Certified Water Extraction in Meadow Knolls

Coordinates: 41°29′19″N 87°33′56″W / 41.48861°N 87.56556°W / 41.48861; -87.56556CountryUnited StatesStateIllinoisCountiesCookTownshipBloomFounded1842 (Incorporated on March 12, 1957)Government

 • TypeMayor (Village President) and Village Board of Trustees • MayorMarva Campbell-Pruitt (2025-present) • Trustees

Area

4.00 sq mi (10.35 km²) • Land3.99 sq mi (10.34 km²) • Water0.00 sq mi (0.01 km²)Population

9,921 • Density2,485.22/sq mi (959.56/km²)Time zoneUTC-6 (CST) • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)ZIP Code(s)

Area code708FIPS code17-67769Websitewww.saukvillage.org

Sauk Village (locally known as "The Village") is a village and a south suburb of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 9,921 at the 2020 census.^[2]

Sauk Village is located at

41°29′19″N 87°33′56″W / 41.48861°N 87.56556°W / 41.48861; -87.56556 (41.488535, -87.565658).^[3]

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Sauk Village has a total area of 4.00 square miles (10.36 km²), of which 3.99 square miles (10.33 km²) (or 99.90%) is land and 0.00 square miles (0.00 km²) (or 0.10%) is water.^[4]

The village stands on the Tinley Moraine. The Glenwood Shoreline cuts through the village.

Neighboring towns include the Illinois communities of Lynwood to the northeast, Ford Heights to the north, Chicago Heights to the northwest, South Chicago Heights to the west, Steger to the southwest, and Crete to the south. The town of Dyer, Indiana, is the nearest community to the east.

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1960	4,687		—
1970	7,479		59.6%
1980	10,906		45.8%
1990	9,926		−9.0%
2000	10,411		4.9%
2010	10,506		0.9%
2020	9,921		−5.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[5] 2010[6] 2020[7]

As of the 2020 census^[8] there were 9,921 people, 3,237 households, and 2,338 families residing in the village. The population density was 2,482.73 inhabitants per square mile (958.59/km²). There were 3,740 housing units at an average density of 935.94 per square mile (361.37/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 68.14% African American, 16.64% White, 0.46% Native American, 0.46% Asian, 0.13% Pacific Islander, 7.00% from other races, and 7.17% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 13.39% of the population.

There were 3,237 households, out of which 39.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 25.70% were married couples living together, 35.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.77% were non-families. 22.58% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.32% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.59 and the average family size was 3.17.

The village's age distribution consisted of 29.1% under the age of 18, 12.6% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 20.2% from 45 to 64, and 10.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30.6 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.5 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $46,061, and the median income for a family was $46,337. Males had a median income of $27,416 versus $25,698 for females. The per capita income for the village was $18,976. About 22.2% of families and 27.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 52.2% of those under age 18 and 5.5% of those age 65 or over.

Sauk Village, Illinois – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.

Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2000[9]	Pop 2010[6]	Pop 2020[7]	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	5,540	2,496	1,436	53.21%	23.76%	14.47%
Black or African American alone (NH)	3,338	6,511	6,674	32.06%	61.97%	67.27%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	17	13	8	0.16%	0.12%	0.08%
Asian alone (NH)	68	30	41	0.65%	0.29%	0.41%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	4	2	3	0.04%	0.02%	0.03%
Other race alone (NH)	14	25	67	0.13%	0.24%	0.68%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)	206	258	364	1.98%	2.46%	3.67%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	1,224	1,328	1,171	11.76%	11.15%	13.39%
Total	10,411	10,506	9,921	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

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The area that is now known as Sauk Village has been a center of activity for hundreds of years.^{[specify][citation needed]} Originally, several Native American tribes inhabited this land, which is a part of an area of high ground surrounding Lake Michigan known as the Valparaiso Moraine. The Native Americans used this high ground for transporting herd animals and trade items. Though the Potawatomi and Illinois Confederation tribes were native to the area, the Sauk people, from Michigan, became the namesake of the Sauk Trail. As the westward expansion increased during the 19th century, the Sauk tribes were forced to move westward. Annually, they would travel the Sauk Trail to collect treaty money from Canada and the United States.

This area was initially invaded by the American settlers in 1830^[10] and consequently opened to them in 1838. Vincent Sauter and Frederick Richards came to Bloom in 1839, and settled at New Strasburg (soon to be Sauk Village). Christian Millar, the first blacksmith, and H. Beekley, the first house carpenter, located here in 1842.^[11] Though the original settlers of Sauk Village moved here from the East Coast, their roots were in Western Europe, especially France and Germany. The first immigrants to the area were Hiram Wood, Henry Ayen, and Rowley. After these original settlers, a second wave of families moved to the Sauk Village area, including such familiar names such as Parrino, Gatto, Kavelage, Reichert, Sauter, Rickenberger, Kloss, Barnes, Jung, Schaller, Schmidt, Kline, and Peters. Postmaster Charles Sauter named the settlement Strassburg, after Strasbourg, France, home of many of the original settlers. Back when the area was originally being settled by Americans, land sold for $1.25 an acre.

In 1847, St. Jakob's Church was built. Father Francis Fischer was the first priest of the church, which had twenty parishioners. In 1871, the original church was struck by lightning and burned to the ground. The church was promptly rebuilt, only to be struck again in 1873. After this second lightning strike, the church was moved to what became the corner of Sauk Trail and the Calumet Expressway, where it would stand until its razing in 2004. The name of the church was changed from the German St. Jakob to St. James in 1917 as a result of anti-German attitudes due to World War I. During the Great Depression of the 1930s, St. James Church experienced a shortage in revenues. Area residents helped by hand-digging the basement of the church in order to create a hall that could be rented out. On November 11, 1940, a tornado touched down in the area, causing extensive damage to the roof of St. James Church. Area residents may have known the Old St. James Church as the Old Community Center. The graveyard directly behind where the Old St. James Church stood is the St. James Cemetery at Strassburg. It is the final resting place for many of Sauk Village's original settlers. While the church was being readied for demolition in 2004, former Trustee Richard Derosier, while cleaning the attic of the old church, stumbled over an old relic cross that once hung in the old St. James Church. The old relic cross now hangs at the entry to St. James Church some 150 years later. The original bell, cast in the 19th century, stands outside St. James Church today as a testament to the history and sacrifices of so many families of Sauk Village. St. James permanently closed in 2023.^[12]

When the Calumet Expressway was built in the late 1950s, the Strassburg area was seen as a prime real estate development. The AMBO I Construction firm moved into the area in 1956, building homes in what is now known as the Garden Section, near the Calumet Expressway and just south of Sauk Trail. The community was incorporated on March 12, 1957, as Sauk Village, since there was a town in southern Illinois that already had the name Strasburg. Thomas J. Nichols served as Sauk Village's first president.

Since its incorporation in 1957, Sauk Village has undergone considerable change and expansion. By 1961, a special census showed that Sauk Village had 1,258 homes and 5,774 residents. Strassburg and Cynthia Street (now known as Wagoner) Schools were built during this time to accommodate the needs of residents' children. Though construction came to a virtual halt during the mid-1960s, by the early 1970s development was beginning again. In 1970, Rickover Junior High School opened its doors, and additions were made to the existing schools. Throughout the 1970s, developments such as the Amber Manor Apartments (now known as the Crossroads), Surreybrook Plaza, and St. James Estates were booming. Under the direction of Mayor Theisen and the Village Board, the Village Hall and Police Station moved out of a renovated residential duplex to the now Old Village Hall in 1977 on Torrence Avenue. The building at the time would cost about $250,000, considerably less than the $5 million the new Village Hall would cost in 2008.

