Barrington, Illinois

Barrington is a village in Cook and Lake counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. The population was 10,722 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area.

History

Early history

The original settlers of the Barrington area were the indigenous peoples of the Prairie Potawatomi or Mascouten tribes, which later divided into the Potawatomi, Ojibwe, and Odawa tribes. Many local roads still in use, including Algonquin Road, Rand Road, Higgins Road, and St. Charles Road, were originally Native American trails.

19th century

By treaty dated September 26, 1833, ending the Black Hawk War, the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi ceded to the United States all lands from the west shore of Lake Michigan west to the area that the Ho-Chunk ceded in 1832, north to the area that the Menominee had previously ceded to the United States, and south to the area previously ceded by an 1829 treaty at Prairie du Chien, a total of approximately . Through this treaty, the Sauk, Meskwaki, Ho-Chunk, Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi tribes ceded all title to the area east of the Mississippi River. Between 1833 and 1835, the U.S. government paid approximately $100,000 in annuities and grants to the Potawatomi, Odawa, and Ojibwe tribes, presumably as payment for the land. The first white pioneers known to have settled in Barrington township were Jesse F. Miller and William Van Orsdal of Steuben County, New York, who arrived in 1834, before the three-year period which had been given the Native Americans to vacate the region, and before local land surveys. Other Yankee settlers from Vermont and New York settled in what is now the northwest corner of Cook County. but later renamed Barrington Center because it "centered" both ways from the present Sutton Road and from Algonquin and Higgins roads. The Illinois legislature granted Barrington's charter on February 16, 1865.

The last major fire in downtown Barrington occurred on December 19, 1989. The fire completely destroyed Lipofsky's Department Store, then one of the oldest continually operating businesses in the village. Nelson, though shot nine times, escaped the gunfight in Hollis's car with his wife, Helen Gillis. Nelson succumbed from his wounds at approximately 8 p.m. that evening and was unceremoniously dumped near a cemetery in Niles Center (Skokie), Illinois. Infamous for allegedly killing more federal agents than any other individual, Nelson was later buried at Saint Joseph Cemetery in River Grove, Illinois. A plaque near the entrance to Langendorf Park, part of the Barrington Park District, commemorates the agents killed in the gunfight.

21st century

In April 2009, in a non-binding referendum, residents voted in favor of permitting Barrington Township officials to begin looking into seceding from Cook County in part due to the county's increased sales tax. Barrington and its nearby villages are considered to be some of the wealthiest in the country. The EJ&E intersects at grade with eight major roads in the Barrington area, including Northwest Highway, Illinois State Route 59 and Lake Cook Road in downtown Barrington, as well as the Metra Union Pacific line. Then-Senator Barack Obama voiced opposition to the purchase, vowing to work with affected communities to make sure their views were considered. Barrington is approximately northwest of Chicago.

Climate

Barrington has a hot-summer continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfa), with summers generally wetter than the winters:

The highest recorded temperature was on July 10, 1974; the lowest recorded temperature was on January 31, 2019.

| align = right

| align-fn = center

Racial and ethnic composition

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

|+Barrington village, Illinois – Racial and ethnic composition

!Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)

!Pop 2000

!Pop 2010

!% 2000

!% 2010

|White alone (NH)

|9,570

|9,232

|style='background: #ffffe6; |8,926

|94.12%

|89.40%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |83.25%

|Black or African American alone (NH)

|63

|96

|style='background: #ffffe6; |117

|0.62%

|0.93%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |1.09%

|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)

|10

|14

|style='background: #ffffe6; |8

|0.10%

|0.14%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.07%

|Asian alone (NH)

|203

|378

|style='background: #ffffe6; |643

|2.00%

|3.66%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |6.00%

|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0

|0.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.00%

|Other race alone (NH)

|11

|style='background: #ffffe6; |12

|0.11%

|0.07%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.11%

|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)

|74

|132

|style='background: #ffffe6; |365

|0.73%

|1.28%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.40%

|Hispanic or Latino (any race)

|237

|468

|style='background: #ffffe6; |651

|2.33%

|4.53%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |6.07%

|Total

|10,168

|10,327

|style='background: #ffffe6; |10,722

|100.00%

|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Barrington had a population of 10,722. The population density was , and there were 2,902 families in the village.

The median age was 44.5 years. 24.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 20.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 90.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 86.4 males age 18 and over.

100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 4,102 households in Barrington, of which 34.6% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 58.3% were married-couple households, 12.3% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 26.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 25.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. Barrington was also formerly home to GE Healthcare IT prior to relocating to Chicago in 2016. Other notable businesses include defense contractor ISR Systems, part of the Goodrich Corporation (formerly known as Recon Optical), and commercial real estate developer GK Development. For many years, the village was home to the Jewel Tea Company; its former headquarters was razed in the early 21st century for redevelopment as Citizens Park.

