Minority
56-605: Vacant The Cook County Board of Commissioners is a legislative body made up of 17 commissioners who are elected by district, and a president who is elected county-wide, all for four-year terms. Cook County , which includes the City of Chicago , is the United States ' second-largest county with a population of 5.2 million residents. The county board sets policy and laws for the county regarding property, public health services, public safety, and maintenance of county highways. It
112-437: A supervisor , and each township elected one or more as well depending on population, creating a board of 50 members, less than half from Chicago. In the wake of a scandal involving then board chairman J. J. Kearney (who was eventually unseated and expelled from the board), the new commission was created pursuant to an amendment to the state constitution, initially with ten Chicago commissioners elected from groups of wards within
168-847: A National Historic Corridor. The two canals and the Great Lakes cemented trade ties between the Midwest and the Northeast, encouraging farmers to grow more than they needed to feed themselves in Illinois, with a large market for grain now open to them. Towns in Cook County along the Canal grew. From a national perspective, the trade ties made the South region of the US less important to the Northeast as
224-513: A Presidential election three times, all during national Republican landslides– Dwight Eisenhower over native son Adlai Stevenson II in 1952 and 1956, and Richard Nixon over George McGovern in 1972. Since then, the closest a Republican has come to carrying the county was in 1984, when Ronald Reagan won 48.4 percent of the county's vote. In 2020, 74 percent of the county voted for Joe Biden and 24 percent voted for Donald Trump . In 1936, with Franklin D. Roosevelt receiving 1,253,164 votes in
280-491: A record of corruption. The most successful Republican candidate for mayor since then was Bernard Epton , who in 1983 came within 3.3 percentage points of defeating Democrat Harold Washington . The county's Republican Party organization is the Cook County Republican Party . The last Republican governor to carry the county was Jim Edgar in his 1994 landslide . The last Republican senator to do so
336-447: A sewer, sending waste water through treatment plants and sending it away from Lake Michigan. It is also a waterway for movement of ships. The next major technology for transportation was railroads. Chicago and the towns along the canal and rivers understood the value of being a hub of a major network. Rail lines spurred out from Chicago by the 1850s, with major growth in the rail network for freight and passenger transportation coming after
392-596: A trade partner. The Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal , completed in 1900, largely replaced the functions of the Illinois and Michigan Canal. This canal resulted in the reversal of the direction of flow of the main stem and the South branch of the Chicago River; they used to empty into Lake Michigan and now those river sections flow toward the Des Plaines River . The Sanitary and Ship Canal was built to serve many aims, including ending using Lake Michigan as
448-458: A vote. In 2004, Blue Island mayor Donald E. Peloquin organized a coalition of fifty-five south and southwest suburban municipalities to form a new county, also proposing the name Lincoln County . The county would include everything south of Burbank , stretching as far west as Orland Park , as far east as Calumet City , and as far south as Matteson , covering an expansive area with a population of over one million residents. Peloquin argued that
504-590: Is "dictating its views" to the rest of the state and Brown added that Chicago "overshadows" the rest of Illinois. Construction of the Erie Canal in New York State made a connection from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes in 1821. As the Midwest farms proved productive, with much grain to sell to other parts of the US, Chicago and Cook County saw the benefit of a canal to improve the link from
560-585: Is a list of the Cook County Commissioners in order by district. This list is current as of December 2022. Individuals who, before 1994, served as president of the Cook County Board of Commissioners included J. Frank Aldrich , Edward J. Brundage , Anton Cermak , George Dunne , Richard B. Ogilvie , Richard Phelan , Dan Ryan Jr. Charles C. P. Holden , and Seymour Simon . The first county board chairman (a role which preceded