The area continued to expand through the early 1980s with the addition of more homes to the St. James Estates area and new subdivisions such as the Carlisle Estates and Southbrook. The Community Center behind the old Village Hall first opened its doors in 1982, coinciding with the village's 25th anniversary. In the late 1980s, construction began on the Sauk Pointe Industrial Park on Sauk Trail west of the Calumet Expressway. Pacesetter Steel became the first company to move into the park in 1988. During the same year, Sauk Plaza underwent a 1.1 million dollar renovation project, which brought several new businesses into the community.

The 1990s promised to be yet another decade of expansion for Sauk Village. In 1990, Carolina Freight opened for business, bringing numerous jobs to the area. Building began in 1993 on the Carolina Subdivision, south of Sauk Trail and east of the Calumet Expressway. This subdivision would be the first residential development in nearly a decade. The 1990 census showed Sauk Village as having a population of 9,704. The 2000 census data showed the population at about 10,411.

2005 saw an investigation into the finances of School District 168 and what was described by the Cook County State's Attorney as the "worst case of financial fraud by a public official." Superintendent of Schools Thomas Ryan,^[13] School Board President Louise Morales, and Building and Grounds supervisor Edward Bernacki were all charged with felonies for stealing funds from the school district. Ryan was the only one who was sentenced to a prison term of 8 years. Ryan^[14] was released in 2008 after serving more than two years and repaying some $400,000 in restitution to District 168.

In 2007, bold plans were being made for the construction of a new Village Hall and Senior Citizen Center. Groundbreaking began in August 2007 on the new Sauk Village Municipal Center and Senior Citizen Center. The groundbreaking coincided with the village's 50th anniversary celebrations. On November 1, 2008, the new Village Hall was dedicated at a ceremony attended by Mayor Roger Peckham and the Board of Trustees, by former mayors Paesel and Collins, former village trustees Joseph Wiszowaty, Mary Seery, V. Zeke Luther, Rita Kueny, Patricia Hasse, former village clerks Marjorie Tuley and Elizabeth Selvey, and several other local mayors and many other distinguished guests. The New Municipal Center is an open concept contemporary design occupying about 18,500 square feet (1,720 m²) and costing $5 million. Construction took 14 months and was to be paid for not with property tax dollars but from impact fees resulting from the influx of industrial development in the village's Logisticenter, according to Village Manager Dieterich. Because of the national economic downturn by 2012, impact fees generated were not adequate to cover the debt service on the Revenue Bonds issued in 2007 to build the Municipal Center. The Village was forced to levy property taxes to cover the bond payments in 2012, 2013 and 2014.^[15] The old Village Hall was taken over by the Police Department.

Water testing began detecting concentrations of vinyl chloride, a known carcinogen, in the communities well water in 2009. The Village took one of the three wells it has off line as concentration levels continued to rise. With the Village stuck in political gridlock and a legal battle with the State of Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, by 2012 the Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan stepped in and forced the Village to provide bottled water to the residents until a temporary air strippers were installed to remove the vinyl chloride from the well water. By August 2012 the State of Illinois installed temporary air strippers and the village discontinued providing bottled water. Permanent Air Strippers were on the drawing board in 2012 and construction finally became a reality as the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency approved a low-interest loan of $4.8 million for the village. Construction on the permanent air strippers got under way by spring of 2014 and is expected to be complete by fall, 2014.

On March 12, 2012, voters went to the polls and approved a referendum to abandon the Village's well water in favor of Lake Michigan Water. To date, there has been no plan or timeline provided as to when the Village will transition to Lake Michigan water as "Permanent" air strippers are scheduled to be installed in Fall, 2014. In 2013, as part of the "water improvement plan" upgrades to the Iron Removal System installed in 1988 are to be completed.

A group of avid readers began a volunteer library which was housed in the basement of Katz Corner School, once located on Burnham Avenue. In June 1973, a referendum was passed and the Sauk Village Library District was formed in 1974. Jack Hurwitz was the first library director. He was assisted by Mary Frances Pena, who later would become head librarian.^[16]

The library outgrew the basement at Katz Corner School and moved to a single-story house at 1909 Sauk Trail, and Linda Gapsewitz became the new director. In 1984, the library moved to a storefront in Surreybrook Plaza. In 1986, the Sauk Village Library District Board of Trustees changed the district's name to the Nancy L. McConathy Public Library District, to honor library district trustee and Village Clerk Nancy L. McConathy, who had died suddenly.^[16]

In 2006, under the direction of the Library Board and Library Director Nanette Wargo, the library finally realized the vision of all of those volunteers and moved into their very own library building. The building was originally envisioned for land once owned on 223rd Street near Torrence Avenue, but was built at 21737 Jeffery Avenue. The building was designed by ARC Architects of Frankfort, Illinois.^{[citation needed]}

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The village's first mayor, then referred to as Village President, was Thomas J. Nichols, who was elected in 1957, when the village was incorporated. Nichols served two terms from 1957 to 1965. He was succeeded by Roger F. Theisen in 1965. During the Theisen administration, the village saw the largest expansion of its geographical boundaries and the largest growth in housing as a result of the baby-boomers moving from the larger urban centers to the more rural Sauk Village. Theisen continued the "bedroom community" character of the community. Theisen had the Village Board change the title of Village President to Mayor but continuing the Village Board system of government. Theisen appointed Theodore "Ted" Theodore as his Executive Assistant, effectively what is now the Village Manager's position. Theodore would serve in that capacity through the next administration.

The village's third mayor, Edward W. Paesel was elected in April 1977, beating out long-time incumbent Roger Theisen. Paesel was a school teacher at the time of his election. During Paesel's time in office the village experienced some growth but still experienced the difficulties of the economic downturn as many blue collar jobs left the area. It wasn't until the late 1980s that some of the largest developments came about. DSI on Torrence Avenue, the expansion of Roadway Express and Carolina Freight, two very successful Tax Increment Financing (TIF) districts, and Pacesetter Steel were all attributed to the vision of Edward Paesel. An ambitious project spearheaded by Paesel which did not come about was the GM-Saturn automobile plant, proposed for the northwest corner of the Calumet Expressway and Sauk Trail. Saturn officials opted for an alternate location. Since leaving office Paesel has served on the Third Regional Airport Clearinghouse and now serves as executive director of the South Suburban Mayor and Managers Association^[17] and served a brief period in 2006 as District 168 Board Member. Paesel has remained one of the staunchest advocates for Sauk Village since he was first elected to the Village Board in 1973.

