McHenry County is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

located in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

. According to the 2020 Census, it had a population of 310,229, making it the sixth-most populous county in Illinois. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

Woodstock Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held during August 15–18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, United States, southwest of the town of Woodstock. Billed as "an Aq ...

. McHenry County is one of the five

collar counties Collar counties is a colloquialism for DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will counties, the five counties of Illinois that border Cook County, which is home to Chicago. The collar counties are part of the Chicago metropolitan area and comp ...

of the

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Naperville Naperville ( ) is a city in DuPage County, Illinois, DuPage and Will County, Illinois, Will counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is in the Chicago metro area, west of the city. Naperville was founded in 1831 by Joseph Naper. The city was ...

- Elgin, IL- IN- WI

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally incorporated as a city or tow ...

. Long known as a center of recreation along with agriculture in the western portion, it has more recently experienced rapid rates of

suburbanization Suburbanization is a population shift from central urban areas into suburbs, resulting in the formation of (sub)urban sprawl. As a consequence of the movement of households and businesses out of the city centers, low-density, peripheral urba ...

exurb An exurb (or alternately: exurban area) is an area outside the typically denser inner suburban area, at the edge of a metropolitan area, which has some economic and commuting connection to the metro area, low housing density, and growth. It sh ...

anization and

urbanization Urbanization (or urbanisation) refers to the population shift from rural to urban areas, the corresponding decrease in the proportion of people living in rural areas, and the ways in which societies adapt to this change. It is predominantly t ...

, but the western portions of the county remain primarily agricultural and rural.

History

McHenry County was formed in 1836 out of Cook and LaSalle counties. The county was named for Major William McHenry, a member of the Illinois Militia during Tecumseh's War, a major during the Blackhawk War in 1832, and a member of the Illinois House of Representatives and Senate. He died in Vandalia in 1835. McHenry County originally stretched all the way east to Lake Michigan, with the county seat centrally in McHenry, but in 1839, the eastern townships of the county were carved out to form Lake County. File:McHenry County Illinois 1836.png, McHenry County at the time of its creation in 1836 File:McHenry County Illinois 1839.png, McHenry County was reduced to its current size in 1839 by the creation of

Lake County, Illinois Lake County is situated in the northeastern corner of the U.S. state of Illinois, along the shores of Lake Michigan. As of the 2020 census, it has a population of 714,342, making it the third-most populous county in Illinois. Its county seat ...

Historical sites

* The Count's House, 3803 Waukegan Rd, McHenry * Charles H. Hibbard House, 413 W Grant Hwy, Marengo * Col. Gustavus A. Palmer House, 5516 Terra Cotta Rd., Crystal Lake * Orson Rogers House, 19621 E Grant Hwy, Marengo * Lucein Boneparte Covell House, 5805 Broadway, Richmond * Memorial Hall, 10308 Main St, Richmond * Old McHenry County Courthouse, Woodstock City Square, Woodstock * Woodstock Opera House, 110 Van Buren St, Woodstock * Woodstock Square Historic District, Woodstock * George Stickney House, 1904 Cherry Valley Rd, Bull Valley * Terwilliger House, Mason Hill Rd & Cherry Valley Rd, Bull Valley

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.3%) is water.

Adjacent counties

* Walworth County,

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

- north * Kenosha County,

- northeast * Lake County - east *

Cook County Cook County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Illinois and the second-most-populous county in the United States, after Los Angeles County, California. More than 40% of all residents of Illinois live within Cook County. As of 20 ...

- southeast * Kane County - south * DeKalb County - southwest * Boone County - west

Climate and weather

In recent years, average temperatures in the county seat of Woodstock have ranged from a low of in January to a high of in July, although a record low of was recorded in January 1979 and a record high of was recorded in July 1936. Average monthly precipitation ranged from in February to in June. McHenry County is like much of the

Upper Midwest The Upper Midwest is a region in the northern portion of the U.S. Census Bureau's Midwestern United States. It is largely a sub-region of the Midwest. Although the exact boundaries are not uniformly agreed-upon, the region is defined as referring ...

