Lake in the Hills, Illinois
Lake in the Hills (often abbreviated L.I.T.H. or LITH) is a village in McHenry County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 28,982.
"LITH" redirects here. For other uses, see Lith (disambiguation).
Lake in the Hills, IL
1952
Village President/Trustee
Ray Bogdanowski
10.44 sq mi (27.03 km2)
10.20 sq mi (26.43 km2)
0.23 sq mi (0.61 km2) 2.17%
28,982
2,840.54/sq mi (1,096.72/km2)
$26,239 (median: $73,313)
$177,691 (median: $166,400)
847 & 224
41183
17-41183
The village is most known for its very high residential growth which occurred most heavily in the 1990s. Once a sleepy lakeside village of cottages and small ranches, its population skyrocketed as developers flocked to the area in the 1990s. Its population increased by 17,000 people (a nearly 400% increase) over this period, making it one of the most rapidly growing suburbs of Chicago and in the United States at that time. At the height of its building boom, the village issued over 1,000 residential building permits in 1995.
In the late 1990s, the village faced the challenge of providing adequate services and infrastructure as well as establishing an identity and community unity, since many community services (libraries, schools, fire districts) were pre-delegated to neighboring communities such as Huntley, Algonquin and Crystal Lake. However, the village continues to expand its resources and community offerings and is also endeavoring to diversify its tax base and provide more commercial and industrial businesses.
Geography[edit]
Lake in the Hills is located at 42°11′12″N 88°20′51″W / 42.18667°N 88.34750°W (42.186729, -88.347429).[2]
According to the 2010 census, Lake in the Hills has a total area of 10.614 square miles (27.49 km2), of which 10.38 square miles (26.88 km2) (or 97.8%) is land and 0.234 square miles (0.61 km2) (or 2.2%) is water.[3]
The heart and soul of Lake in the Hills is considered by many to be the collection of older neighborhoods colloquially dubbed the "Old Section". For many L.I.T.H. natives, the Old Section is considered the "true" Lake in the Hills, as it contains the lake and the hills from which the town derives its name. The Old Section is unique for its eclectic appearance, as opposed to the newer neighborhoods more homogeneous tract style. Within the Old Section there are four main neighborhoods. These four neighborhoods are as follows: the Original section, the Indian section, the Tree section, and the Presidents section. All, besides the Original section, derive their names from the street names of the area. So the Presidents section contains streets named after presidents, the Indian section of Indian tribes, and the Tree section of different species of trees. The Original section is dubbed so because it is where most of the early settlement took place. Aside from the village's older section, the village has developed several neighborhoods, especially due to the rise of subdivisions in the village over the past 15 years.
Even though Huntley Park District serves the village's western parts, Lake in the Hills maintains its own 34 parks and recreation department within village limits and provides immense programs and diverse types of parks and recreational areas. Significant recreational areas include:
Shopping[edit]
The village is located along the northern fringe of the Randall Road corridor, one of the most sought-after retail corridors in the Chicago metropolitan area. As a result, the village has a good portion of its retail in this section. The village's other major retail area is along Algonquin Road. These include shops and restaurants in Bellchase Commons, Randall Plaza, Acorn Plaza and The Centre.