Mark Collins, an iron worker, who was Mayor Paesel's "preferred candidate", won election as a part-time mayor after beating out his one-time ally and colleague trustee Richard Derosier and a crowded field of candidates in April 1989. On April 4, 1989, many Chicago media outlets descended on Sauk Village to cover the election of Joseph Wiszowaty, a high school student who was elected to the Village Board of Trustees, and became the youngest man elected in the state of Illinois. Wiszowaty ran on a "change" platform and would in fact bring that change to the Village Board. Wiszowaty would find himself voting against the administration on many issues during his term in office. Wiszowaty made a presentation to the owners of the Chicago Bears to build a new stadium on the property that was proposed for the GM-Saturn plant, after securing economic commitment to expand the Enterprise Zone from the administration of Chicago Heights.^[18] The Bears declined the proposal and opted to stay in Chicago with commitments for a newer more modern stadium. Collins, Wiszowaty and the Board were sworn on May 9, 1989. During Collins' first term as mayor, new housing construction began again after a many-year hiatus. Many of the day-to-day activities that were handled by the mayor were now being handled by the village manager. Wiszowaty served his term from 1989 to 1993, when he challenged incumbent mayor Mark Collins but lost in a three-way race. Wiszowaty was born and raised in Sauk Village and would have been the youngest mayor Sauk Village ever elected had he succeeded. A petition to have Wiszowaty run again for the village board was circulated in 1995 by supporters, which likely would have led to another run for mayor in 1997, but Wiszowaty chose not to seek election to his old seat on the board.

Collins survived his re-election bid for a second term as mayor in April 1993, beating out trustee Joseph Wiszowaty and another candidate, again with the same core of supporters that brought him to office in 1989. In September 1994 the administration was under intense scrutiny over the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. Allegations included contractors doing shoddy work and allowing massive cost overruns on projects, and the village's hiring of unbonded and unlicensed contractors. In December 1994, citing "serious questions" relating to the village's handling of a program to refurbish single-family homes, Cook County suspended the release of grant money to the village for new projects. Shortly afterward, the Cook County State's Attorney began an investigation into the mishandling of the CDBG program and several other blunders by the Collins administration.^[19] This would cause supporters of Collins to look for an alternative candidate in 1997.

On April 1, 1997,^[20] Collins was defeated by Roger Peckham,^[21] his own appointee to the Village Board. Peckham during the 1997 election accused the administration, when it came to dealing with new developments, of jumping at opportunities rather than considering serious planning. Peckham, who was serving as Village Trustee, said that the mayor would not communicate with the Board of Trustees on important matters. Peckham had two very close challenges in the 2001 and in 2005 elections. 2005 saw one of the closest mayoral elections in the village's history, in which Peckham survived with only a 43-vote victory against trustee David Hanks.

Peckham announced in 2008^[22] that he would not seek a fourth term, stating, "The community has moved along during my term." But Peckham also said he had hoped for more economic, retail and housing development in the village. Lewis Tower would win election as Sauk Village's sixth mayor by a 2 to 1 majority over Village Trustee Derrick Burgess in April 2009 and has become the first African-American to serve as mayor.

November 7, 2012, residents of Sauk Village were stunned to hear via email that embattled Mayor Lewis Towers resigned. Towers is the first and only mayor to have resigned the office of Mayor. Towers had been at political odds with the Village Board as the village was stuck in "gridlock". On November 8, 2012, the Village Board of Trustees selected David Hanks as acting mayor to serve out the remainder of Lewis Towers' unexpired term until May 2013. Hanks announced during a press conference he would not seek election as mayor and that he would return to his seat on the Village Board of Trustees as soon as the new mayor takes the oath of office. Hanks then filed to be a candidate for Mayor in December 2012. On April 9, 2013, Hanks won election with 46% of the vote in a 4-way race.^[23]

The village hired a Village Manager in 1988. At the time outgoing mayor Edward Paesel said that there was nobody at Village Hall with the experience necessary to run the administrative functions, and the village's mayor's position had been made part-time. Richard Dieterich was hired and continues today as Village Manager. Dieterich relocated to Sauk Village from Nebraska. To date, Dieterich has served under three mayors and numerous trustees, and has provided 20 years of leadership and continuity to Sauk Village to date.

A changing of the guard was said to have taken place in April 1985 when incumbent Village Clerk Agnes Theodore was beaten out at the polls after many years as Village Clerk by Nancy L. McConathy. Theodore, whose husband was the Executive Assistant to the mayor, refused to leave her position, and McConathy filed suit against the mayor, Village Board of Trustees and Agnes Theodore to force Theodore to leave her elected position. Theodore claimed she was not only an elected official but also an employee of the village and the administration did nothing to support McConathy's contention. On April 5, 1986, McConathy collapsed at the village's annual Appreciation Dinner and died just short of serving a full year in office. McConathy's lawsuit brought prior to her death was settled by McConathy's estate some time later, without the village admitting any liability. Prior to her election as Village Clerk, Nancy L. McConathy served as a library trustee. The Sauk Village Library District changed the name of the library's district to the Nancy L. McConathy Public Library District in her honor.

It was "All in the Family" from 1981 until 1983 when Raymond Gavin, who would actually go on to serve as one of the longest serving village trustees (elected to five terms but would resign before the end), and his son David Gavin served on the Village Board together. This has been the only time that a father and son has served on the Village Board together. A father and daughter have served on the Village Board, but not together. Mary Seery (née Slawnikowski) 1993-2005 did not seek re-election to the Village Board in 2005, and that made way for her father James Slawnikowski, who went on to serve one term.

Raymond Gavin (1967–1986) served the longest consecutive time in office as Village Trustee (19 years), and Robert Werner (1971–1987) and Matthew M. Murphy (1957–1973) served as Village Trustees for 16 years in office, all three longer than any mayor of the village. The three men served on the board together from 1971 to 1973. However, the longest serving elected official in Sauk Village history is Agnes Theodore, who served 25 years as Village Clerk from 1960 to 1985. Honors were given to Robert Werner as the baseball park on the north end of the Village were dedicated to his name. Mathew Murphy received a street named in his honor on the east side of town. However, no honors have yet been given to Raymond Gavin, the longest serving Village Trustee.

Harriet Kaminski (née Wiszowaty) made history in 1965, becoming the first woman to become a Village Trustee. She was followed by Alberta Goe (1965–1966), Catherine Moretti (1967–1968), and several other women. Sauk Village currently has two women serving as Village Trustees.

In 2009, Sauk Village elected its first African-American mayor, Lewis Towers,^[24] whose slate of candidates under the party banner Citizens for Progress would take office on May 12. After taking office, Towers and the new Village Board found that Sauk Village was facing its worst economic crisis in history with a $2 million budget deficit^[25] to plug and no funds in the coffers left over by the previous administration. The new administration saw some shake-ups as well with previous administrative appointees Police Chief Thomas Lachetta and Fire Chief Christopher Sewell retiring and resigning respectively.

Further shakeups in 2010 included Mayor Towers' appointee as Chief of Police Frank Martin, who had the shortest tenure as Police Chief in village history (five months). The Village Board voted 4 to 2 to fire Martin following claims of racial discrimination. Martin, at age 75, the first African-American appointed Police Chief, was accused by several white police officers of mismanagement and holding officers to a higher standard than himself.^[26] Also allegedly fired because of the shakeup was the Mayor's Chief of Staff Burnetta Hill-Corely.^{[citation needed]} The Chief of Staff position replaced the Village Manager when Towers was sworn in during 2009.