, as it usually sees hot, humid summers, and cold, snowy winters. The county is notably susceptible to high wind events, blizzards, severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, and flooding. Some of the most notable weather events in the county include the 1965 Palm Sunday tornado outbreak, the Blizzard of 1967, the 1967 Belvidere - Oak Lawn tornado outbreak, the Blizzard of 1979, the Flood of 1996, the Blizzard of 1999, the Early Winter 2006 North American Storm Complex, the 2007 Midwest flooding event, the January 2008 tornado outbreak sequence, and the Blizzard of 2011.

Demographics

As of the 2010 census, there were 308,760 people, 109,199 households, and 82,288 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 116,040 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 90.1% white, 2.5% Asian, 1.1% black or African American, 0.3% American Indian, 4.3% from other races, and 1.7% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 11.4% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 34.4% were of German heritage, 18.7% were of

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

ancestry, 14.2% Polish, 10.8%

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

, 7.8% English, and 3.7% of American heritage. Of the 109,199 households, 40.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.3% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 24.6% were non-families, and 19.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.25. The median age was 38.0 years. The median income for a household in the county was $76,482 and the median income for a family was $86,698. Males had a median income of $61,971 versus $42,125 for females. The per capita income for the county was $31,838. About 4.9% of families and 6.2% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 8.3% of those under age 18 and 4.6% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Cities

* Crystal Lake * Harvard * Marengo * McHenry *

(county seat)

Villages

Algonquin Algonquin or Algonquian—and the variation Algonki(a)n—may refer to: Languages and peoples *Algonquian languages, a large subfamily of Native American languages in a wide swath of eastern North America from Canada to Virginia **Algonquin la ...

(mostly) * Barrington Hills (part) * Bull Valley *

Cary Cary may refer to: Places ;United States * Cary, Illinois, part of the Chicago metropolitan area * Cary, Indiana, part of the Indianapolis metropolitan area * Cary, Miami County, Indiana * Cary, Maine * Cary, Mississippi * Cary, North Carolina ...

* Fox Lake (part) * Fox River Grove (part) * Greenwood *

Hebron Hebron ( ar, الخليل or ; he, חֶבְרוֹן ) is a Palestinian. city in the southern West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Nestled in the Judaean Mountains, it lies above sea level. The second-largest city in the West Bank (after Eas ...

* Holiday Hills * Huntley (part) * Island Lake (part) * Johnsburg *

Lake in the Hills A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a Depression (geology), basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the World Ocean, oce ...

* Lakemoor (part) * Lakewood * McCullom Lake * Oakwood Hills * Port Barrington (part) * Prairie Grove * Richmond * Ringwood * Spring Grove * Trout Valley *

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

* Wonder Lake

Census-designated places

* Alden * Big Foot Prairie * Burtons Bridge * Chemung *

Coral Corals are marine invertebrates within the class Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact colonies of many identical individual polyps. Coral species include the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and ...

* Franklinville * Harmony * Hartland *

Lawrence Lawrence may refer to: Education Colleges and universities * Lawrence Technological University, a university in Southfield, Michigan, United States * Lawrence University, a liberal arts university in Appleton, Wisconsin, United States Preparator ...

* Pistakee Highlands * Ridgefield * Riley * Solon Mills Before the 2020 Census, only Chemung and Pistakee Highlands were CDPs.

Unincorporated communities

* Belden * Palm Beach (part) * Silver Lake *

Terra Cotta Terracotta, terra cotta, or terra-cotta (; ; ), in its material sense as an earthenware substrate, is a clay-based unglazed or glazed ceramic where the fired body is porous. In applied art, craft, construction, and architecture, terracotta ...

