Lake County, Illinois
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About Lake County
Lake County is a county located in the northeastern corner of the U.S. state of Illinois, along the shores of Lake Michigan. As of the 2020 census, it has a population of 714,342, making it the third-most populous county in Illinois. Its county seat is Waukegan, the tenth-largest city in Illinois. The county is a mixture of suburban areas, urban areas, and some rural areas. Due to its location, immediately north of Cook County, Lake County is one of the collar counties of the Chicago metropolitan area. Its northern boundary is the Wisconsin state line.
Description adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Lake County at a glance
- County seat
- Waukegan
- Population
- 714,342 (2020)
- Land area
- 1,368 sq mi
- Founded
- 1839
Largest communities in Lake County
- Waukegan Township90,386
- Waukegan County seat89,321
- Vernon Township71,377
- Warren Township65,883
- Avon Township63,708
History of Lake County
The county was created by the Illinois State Legislature in 1839. At that time, the county was mostly unsettled; Libertyville, then known as Independence Grove, was the first county seat. In 1841, however, the county's residents voted to move the county government to Little Fort, now Waukegan, where the commissioners had purchased a section of land from the state. Lake County's first courthouse was built on part of that land in 1844 and the remainder was sold to pay for the $4,000 construction cost. The county's first courthouse was used solely for court sessions and the jail, but in 1853, commissioners constructed a building to accommodate county administration offices and house records. When fire damaged the courthouse on October 19, 1875, the county records were saved because they were in the adjacent building.
Adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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This is the Lake County page of Illinois Voter Check, a project of True the Vote, pointing Illinois voters at the official tools that already exist — and at Scan Check Protect to verify your registration.
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