Mayor Towers sees that times ahead will still be challenging but are "looking up".^[27] While the economic recession has hit Sauk Village hard in 2009, the village has managed to work through the challenges.

Between 1990 and 2010 the demographic makeup of Sauk Village has changed from a predominantly white blue collar middle class community to a more racially integrated community. Numerous industrial construction projects which had hoped to bring jobs to the area had been halted in 2008 as one of the worst economic recessions began.

Mayor Derrick Burgess, before his election as Mayor in April 2017 proposed the Burgess Plan for Progress which was what he called the "roadmap toward a Pathway to Progress". The Village Board of Trustees formally adopted his plan as the Strategic Plan for Progress.^[28] This was the Village's first Strategic Plan ever adopted by a Village Board. In 2017, the Village applied for and received a grant from the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning to update their old Comprehensive Plan. Teska and Associates was chosen as the consultant for the plan which was completed in 2019.^[29]

Elections are typically held in early April every 2 years. both Mayoral and Trustee elections happen every 4 years, with Trustee elections happening 2 years out of sync compared to Mayoral Elections.

Mayors of Sauk Village, Illinois

Image Mayor Years Notes Thomas Nichols 1957–1965 First mayor[30][31] Roger Theisen 1965–1977 [30][32]   Edward Paesel 1977–1989 [30] Mark Collins 1989–1997 [30][33]   Roger Peckham 1997–2009 [30]   Lewis Towers 2009 – November 7, 2012 Resigned on November 7, 2012.[34] First African-American mayor.   David Hanks November 8, 2012 – May 2013 (acting) 2013–2017 Appointed acting mayor on November 8, 2012[35]   Derrick Burgess 2017–2025 Re-elected in 2021. Second African-American mayor.   Marva Campbell-Pruitt 2025–present Elected 2025. First woman elected mayor. Third African American mayor. Former village clerk.

Held on April 7, 2009. Voters elected Lewis Towers over current Village Board Trustee Derrick Burgess by 62% to 37% respectively. Towers went on to become Sauk Village's 6th mayor, and both the first African-American Mayor and the first to have won running on a party affiliation.^[36]

Held on April 5, 2011. This was David Hanks fourth term as Village Trustee. This made him the third Village Trustee to have been re-elected for four consecutive terms. The other Village Trustees to have been re-elected to run four consecutive terms were Matthew Murphy and Raymond Gavin. Hanks and his running mates of the People's Voice Party, incumbent Trustee Derrick Burgess, and the first Hispanic/Latino Village Trustee ever elected, Robert Chavez, won with about a 3 to 1 margin over the candidates supported by Mayor Towers. The new Village Board took office on May 10, 2011.

November 7, 2012, Mayor Lewis Towers resigned. Towers is the first and only mayor to have resigned the office of Mayor. Towers had been at political odds with the Village Board as the village was stuck in "gridlock". On November 8, 2012, the Village Board of Trustees selected David Hanks as acting mayor to serve out the remainder of Lewis Towers' unexpired term until May 2013. Hanks announced during a press conference he would not seek election as mayor and that he would return to his seat on the Village Board of Trustees as soon as the new mayor takes the oath of office. Hanks then filed to be a candidate for Mayor in December 2012. The election was held on April 9, 2013, Hanks won the election with 42% of the vote in a 4-way race.^[23]

Held on April 7, 2015. Derrick Burgess was elected to a 3rd term as Trustee with nearly 62% of the ballot. Also elected were Cecial Tates, a retired Lieutenant-Colonel and former District 168 School Board President along with newcomer Kelvin Jones. This election was historic as two incumbents were not re-elected, an event that had not happened since 1971.^[37]

Held on April 4, 2017. David Hanks announced he would not seek re-election.^[38] Hanks followed his predecessor Lewis Towers as only serving one term as Mayor. Village Trustee Derrick Burgess announced his intention to run Mayor of Sauk Village.^[39]

Burgess was elected as the 8th Mayor of Sauk Village. Trustee Derrick Burgess was elected with 55% of the vote over two challengers. Burgess took office on May 9, 2017. Marva Campbell-Pruitt was elected Village Clerk beating out two-term incumbent Clerk Debbie Williams. Pruitt is the first to defeat an elected Village Clerk since Nancy McConathy beat out long-time Clerk Agnes Theodore in 1985, and also is the first African-American elected Village Clerk.^[40]

Held on April 2, 2019. One of the seats on the board of trustees was decided by a coin flip. Both Beth Zupon and Gary T. Bell both received 288 votes. Bell won the coin flip.^[41]

Held on April 6, 2021. Derrick Burgess was Elected for a second consecutive term with 53% of the vote. The other candidates were Debra Williams who received 31% and Lynda Washington who received 15%.^[42]

Held on April 4, 2023. This election had a 5.6% turnout. All Trustees elected in this election won by default^[43]

Held on April 1, 2025. Marva Campbell-Pruitt was elected Mayor with a plurality of 46% of the vote becoming Sauk Village's first woman mayor. Campbell-Pruitt defeated incumbent Mayor Derrick Burgess who was seeking a third-term as mayor. Arnold Coleman, who chose not to seek re-election as Trustee lost in this three-way race garnering only 15% of the vote. ^[44]

The largest growth of the village came in the early 1990s when the village annexed nearly 1 square mile (2.6 km²) as a result of a major land grab with neighbors Steger and Ford Heights. The size of the annexation was only rivaled by the growth in the early 1960s when the village just began and housing growth was at an all-time high. The largest parcel annexed came in 1991 when 500 acres (2.0 km²) at the northwest corner of Sauk Trail and the Calumet Expressway was finally added to the village. The 500-acre (2.0 km²) parcel was previously proposed for the GM-Saturn plant by Mayor Paesel and the new Chicago Bears Stadium by Trustee Wiszowaty.^[45]

Development would finally take off in 2004 when Sauk Village marketed the property to national developers and selected DP Partners out of Reno, Nevada. In November 2004 the company entered into a development agreement with the village. In January 2005, DP Partners closed on the first 100 acres (0.40 km²) and began development two months later. In its master plan, the company plans to spend $150 million to develop 5,000,000 square feet (460,000 m²) of warehouse and manufacturing space. LogistiCenter Business Park currently occupies 325 acres (1.32 km²) and has a 496,260-square-foot (46,104 m²) distribution facility (expandable up to 1.2 million square feet).^[46]

Winpak announced it was locating a portion packaging facility in Sauk Village, after purchasing 28.9 acres of land within the LogistiCenter development in 2011, a Class A business park.^[47] The 2011 buildout was for 267,000 sqft and in 2016 Winpak completed their planned expansion to a total of 615,000 sqft. Through incentives by the State of Illinois, Cook County and Commonwealth Edison, Winpak was able to remain in Sauk Village.

Sauk Village found success in 2017 with the sale of 32 acres of land that it had owned for years at the Northwest corner of Sauk Trail and Illinois 394. Gas-N-Wash was Sauk Village's first major commercial development in over 30 years which included a $13 million private investment. The owners broke ground in 2018 and by June 2019 Gas N Wash owners celebrated their grand opening of their 12,000 square foot convenience store, restaurants and truck stop thanks to the Economic Development efforts of Mayor Derrick Burgess.^[48]

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Sauk Village is governed by an elected six-member Board of Trustees and Mayor. The Mayor/Village President is a "part-time" position and he appoints the Village Administrator, Treasurer, Police Chief, Fire Chief, Public Works Superintendent, all Directors and other Village Department Heads and members of Committees and Commissions with the "advice and consent" of the Village Board of Trustees pursuant to Illinois law.