616-526: Is at the center of the Chicago metropolitan area . Cook County was incorporated in 1831 and named for Daniel Pope Cook , an early Illinois statesman. It achieved its present boundaries in 1839. Within a century, the county recorded explosive population growth, going from a trading post village with a little over six hundred residents to four million, rivaling Paris by the Great Depression . During
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#1732802004977672-617: Is divided into 29 townships ; these often divide or share governmental services with local municipalities. Townships within Chicago were abolished in 1902 but are retained for real estate assessment purposes. Evanston Township was formerly coterminous with the City of Evanston but was abolished in 2014. County government is overseen by the Cook County Board of Commissioners , with its president as chief executive, and Cook County Treasurer . Countywide state government offices include
728-413: Is elected at-large to a four-year term in elections held during United States midterm elections. Up through 1990 , commissioners were elected through two sets of elections, one held in Chicago to elect ten commissioners and another held in suburban Cook County to elect the remaining seven commissioners. In 1994 , the board switched to having commissioners elected from individual constituencies. This
784-1148: Is land and 690 square miles (1,800 km ) (42.2%) is water. It is the sixth largest county in Illinois by land area, and the largest in total area. Most of the water is in Lake Michigan . The highest point is more than 950 feet (290 m), and is in northwest Barrington Township, in the northwest corner of the county. The lowest point is less than 580 feet (180 m), along the Lake Michigan shoreline. In July, temperatures in Chicago, Cook County average daytime highs of 84 °F (29 °C), and nighttime lows of 68 °F (20 °C); and January daytime highs of 31 °F (−1 °C), and nighttime lows of 18 °F (−8 °C). Winter temperatures will sometimes veer above 40 °F (4 °C), and, although not common, have also risen over 50 °F (10 °C) on some winter days. Average monthly precipitation ranged from 4.30 inches (109 mm) in June to 1.77 inches (45 mm) in February. The government of Cook County
840-704: Is of Hispanic descent. Asian Americans are a very sizeable racial group in the county, numbering about 301,000. The Asian population is ethnically diverse, and includes roughly 87,900 Indians , 61,700 Filipinos , 60,700 Chinese , 35,000 Koreans , 13,700 Vietnamese , and 11,100 Japanese . Roughly 30,800 are of other Asian ethnic groups, such as Thai , Cambodian , and Hmong . Approximately 3,000 residents are of Pacific Islander heritage. This group includes roughly Native Hawaiians , Guamanians, Samoans , and various people of other Pacific Islander groups. Hispanic and Latino Americans make up over one-fifth (22.8%) of Cook County's population. Roughly 1,204,000 Latinos live in
896-552: Is presided over by its president and the county's chief executive , currently Toni Preckwinkle . The commissioners, president, and county clerk (who serves as clerk of the board), hold the same offices ex officio on the separate governmental taxing body, the Cook County Forest Preserve District Board of Commissioners. Until 1870, Cook County had been governed under the "township supervisor" system, under which each Chicago ward elected
952-624: Is primarily composed of the Board of Commissioners headed by the President of the County Board, other elected officials such as the Sheriff , State's Attorney , Treasurer, Board of Review, Clerk, Assessor, Recorder, Circuit Court judges, and Circuit Court Clerk, as well as numerous other officers and entities. Cook County is the only home rule county in Illinois. The Cook County Code is
1008-498: Is the largest single-site jail in the nation. The Cook County Juvenile Detention Center , under the authority of the Chief Judge of the court, is the first juvenile center in the nation and one of the largest in the nation. The Cook County Law Library is the second-largest county law library in the nation. The Bureau of Health Services administers the county's public health services and is the third-largest public health system in
1064-479: Is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Illinois and the second-most-populous county in the United States, after Los Angeles County, California . More than 40 percent of all residents of Illinois live within Cook County. As of 2020, the population was 5,275,541. The county seat is Chicago , the most populous city in Illinois and the third most populous city in the United States. The county
