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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

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)

60156

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 / 42.18667; -88.34750 (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]

Prairie Point, located along Cunat Court is a neighborhood on the village's eastern side, just west of Pyott Road. It included 3-story condominium buildings and a neighborhood recreational center and pool.

Boulder Ridge is a in the central section of town, north of Algonquin Road, south of Miller Road and east of Frank Road. It features homes worth between $400,000 and $1,000,000. It also includes the village's only 18 hole golf course, and an immaculate country club which is a popular spot for banquets. On the west side of Frank Road, is the child development "The Lakes of Boulder Ridge", which offers a 9-hole golf course, scenic setting, and expensive duplex homes.

gated community

Big Sky and Harvest Gate are neighborhoods just west of and south of Miller Road, just east of Boulder Ridge. They are some of the village's first subdivisions and were built by the same developer, Town and Country Homes. Woods Creek divides them. The new Lake in the Hills Village Hall, and Lincoln Prairie Elementary School are all located within these neighborhoods.

Randall Road

Spring Lake Farm (north) is a subdivision south of Miller Road, west of Frank Road. It was also among the village's first subdivisions, built c. early 1990s, by and Americana Homes. It includes both single-family and multi-family homes.

Sundance Homes

Spring Lake Farm (south) is a single-family home subdivision built by Sundance Homes on Algonquin Road, west of Lakewood and immediately east of in Huntley. It was the village's first subdivision west of Lakewood Road. Homes in this neighborhood are valued generally in the $200K range.

Tom's Farm Market

Bellchase is a neighborhood built by Sundance Homes on the village's only parcel south of Algonquin Road. This neighborhood features Bellchase Commons, LeRoy Guy Park, and a full range of homes, from 2- and 3-bedroom and smaller 2-story "freedom" homes to large 4- and 5-bedroom homes. Duplexes in this neighborhood are valued from the high $100s, single-family homes are priced from the mid $200s to the mid $300s.

duplexes

Sumner Glen and Provence are neighborhoods built by Town and Country Homes. They are located along the western side of Lakewood Road from Algonquin Road to Miller Road. Normandy Park and Exner Marsh Nature Preserve along Reed Road serve as this area's centerpiece. Provence features slightly smaller homes, including both ranches and two-stories, valued generally in the $200K range. Sumner Glen features more expensive homes, some with 5-6 bedrooms, valued generally in the $300K range.

Heron Bay is a small neighborhood featuring slightly upscale homes starting in the low $300s. It backs up to the Exner Marsh and features a very large pond with multiple fountains.

Meadowbrook is the village's most expansive neighborhood. Located in the northwest part of the village, along Miller, Lakewood, and Haligus Roads, it is anchored by Sunset Park and features several smaller neighborhoods within. Impressions is a duplex-style home community, Summit Ridge is a small neighborhood of exclusive homes, Sunrise and Drake Park are moderately priced neighborhoods featuring one and two-story homes, and Regatta is a neighborhood featuring smaller one-story and two-story homes. Concord Hills, however, was the first community and is located just east of Lakewood Road, north of Miller Road.

At the southeast corner of Lakewood and Ackman Roads is the Cheswick Place subdivision, built by Orleans Homes. The neighborhood consists of over 100 single family homes, with retail and small office buildings, a small market and a gas station to the northeast. This neighborhood has a small, operating cornfield fronting its main entrance on Ackman Road. This neighborhood is bordered by Ackman Road to the north, Lakewood Road to the west, The Impressions neighborhood and a wetland to the south, and Swanson Road to the east. It has 2 village-owned parks and a small non-village gazebo park with a short paved bike path.

Fox Ridge Farm, a planned subdivision of potentially 200-300 homes located on the village's western fringe along , is currently under development review. Once constructed, it will likely be the last major subdivision developed in the village, as Lake in the Hills has become landlocked by other municipalities.

Illinois Route 47

The old neighborhoods are primarily in the original section of the town. This consists of all homes residing in the original development of the town. This is usually considered, by locals, to include all homes built within an area of close to the actual lake. It is widely recognized that if a home is within a short walking distance of the lake, the police station, or the fire department, that said home is one of the original homes in the town.

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.

Lake in the Hills Elementary School serves students residing on the eastern side of town

Lincoln Prairie Elementary School serves students residing in District 300 boundaries in the central sections of town near .

Randall Road

Canterbury Elementary School, Woods Creek Elementary School and Indian Prairie Elementary School (in Crystal Lake, Illinois) serves students residing in District 47 boundaries in the central sections of town along Miller Road.

Glacier Ridge Elementary School

and Hannah Martin Elementary Schools serve students residing in District 158 boundaries on the western side of town, along the Lakewood Road corridor. They are located in the Reed Road Campus.