• Mayor/Village President: Marva Campbell-Pruitt (elected April 1, 2025)
• Village Clerk: Debra Lee Williams (elected April 1, 2025)
• Village Treasurer: Position Vacant

Board of Trustees:

• Aretha Burns (first appointed 2023, elected 2023 term expires 2027)
• Raven Johnson (first elected 2023, term expires 2027)
• Diane Sapp (first elected 2023; elected 2025, term expires 2029)
• Tyesha Jones (first elected 2025; term expires 2029)
• Michelle Sterling (first elected 2025; term expires 2029)
• Vacant Seat (unexpired term, expires 2027)

Village Trustees are part-time positions, and they currently earn $125 per meeting that they attend.

Officers & Department Heads

• Village Administrator: Position vacant
• Corporation Counsel Burton Odelson (Odelson & Associates)- appointed 2025
• Police Chief Position vacant
• Fire Chief Stephen Barrett - reappointed 2019, reappointed 2021, pending reappointment
• Director of Emergency Management Agency Position consolidated with Fire Chief
• Director of Public Works position vacant
• Village Engineer Robinson Engineering LTD - reappointed 2017, reappointed 2021, pending reappointment
• Director of Finance position vacant
• Director of Community Development position vacant

While the mayor's position is currently part-time, he retains executive powers and those granted by Illinois statute and currently serves "full-time". The mayor currently also serves as the village's Liquor Control Commissioner. Sauk Village is a Mayor and Village Board of Trustees form of government, the Village Administrator handles the day-to-day operations.

Sauk Village is also serviced by the Bloom Township Board of Trustees, Nancy L. McConathy Library District and Consolidated School District 168, High School District 206 and Prairie State College Board of Trustees. All of these bodies have elective offices

All of Sauk Village is in Illinois' 2nd congressional district.

^[49]

1. Thomas J. Nichols (1957–1965)
2. Roger F. Theisen (1965–1977)
3. Edward W. Paesel (1977–1989)
4. Mark J. Collins (1989–1997)
5. Roger G. Peckham (1997–2009)
6. Lewis Towers (2009–2012)
7. David A. Hanks (2012–2017)
8. Derrick N. Burgess (2017–2025)
9. Marva Campbell-Pruitt (2025-Present)

• Jeff Allen - actor and Christian comedian
• Cory Hardrict - is an American actor. He has appeared in film and television since the late 1990s. He has also been an executive producer for the 2012 film Neighborhood Watch.
• Jan Johnson is an American former athlete who competed mainly in the pole vault. He graduated in 1972 from the University of Alabama, where he holds the school record in the pole vault at 18 feet, 1/2 inch. In 1972, the gymnasium of Rickover Junior High School in Sauk Village, Illinois was dedicated and named in his honor.

• Sauk Village official website
• Community Consolidated Schools District 168
• Nancy L. McConathy Public Library

 

Coordinates: 41°47′55″N 87°49′57″W / 41.79861°N 87.83250°W / 41.79861; -87.83250CountryUnited StatesStateIllinoisCountyCookGovernment

 • MayorTerrance M. Carr, Jr. (acting mayor)Area

2.63 sq mi (6.83 km²) • Land2.61 sq mi (6.77 km²) • Water0.02 sq mi (0.05 km²)Population

249 • Density95.26/sq mi (36.78/km²)Time zoneUTC-6 (CST) • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)ZIP Code(s)

Area code708FIPS code17-45564Wikimedia CommonsMcCook, IllinoisWebsitewww.villageofmccook.org

McCook is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, and is an industrial suburb of Chicago. As of the 2020 census, the village population was 249, which is the lowest population of all municipalities in the county.

McCook was named for John J. McCook, a late 19th-century director of the Santa Fe Railroad and a former Civil War officer. McCook station was served by the railroad in the town. The Outlaws Motorcycle Club was established in McCook in 1935 when Old Route 66 passed through the town. In 1958, six people were killed in an explosion at a Reynolds Metals plant. In 1995, the former Universal Oil Products Riverside Laboratory in McCook was awarded with National Historic Chemical Landmark status.

McCook is located at

41°47′55″N 87°49′57″W / 41.79861°N 87.83250°W / 41.79861; -87.83250 (41.798542, -87.832432).^[2]

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, McCook has a total area of 2.64 square miles (6.84 km²), of which 2.61 square miles (6.76 km²) (or 99.20%) is land and 0.02 square miles (0.05 km²) (or 0.80%) is water.^[3]

McCook is home to a small population but a large amount of heavy industry, resulting in a large tax base.

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1930	367		—
1940	315		−14.2%
1950	361		14.6%
1960	441		22.2%
1970	333		−24.5%
1980	303		−9.0%
1990	235		−22.4%
2000	254		8.1%
2010	228		−10.2%
2020	249		9.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[4]

As of the 2020 census^[5] there were 249 people, 107 households, and 87 families residing in the village. The population density was 94.50 inhabitants per square mile (36.49/km²). There were 113 housing units at an average density of 42.88 per square mile (16.56/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 64.26% White, 1.20% Asian, 10.44% from other races, and 24.10% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 36.55% of the population.

There were 107 households, out of which 41.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.47% were married couples living together, 22.43% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.69% were non-families. 16.82% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.21% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.18 and the average family size was 2.96.

The village's age distribution consisted of 24.9% under the age of 18, 13.6% from 18 to 24, 21.7% from 25 to 44, 17% from 45 to 64, and 22.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 108.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.7 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $75,417, and the median income for a family was $65,417. Males had a median income of $50,714 versus $33,750 for females. The per capita income for the village was $28,757. About 3.4% of families and 5.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.8% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over.

McCook village, Illinois – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.

Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2000[6]	Pop 2010[7]	Pop 2020[8]	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	229	161	141	90.16%	70.61%	56.63%
Black or African American alone (NH)	0	0	0	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	0	0	0	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
Asian alone (NH)	0	0	3	0.00%	0.00%	1.20%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	0	0	0	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%
Other race alone (NH)	5	0	3	1.97%	0.00%	1.20%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)	0	2	11	0.00%	0.88%	4.42%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	20	65	91	7.87%	28.51%	36.55%
Total	254	228	249	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

McCook is in Illinois's 3rd congressional district.

McCook is home to a large amount of heavy industry, including portions of Vulcan Materials Company McCook Quarry, UOP, and the Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD) railroad locomotive plant. Known as the LaGrange plant for its mailing address (McCook does not have its own post office), EMD produced most of their locomotives there from 1935 to 1991, when parent company General Motors moved all final-assembly operations to London, Ontario. The LaGrange plant continues to manufacture locomotive parts and engines, and also serves as the EMD U.S. headquarters.

A part of McCook is served by the Lyons School District 103 and J. Sterling Morton High School District 201's Morton West High School located in Berwyn.

Another part of McCook is served by Lyons Township High School in Western Springs/LaGrange.