1120-502: The 2000 Census , there were 5,376,741 people, 1,974,181 households, and 1,269,398 families residing in the county. The population density was 5,686 inhabitants per square mile (2,195/km ). There were 2,096,121 housing units at an average density of 2,216 per square mile (856/km ). The racial makeup of the county was 56.27% white, 26.14% Black or African American, 0.29% Native American, 4.84% Asian , 0.05% Pacific Islanders, 9.88% from other races, and 2.53% from two or more races. 19.93% of
1176-500: The American Civil War , when the transcontinental railroads were completed, coast to coast across the US, stopping in Chicago, the heart of Cook County. Chicago Transit Authority Pace Metra South Shore Line Lillian Piotrowski Lillian Piotrowski (July 12, 1911 – April 30, 1974) was an American politician and probation officer. Born in Chicago , Illinois , Piotrowski went to
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#17328020049771232-500: The Chicago metropolitan area , which has a population of approximately 10 million people. Cook County was created on January 15, 1831, out of Putnam County by an act of the Illinois General Assembly . It was the 54th county established in Illinois and was named after Daniel Pope Cook , one of the earliest and youngest statesmen in Illinois history. He served as the second U.S. representative from Illinois and
1288-670: The Circuit Court of Cook County , the Cook County State's Attorney , the Cook County Sheriff , and the Cook County Assessor . Geographically, the county is the sixth-largest in Illinois by land area and the largest by total area. It shares the state's Lake Michigan shoreline with Lake County . Including its lake area, Cook County has a total area of 1,635 square miles (4,234.6 km ),
1344-475: The codification of Cook County's local ordinances . Cook County's current County Board president is Toni Preckwinkle . The Circuit Court of Cook County , which is an Illinois state court of general jurisdiction is funded, in part, by Cook County, and accepts more than 1.2 million cases each year for filing. The Cook County Department of Corrections , also known as the Cook County Jail ,
1400-411: The 2000 census and the 2010 census, and increased 1.6% between 2010 and 2020. As of the 2010 Census , the population of the county was 5,194,675, White Americans made up 55.4% of Cook County's population; non-Hispanic whites represented 43.9% of the population. African Americans made up 24.8% of the population. Native Americans made up 0.4% of Cook County's population. Asian Americans made up 6.2% of
1456-498: The County Department of Transportation was instrumental in designing many of the expressways in the county, today they are under the jurisdiction of the state. The Cook County Forest Preserves , organized in 1915, is a separate, independent taxing body, but the Cook County Board of Commissioners also acts as its Board of Commissioners. The district is a belt of 69,000 acres (280 km ) of forest reservations surrounding
1512-685: The Great Lakes to the Mississippi River. The Illinois and Michigan Canal was completed in 1848, extending from the Bridgeport neighborhood in Chicago on the Chicago River, to the Illinois River at the cities of LaSalle-Peru. This canal spurred the growth of Chicago and the areas around it, as water travel was the primary way to ship grain or other commodities in that part of the 19th century. The Illinois and Michigan Canal ceased major operation in 1933. Portions are now designated as
1568-676: The Harrison High School in Chicago. She also went to the Chicago Teachers College and then received her bachelor's degree from Loyola University Chicago . Piotrowski was an adult and juvenile probation officer, a deputy sheriff, and a truant officer for the Chicago Board of Education . She was involved with the Democratic Party and in 1969, Piotrowski became the first woman in Chicago named
1624-400: The age of 18 living with them, 44.0% were married couples living together, 15.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.7% were non-families. 29.4% of all households were someone living alone including 9.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.38. In the county, the population age distribution was: 26.0% under