Townships

* Alden *

* Burton * Chemung *

* Dorr * Dunham * Grafton * Greenwood * Hartland *

* Marengo * McHenry * Nunda * Richmond * Riley *

Seneca Seneca may refer to: People and language * Seneca (name), a list of people with either the given name or surname * Seneca people, one of the six Iroquois tribes of North America ** Seneca language, the language of the Seneca people Places Extrat ...

Government

McHenry County government is based primarily out of Woodstock, the county seat. The McHenry County Government Center, located on the north end of Woodstock along Illinois Route 47, features county offices as well as judicial facilities. The current Sheriff of McHenry County, Illinois is Bill Prim, who was first elected in 2014.

Politics

As a primarily outer suburban and exurban area, McHenry County has voted for the Republican candidate for President in all but two elections since

1880 Events January–March * January 22 – Toowong State School is founded in Queensland, Australia. * January – The international White slave trade affair scandal in Brussels is exposed and attracts international infamy. * February � ...

, the first being when “Bull Moose” candidate and former Republican president

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

won the county in 1912. Recent elections in 2004 and 2000 saw George W. Bush capture 59.72% and 58.5% of the county vote, respectively. In

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

, Democrat

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...

, then a Senator from Illinois, captured McHenry County with 52% of the vote—the first time a Democrat had carried the county since 1852.The Political Graveyard
McHenry County, Illinois
In the 2012 presidential election, Obama only received 44% of the vote whereas Republican Mitt Romney captured 53% of the vote. In the

2016 presidential election This national electoral calendar for 2016 lists the national/ federal elections held in 2016 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *7 January: Kiri ...

, Republican

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...

received 50% of the vote whereas Democratic

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...

received 42% of the vote. No person with significant ties to McHenry County has ever been elected to the United States Congress or Illinois governorship. The mother of U.S. President Gerald Ford, Dorothy Ayer Gardner, was born in Harvard in 1892.

Education

McHenry County College, a growing community college established in 1967, serves the majority of county residents. The college includes 2,000 full-time students and 5,800 part-time students. The main campus is located on the northwest side of Crystal Lake, along U.S. Route 14. Secondary facilities exist in Crystal Lake and McHenry. McHenry County also includes dozens of school districts. This is a list of high schools that can be found in the county: Students in McHenry County may also be zoned into schools in other counties, such as

Dundee-Crown High School Dundee-Crown High School is a high school located in the ghetto Carpentersville, Illinois, United States, a northwest suburb of Chicago. Dundee-Crown High School was made from consolidating Dundee Community High School and Irving Crown High sch ...

in neighboring Carpentersville.

Medical facilities

Hospitals currently in the county include Mercy Harvard Hospital, Centegra Northern Illinois Medical Center in McHenry, Centegra Memorial Medical Center in Woodstock, and Centegra's Northwestern Medicine Huntley Hospital. Amita (formerly Presence) and Advocate health systems also maintain a strong influence in the county, and have hospitals in nearby Elgin and Barrington. On September 1, 2018, Centegra was acquired by Northwestern Medicine of Chicago, Illinois. Prior to its acquisition by Northwestern Medicine, Centegra was the largest independent employer in McHenry County. It is now part of a network of more than 10 hospitals and 400 care locations.

Economy

Much of McHenry County's economy centers around manufacturing, metalworking, media development and printing, transportation equipment, agriculture, health care, education, retail, food production, distribution, and technology. Gravel mining makes up a sizable portion of the country's economy. The major employment centers can be found in Crystal Lake, Algonquin, Huntley, McHenry, and Woodstock. The southern portions of the county are within the scope of the Golden Corridor, the region of commerce along the

Jane Addams Memorial Tollway Interstate 90 (I-90) in the US state of Illinois runs roughly northwest-to-southeast through the northern part of the state. From the Wisconsin state line at South Beloit, it heads south to Rockford before heading east-southeast to the ...