Pace provides bus service on Route 330 connecting McCook to destinations across the region.^[9]

 

 

Coordinates: 42°01′49″N 88°05′02″W / 42.03028°N 88.08389°W / 42.03028; -88.08389CountryUnited StatesStateIllinoisCountiesCook and DuPageTownshipsSchaumburg, Palatine, HanoverIncorporatedMarch 7, 1956Government

 • TypeCouncil–manager • MayorTom DaillyArea

19.46 sq mi (50.42 km²) • Land19.35 sq mi (50.11 km²) • Water0.12 sq mi (0.31 km²)  22% • Rank9Elevation

794 ft (242 m)Population

78,723 • Density4,069.21/sq mi (1,571.12/km²)DemonymSchaumsTime zoneUTC−6 (CST) • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)ZIP Code(s)

Area code(s)847/224 and 630/331FIPS code17-68003Wikimedia CommonsSchaumburg, IllinoisWebsitewww.ci.schaumburg.il.us^[2]

Schaumburg (/ˈʃɔːmbɜːrɡ/ SHAWM-burg) is a village in Cook and DuPage counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. Per the 2020 census, the population was 78,723, making Schaumburg the most populous incorporated village in the United States.^[3] Schaumburg is around 26 miles (42 km) northwest of downtown Chicago, and 10 miles (16 km) northwest of O'Hare International Airport. It is part of the Golden Corridor.^[4]

Schaumburg's transition from a rural community to a suburban city began with Alfred Campanelli's first large-scale suburban-style development in 1959 and Woodfield Mall's opening in 1971. Schaumburg is bordered by Hoffman Estates and Palatine to the north, Inverness in northwest, Rolling Meadows to the northeast, Elk Grove Village to the southeast, Roselle to the south, Hanover Park to the southwest, and Streamwood to the west.

The village of Schaumburg was incorporated on March 7, 1956, but the heritage of Schaumburg dates back to much earlier times when the first inhabitants of the area were members of the Sauk, Meskwaki, Potawatomi, and Kickapoo Native American peoples. By the mid-19th century, settlers first began to arrive from Bonn, Germany and the eastern United States. Many of the Germans came from Schaumburg-Lippe,^[5] a small princely state now in Lower Saxony.

Legend has it that one of the earliest settlers was Trumball Kent from Oswego, New York.^[6] Kent, a "Yankee", as settlers from New England were called in the west, farmed property in the northeast corner of the township. Another Yankee was Horace Williams, who owned substantial lands but lived in the hamlet of Palatine in Palatine Township. Ernst Schween settled in 1835 not far from what used to be called Olde Schaumburg Centre, in what was then and is now known as Sarah's Grove. Another early settler in Schaumburg Township was German-born Johann Sunderlage.^[6] According to one legend, Sunderlage was a member of a survey team that divided Cook County into townships around 1833; according to another legend, he worked on a survey team on the Joliet canal. He liked the area so much that, upon completion of the project, he returned to Europe and brought his family and friends from Germany and settled in the area now known as Hoffman Estates in Schaumburg Township around 1836. His home still stands in its original location.

Sunderlage and his family occupied their land in the township until the federal land sale of 1842 allowed them to buy the property and obtain the deed. Sunderlage and Kent represented the predominant groups that settled Schaumburg Township in its early days. In 1840, 56 percent of the township households originated from the eastern United States, while 28 percent were German-born. By the 1850s, the population mix had changed to 28 percent "Yankee" and 48 percent German.

By 1870, Schaumburg Township had become completely German. Land records show that most of the property in the township was owned by German immigrants or their descendants. This pattern emerged as many Yankee "settlers" continued to travel west for the promise of newly opened lands on the Great Plains. The land they owned in Schaumburg was then purchased by German-born immigrants.

Schaumburg Township remained almost exclusively under German ownership until the Great Depression of the 1930s. The Depression caused the foreclosure on some German-owned farms which were then purchased by non-German individuals and companies. Nonetheless, German heritage remained important in the area. German was the first language of the majority of households until the 1950s.

St. Peter Lutheran Church, the community's oldest Christian church, had services in German as late as 1970. The church remains as a museum, as does the second church of this congregation. Services were first held at the then-existing Rohlwing-Fenz store, at the southwest corner of the intersection of Schaumburg Road and Roselle Road, until their first church building was completed in 1847. The pastor was Francis Hoffman, who walked from the Bensenville area to hold the Christian religious meetings in Schaumburg. He later served as Lieutenant Governor of Illinois. When he retired from the church's ministry, he moved to Wisconsin where he operated an experimental farm and edited a German-language agricultural newspaper. Other people of the area who were notable in the 1840s included Quindel, Winkelhake, Moeller, Fenz, Kastning, Lichthardt, Meyer, Rohlwing, Thies, Scheiderling, Hattendorf, Nerge, and Freise.

The original 1842 township survey names the grove (immediately west of the center of the township, in sections 21 and 22) as Sarah's Grove. Three families lived near a grove of woods on the northwest end of the township, and each family had a woman named Sarah (Sarah McChesney, Sarah Frisbe, and Sarah Smith). At a township meeting in 1850, citizens debated new names for the town. A wealthy landowner named Friedrich Heinrich Nerge, at one point during the meeting, slammed his fist on the table and yelled in Low German, "Schaumburg schall et heiten!" (The English translation: "It will be called Schaumburg!"). At that point, the township became officially called Schaumburg.^[7][8]

The name was taken from Grafschaft Schaumburg (Schaumburg County) in Germany, then a part of Hessen-Kassel, now in Lower Saxony. Most of the township's German settlers were from Schaumburg; many were born in the parish of Apelern. Some came from Hannover, but the people of Schaumburg had more influence.

Schaumburg Township prospered during its early days. The area's main occupation was farming, with potato growing, dairy products and raising cattle as main sources of income. The land was a very large meadow surrounded by extensive wilderness. Wildlife such as geese, ducks, quail, prairie chickens, rabbits, pheasant and deer were abundant. In 1858, a small market area emerged at what is now the intersection of Schaumburg and Roselle roads. Schaumburg Center was the market center for the surrounding agricultural producers. It included two general stores, four cheese factories, a cobbler, a tailor, a wagon maker, and a blacksmith.

Most of the early growth in the northeast region of Illinois occurred along the Fox River Valley and the major rail lines. Since neither of these transportation networks served Schaumburg Township at the time, the township remained rather isolated. Few roads existed, and several of those were often impassable. To reach a large market, Schaumburg farmers had to travel 26 miles (42 km) in ox-drawn or horse-drawn wagons to Chicago, which only had about 35,000 inhabitants at that time.

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In 1900, a 50-year anniversary brochure reported the following account: "Schaumburg has the reputation of being the model community of Cook County. Also, the town of Schaumburg is an example of a community for all other towns in Cook County and probably in other counties, too. Schaumburg is prompt in the payment of its taxes; it supports churches and schools; it has also the best roads in the land and – Schaumburg has never had a jail. Finally, it is not just for the settlers only, but also for foreigners."^[9]

In 1925, O. D. Jennings, the founder of what was once one of the largest manufacturers of slot machines in the United States, purchased a house in the village. It would be his and his wife's home until his death in 1953. On the death of his widow, the house and its surrounding park lands were donated to the village and used as the Village Hall until 1971.