Top employers

According to Barrington's 2018 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:

{| class="wikitable"

! #

! Employer

! # of Employees

| Barrington Community Unit School District #220

|1,200

| Barrington Park District

|379

| Motor Werks of Barrington

|355

| The Garlands of Barrington

|295

| PepsiCo (Quaker Oats)

|287

| Barrington Transportation

|230

| Pepper Construction

|226

| Jewel Food Store

|190

| Wickstrom Ford

|176

|10

| Heinen's

|142

Arts and culture

thumb|[[Catlow Theater]]

Annual celebrations and events in Barrington include the Memorial Day parade, a Fourth of July parade and evening fireworks display, and a Homecoming parade associated with Barrington High School. In addition, the village hosts the "Great Taste Fest of Barrington", a food festival exhibiting fare from local restaurants. Started in 1974 with only 30 artists, the event now attracts over 6,500 visitors and features live entertainment and pony rides for children in addition to the art exhibits. and the Duck Race and Pool Party, a rubber duck race held to benefit JourneyCare (formerly Hospice and Palliative Care of Northeastern Illinois).

Library

thumb|The Donlea-Kincaid House comprises part of the Barrington Area Historical Society.

The Barrington Area Library, located northeast of the village's center on Northwest Highway, contains over 226,000 book volumes and 27,000 audiovisual items. Originally established in 1915, the library moved to its current site in the mid-1970s. Through various additions, most recently in 1993, the building was expanded to its current size of approximately .

Architecture

thumb|[[Octagon House (Barrington, Illinois)|Octagon House]]

The Village of Barrington Historic District was established in 2001 to protect and preserve historical areas of the Village and

individual structures and sites within this area which have historic, architectural or cultural significance. Barrington's Historic Preservation Overlay District is noted for its Victorian, Victorian Gothic, Queen Anne, and other popular late-19th century forms of architecture. Among Barrington's notable buildings is the Octagon House, also known as the Hawley House. Claimed to be built around 1860, although the oldest home in Barrington Village is on North Avenue dating to 1872, the Octagon House is listed on the National Register of Historic Places; although initially a residence, it now serves as a commercial property.

The downtown area is home to the historic Catlow Theater, which features interiors by noted Prairie School sculptor and designer Alfonso Iannelli. In May 1927, the Catlow Theater opened for business with Slide, Kelly, Slide as its first feature film. The Catlow is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places and continues to operate as one of the few remaining single-screen theaters in the area. The Catlow was one of the first theaters to offer in-theater dining, provided by the adjoining Showtime Eatery. Patrons may bring food from Showtime Eatery (formerly Boloney's) into the 526-seat auditorium.

Another historic building in the village, the Ice House Mall, is located just northwest of the town's center. Originally built in 1904 for the Bowman Dairy, the brick structure, with its turn of the 20th century styling, served as an actual ice house for 68 years. Renovations and additions beginning in the 1970s have transformed the original building into a collection of local specialty shops.

The Michael Bay 2010 re-make of A Nightmare on Elm Street was partially filmed in Barrington's Jewel Park subdivision (Built by the Jewel Tea Company for their executives) using a home actually on Elm Street, using the village's residential architecture as a backdrop.

Parks and recreation

The Barrington area features numerous parks and nature preserves. The Arbor Day Foundation has recognized Barrington as a Tree City USA every year since 1986, in part due to the village's Tree Preservation and Management Ordinance governing the proper care for trees within the area. The Barrington Park District administers several Barrington area parks including Citizens Park, Langendorf Park (formerly North Park), Miller Park (formerly East Park), and Ron Beese Park( formerly South Park). Langendorf Park features tennis courts, playgrounds, outdoor and indoor basketball courts, baseball fields, meeting/activity rooms, and "Aqualusion", a water park that includes a zero-depth pool, lap pool, and diving area, and a splashpad. Northeast of town is Cuba Marsh Forest Preserve, a wetlands preserve featuring of crushed-gravel trail offering views of the adjacent marsh. The preserve is named for Cuba Road, which provides the park's northern boundary. Located southeast of the village center on Northwest Highway, the 18-hole course totals and includes four sets of tees per hole. The current Village President is Karen Darch. There are six current members of the Board of Trustees in addition to a village treasurer. The referendum, entitled "Barrington Twp – Disconnect from Cook County," asked, "Should Barrington Township consider disconnection from Cook County, Illinois, and forming a new county if a viable option exists for doing so?" The referendum came in response to Cook County's increased sales tax, now the highest in the country, and increased tensions between the county and towns neighboring Lake County.

Barrington High School
Barrington Middle School - Prairie Campus
Barrington Middle School - Station Campus
Arnett C. Lines Elementary School
Countryside Elementary School
Grove Avenue Elementary School
Hough Street Elementary School (2015 Blue Ribbon school)
Roslyn Road Elementary School

St. Anne Catholic Community is a K-8 Catholic school.

Media

The Barrington Courier-Review is a local newspaper.

Barrington is included in the Chicago market and receives its media from Chicago network affiliates. The Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times also cover area news. The village's Community Relations board broadcasts all Village Board meetings, as well as community announcements, on a local government-access television (GATV) cable TV station.

Infrastructure

thumb|[[Barrington station is on Metra's Union Pacific Northwest Line train line.]]

Transportation

Metra provides commuter rail service on the Union Pacific Northwest Line connecting Barrington station southeast to Ogilvie Transportation Center in Chicago and northwest to Harvard or McHenry.

Highways:

20px US Route 14 (Northwest Highway)
20px Illinois Route 59 (Hough Street)
20px Illinois Route 68 (Dundee Road)

Medical and emergency

In 1927, residents established a "Barrington General Hospital" in a local house. The hospital closed in 1935.

Notable people

References

External links

Village of Barrington
Barrington Area Chamber of Commerce