Shopping

The county is known for its wide variety of shopping options. McHenry, Crystal Lake, and Algonquin/Lake in the Hills have established themselves as major retail areas, all featuring an array of big box stores, specialty stores, and restaurants. While there are no major malls located within the county, several lie just outside its borders: the

lifestyle centers A lifestyle center (American English), or lifestyle centre (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English), is a shopping center or mixed-used commercial development that combines the traditional retail functions of a shopping mal ...

Algonquin Commons and Algonquin Galleria, and the regional indoor mall Spring Hill Mall in West Dundee. In addition, several historic downtowns throughout the county offer unique shops and eateries in charming environments. The Woodstock Square Historic District, antique shops in Richmond and Hebron, downtown Crystal Lake and downtown

, and shops in other historic downtowns throughout the county accommodate residents and tourists alike. McHenry's Green Street is also a major attraction in the county.

Recreation

The entire county is served by the McHenry County Conservation District, which preserves sensitive land throughout the county and provides recreational opportunities for residents. The District also operates the McHenry County Prairie Path, a regional bike path that extends from the Wisconsin State Line in Richmond southward to

, where the path connects with the Fox River Bike Trail, which continues south to

Aurora An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...

. In addition, the Fox River, Kishwaukee River and Chain O'Lakes provide immense opportunities for boating, fishing, swimming, and other water activities. Moraine Hills State Park and Chain O' Lakes State Park are both located in the county, adjacent to the waterway. Other major lakes in the county include Crystal Lake, Wonder Lake, and McCullom Lake. There are also dozens of parks, golf courses, and country clubs throughout the county. Major

skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow. Variations of purpose include basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee ( ...

areas include Nordic Ski Jump in Fox River Grove and Buffalo Snowboarding Park in Algonquin. In addition, the Windy City Balloon Port in Fox River Grove offers

hot air balloon A hot air balloon is a lighter-than-air aircraft consisting of a bag, called an envelope, which contains heated air. Suspended beneath is a gondola or wicker basket (in some long-distance or high-altitude balloons, a capsule), which carries ...

rides over the Fox River Valley. In 2012, the Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge was established and encompasses parts of McHenry County.

Culture

McHenry County has an active art and theater scene. The historic Woodstock Opera House and Crystal Lake's Raue Center for the Arts both provide exceptional programs. In addition, Algonquin is noted for its Public Art Program, which showcases artwork year-round throughout the community. The county is also ideal for photography and filming. Much of the filming for the 1993 movie '' Groundhog Day'' took place in Woodstock. There are also several important points of interest in the county including the Illinois Railway Museum and McHenry County Historical Museum in Union, the Old McHenry County Courthouse in Woodstock, and a variety of historical homes including the Orson Rogers House, George Stickney House, Charles H. Hibbard House, the Terwilliger House, the Count's House, and the Dole Mansion. Throughout the year are a variety of festivals throughout the county, the centerpiece of which is the McHenry County Fair, occurring during a week in August in Woodstock. Many towns also have their own festivals throughout the year. Some of the most notable ones are the Ground Hog Days and the Great Lake Steelpan Festival in Woodstock, Fall Fest in Huntley, the Summer Sunset Festival in Lake in the Hills, the Lakeside Festival in Crystal Lake, Milk Days in Harvard, Settler's Days in Marengo, Cary Days in Cary, Founders Days in Algonquin, and Fiesta Days in McHenry.

Transportation

Major highways

Interstate 90 * US 12

U.S. Highway 12 * US 14

U.S. Highway 14 * US 20

U.S. Highway 20 * Illinois 22

Illinois Route 22 Illinois Route 22, also known as Half Day Road for part of its length, is an east–west state highway in northeastern Illinois. It runs from U.S. Route 14 (Northwest Highway) in Fox River Grove to U.S. Route 41 ( Skokie Highway) in Highland Par ...