Schaumburg's relative isolation was broken, however, as the automobile became the primary mode of travel. The construction of O'Hare International Airport near Rosemont (about 10 miles or 16 km away) in 1955 in what was previously O'Hare field, the construction of the Northwest Tollway through the farmlands in 1956 and the presence of a technical and business workforce at the Pure Oil Company in Schaumburg now put Schaumburg in a location rampant with suburban growth. In response to development pressures, the area encompassing what was known as Schaumburg Centre was incorporated in 1956. At the time of incorporation, the village consisted of two square miles and a population of 130 residents.

Incorporation enabled the village to control its growth and development. Early village leaders are credited with the foresight and planning that has made later economic growth possible. The original comprehensive plan adopted by the Village Board in 1961 reserved large tracts of land for industrial, commercial, and office development; mostly the Woodfield area surrounding what is now Woodfield Mall. Growth in these sectors has made the village a major employer in the area and the home of Illinois's second-largest retail center.^{[citation needed]}

Schaumburg's expansion during the 1960s changed the character of the community dramatically. Schaumburg was no longer a quiet rural community. In 1959, Alfred Campanelli began construction of the first large residential subdivision in the village, known as Weathersfield. This area contains several thousand single-family homes built in 22 stages over two decades. In total, Campanelli constructed over 6,800 housing units or approximately 20% of the village's housing stock.^[10]

In 1967, an apartment complex called International Village (located at the intersection of Meacham and Algonquin roads) was built as Schaumburg's first residential area not entirely occupied by single-family homes. The following year, Motorola began to construct its corporate headquarters across the street.

During this time, country singer Bob Atcher ("You Are My Sunshine"), who had become known on WLS' National Barn Dance radio program, became the Schaumburg village president. He held that position until 1975.^{[citation needed]}

In the 1970s, the tremendous growth that had taken place in the previous decade continued. By 1970, the village population had grown to 18,730. That same year, a second expressway, Interstate 290, opened on the eastern boundary of the village. This provided another link to Chicago and further enhanced its stature in the eyes of the region's many developers. The following year, Woodfield Mall opened in Schaumburg. During the remainder of the decade, Schaumburg experienced phenomenal commercial, industrial and residential development.

In 1978, the Village Board formally established the Olde Schaumburg Centre Overlay District to preserve the character of the area located at the intersection of Schaumburg and Roselle roads. The Olde Schaumburg Centre Commission, also established in 1978, reviews new development and restoration projects in the district to ensure the continued historic appeal of the area.

By 1980, Schaumburg had expanded to 18.3 square miles (47.4 km²) of land area, and its population had swelled to 53,305 residents. During the early- and mid-1980s, development focused on large corporate office buildings in the emerging "Woodfield Center" along Golf Road. The late 1980s were characterized by the vast expansion of small manufacturing and warehouse uses in the industrial and business parks in the village's northeast and southwest quadrants. Other development such as large manufacturing facilities, commercial retail centers, and large suite hotels boomed in the 1980s. Schaumburg was profiled in Joel Garreau's 1991 book about edge cities as, "a suburb conforming to a new form of urban development in which large concentrations of jobs exist, though outside the traditional downtown city centers."

By 1990, Schaumburg's population was increasing at a slower rate as the land available for residential development was rapidly disappearing. The population in 1990 had risen to 68,586, an increase of 15,281 since 1980. Although this was still an impressive growth rate, it was apparent that Schaumburg was nearing its residential capacity within the terms of current land management.

Office development in the 1990s had also slowed. The once booming office market slumped due to the large supply of office space in the northwest suburbs and the limited demand by typical users in the financial, insurance, and real estate sectors. However, the Schaumburg commercial market enjoyed substantial expansion during this period. Since 1990, Schaumburg has witnessed the development of 2 million square feet (190,000 m²) of commercial space, including a variety of retail uses. Another mall named One Schaumburg Place and a retail area called Village Green were built in the early 1990s. One Schaumburg Place quickly lost most of its stores, eventually left only a theater and, a few years later, was completely reconstructed into a walkthrough shopping area with an AMC Theater and GameWorks as its major businesses. Around the same time, Woodfield Mall underwent a major redesign, adding retail space and removing previous attractions. A Nordstrom was added to one branch of the mall as well, increasing the number of anchor stores to five. Woodfield Mall is now an international tourist attraction, harboring visitors every day from locations as far away as Japan. IKEA, an internationally known home furnishings store, opened its 458,000-square-foot (42,500 m²) Schaumburg location near Woodfield in the late 1990s.

In 1994, the village bought the Schaumburg Regional Airport from its formerly-private owners and refurbished it with 90% of the funds for the purchase and refurbishment acquired by federal grant, 5% from the State of Illinois, 2.5% Cook County and the village putting up the remaining 2.5%, with the village gaining 100% control of the property.^[11]

The village finalized the purchase of the Town Square shopping center (also previously known as Olde Town Centre) in 1995, and began a slow, but now complete, redevelopment. The 27-acre (110,000 m²) site at the southwest corner of Schaumburg and Roselle roads has been transformed into a diverse development offering several stores, the Schaumburg Township District Library (relocated from Bethel Lane), a few other offices and services, such as temp agencies, and a public amphitheater set in a walk-through area that was designed to be available as a gathering point for citizens. The area also still includes the Trickster Gallery, a museum celebrating the heritage of the Native Americans indigenous to the area. The new development was designed to be "the new downtown", but this largely did not catch on and is primarily used by Schaumburg's government.

Minor league baseball came to the village in the spring of 1999. Alexian Field (named for Alexian Brothers Hospital in the adjacent Elk Grove Village), a 7,365-seat baseball stadium, was built in partnership with the Schaumburg Park District. Alexian Field was home to the Schaumburg Flyers, a member of the independent Northern League. The Northern League split after the 2010 season with several teams joining three other independent professional leagues. Alexian Field was without a professional team for the 2011 season but in 2012 became home to the Frontier League's Schaumburg Boomers and was renamed Wintrust Field in 2021.

In 2000, the village purchased 45 acres (180,000 m²) next to a short, independent stretch of Meacham Road. This was developed into the Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel & Convention Center.

Schaumburg is located at

42°01′49″N 88°05′02″W / 42.03028°N 88.08389°W / 42.03028; -88.08389 (42.0302057, −88.0838750).^[2]

According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Schaumburg has a total area of 19.47 square miles (50.43 km²), of which 19.35 square miles (50.12 km²) (or 99.39%) is land and 0.12 square miles (0.31 km²) (or 0.61%) is water.^[12] Its elevation varies between 750 and 850 feet above sea level, with a high point of 850 feet at the intersection of Schaumburg Road and Webster Lane.^[13] Schaumburg serves as the headwaters of the West Branch Dupage River, which drains the central and western portions of the village, flowing to the southwest. The West Branch of the Salt Creek drains the eastern portion of the village, flowing eastward into Busse Lake.^[13]

Schaumburg is in the Hot-summer humid continental climate, or Köppen Dfa zone.^[14] The zone includes four distinct seasons. Winter is cold with snow. Spring warms up with precipitation and storms. Summer has high precipitation and storms. Fall cools down.^[15]

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1960	986		—
1970	18,724		1,799.0%
1980	53,305		184.7%
1990	68,586		28.7%
2000	75,386		9.9%
2010	74,227		−1.5%
2020	78,723		6.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[18] 2010[19] 2020[20]

As of the 2020 census^[21] there were 78,723 people, 30,249 households, and 18,707 families residing in the village. The population density was 4,044.34 inhabitants per square mile (1,561.53/km²). There were 33,459 housing units at an average density of 1,718.93 units per square mile (663.68 units/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 57.55% White, 4.28% African American, 0.43% Native American, 26.46% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 4.26% from other races, and 7.00% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.50% of the population.

