiden name of Gurnee's wife, since Gurnee bought the land in 1867 and began subdivision, although financial problems prevented him from building a home there and he returned to New York for his final years.[11] The village's first seal was based on the seal of Glencoe, Scotland.[12]

During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many elegant homes were built in Glencoe. Most notably, the village is home to the world’s third largest collection of Frank Lloyd Wright structures: the Ravine Bluff subdivision contains seven houses, a concrete bridge and three sculptural markers. There are also two larger, individually built homes, located nearby Ravine Bluffs.[13] In addition to Wright, there are houses designed by Howard Van Doren Shaw, David Adler, Robert E. Seyfarth and George Washington Maher, among others.

Glencoe Metra Station in 2012

Glencoe has a Village Manager form of government. It had one of the first public safety departments (combined police/fire/paramedic). In 1921 it adopted the first zoning code in Illinois. Its land-use plan, adopted in 1940, has been adhered to with minor changes since then. Most all nonconforming uses have been eliminated through attrition and it has developed to the allowed uses outlined on the 1940 zoning map. It is predominantly a single-family residential area, with no industrial uses. It has a small cohesive central business district that provides most basic services, including post office, library, Village Hall, performing arts theatre, train station (to Chicago), and other shopping needs.

Since the late 20th century, for 20 years the village has had redevelopment of smaller homes. They have been torn down and replaced by larger homes, spurring debate on historic preservation, the effects of an increasingly wealthy demographic, and rising property taxes.

In addition to such private development, during this time, the village has completed major reconstruction of its street and sidewalk network. The village installed brick sidewalks and period street lights in the business district. Many public buildings have been or are being remodelled or expanded, including the public schools, Village Hall, library, Park District Community Center, and refrigerated outdoor ice rink. The building housing the Glencoe Woman's Club (formerly Woman's Library Club) was torn down. It was replaced by a new building, designed by Jeanne Gang, that houses Writers Theatre. The new building opened to the public in 2016. The private golf clubs (Lake Shore Country Club and Skokie Country Club) have also conducted major remodeling, additions, and reconstruction.

• Glencoe in the 1970s and 1980s is recalled as the backdrop of the coming-of-age memoir Lake Effect, by author Rich Cohen. This introduced his "Jamie Drew" character, based on exploits of his fellow native Mark Varouxakis.
• The plot of the film Mean Girls is set in Evanston on Chicago's North Shore. It refers to Glencoe in the quote "You go Glen-Coco".
• Glencoe was the stated setting for the 1983 film Risky Business, starring Tom Cruise. The movie was filmed in neighboring Highland Park.[14]
• Scenes from the 1986 John Hughes film Ferris Bueller's Day Off were filmed in Glencoe,[14] as were scenes from Sixteen Candles.[15]
• The Glencoe train station is featured in scenes from Clint Eastwood's Flags of Our Fathers, as well as John Hughes' She's Having a Baby.
• The 2011 film Contagion (featuring Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Winslet, Jude Law and Matt Damon) has scenes that were filmed in Glencoe.

Local media covering news in Glencoe include The Glencoe Anchor, Winnetka-Glencoe Patch, TribLocal and Pioneer Press. Glencoe was the founding home in 1947 of the important social scientific book publisher, the Free Press, until it was sold and moved to New York City in 1960.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Glencoe, Illinois.

• Village of Glencoe official website
• Glencoe Park District
• Glencoe Public Library