Illinois Route 23 * Illinois 31

Illinois Route 31 Illinois Route 31 (IL 31) is a north–south state highway in northeastern Illinois, United States. It travels from U.S. Route 34 (US 34) in Oswego north to US 12, near the Wisconsin state line, just south of Richmond ...

Illinois Route 47 * Illinois 62

Illinois Route 62 * Illinois 120

Illinois Route 120 Illinois Route 120 (IL 120) is a major east–west state highway in northeastern Illinois. It runs from U.S. Route 14 near Woodstock to Illinois Route 131 in Waukegan. It travels a distance of and is one of the few roads that provides di ...

Illinois Route 173 Illinois Route 173 (IL 173) is a east–west state highway that runs from Illinois Route 251 in the Rockford suburb of Machesney Park east to Illinois Route 137 (Sheridan Road/Buckley) in Zion near the Illinois-Wisconsin border. Illinois ...

Illinois Route 176 * Lake Cook Road * Randall Road Several Federal and state highways run through McHenry County, including U.S. Highway 20, U.S. Highway 14, U.S. Highway 12,

, Illinois Route 23,

, Illinois Route 176, Illinois Route 47,

, and Illinois Route 62. Highly traveled county highways include Randall Road, Algonquin Road, Rakow Road, and Walkup Road. McHenry County was the most populous county in the United States without direct access to an Interstate Highway within its borders. As a result, residents usually used the nearby Interstate 90 (the

), via interchanges in neighboring Kane County. But a new interchange is now completed at I-90 and Illinois Route 23, which provides McHenry County with direct access to the interstate highway system. Interstate 94 lies to the east of McHenry County in Lake County, Illinois.

Mass transportation

McHenry County is served by

Metra Metra is the commuter rail system in the Chicago metropolitan area serving the city of Chicago and its surrounding suburbs via the Union Pacific Railroad, BNSF Railway, and other railroads. The system operates 242 stations on 11 rail lines. ...

Rail, which provides daily commuter service to and from downtown Chicago. There are seven stations in the county, all of them located along the Union Pacific/Northwest Line. The county is also served by Pace, which provides five fixed bus routes (550, 806, 807, 808, and 809), and MCRide Dial-A-Ride transit service operated by Pace and First Transit.

Airports

Lake in the Hills Airport offers general aviation service, as do Dacy Airport and Galt Airport, in the northern part of the county. Chicago-O'Hare International Airport is approximately from the county, while Milwaukee's Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport is approximately away.

Chicago Rockford International Airport Chicago Rockford International Airport , typically referred to as Rockford International Airport, Chicago Rockford, or by its IATA call letters, RFD, is a commercial airport in Rockford, Illinois, located northwest of Chicago., effective April 26 ...

, a busy cargo airport with limited, scheduled passenger service is located approximately west of the central part of the county (Woodstock).

Media

McHenry County is entirely within the scope of the

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

media market A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area (DMA), television market area, or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same (or similar) television and radio station offerings, and may also incl ...

and the majority of the county relies primarily on Chicago television stations, radio stations, and newspapers for the source of its news and information. Certain sections of the county, particularly the rural far northern and far western parts, are also within the scope of the Milwaukee and Rockford media markets, respectively. The county has an FM radio station, WZSR (Star 105.5 FM), which plays mostly

adult contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...

and

pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former descri ...

. WZSR is based out of Crystal Lake. The '' Northwest Herald'', with a circulation of approximately 21,000, is the county's primary newspaper, serving the greater McHenry County area, and printed and published in Crystal Lake. ''Lake and McHenry County Scanner'', launched in 2012 by Sam Borcia, is a local digital newspaper which covers McHenry County and nearby

. The county is also served by the larger Chicago newspapers ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television a ...

'', ''

Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the ''Chicago ...

'', and the suburban-focused newspaper '' The Daily Herald''. ''McHenry County Living'', a bimonthly lifestyle magazine serving the county, reaches tens of thousands of area residents and businesses.

References

;Specific ;General *