There were 30,249 households, out of which 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.38% were married couples living together, 8.34% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.16% were non-families. 32.98% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.37% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.15 and the average family size was 2.41.

The village's age distribution consisted of 22.7% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 31.7% from 25 to 44, 24.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.9 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $82,387, and the median income for a family was $98,640. Males had a median income of $63,479 versus $43,286 for females. The per capita income for the village was $42,303. About 4.4% of families and 5.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.8% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over.

Schaumburg village, Illinois – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.

Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2000[22]	Pop 2010[19]	Pop 2020[20]	% 2000	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	56,953	48,385	43,739	75.55%	65.19%	55.56%
Black or African American alone (NH)	2,479	2,987	3,266	3.29%	4.02%	4.15%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	66	112	105	0.09%	0.15%	0.13%
Asian alone (NH)	10,661	14,675	20,767	14.14%	19.77%	26.38%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	42	18	11	0.06%	0.02%	0.01%
Other race alone (NH)	97	96	268	0.13%	0.13%	0.34%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)	1,100	1,400	2,304	1.46%	1.89%	2.93%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	3,988	6,554	8,263	5.29%	8.83%	10.50%
Total	75,386	74,227	78,723	100.00%	100.00%	100.00%

Companies headquartered in Schaumburg include Zurich North America and Perdoceo Education Corporation (formerly Career Education Corporation).^[23]

As of 2011 many Japanese companies have their U.S. headquarters in Schaumburg and Hoffman Estates.^[24]

According to the Village's website,^[25] the top employers in the village are:

#	Employer	# of Employees
1	Woodfield Mall	4,400
2	Zurich North America	2,600
3	Community Consolidated School District 54	2,030
4	Motorola Solutions	1,600
5	OptumRx (Catamaran)	1,300
6	IBM	900
7	Genworth Financial	850
8	Paylocity	800
9	Nation Pizza and Foods	700
10	Encore Village	650

Schaumburg has a station on Metra's Milwaukee District West Line, which goes between Elgin and Chicago Union Station. The Suburban Transit Access Route (STAR Line) originally planned to have two stations at the IKEA department store and on Roselle Road near the north of the village, but those plans were shelved by Metra in 2012. The only current station is near Wintrust Field. Additionally, the Schaumburg Regional Airport, a small general aviation airport, is located along Irving Park Road just west of Roselle Road.

Pace's local and I-90 Express buses stop at the Northwest Transportation Center hub in Schaumburg near the Woodfield Mall with busses to Rosemont Transportation Center (where passengers can connect with the Blue Line to Chicago) and Elgin. Pace also offers dial-a-ride bus service that is open to the general public. Reservations must be made a minimum of 90 minutes in advance.

Public schools in Schaumburg are funded by property taxes, not sales tax.^[26]

The public school district is Community Consolidated School District 54.^[27] The elementary schools of district 54, only some of which are in Schaumburg, have received awards such as the Blue Ribbon Awards and Teachers Who Excel award.^[28] The schools in the area also have Special Education and Dual Language classes, as well as programs for the gifted.

Schaumburg is part of Township High School District 211, which has five high schools: Schaumburg High School, Hoffman Estates High School, Conant High School, Fremd High School and Palatine High School. Schaumburg High School recently finished remodeling the outside of the building and adding extra classrooms, science labs and faculty offices. District 211 also completed a similar project at Conant High School.

Schaumburg also has a number of private and religious schools, such as Schaumburg Christian School, St. Peter Lutheran School, St. Hubert Catholic School, Our Lady of Annabelle Grace Catholic Academy, and Hadi School of Excellence.

• The Illinois Institute of Art – Schaumburg campus (formerly for-profit)
• Roosevelt University's campus in Schaumburg is the largest four-year university in Chicago's Northwest suburbs, serving approximately 2,500 students. The campus is located in the former headquarters office building of the Pure Oil Company. Roosevelt converted the building into a comprehensive campus in 1996. The Albert A. Robin Campus is home to the Doctor of Pharmacy program, which accepted its inaugural class in July 2011. Roosevelt's PharmD program is the Midwest's only three-year, year-round program of its kind. In July 2014, it achieved full accreditation for its Doctor of Pharmacy curriculum. The campus is also home to the university's only PhD program (Industrial-Organizational Psychology), which began in August 2012.

• The Lake Forest Graduate School of Management's Schaumburg campus, an arm of Argosy University (formerly the Illinois Institute of Psychology)^[29]
• American InterContinental University^[30]

Schaumburg Township District Library^[31] has a main branch in Schaumburg and two smaller branches in Hanover Park and Hoffman Estates. The complete collection of materials totals more than 560,000 as of April 2017. The Library is a member of Reaching Across Illinois Library System, which allows people with a card from any member library to use the same card at any other member library. Schaumburg Township District Library is one of the largest libraries in the country with multiple meeting and discussion rooms; a high-tech Teen Place for youth ages 12–19; a kidsZone with materials, activities and play space for kids; a newly created Workshop for all ages to explore, create and learn; and a recently renovated Commons area with room for all ages to read, work and collaborate. The Library also has a drive-up window for easy drop-off and pick-up of materials. It offers enriching and entertaining programs all year long, such as book discussions, technology classes, ESL classes, DIY workshops and informational lectures.^[32]

• Lou Clarizio, former Negro league outfielder^[33]
• Susan Downey (née Levin), producer and wife of actor Robert Downey Jr., 1991 Schaumburg High School valedictorian
• Jason Guida, professional mixed martial artist
• Matt Haag, former professional Call of Duty player and the founder, co-owner and CEO of 100 Thieves^[34]
• Kurt Kittner, former NFL quarterback for the Chicago Bears and Atlanta Falcons
• Jessica Lu, actress and model^{[citation needed]}
• Shane Madej, internet personality, writer and producer, known for Buzzfeed Unsolved and Watcher on YouTube.^[35]
• Chris Mueller, soccer player who plays as a winger for Chicago Fire FC in Major League Soccer and the United States national team.
• Adwar Mousa, Assyrian singer-songwriter

In the spring of 2017, the Schaumburg Park District opened its newest children's playground Bison's Bluff Nature Playground. Bison's Bluff, a part of the Spring Valley Nature Center & Heritage Farm, is designed to engage children in a natural setting with a play area that consists of natural materials (logs, boulders, sand, water, etc.) as well as manufactured features that mimic a rock bluff and cliff face, fallen logs, and flowing stream. The stated goal of Bison's Bluff is to inspire today's youth to remain active, develop agility, learn resilience, discover the benefits of cooperation and experimentation, solve problems, and learn to navigate the world around them confidently.(2017)^[36]

• Official website
• Schaumburg Park District

 

52°15′N 9°10′E / 52.25°N 9.17°E / 52.25; 9.17