About the Gurnee, Illinois Area 

Overview
The village of Gurnee is one of the biggest hubs for shopping, dining, and recreation in Illinois. Beautiful lakes, wide open spaces, lush parks, forest preserves and golf courses attract millions of visitors every year. As such, Gurnee’s got one of the strongest economies and (historically) one of the lowest unemployment rates in the state, the county, and the country.

Although the kids will tell you that Gurnee’s greatest claim to fame is Six Flags Great America (one of the Midwest's largest amusement parks), don’t let that fool you. Six Flags is truly one of our greatest advantages. They’re one of our biggest employers, and have pulled in over $1.6 million in taxes for the village, greatly easing the tax burden for the residents. Gurnee Mills Shopping Center, an even bigger employer and one of the largest shopping malls in the Midwest, brought in over $8 million. With hundreds of stores to choose from, ranging from Abercrombie & Fitch to Zumiez (a skate/snow/surf apparel store for the younger set), Gurnee Mills draws in hundreds of thousands of tourists each year. And our city planners work on drawing more business into the area all the time.

All this means that commuting to Waukegan or even Chicago for work and play is optional for Gurnee residents, not mandatory. Salaries are higher than comparable towns in the Midwest, and residents tend to be well educated. Median family income in Gurnee is around $90,000 per year. Still, it’s a definite advantage living within an hour of one of the greatest cities in the world. Gurnee’s 31,000 residents frequently take advantage of the sports, shopping, dining, and cultural life of Chicago, either by driving the I-94 East, or by taking Metra, Chicagoland’s public commuter service. 

Transportation
Travel from Gurnee, Grayslake or Vernon Hills is a snap by either car or public transportation. To get to the Loop, commuters take either the I-90 or the I-94 for a 50-minute trip. O’Hare International Airport is a 40-minute trip along I-294. If you prefer to leave the car at home, Metra’s  trains and buses are a comfortable way to get around. Once you’re in the city, the CTA take you anywhere you need to go.



History
There’s a debate about who our village is named after: Either Walter Gurnee, a former Chicago Mayor, or Louis Gurnee a railroad surveyor. Either way, Gurnee was originally settled by the Potawatomi Indians. After white settlers moved in, stage coaches ran through Gurnee as late as 1890, ferrying people up to Milwaukee and down to the Chicago, making it an important hub for travel and business. Because Gurnee sits on the banks of the Des Plaines River, water power was used to boost industry, including for a gristmill and a sawmill. The introduction of the railroad through Gurnee allowed local farmers to ship produce to both Chicago and Milwaukee, thereby increasing their profits.