1680-463: The age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 31.7% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 11.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.5 males. The median income for a household in the county was $ 45,922, and the median income for a family was $ 53,784. Males had a median income of $ 40,690 versus $ 31,298 for females. The per capita income for
1736-525: The census of 1840, growing rapidly to 5,150,233 people estimated for 2019 by the US census. Growth was rapid in the 19th century, with the County reaching 2.4 million people by 1910. In the 20th century, the County reached 5.1 million population. Cook County is nearly completely developed, with little agricultural land remaining near the outer county boundaries. According to the 2000 Census there were 1,974,181 households, out of which 30.9% had children under
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1792-664: The city of Chicago. The Brookfield Zoo (managed by the Chicago Zoological Society) and the Chicago Botanic Garden (managed by the Chicago Horticultural Society) are located in the forest preserves. Cook County is the fifth-largest employer in Chicago. In March 2008, the County Board increased the sales tax by one percent to 1.75 percent. This followed a quarter-cent increase in mass transit taxes. In Chicago,
1848-588: The city, and five members elected from groups of townships outside the city, presided over by a chairman elected by the board from among their own number. The commissioners were elected for three-year terms, on a staggered basis. The first meeting of the new board took place December 4, 1871; they elected businessman and Civil War general Julius White of Evanston as their chairman. The board's seventeen commissioners are elected from individual constituencies for four year terms, with elections for all constituencies held during United States midterm elections . Its president
1904-429: The county was $ 23,227. About 10.6% of families and 13.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.9% of those under age 18 and 10.3% of those age 65 or over. As of the fourth quarter of 2021, the median home value in Cook County was $ 299,571, an increase of 11.7% from the prior year. According to Census Bureau estimates, the county's population grew by 5.3% from 1990 to 2000, decreased by 3.4% between
1960-507: The county, Cook County became the first county in American history where a candidate received one million votes. The Cook County Democratic Party represents Democratic voters in 50 wards in the city of Chicago and 30 suburban townships of Cook County. The organization has dominated County, city , and state politics since the 1930s. The last Republican mayor of Chicago was William Hale "Big Bill" Thompson , who left office in 1931 with
2016-445: The county. Mexicans are the most common Latino group. Cook County's 925,000 Mexican Americans make up 17.5% of its population. Roughly 127,000 Puerto Ricans live in the county, while over 12,200 Cubans reside in the county. There are some 140,000 Hispanics and Latinos of other nationalities living in Cook County (i.e. Colombian , Bolivian , etc.), and they collectively make up 2.6% of the county's population. In 2010 statistics,
2072-7572: The creation of the president position) was Julius White . Individuals who served as commissioners before the move to individual constituencies in 1994 included Charles Bernardini , George Marquis Bogue , Charles S. Bonk , Jerry Butler , Allan C. Carr , Carl R. Chindblom , John P. Daley , Danny K. Davis , Oscar Stanton De Priest , Marco Domico , Martin Emerich , Carter Harrison Sr. , John Humphrey , John Jones , Walter J. LaBuy , Ted Lechowicz , Maria Pappas , Lillian Piotrowski , Herb Schumann , Harry H. Semrow , Francis Cornwall Sherman , Seymour Simon , Horace M. Singer , Bobbie L. Steele , Alanson Sweet , William Hale Thompson , and Jill Zwick . President: John Stroger (D) 1st district: Danny Davis (D) 2nd district: Bobbie L. Steele (D) 3rd district: Jerry Butler (D) 4th district: John Stroger (D) 5th district: Deborah Sims (D) 6th district: Barclav "Bud" Fleming (R) 7th district: Joseph Mario Moreno (D) 8th district: Roberto Maldonado (D) 9th district: Peter N. Silvestri (R) 10th district: Maria Pappas (D) 11th district: John P. Daley (D) 12th district: Ted Lechowicz (D) 13th district: Calvin Sutker (D) 14th district: Richard Seibel (R) 15th district: Carl R. Hansen (R) 16th district: Allan C. Carr (R) 17th district: Herb Schumann (R) President: John Stroger (D) 1st district: Danny Davis (D) through Jan. 1999 ; Darlena Williams–Burnett (D) beginning in 1999 2nd district: Bobbie L. Steele (D) 3rd district: Jerry