Skokie, IL

The village of Skokie covers 10.2 square miles of land and is bordered by the Villages of Glenview and Wilmette on the north, the Village of Lincolnwood and the City of Chicago (West Rogers Park and Edgebrook neighborhoods) on the south, the Villages of Morton Grove and Niles on the west and the City of Evanston on the east. Skokie has a population of roughly 63,000.

Skokie consistently ranks near the top of Chicago magazine's suburban livability rating, which praises the village's schools, parks, arts, and government services.

ECONOMY AND INDUSTRIES

Skokie offers an educated, white-collar workforce, with almost 43 percent of Skokie residents holding at least a bachelor's degree. Residents tend to be professionals, sales and office workers, and managers.

A mix of manufacturing, retail, and service industries fuels the local economy. Skokie is home to more than 200 manufacturing firms, making it seventh in the state for number of manufacturing businesses. The manufacturing firms employ more than 9,000 people. Skokie also has a massive facility for bioscience industries. The Illinois Science and Technology Park is a campus marketed toward companies dealing in scientific and technological research.

NEIGHBORHOODS AND DISTRICTS

There are ample housing and rental options in Skokie, with almost 24,000 homes and apartments. The majority of Skokie's housing is single-family homes and 75 percent is occupied by owners.

As such a well-established city, it stands to reason that Skokie's housing stock would match. About 75 percent of the city's homes were built from 1940 to 1969. The city also experienced a real estate boom in the 1920s; about 6 percent of current homes date back to that period.

Styles are mostly ranch, two-story, split-level, or Georgian. Housing comes in a variety of sizes, although most of the housing is in the two- to three-bedroom range. The city also boasts a good selection of small apartment buildings (about 14 percent of the housing) and apartment/condo complexes (about 22 percent of the housing).

COMMUNITIES

Cultural diversity is key in Skokie, with residents coming from all around the world. Foreign-born residents make up about 37 percent of the city's population. The rich tapestry of Skokie's residents is celebrated each year at the city's Festival of Cultures, held each May. This ethnic festival features a "tour of the world," with more than 30 cultures represented through music, dance, art, and food.

The city's racial makeup is similarly diverse. About 69 percent of the city is white, followed by about 21 percent Asian and almost 5 percent African American. Latinos (of any race) account for almost 6 percent of the population. Skokie has a sizeable older population, with almost 20 percent of the population older than 65. With a median age of 42, though, there are plenty of young families in the area.

Skokie has a history of being a haven for immigrant populations. Many of the people who came to Skokie during the population boom of the 1950s and '60s were Jewish people moving out of Chicago. A number of these new Jewish residents were immigrants who had fled Europe, both during the war to escape the Nazis and after the war to escape the memories of concentration camps. The residents built a number of synagogues throughout the city; these have, in turn, continued to draw new immigrant (mostly Russian now) Jewish populations to the area. American Nazis famously received court permission to march in Skokie in 1978. Although the Nazis ultimately did not rally in the city, the proposed march spurred thousands of counter-demonstrators. Chicago-area Holocaust survivors drew together and formed the Holocaust Memorial Foundation of Illinois, which eventually created a museum, the Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center. A memorial sculpture to commemorate the Holocaust was also dedicated in Skokie's village center in 1987.

GETTING AROUND

Skokie is located just 16 miles northwest of downtown Chicago and is connected to the city by the Skokie Swift rail line on Chicago's famed elevated train system. Seventeen bus lines (through both the Chicago and suburban bus systems) service the city. Interstate 94 also runs along the western edge of the city. These easy transportation options add to the charm of living in Skokie, a suburb with very convenient access to its urban neighbor.

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

North Shore Center for the Performing Arts: With two theaters that seat almost 1,200 people, this arts and entertainment mecca is home to the Centre East arts organization, Northlight Theater, and Skokie Valley Symphony.

Skokie Northshore Sculpture Park: This outdoor sculpture garden runs between McCormick Avenue and the north channel of the Chicago River and features more than 60 huge, open-air sculptures. Walking and cycling paths intertwine around the sculptures.

FAMILY FUN

Dammrich Rowing Center: This state-of-the-art facility has a boat launch for non-motorized craft and a 5,000-square-foot indoor training center.

Emily Oaks Nature Center: This savanna is brimming with wildflowers, oak trees, grasses, and a pond. Trails and a nature center enhance the experience.

Westfield Old Orchard: Practice an outdoor sport of a different sort. Old Orchard, a large mall located on the city's far north side, offers 140 stores in a landscaped outdoor setting.

EDUCATION

• Oakton Community College is a two-year community college that's been in the area since 1980.
• National-Louis University has a branch campus, North Shore Campus at Skokie, in the city.
• Hebrew Theological College was chartered in 1922 as one of the country's first Modern Jewish Orthodox institutes of higher education.
• Jewish University of America offers master's and doctoral degrees to Orthodox men.
• Ort Technical Institute offers training in technical fields.
• Knowledge Systems Institute is a private graduate school of computer and information sciences.
• Chicago School of Violin Making offers a three-year program in making and repairing violins.