Waukegan, Illinois
| Waukegan, Illinois | |
|---|---|
| City | |
| City of Waukegan | |
Downtown Waukegan Skyline
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| Nickname(s): WaukTown, Green Town | |
| Motto: "An Illinois Arts-Friendly Community" | |
| Coordinates: 42°22′13″N 87°52′16″W / 42.37028°N 87.87111°WCoordinates: 42°22′13″N 87°52′16″W / 42.37028°N 87.87111°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Illinois |
| Counties | Lake |
| Founded | 1829 |
| Incorporated | 1849 (town), 1859 (city) |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor–council |
| • Mayor | Wayne Motley (D) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 23.88 sq mi (61.8 km2) |
| • Land | 23.67 sq mi (61.3 km2) |
| • Water | 0.21 sq mi (0.5 km2) 0.88% |
| Elevation | 715 ft (218 m) |
| Population (2013) | |
| • Total | 88,826 |
| • Rank | 9th largest in Illinois |
| • Density | 3,700/sq mi (1,400/km2) |
| Demonym(s) | Waukeganite |
| Time zone | CST (UTC−6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC−5) |
| ZIP Codes | 60079, 60085, 60087 |
| Area code(s) | 847 & 224 |
| Website | www |
Waukegan /wɔːˈkiːɡən/ is a city and the county seat of Lake County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2013 census estimate, the city had a population of 88,826. It is the ninth-largest city in Illinois by population. It is the fifth-largest city on the western shore of Lake Michigan, after Chicago, Milwaukee, Green Bay, and Kenosha.
The site of present-day Waukegan was recorded as Riviere du Vieux Fort ("Old Fort River") and Wakaygagh on a 1778 map by Thomas Hutchins. By the 1820s, the French name had become "Small Fort River" in English, and the settlement was known as "Little Fort". The name "Waukegance" and then "Waukegan" (meaning "little fort"; cf. Potawatomi wakaigin "little fort") was created by John H. Kinzie and Solomon Juneau, and the new name was adopted in 1849.
Waukegan had an abolitionist community dating to these early days. In 1853, residents commemorated the anniversary of emancipation of slaves in the British Empire with a meeting. Waukegan arguably has the distinction of being the only place where Abraham Lincoln failed to finish a speech; when he campaigned in the town in 1860, a fire alarm rang, and the man soon-to-be president had his words interrupted.
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