Butler (D) 4th district: John Stroger (D) 5th district: Deborah Sims (D) 6h district: William Moran (D) 7th district: Joseph Mario Moreno (D) 8th district: Roberto Maldonado (D) 9th district: Peter N. Silvestri (R) 10th district: Mike Quigley (D) 11th district: John P. Daley (D) 12th district: Ted Lechowicz (D) 13th district: Calvin Sutker (D) 14th district: Gregg Goslin (R) 15th district: Carl R. Hansen (R) 16th district: Allan C. Carr (R) 17th district: Herb Schumann (R) President: John Stroger (D) through Aug. 2006 ; Bobbie L. Steele (D) beginning in Aug. 2006 1st district: Earlean Collins (D) 2nd district: Bobbie L. Steele (D) 3rd district: Jerry Butler (D) 4th district: John Stroger (D) through Nov. 2006 ; William Beavers (D) beginning in Nov. 2006 5th district: Deborah Sims (D) 6th district: Joan Patricia Murphy (D) 7th district: Joseph Mario Moreno (D) 8th district: Roberto Maldonado (D) 9th district: Peter N. Silvestri (R) 10th district: Mike Quigley (D) 11th district: John P. Daley (D) 12th district: Forrest Claypool (D) 13th district: Larry Suffredin (D) 15th district: Gregg Goslin (R) 15th district: Carl R. Hansen (R) 16th district: Tony Peraica (R) 17th district: Elizabeth Ann Doody Gorman (R) President: Todd Stroger 1st district: Earlean Collins (D) 2nd district: Robert Steele (D) 3rd district: Jerry Butler (D) 4th district: William Beavers (D) 5th district: Deborah Sims (D) 6th district: Joan Patricia Murphy (D) 7th district: Joseph Mario Moreno (D) 8th district: Roberto Maldonado (D) through Aug. 2009 ; Edwin Reyes (D) since Aug. 2009 9th district: Peter N. Silvestri (R) 10th district: Mike Quigley (D) through Apr. 2009 ; Bridget Gainer (D) since Apr. 2009 11th district: John P. Daley (D) 12th district: Forrest Claypool (D) 13th district: Larry Suffredin (D) 14th district: Gregg Goslin (R) 15th district: Tim Schneider (R) 16th district: Tony Peraica (R) 17th district: Elizabeth Ann Doody Gorman (R) President: Toni Preckwinkle (D) 1st district: Earlean Collins (D) 2nd district: Robert Steele (D) 3rd district: Jerry Butler (D) 4th district: William Beavers (D) through Mar. 2013 ; Stanley Moore (D) beginning in Apr. 2013 5th district: Deborah Sims (D) 6th district: Joan Patricia Murphy (D) 7th district: Chuy García (D) 8th district: Edwin Reyes (D) 9th district: Peter N. Silvestri (R) 10th district: Bridget Gainer (D) 11th district: John P. Daley (D) 12th district: John Fritchey (D) 13th district: Larry Suffredin (D) 14th district: Gregg Goslin (R) 15th district: Tim Schneider (R) 16th district: Jeff Tobolski (D) 17th district: Elizabeth Ann Doody Gorman (R) President: Toni Preckwinkle (D) 1st district: Richard Boykin (D) 2nd district: Robert Steele (D) through Jun. 2017 ; Dennis Deer (D) beginning in Jul. 2017 3rd district: Jerry Butler (D) 4th district: Stanley Moore (D) 5th district: Deborah Sims (D) 6th district: Joan Patricia Murphy (D) through Sep. 2016 ; Edward Moody (D) beginning in Oct. 2016 7th district: Chuy García (D) 8th district: Luis Arroyo Jr. (D) 9th district: Peter N. Silvestri (R) 10th district: Bridget Gainer (D) 11th district: John P. Daley (D) 12th district: John Fritchey (D) 13th district: Larry Suffredin (D) 14th district: Gregg Goslin (R) 15th district: Tim Schneider (R) 16th district: Jeff Tobolski (D) 17th district: Elizabeth Ann Doody Gorman (R) through Jul. 2015 ; Sean M. Morrison (R) beginning in Jul. 2015 President: Toni Preckwinkle (D) 1st district: Brandon Johnson (D) 2nd district: Dennis Deer (D) 3rd district: Bill Lowry (D) 4th district: Stanley Moore (D) 5th district: Deborah Sims (D) 6th district: Donna Miller (D) 7th district: Alma E. Anya (D) 8th district: Luis Arroyo Jr. (D) 9th district: Peter N. Silvestri (R) 10th district: Bridget Gainer (D) 11th district: John P. Daley (D) 12th district: Bridget Degenen (D) 13th district: Larry Suffredin (D) 14th district: Scott R. Britton (D) 15th district: Kevin B. Morrison (D) 16th district: Jeff Tobolski (D) until Mar. 2020 ; Frank Aguilar (D) since Apr. 2020 17th district: Sean M. Morrison (R) President: Toni Preckwinkle (D) 1st district: Brandon Johnson (D) through May 2023 ; Tara Stamps (D) beginning in Jun. 2023 2nd district: Dennis Deer (D) 3rd district: Bill Lowry (D) 4th district: Stanley Moore (D) 5th district: Monica Gordon (D) 6th district: Donna Miller (D) 7th district: Alma E. Anya (D) 8th district: Anthony Quezada (D) 9th district: Maggie Tevor (D) 10th district: Bridget Gainer (D) 11th district: John P. Daley (D) 12th district: Bridget Degenen (D) 13th district: Josina Morita (D) 14th district: Scott R. Britton (D) 15th district: Kevin B. Morrison (D) 16th district: Frank Aguilar (D) 17th district: Sean M. Morrison (R) Cook County, Illinois Cook County
