Deerfield, Illinois

Deerfield is a village in Lake County, Illinois, United States. A portion of the village is in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 18,420 at the 2000 census. It is one of the predominant suburbs that make up Chicago's North Shore region.

Deerfield is home to the headquarters of Walgreens, Baxter Healthcare, APAC Customer Services, and Così, and was at one time the headquarters of the Sara Lee Corporation. Deerfield High School is one of the top public schools in the state. Trinity International University, an evangelical Christian university, is located in Deerfield.

Deerfield is represented by the 10th Congressional District of Illinois, 29th District of the Illinois Senate, and the 58th District of the Illinois House of Representatives.

Geography

Deerfield is located at (42.168275, -87.851341). According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 14.3 km² (5.5 mi²). 14.2 km² (5.5 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (0.54%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 18,420 people, 6,420 households, and 5,161 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,297.8/km² (3,359.4/mi²). There were 6,518 housing units at an average density of 459.2/km² (1,188.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the village was 95.88% White, 0.33% African American, 0.04% Native American, 2.52% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.43% from other races, and 0.77% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.69% of the population.

There were 6,420 households out of which 43.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 73.0% were married couples living together, 6.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.6% were non-families. 17.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.21.

In the village the population was spread out with 30.6% under the age of 18, 3.7% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 26.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there are 93.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.5 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $107,194, and the median income for a family was $118,683. Males had a median income of $90,226 versus $48,450 for females. The per capita income for the village was $50,664. About 1.3% of families and 1.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.1% of those under age 18 and 1.8% of those age 65 or over.

History

Originally populated by the Potawatomi Native Americans, the area was settled by Jacob B. Cadwell in 1835 and named Cadwell's Corner. A shopping center located on the site of Cadwell's farm at Waukegan Road and Lake Cook Road still bears that name. The area grew because of the navigable rivers in the area, notably the Des Plaines River and the Chicago River. By 1840, the town's name was changed to Leclair. Within a decade, settler John Millen proposed a further name change to Deerfield in honor of his hometown, Deerfield, Massachusetts and the large number of deer living in the area. The village's first school, Wilmot School, was founded in 1847. Originally a one-room schoolhouse, Wilmot is now an elementary school which serves 548 students. It is located at the corner of Deerfield Road and Wilmot Avenue.

The village of Deerfield was incorporated in 1903 with a population in the low 400s.

In 1957, Deerfield passed a referundum to build a park on property which had been proposed for use to build middle income housing. The housing plan including a provision which would have integrated Deerfield, at the time an entirely white community. Instead of the houses, Mitchell Pool and Park was built on the property. The first black family did not move into Deerfield until much later. This episode in Deerfield's history is described in But Not Next Door by Harry and David Rosen (1962).

1980s Deerfield and other North Shore communities inspired the teen movies of director/screen writer John Hughes. The fictional "Shermer" included elements of Deerfield and neighboring Northbrook and Highland Park.

On December 19, 2005, the village board passed a strict anti-smoking ordinance, set to go into effect on March 1, 2006. The law bans smoking in all public places, including businesses, bars, restaurants, parks, parade routes, public assemblies, and within 25 feet from any of the above.

Trivia

On May 26, 1944, a US Navy plane crashed in Deerfield on the current site of the Deerfield Public Library, killing Ensign Milton C. Pickens.
The 1999-2002 ABC drama Once and Again is set in Deerfield.
The film Stolen Summer (2002) was filmed in Deerfield.
Portions of the Fox reality show American High (2000) were filmed in Deerfield.
Shadowcat, a member of the fictional X-Men team, is from Deerfield.
The Deerfield train station is shown in the film Risky Business.
The Chicago Bulls' practice facility, the Berto Center, is in Deerfield.
The house in the intro of the show Married... with Children is a house on Castlewood Lane in Deerfield.
In the musical Dear Edwina by Marcy Heisler, a Deerfield native, and Zina Goldrich, the fictional protagonist lives at 427 Birchwood Avenue in Deerfield. Although the play is set in Paw Paw, Michigan much of it (including the address) is inspired by Heisler's hometown, Deerfield.
The restaurant from Amityville horror is called "Italian Kitchen", located on Deerfield Rd.
Former Chicago Bulls coach Phil Jackson's children attended Deerfield High School.

Famous Deerfield natives

Bodybuilder Cory Everson
Professional wrestler Colt Cabana
Former Green Bay Packers offensive lineman Lindsay Knapp

External links