Gurnee, IL, Website

Gurnee, Illinois. Gurnee, 45 miles north of the Loop, has transformed itself from the sleepy railroad stop of yesterday, to a fast-growing suburban community and commercial leader of today. In 1873 the Gurnee train station was named after Walter S.Gurnee, railroad board member and former Chicago mayor. The town later followed suit and took the name. In 1928,the year of its incorporation, Gurnee was a rural village of 500 residents. Today, that number has grown to more than 24,000.

The Gurnee Park District has nine parks, which boast numerous sports fields, tennis courts, playgrounds and a one-mile fitness course. The park district also offers a variety of classes and programs for both children and adults. The Warren-Newport Public Library completed its expansion and renovation two years ago. A new village-owned golf was paid for by developers who came up with a unique agreement between the village and themselves. Its surrounding land is currently is currently being developed into exclusive, family-centered subdivisions.

Gurnee is a major shopping and recreation center. In addition to the 200- store Gurnee Mills outlet mall, the community is home to Six Flags Great America, a magnificent theme park drawing more than 3 million people annually and providing nearly 3,000 summer jobs.

Housing: House hunters may choose from Colonials, Cape Cods, split levels, ranches and Victorians. Prices for new houses usually range from $150,000 to more than $325,000. Older homes range in price from $120,000 to $1 million. The low 1998 sale price in Gurnee was $52,000,and the high was $880,990.The average sale price in 1998 was $222,681. There are also a wide variety of new homes from which to choose. Currently there are four subdivisions under construction that feature single-family homes that range in price from a low of $155,490 to $294,400. Townhouses and condominiums are priced from $58,000 to $215,000.The average attached housing sale price in 1998 was $120,264. One-bedroom apartments rent from between $625 and $750 a month.

Transportation: I.94 and U.S.41 run through town. Drive time to the Loop is an hour. O'Hare is a 40-minute drive, and Midway is 80 minutes away. Mitchell Field, in Milwaukee, is a half-hour drive from Gurnee. Commuters may board the Metra trains in Libertyville and Waukegan for a 60-minute trip to the Loop. Bus service is available.

Schools: Elementary students attend either Gurnee Grade School, in district 56,or Woodland Elementary School, in district 50.Woodland Grade School, a brand new middle school, opened for the 1997-1998 school year. In addition to the normal curriculum, both districts offer gifted programs and other special-needs programs. Approximately 1,900 students attend Warren Township High School in district 121.A new high school facility, also named Warren Township High School, opened during the fall semester. The 1998 average ACT composite score was 22.0. There are several private, parochial, and vocational schools in the area, as well as five different colleges.

From the Chicago Tribune..

In the early 1990s, rows of new houses were going up seemingly everywhere in Gurnee. Now the construction pace has slowed and village expansion has entered a more mature phase. Gurnee has grown more upscale, yet it still appeals to a wide range of buyers. Houses start at $180,000 and can go as high as $1 million in the unincorporated Hunt Club Farms subdivision, north of Stearns School Road.

Gurnee had a difficult time keeping pace with the surge of newcomers. The number of building permits for new homes has fallen every year since then, to 271 in 1997. "We're not completely built out, but we're starting to slow in terms of our residential housing stock," said Brad Burke, public information officer for the village.

School overcrowding that plagued Gurnee in the early '90s has eased considerably. The fall of 1997 saw the opening of Warren Township High School and Woodland Middle School. And Viking Junior High School is set to move to a new building in fall, 1998. The number of new homes isn't the only thing decreasing. So are taxes. Thanks to the Gurnee Mills mall and Great America amusement park, as well as nearby commerce, Gurnee has enjoyed a steady 20-year decline in its residential property tax rate.

"Less than 3 percent of the tax bill paid by residents goes to the village," said Burke. "Gurnee Mills and Great America continue to provide a strong revenue stream to fund village services, a strong infrastructure and fire and police protection."

The civic heart of Gurnee is Village Center, where the village hall, high school, public library and park district offices are located. Nearby is 10-acre Viking Park, with softball fields, basketball courts and a hiking trail. The park is host to youth, performing arts, crafts, fitness and senior-citizen programs.

"It's kind of a community center, bringing residents together for day-to-day activities," Burke said of Village Center.

Adding to recreational opportunities is Bittersweet Golf Course, a public course that opened in the spring of 1996 along Almond Road south of Grand Avenue (Illinois 132). The course has won awards for preservation and maintenance of wetlands.