2128-405: The first half of the 20th century it had the absolute majority of Illinois's population. There are more than 800 local governmental units and nearly 130 municipalities located wholly or partially within Cook County, the largest of which is Chicago. The city is home to approximately 54 percent of the entire county's population. The part of the county outside of the Chicago and Evanston city limits
2184-478: The former U.S. president and Illinois resident. It is likely that Arlington Heights would have been the county seat. This northwest suburban region of Cook was at the time moderately conservative and has a population over 500,000. Local legislators, led by State Senator Dave Regnar, went so far as to propose it as official legislation in the Illinois House . The legislation died, however, before coming to
2240-586: The general election ballot, but the idea was not met with success. In arguing against the Lincoln County proposal, others noted several of the cities involved had power structures, law enforcement, or de facto "mayors for life" often accused in the press, or civilly or criminally charged with, political corruption , cronyism , and nepotism , and themselves being the main factor in their depressed economies rather than anyone in Cook County government. The opposition decried that their true reason for joining
2296-532: The largest county in Illinois, of which 945 square miles (2,447.5 km ) is land and 690 square miles (1,787.1 km ) (42.16%) is water. Land-use in Cook County is mostly urban and densely populated. Within Cook County, the state of Illinois took advantage of its Lake Michigan access and the Chicago Portage , beginning with the construction of the Illinois and Michigan Canal in 1848. This helped make
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2352-674: The largest religious group in Cook County was the Archdiocese of Chicago , with 1,947,223 Catholics worshipping at 371 parishes, followed by 209,195 non-denominational adherents with 486 congregations, an estimated 201,152 Muslims with 62 congregations, 68,865 NBC Baptists with 99 congregations, 49,925 ELCA Lutherans with 145 congregations, 49,909 SBC Baptists with 181 congregations, 45,979 LCMS Lutherans with 120 congregations, 39,866 UCC Christians with 101 congregations, 33,584 UMC Methodists with 121 congregations, and 32,646 AG Pentecostals with 64 congregations. Altogether, 59.6% of
2408-523: The nation. Some border towns in particular had been outraged, as people can take their business across the county border (paying, for instance, 7% in Lake County instead of Palatine's 9.5%). The secession issue eventually died down from the nominal tax increase. In 2011, two downstate Republican state representatives, Bill Mitchell of the 87th district and Adam Brown of the 101st district, proposed statehood for Cook County. Mitchell said that Chicago
2464-415: The nation. Three hospitals are part of this system: John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County , Provident Hospital , and Oak Forest Hospital of Cook County , along with over 30 clinics. The Cook County Department of Transportation is responsible for the design and maintenance of roadways in the county. These thoroughfares are composed mostly of major and minor arterials, with a few local roads. Although
2520-406: The population (1.8% Indian, 1.2% Filipino, 1.2% Chinese, 0.7% Korean, 0.3% Vietnamese, 0.2% Japanese, 0.8% Other). Pacific Islander Americans made up less than 0.1% of the population. People from other races made up 10.6% of the population; people from two or more races made up 2.5% of the county's population. Hispanics and Latinos (of any race) made up 24.0% of Cook County's population. As of
2576-452: The population was claimed as members by religious congregations, although members of historically African-American denominations were underrepresented due to incomplete information. In 2014, Cook County had 2,001 religious organizations, second only to Los Angeles County out of all US counties. According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 1,635 square miles (4,230 km ), of which 945 square miles (2,450 km )
