The name "Waukegan" is Potawatomi Indian for "Little Fort".
Shimer College is located in Waukegan.
Waukegan is commonly reffered to as the midpoint between Chicago and Milwaukee, although it is still a part of Chicagoland.
History
Waukegan was established as a French trading post in the late 17th century. The town became the county seat in 1841. The Chicago North Western Railway reached the town in 1855. The town was incoroprated as a city on February 23, 1859.
In 1950 the population was 38,946 people.
Waukegan was the birthplace of comedian Jack Benny and of writers Ray Bradbury and Kim Stanley Robinson.
Geography
Waukegan is located at 42°22'21" North, 87°51'41" West (42.372471, -87.861521)1. Waukegan is on the shore of Lake Michigan, about 10 miles south of the border with Wisconsin and 40 miles north of Chicago, at an elevation of about 669 feet above sea level.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 59.8 km² (23.1 mi²). 59.6 km² (23.0 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.35% water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there are 87,901 people, 27,787 households, and 19,450 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,475.0/km² (3,819.8/mi²). There are 29,243 housing units at an average density of 490.7/km² (1,270.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 50.14% White, 19.21% African American, 0.54% Native American, 3.58% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 22.96% from other races, and 3.50% from two or more races. 44.82% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 27,787 households out of which 40.4% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.5% are married couples living together, 14.6% have a female householder with no husband present, and 30.0% are non-families. 24.2% of all households are made up of individuals and 7.5% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 3.09 and the average family size is 3.68.
In the city the population is spread out with 30.2% under the age of 18, 12.1% from 18 to 24, 33.4% from 25 to 44, 16.4% from 45 to 64, and 7.9% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 29 years. For every 100 females there are 103.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 103.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $42,335, and the median income for a family is $47,341. Males have a median income of $30,556 versus $25,632 for females. The per capita income for the city is $17,368. 13.9% of the population and 10.7% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 18.1% are under the age of 18 and 8.0% are 65 or older.