May Chesak

and Marion Conley Elementary Schools serve students residing in District 158 boundaries on the southwest side of town (generally the Bellchase neighborhood). They are located on the Square Barn Road Campus in Algonquin, IL

Mackeben

Sunset Park, one of the village's largest parks located on Miller Road on the western side of the village. The park features several baseball and softball fields, soccer fields, playground equipment, picnic shelters, tennis courts, a basketball court, a gazebo, a splash pad and a skate park. This is also the site of one of the village's famous summer activities, the held over Labor Day weekend.

Summer Sunset Fest

located just west of Sunset, is one of the area's only dog parks and serves registered users in the village as a place for their dogs to run and interact with each other.

Bark Park

Leroy Guy Park, located in the Bellchase neighborhood on the village's southwest side on Lakewood Road, features several ballfields, playground equipment, tennis and basketball courts, and a picnic shelter.

is a recreational area operated by the McHenry County Conservation District on the village's western side which has a decent trail system, public washrooms, tallgrass prairies, lakes and swampland, and significant stands of trees. It features one of the state of Illinois' few groups of Blanding's turtles.

Exner Marsh

is a private golf course located in the village's most expensive neighborhood in the central part of town.

Boulder Ridge Golf Course and Country Club

Richard Taylor Park & Skate Park, located behind the Lake in the Hills police department has soccer fields and a fenced-in skate park.

is a 260-acre (1.1 km2) natural prairie and recreational area on the village's northeast side of town off Pyott Road. It features immense tallgrass prairie and hundreds of species of wildlife, many of them considered to be rare or endangered.

The Lake in the Hills Fen

Woods Creek Lake is the village's lake located in the eastern part of town. It includes several beaches, boat launches, and adjacent recreational areas. The village's oldest homes, several of them cottages, are grouped around this lake. There are 5 properties maintained by the village along the lake and that is: Turtle Island Park, Labahn Hain House/Nockels park, Echo Hill Park, Indian Trail Beach, and Butch Hagele Beach.

Lynn Dillow Is part of the sub-division Spring Lake Farms and is the home to 2 jungle gyms, a gazebo, basketball court, and a bike obstacle course.

Ken Carpenter Park is located at the corner of Randall Rd and Miller Rd. The park was updated in summer of 2018 and features a basketball court, beach volleyball, and trail that leads into the surrounding neighborhood.

Ryder Park - Home of 3 baseball fields formally used by the LITHYAA. The playground was updated in summer of 2018.

Barbara Key Park is off Pyott Rd behind the Cunat Apartments. There is a playground, beach volleyball court, basketball court, and a trail that leads into the conservation district.

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.

is a village event showcasing food, live music, and more, held at the village's Sunset Park in early July.

Rockin' Rotary Ribfest

is the village's main festival. Held at Sunset Park on the village's west side, it features live music, food, a carnival, and a fireworks display. It is usually held on Labor Day weekend.

Summer Sunset Festival

The village has always been a main participant in and uses this as an opportunity for positive resident-police interaction, community block parties, and other activities to encourage community and prevent crime

National Night Out

Summer Sunset Idol, a spinoff of , which allows aspiring amateur performers to showcase their talents. There are three rounds, spread out over the summer at the village's main summer events.

American Idol

Community Oriented Police Programs

A number of concerts held throughout the year at a small amphitheater near Village Hall.

provides bus service on Route 550 along Randall Road connecting Lake in the Hills to Crystal Lake, Elgin, and other destinations.[12]

Pace

The village of Lake in the Hills owns and operates , a general aviation airport serving the greater McHenry County area. It is located on Pyott Road in the far northern reaches of the village.

Lake in the Hills Airport

a major four-lane county highway, is the primary north-south highway in the Village. It is known as the major divider separating the old part (or "East Side" of Lake in the Hills) from the newer part (or "West Side") of the Village. Randall Road contains the bulk of the village's retail and restaurants and traffic on the corridor averages 50,000 vehicles per day.

Randall Road

Algonquin Road is the primary east-west artery in the Village. It is also the dividing line separating Lake in the Hills from nearby . Like Randall Road, this county highway is also four lanes for the entire length of the village. Both residential areas and retail areas can be found along the road.

Algonquin

Lakewood Road is a north-south county-highway on the Village's western side. It is two lanes with left and right turn lanes. Several of the village's subdivisions can be found along the road, in addition to the Exner Marsh conservation area.

Miller Road is an east-west village road. The entire stretch of road is lined with subdivisions. Sunset Park can also be found on the road, which winds through the Meadowbrook subdivision in the western part of the Village.

Pyott Road is a county highway which runs north-south through the eastern part of the Village. Lake in the Hills Airport, the Lake in the Hills Fen, residential areas, and industrial businesses can all be found along the road.

is a state highway which runs north-south along the village's eastern limits. Much of the village's parcels along this highway are industrial areas.

Illinois Route 31

Other important roads in the village include Crystal Lake Road, Hilltop Road, Oak Street, Frank Road, Reed Road, Albrecht Road, Annandale Drive, Ackman Road, and Haligus Road.

musician

Joe Becker

singer-songwriter, guitarist, and frontman for the Smoking Popes

Josh Caterer

Lake in the Hills official website