2632-691: The population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 9.1% were of Polish, 8.1% German, 7.9% Irish and 5.7% Italian ancestry. 17.63% reported speaking Spanish at home; 3.13% speak Polish . Whites (Hispanic and non-Hispanic) number roughly 2,793,500. There are about 2,372,500 non-Hispanic whites residing in Cook County. Sizeable non-Hispanic white populations are those of German (11.4%), Irish (10.3%), Polish (9.7%), Italian (6.1%), and British (4.1%) descent. There are also significant groups of Swedish (1.5%), Russian (1.5%), French (1.3%), Greek (1.2%), Czech (1.0%), Dutch (1.0%), Lithuanian (0.9%), and Norwegian (0.8%) descent. Black Americans are
2688-489: The rate increased to 10.25 percent, the steepest nominal rate of any major metropolitan area in America. In Evanston , sales tax reached 10 percent and Oak Lawn residents pay 9.5 percent. On July 22, 2008, the Cook County board voted against Cook County Commissioner's proposal to repeal the tax increase. In 2016, Cook County joined Chicago in adopting a $ 13 hourly minimum wage. Cook County Board chairman John Daley called
2744-513: The region a central transit hub for the nation. Chicago, with its location on the Great Lakes and via the St. Lawrence Seaway , is a global port city, giving Cook County an international shipping port. Cook County's population is larger than that of 28 U.S. states and territories , and larger than the population of 11 of the 13 Canadian provinces and territories . Cook County is at the center of
2800-407: The secession effort was to start with a 'clean slate' with a new county government by design less willing to enforce responsibility against their abuses of power. Talk of secession from Cook County amongst some outlying communities again heated up in mid-2008 in response to a highly controversial 1% sales tax hike which has pushed the tax rates across the county communities up amongst the highest in
2856-450: The second largest racial group. Black Americans form over one-quarter (25.4%) of Cook County's population. Blacks of non-Hispanic origin form 25.2% of the population; black Hispanics make up the remaining 0.2% of the populace. There are roughly 1,341,000 African Americans of both Hispanic and non-Hispanic origin living in Cook County; 1,328,000 are non-Hispanic blacks. Roughly 52,500 people were of Sub-Saharan African ancestry, making up 1.0% of
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#17328020049772912-465: The south suburbs are often shunned by the city (although Chicago is not bound or required to do anything for other municipalities) and he blamed the Chicago-centric policies of Cook County for failing to jumpstart the somewhat-depressed south suburban local economy. Pending sufficient interest from local communities, Peloquin planned a petition drive to place a question regarding the secession on
2968-412: The state's first attorney general . In 1839, DuPage County was carved out of Cook County. The shape of Cook County and the neighboring counties has remained the same since DuPage County was formed. The population in each county and the split of agriculture compared to residential and industrial activity has changed dramatically over the intervening decades to 2020. The county began with 10,201 people in
3024-472: The total population. Approximately 10,300 residents of Cook County are of Native American ancestry. They consist of Cherokee , Chippewa , Navajo , and Sioux . Native Americans of Hispanic origin represent a sizeable portion of the Native American population. Nearly 6,000 Native Americans are of non-Hispanic origin, and some 4,300 are of Hispanic origin. Over 40% of the Native American racial group
3080-400: The wage hike "the moral and right thing to do." In June 2017, however, nearly 75 home rule municipalities passed measures opting themselves out of the increase. The county has more Democratic Party members than any other Illinois county and it is one of the most Democratic counties in the United States. Since 1932, the majority of its voters have only supported a Republican candidate in
3136-603: Was Charles H. Percy in 1978 . To establish more localized government control and policies which reflect the often different values and needs of large suburban sections of the sprawling county, secession movements have been made over the years which called for certain townships or municipalities to form their own independent counties. In the late 1970s, a movement started which proposed a separation of six northwest suburban townships, Cook County's panhandle ( Barrington , Hanover , Palatine , Wheeling , Schaumburg , and Elk Grove ) from Cook to form Lincoln County, in honor of
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